Converting Formatted DateTime Back to Its Original Format in Flutter and Dart

Learn how to convert formatted DateTime back to its original format using Flutter and Dart! This guide covers date parsing and formatting with the Intl package.
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Converting Formatted DateTime Back to Its Original Form in Flutter and Dart

In the world of programming, handling dates and times can often be tricky, especially when working with different formats. For Flutter and Dart developers, conveying DateTime objects between systems, especially when dealing with backend services, can pose a challenge. In this post, we will explore how to convert a formatted DateTime (like dd-MMM-yyyy) back to its original UTC format required by the server, which usually looks like this: 2022-08-19T09:12:15.406Z.

The Problem

Let’s say you have a DateTime object in your Flutter app that you have formatted for display purposes using the Intl package. The formatted date might look something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, when sending this formatted date back to the server, you will need it in a specific format that includes the time and follows the ISO 8601 standard. This is essential for backend processing and can be a stumbling block if you are not familiar with manipulating date and time in Dart.

The Solution

Step 1: Track Your Date Format

Before you convert the formatted date back to its original form, make sure you have a reference to the same date format that you used for formatting. In this case, you’ve used 'dd-MMM-yyyy'.

Step 2: Use the .parse Method

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Converting to UTC

Getting the UTC representation of the DateTime is straightforward. After parsing, you can simply convert it to UTC with the toUtc() method if needed:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Important Note

The formatted string you originally created contains only the date component. This means when you parse it back, the time component will default to 00:00:00. If you need to include the time as well, you will need to format and send that data along with your date in a more suitable structure.

Complete Example

Here’s a complete example that puts everything together:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Converting a formatted DateTime back to its original form is a common requirement in Flutter applications, especially when dealing with server communications. By leveraging the Intl package and understanding the parsing methods available, you can easily manipulate DateTime formats and ensure that your application runs smoothly.

Feel free to integrate this functionality into your Flutter app to improve how you handle dates and times, ensuring seamless data exchanges with your backend.