TimeEdit Controls

NewPast

4.60/5 (16 votes)

Aug 11, 2011

CPOL

5 min read

43720

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TimeEdit, TimeCombo, TimeColumn for flexible time editing

Introduction

Similar Controls

System.Windows.Forms.DateTimePicker
gTimePicker

How This Control Differs

Features comparison:

	DateTimePicker	gTimePicker	TimeEdit
Value Update	On Mask complete On Lost focus On validated	On Lost focus On validated	Immediately after key press
Text and Value is always the same	No	No	Yes
Null Value Support	No	Yes	Yes
could have time only value: like 0001/01/01 01:00	No	Yes	Yes
Has a dropdown clock	No	Yes	In `TimeCombo`
It is not needed to use : or arrows when entering time	No	No	Yes

Value after key press:

	DateTimePicker	gTimePicker	TimeEdit
Example displayed Text	00:00	00:00	00:00
Displayed text after pressing [6] Key	6:00	60:00	06:00
Value after pressing [6] Key	00:00 + current date	00:00	06:00
Value after lost focus	06:00 + current date	06:00	06:00

Why I Decided to Create It

I need a control that has the following features:

Value property can be set to time only value such as 00:00 (0001/01/01 00:00) witch is the minimum value for DateTime Type
Value property can be DBNull.Value and this is useful for database binding
Edit time that always its value reflect the displayed text
Simple time entering by minimum typing
Could the increase or decrease its value by mouse weal moving or by arrows pressing

Value Related Property of this Control

Value (Object): DBNull or WorkingDayDate and Time
NullableDateTime (Nullable(of DateTime)): Nothing or WorkingDayDate and Time
NullableTime (Nullable(of DateTime)): Nothing or Time

What This Application Does and Why it is Useful

You could include this control in your application to get the following features:

Allows your application user to enter a time in 24 hour or 12 hour mode
Protects your application user from entering invalid time
If your application checks the value of this control, it will always return the right value even before the control lost focus and this is useful to get the value changing as user typing
You could assign TimeEdit control with a WorkingDayDateControl to return a date and time in a single property
It is a simple control and it is inherits from a TextBox and is easy to understand and could be devolved to another more complex control
It is an alternative and more useable than DateTimePicker

What Problem is Solved

When user changes the text of TimeEdit control, its value changes immediately even if it does not lose focus.
TimeEdit control does not have a MinValue so it could point to time only value.
It has a WorkingDayEndTime and WorkingDayDate property that is useful when used in appointment arrangement in a working day that continues after midnight
It could be assigned to WorkingDayDateControl to get the date part from it and return the date and time in a single Value property

About TimeCombo and TimeColumn

TimeCombo is combo box based on TimeEdit
TimeCombo uses Flexible ComboBox and EditingControl Library and gTimePicker Clock
TimeColumn is DataGridViewColumn based on TimeCombo and Flexible ComboBox and EditingControl Library

Globalization

This control will act the same even if your local culture is differ than en-US. It always uses AM PM and : even if your local culture is use others.

What's the Next Step

Add a drop down button to display a clock to select time
Building an appointment grid to arrange appointments that could be continue after mid night without break sorting (00:00 will located after 23:59 when sorting by time

Using the Code

You could TimeEdit control in your Windows application to mentioned time
If you build a user control, you could use TimeConverter and DateConverter for your control property.

The Demo Application

The demo application comparing between DateTimePicker and TimeEdit control. There are 2 TimeEdit controls, the first one has WorkingDayEndTime property set to 00:00 and the second TimeEdit control is WorkingDayEndTime is set to 02:00. When typing in any TimeEdit control or in the DateTimePicker control, the value of the control is shown the date of the second TimeEdit control is set to 0001/01/02 (yyyy/MM/dd) if the time typed is less that WorkingDayEndTime and this is useful when sorting time in an appointments arrangements.
It also contains DataGridView that use TimeColumn.

Points of Interest

How to Keep Value and Text the Same

To do so, we don't store the value in a separate variable. We use the displayed text to get the value. and when user sets the value programmatically, this control will study the value:

If new value is numeric, it will be considered as Hour; 6.5 will be converted to 06:30
If new value is DateTime, then the WorkingDayDate property will be set to the new value date and the NullableTime property will be set to time part of the new value
If new value is empty string, then value will be DBNull
If new value is string that contains time, then the value will return its value

    Public Overridable Property Value As Object
        Get
            Try
                If String.IsNullOrEmpty(MyBase.Text) Then
                    Return DBNull.Value
                Else
                    Return Me.NullableDateAndTime.Value
                End If
            Catch ex As Exception
                ErrMsg(ex)
                Return DBNull.Value
            End Try
        End Get
        Set(ByVal NewValue As Object)
            Try
                If IsNumeric(NewValue) Then
                    'Nothing = 00:00
                    'not include date
                    Me.NullableTime = (New Date).AddHours(CDbl(NewValue))
                ElseIf IsDate(NewValue) Then
                    'Nothing = 00:00
                    'include date
                    Me.NullableDateAndTime = CDate(NewValue)
                ElseIf IsDBNull(NewValue) OrElse NewValue Is Nothing Then
                    Me.Text = ""
                ElseIf GetType(TimeSpan).IsAssignableFrom(NewValue.GetType) Then
                    'not include date
                    Me.NullableTime = New Date(CType(NewValue, TimeSpan).Ticks)
                ElseIf GetType(String).IsAssignableFrom(NewValue.GetType) Then
                    If String.IsNullOrEmpty(CStr(NewValue)) Then
                        Me.Text = ""
                    Else
                        'don't include date
                        Me.NullableTime = ToDateTime(CStr(NewValue))
                    End If
                Else
                    Me.Text = ""
                End If
            Catch ex As Exception
                ErrMsg(ex)
            End Try
        End Set
    End Property

Validate Time Input and Protecting User from Entering Invalid Time

Overrides Sub OnKeyPress
If user presses a key in an empty TimeEdit control, then it will automatically assign with default value

Build sText string that echoes the user input result

Dim sText = Me.Text
Mid(sText, Me.SelectionStart + 1, 1) = e.KeyChar 'Replace the 2d char

Test if the resulting text is valid Time using Regular Expressions taking "^(?<Hour>([0-1]\d|2[0-3])):(?<Minute>[0-5]\d)$" for 24 hour mode and "^(?<Hour>(0?[1-9]|1[0-2])):(?<Minute>[0-5]\d) (?<AMPM>(A|P)M)$" for 12 hour mode
* This Regular Expressions contains three groups: Hour, Minute and AMPM
* Each group has its rule example Hour in 12 hour mode is 0 followed by any digest or 1 followed by 0-2

If not match, then study where the editing char in hours or in minutes and study its possible fixing as the following code:

    Private Sub OnHourKeyPress(ByRef e As KeyPressEventArgs)
        Try
            Dim Do1 = False
            Select Case SelectionStart
                Case 0 'SelectionStart = 0
                    Select Case e.KeyChar
                        Case "3"c To "9"c 'not allowed to be first char
                            Do1 = True
                        Case "2"c 'not allowed to be first char in 12 Hr mode
                            If Not _Hr24 Then
                                Do1 = True
                            Else
                                'in 24 hr mode if the next char is > 3 then replace it with 3
                                If Me.Text()(1) > "3"c Then
                                    Mid(Me.Text, 2, 1) = "3"
                                End If
                            End If
                        Case "1"c
                            If Not _Hr24 Then
                                'in 12 hr mode if the next char is > 2 then replace it with 2
                                If Me.Text()(1) > "2"c Then
                                    Mid(Me.Text, 2, 1) = "2"
                                End If
                            End If
                    End Select
                Case 1 'SelectionStart = 1
                    Select Case MyBase.Text(0)
                        Case Is > "2"c
                            'in 12 hr mode not allowed to be in 2d char
                            If Not Hr24 Then
                                Do1 = True
                            End If                            
                        Case "2"c
                            If Me.Hr24 Then                                
                                Select Case e.KeyChar
                                    Case "4"c To "9"c
                                        'in 24 hr mode not allowed to be in 2d char
                                        Do1 = True
                                End Select
                            Else
                                Do1 = True
                            End If
                        Case "1"c
                            If Not _Hr24 Then
                                Select Case e.KeyChar
                                    Case "3"c To "9"c
                                        Do1 = True
                                End Select
                            End If
                    End Select 'MyBase.Text(0)
            End Select
            If Do1 Then
                Me.Text = "0" & Me.Text.Substring(1)
                SelectionStart = 1
                SelectionLength = 1
            End If
            OnTimeKeyPress(e)
        Catch ex As Exception
            ErrMsg(ex)
        End Try
    End Sub

TimeEdit control Inherits TextBox but it removes some properties by:

Adding Designer attribute:

<ToolboxItem(True), Designer(GetType(TimeEditDesigner)), _
DefaultBindingProperty("Value")> _
Public Class TimeEdit
    Inherits TextBox

    '....More Code....

    <DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Hidden), _
    Browsable(False), Obsolete("", True)> _
    Public Shadows Lines, Multiline, AutoCompleteMode, _
    AutoCompleteSource, AutoCompleteCustomSource, WordWrap, _
    PasswordChar, UseSystemPasswordChar As DBNull
End Class

Building TimeEditDesigner class:

Imports System.Windows.Forms.Design
Imports System.ComponentModel

Public Class TimeEditDesigner
    Inherits ControlDesigner

    Protected Overrides Sub PreFilterProperties(ByVal properties As IDictionary)
        Try
            properties.Remove("PasswordChar")
            properties.Remove("UseSystemPasswordChar")
            properties.Remove("Text")
            properties.Remove("Lines")
            properties.Remove("Multiline")
            properties.Remove("AutoCompleteMode")
            properties.Remove("AutoCompleteSource")
            properties.Remove("AutoCompleteCustomSource")
            properties.Remove("WordWrap")

            MyBase.PreFilterProperties(properties)

        Catch ex As Exception
            ErrMsg(ex)
        End Try
    End Sub

    Public Overrides ReadOnly Property ActionLists As _
    System.ComponentModel.Design.DesignerActionListCollection
        Get
            Return Nothing
        End Get
    End Property

    Public Overrides ReadOnly Property Verbs As _
    System.ComponentModel.Design.DesignerVerbCollection
        Get
            Return Nothing
        End Get
    End Property
End Class

How This Application Handles Run Time Errors

Every procedure has the following diagram:

Private Sub OnHourKeyPress(ByRef e As KeyPressEventArgs) 'procedure start
    Try
    
    '.... procedure code
  	Catch ex As Exception
		ErrMsg(ex)
    End Try
End Sub 'procedure end

A module that contains ErrMsg procedure is added to the project to document every run time error that happened in a file located in "C:\Temp".

The error is printed to that file using as follows:

FileOpen(iFile, sLogFileName, OpenMode.Append, OpenAccess.Write)
Print(iFile, vbNewLine & vbNewLine & "Date: " _
          & Now.ToString("yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss") & vbNewLine)
Print(iFile, sMsg)
FileClose(iFile)

History

Initial version
Adding TimeCombo and TimeColumn