C# aspose cells dates

Aspose.Cells Product Family
1

Hi

I am looking to copy ranges from from workbook to another or from one worksheet to another. I used

value = RangeA.Value

and

RangeB.Value = value

The problem is that in some circumstances date values get changed from (say) UK 02/07/2020 to US 07/02/2020 i.e. dd/mm/yyyy to mm/dd/yyyy.

I can’t reproduce this in my local UK machine but happens when running on Azure machines where I can’t control the locale of the machine.

How can I control the date reading and setting?

Thanks
Martin

2

@Martin_Sher

Hi Martin,

To handle date values correctly when copying ranges between workbooks or worksheets, especially in environments where you can’t control the locale (like Azure), you need to explicitly format the date values in your code. This will ensure that the dates are interpreted correctly regardless of the machine’s locale settings.

Cause: Date values can be misinterpreted due to varying locale settings, leading to incorrect data representation.

Solution: You can follow this step-by-step approach to ensure accurate date handling:

  1. Read the Date as a String: Instead of directly copying the value, read the date as a string to maintain its format.
  2. Parse the Date: Use DateTime.ParseExact to convert the string to a DateTime object, specifying the expected format (e.g., “dd/MM/yyyy” for UK format).
  3. Set the Date: When setting the value in the target range, ensure you format it back to the desired string format if necessary.

Here’s a sample code snippet to illustrate this:

using Aspose.Cells;
using System;
using System.Globalization;

public class DateCopyExample
{
    public static void CopyDateRange(Workbook sourceWorkbook, Workbook targetWorkbook, string sourceRange, string targetRange)
    {
        // Access the source range
        Range rangeA = sourceWorkbook.Worksheets[0].Cells.CreateRange(sourceRange);
        
        // Loop through each cell in the range
        for (int row = 0; row < rangeA.RowCount; row++)
        {
            for (int col = 0; col < rangeA.ColumnCount; col++)
            {
                Cell sourceCell = rangeA[row, col];
                string dateValue = sourceCell.StringValue; // Read as string
                
                // Parse the date using the expected format
                DateTime parsedDate;
                if (DateTime.TryParseExact(dateValue, "dd/MM/yyyy", CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, DateTimeStyles.None, out parsedDate))
                {
                    // Set the parsed date in the target range
                    targetWorkbook.Worksheets[0].Cells[targetRange].PutValue(parsedDate);
                }
                else
                {
                    // Handle the case where parsing fails
                    targetWorkbook.Worksheets[0].Cells[targetRange].PutValue(dateValue); // Fallback to original string
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Next Steps: Implement this code in your project and test it with various date formats to ensure it works as expected. If you encounter any issues or have further questions, feel free to reach out.

This approach guarantees that the date format is preserved when copying between different environments.

Let me know if you need any further assistance!

3

@Martin_Sher,

I think you may try to change the locale/regional settings of the workbook (for example, by using Workbook.Settings.Region/Locale) to match your desired environment (e.g., workbook.Settings.Region = CountryCode.UnitedKingdom;) before rendering the workbook.

Let us know with details and sample app (with resource files) if you still find the issue.

4

@Martin_Sher
If you simply copy the values of each cell one by one, the style of the cells will be lost. Please continue copying the range style after copying the cells within the range. Regarding how to copy range styles, please refer to the following document.

If you need to copy all values within the range, please use range copying directly to meet the requirements. Please refer to the following document.

If you still find the issue, kindly do share your complete sample (runnable) code and template Excel file (if any) to reproduce the issue on our end, we will check it soon.

5

Thanks.

My range can have a mixture of cell types (not only dates). How can I accommodate this in the suggested code

6

@Martin_Sher,

Could you please check the replies and do the needful.
https://forum.aspose.com/t/c-aspose-cells-dates/315671/3
https://forum.aspose.com/t/c-aspose-cells-dates/315671/4