Add TimeProvider overview

docs/fundamentals/toc.yml

@@ -445,6 +445,8 @@ items:
             href: ../standard/datetime/how-to-use-dateonly-timeonly.md
           - name: Perform arithmetic operations
             href: ../standard/datetime/performing-arithmetic-operations.md
+          - name: Use TimeProvider to write predictable code
+            href: ../standard/datetime/timeprovider-overview.md
           - name: "DateTime and DateTimeOffset support in System.Text.Json"
             href: ../standard/datetime/system-text-json-support.md
           - name: Time zones

docs/standard/datetime/choosing-between-datetime.md

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ Although you could use `DateTime` while ignoring the time component, there are a
 For more information about `DateOnly`, see [How to use the DateOnly and TimeOnly structures](how-to-use-dateonly-timeonly.md).
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
-> `DateOnly` isn't available in .NET Framework.
+> `DateOnly` isn't available for .NET Framework.
 
 ## The TimeSpan structure
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ Prior to the `TimeOnly` type being introduced, programmers typically used either
 For more information about `TimeOnly`, see [How to use the DateOnly and TimeOnly structures](how-to-use-dateonly-timeonly.md).
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
-> `TimeOnly` isn't available in .NET Framework.
+> `TimeOnly` isn't available for .NET Framework.
 
 ## The TimeZoneInfo class
 

docs/standard/datetime/how-to-use-dateonly-timeonly.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 title: How to use DateOnly and TimeOnly
 description: Learn about the DateOnly and TimeOnly structures in .NET.
-ms.date: 01/11/2023
+ms.date: 12/05/2024
 dev_langs:
   - "csharp"
   - "vb"
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ The <xref:System.DateOnly> and <xref:System.TimeOnly> structures were introduced
 `DateOnly` and `TimeOnly` are types that represent those particular portions of a `DateTime` type.
 
 > [!IMPORTANT]
-> <xref:System.DateOnly> and <xref:System.TimeOnly> types aren't available in .NET Framework.
+> <xref:System.DateOnly> and <xref:System.TimeOnly> types aren't available for .NET Framework.
 
 ## The DateOnly structure
 

docs/standard/datetime/index.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 description: "Learn more about: Dates, times, and time zones"
 title: "Dates, times, and time zones"
-ms.date: 12/07/2021
+ms.date: 12/05/2024
 helpviewer_keywords: 
   - "time zone objects [.NET]"
   - "date and time data [.NET]"
@@ -12,11 +12,9 @@ ms.assetid: 295c16e0-641b-4771-94b3-39c1ffa98c13
 ---
 # Dates, times, and time zones
 
-In addition to the basic <xref:System.DateTime> structure, .NET provides the following classes that support working with time zones:
-
-* <xref:System.TimeZone>
+.NET provides types that represent dates, times, and time zones. This article describes those types.
 
-  Use this class to work with the system's local time zone and the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) zone. The functionality of the <xref:System.TimeZone> class is largely superseded by the <xref:System.TimeZoneInfo> class.
+In addition to the basic <xref:System.DateTime> structure, .NET provides the following classes that support working with time zones:
 
 * <xref:System.TimeZoneInfo>
 
@@ -26,16 +24,38 @@ In addition to the basic <xref:System.DateTime> structure, .NET provides the fol
 
   Use this structure to work with dates and times whose offset (or difference) from UTC is known. The <xref:System.DateTimeOffset> structure combines a date and time value with that time's offset from UTC. Because of its relationship to UTC, an individual date and time value unambiguously identifies a single point in time. This makes a <xref:System.DateTimeOffset> value more portable from one computer to another than a <xref:System.DateTime> value.
 
-Starting with .NET 6, the following types are available:
+The following classes to support working with time:
 
-* <xref:System.DateOnly>
+* <xref:System.TimeSpan>
 
-  Use this structure when working with a value that only represents a date. The date represents the entire day, from the start of the day to the end. `DateOnly` has a range of `0001-01-01` through `9999-12-31`. And, this type represents the month, day, and year combination without a specific time. If you previously used a `DateTime` type in your code to represent a date that disregarded the time, use this type in its place. For more information, see [How to use the DateOnly and TimeOnly structures](how-to-use-dateonly-timeonly.md).
+  Use this structure to represents a time interval, such as an elapsed amount of time or the difference between two dates.
 
 * <xref:System.TimeOnly>
 
   Use this structure to represent a time without a date. The time represents the hours, minutes, and seconds of a non-specific day. `TimeOnly` has a range of `00:00:00.0000000` to `23:59:59.9999999`. This type can be used to replace `DateTime` and `TimeSpan` types in your code when you used those types to represent a time. For more information, see [How to use the DateOnly and TimeOnly structures](how-to-use-dateonly-timeonly.md).
 
+  > [!IMPORTANT]
+  > <xref:System.TimeOnly> isn't available for .NET Framework.
+
+* <xref:System.TimeProvider>
+
+  This is a base class that provides an abstraction of time. A common way to check the current time is by using `DateTime.UtcNow` or `DateTimeOffset.UtcNow`. However, these types don't provide any control over what's considered "now." Why would you want to control that? Testability. For example, consider you're writing an event tracking application that provides reminders 1 day before the event. The app's logic is to check the event time every hour, and alert the user once it's 24 hours before the event. As you write your tests for the app, you would provide your own type that wraps `DateTimeOffset.UtcNow` to test this logic, but now .NET provides this abstraction class for you.
+
+  For more information, see [What is TimeProvider](timeprovider-overview.md).
+
+  The `TimeProvider` type is included in .NET.
+
+  For .NET Framework and .NET Standard, `TimeProvider` is provided by the [**Microsoft.Bcl.TimeProvider** NuGet package](https://www.nuget.org/packages/Microsoft.Bcl.TimeProvider/).
+
+The following classes to support working with time:
+
+* <xref:System.DateOnly>
+
+  Use this structure when working with a value that only represents a date. The date represents the entire day, from the start of the day to the end. `DateOnly` has a range of `0001-01-01` through `9999-12-31`. And, this type represents the month, day, and year combination without a specific time. If you previously used a `DateTime` type in your code to represent a date that disregarded the time, use this type in its place. For more information, see [How to use the DateOnly and TimeOnly structures](how-to-use-dateonly-timeonly.md).
+
+  > [!IMPORTANT]
+  > <xref:System.DateOnly> isn't available for .NET Framework.
+
 The next section provides the information that you need to work with time zones and to create time zone-aware applications that can convert dates and times from one time zone to another.
 
 ## In this section

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/csharp/CalendarHelper.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+using System;
+
+namespace myproject;
+
+//<CalendarHelper>
+public static class CalendarHelper
+{
+    static readonly DateTimeOffset MoonLandingDateTime = new(1969, 7, 20, 20, 17, 40, TimeZoneInfo.Utc.BaseUtcOffset);
+
+    public static void SendGreeting(TimeProvider currentTime, string name)
+    {
+        DateTimeOffset localTime = currentTime.GetLocalNow();
+
+        Console.WriteLine($"Good morning, {name}!");
+        Console.WriteLine($"The date is {localTime.Date:d} and the day is {localTime.Date.DayOfWeek}.");
+
+        if (localTime.Date.Month == MoonLandingDateTime.Date.Month
+            && localTime.Date.Day == MoonLandingDateTime.Date.Day)
+
+            Console.WriteLine("Did you know that on this day in 1969 humans landed on the Moon?");
+
+        Console.WriteLine($"I hope you enjoy your day!");
+    }
+}
+//</CalendarHelper>

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/csharp/MoonLandingTimeProviderPST.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+using System;
+
+namespace myproject;
+
+//<CustomProvider>
+public class MoonLandingTimeProviderPST: TimeProvider
+{
+    // July 20, 1969, at 20:17:40 UTC
+    private readonly DateTimeOffset _specificDateTime = new(1969, 7, 20, 20, 17, 40, TimeZoneInfo.Utc.BaseUtcOffset);
+
+    public override DateTimeOffset GetUtcNow() => _specificDateTime;
+
+    public override TimeZoneInfo LocalTimeZone => TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById("PST");
+}
+//</CustomProvider>

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/csharp/Program.cs

@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+using myproject;
+
+Console.WriteLine(@"_./-==--======- getlocal -======--==-\._");
+
+//<GetLocal>
+Console.WriteLine($"Local: {TimeProvider.System.GetLocalNow()}");
+Console.WriteLine($"Utc:   {TimeProvider.System.GetUtcNow()}");
+
+/* This example produces output similar to the following:
+ *
+ * Local: 12/5/2024 10:41:14 AM -08:00
+ * Utc:   12/5/2024 6:41:14 PM +00:00
+*/
+//</GetLocal>
+
+Console.WriteLine(@"_./-==--======- timestamp -======--==-\._");
+
+//<Timestamp>
+long stampStart = TimeProvider.System.GetTimestamp();
+Console.WriteLine($"Starting timestamp: {stampStart}");
+
+long stampEnd = TimeProvider.System.GetTimestamp();
+Console.WriteLine($"Ending timestamp:   {stampEnd}");
+
+Console.WriteLine($"Elapsed time: {TimeProvider.System.GetElapsedTime(stampStart, stampEnd)}");
+Console.WriteLine($"Nanoseconds: {TimeProvider.System.GetElapsedTime(stampStart, stampEnd).TotalNanoseconds}"); 
+
+/* This example produces output similar to the following:
+ *
+ * Starting timestamp: 55185546133
+ * Ending timestamp:   55185549929
+ * Elapsed time: 00:00:00.0003796
+ * Nanoseconds: 379600
+*/
+//</Timestamp>
+
+Console.WriteLine(@"_./-==--======- greeting-normal -======--==-\._");
+
+//<GreetingNormal>
+CalendarHelper.SendGreeting(TimeProvider.System, "Eric Solomon");
+
+/* This example produces output similar to the following:
+ *
+ * Good morning, Eric Solomon! 
+ * The date is 12/5/2024 and the day is Thursday. 
+ * I hope you enjoy your day! 
+*/
+//</GreetingNormal>
+
+Console.WriteLine(@"_./-==--======- greeting-moon -======--==-\._");
+
+//<GreetingMoon>
+CalendarHelper.SendGreeting(new MoonLandingTimeProviderPST(), "Eric Solomon");
+
+/* This example produces output similar to the following:
+ *
+ * Good morning, Eric Solomon!
+ * The date is 7/20/1969 and the day is Sunday.
+ * Did you know that on this day in 1969 humans landed on the Moon?
+ * I hope you enjoy your day!
+*/
+//</GreetingMoon>

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/csharp/myproject.csproj

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
+    <TargetFramework>net9.0</TargetFramework>
+    <ImplicitUsings>enable</ImplicitUsings>
+    <Nullable>enable</Nullable>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+
+</Project>

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/vb/CalendarHelper.vb

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+'<CalendarHelper>
+Public Module CalendarHelper
+
+    ReadOnly MoonLandingDateTime As DateTimeOffset = #7/20/1969 20:17:40#
+
+    Public Sub SendGreeting(currentTime As TimeProvider, name As String)
+
+        Dim localTime As DateTimeOffset = currentTime.GetLocalNow()
+
+        Console.WriteLine($"Good morning, {name}!")
+        Console.WriteLine($"The date is {localTime.Date:d} and the day is {localTime.Date.DayOfWeek}.")
+
+        If (localTime.Date.Month = MoonLandingDateTime.Date.Month _
+            And localTime.Date.Day = MoonLandingDateTime.Date.Day) Then
+
+            Console.WriteLine("Did you know that on this day in 1969 humans landed on the Moon?")
+        End If
+
+        Console.WriteLine($"I hope you enjoy your day!")
+
+    End Sub
+
+End Module
+'</CalendarHelper>

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/vb/MoonLandingTimeProviderPST.vb

@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+'<CustomProvider>
+Public Class MoonLandingTimeProviderPST
+    Inherits TimeProvider
+
+    'July 20, 1969, at 20:17:40 UTC
+    Private ReadOnly _specificDateTime As New DateTimeOffset(1969, 7, 20, 20, 17, 40, TimeZoneInfo.Utc.BaseUtcOffset)
+
+    Public Overrides Function GetUtcNow() As DateTimeOffset
+        Return _specificDateTime
+    End Function
+
+    Public Overrides ReadOnly Property LocalTimeZone As TimeZoneInfo
+        Get
+            Return TimeZoneInfo.FindSystemTimeZoneById("PST")
+        End Get
+    End Property
+
+End Class
+'</CustomProvider>

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/vb/Program.vb

@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+Imports System
+Imports System.Globalization
+Imports System.Text.Json
+
+Module Program
+    Sub Main(args As String())
+        Console.WriteLine("_./-==--======- getlocal -======--==-\._")
+
+        '<GetLocal>
+        Console.WriteLine($"Local: {TimeProvider.System.GetLocalNow()}")
+        Console.WriteLine($"Utc:   {TimeProvider.System.GetUtcNow()}")
+
+        ' This example produces output similar to the following
+        '
+        ' Local: 12/5/2024 10:41:14 AM -08:00
+        ' Utc:   12/5/2024 6:41:14 PM +00:00
+
+        '</GetLocal>
+
+        Console.WriteLine("_./-==--======- timestamp -======--==-\._")
+
+        '<Timestamp>
+        Dim stampStart As Long = TimeProvider.System.GetTimestamp()
+        Console.WriteLine($"Starting timestamp: {stampStart}")
+
+        Dim stampEnd As Long = TimeProvider.System.GetTimestamp()
+        Console.WriteLine($"Ending timestamp:   {stampEnd}")
+
+        Console.WriteLine($"Elapsed time: {TimeProvider.System.GetElapsedTime(stampStart, stampEnd)}")
+        Console.WriteLine($"Nanoseconds: {TimeProvider.System.GetElapsedTime(stampStart, stampEnd).TotalNanoseconds}")
+
+        ' This example produces output similar to the following:
+        '
+        ' Starting timestamp: 55185546133
+        ' Ending timestamp:   55185549929
+        ' Elapsed time: 00:00:00.0003796
+        ' Nanoseconds: 379600
+
+        '</Timestamp>
+
+        Console.WriteLine("_./-==--======- greeting-normal -======--==-\._")
+
+        '<GreetingNormal>
+        CalendarHelper.SendGreeting(TimeProvider.System, "Eric Solomon")
+
+        ' This example produces output similar to the following:
+        '
+        ' Good morning, Eric Solomon! 
+        ' The date is 12/5/2024 and the day is Thursday. 
+        ' I hope you enjoy your day! 
+
+        '</GreetingNormal>
+
+        Console.WriteLine("_./-==--======- greeting-moon -======--==-\._")
+
+        '<GreetingMoon>
+        CalendarHelper.SendGreeting(New MoonLandingTimeProviderPST(), "Eric Solomon")
+
+        ' This example produces output similar to the following:
+        '
+        ' Good morning, Eric Solomon!
+        ' The date is 7/20/1969 and the day is Sunday.
+        ' Did you know that on this day in 1969 humans landed on the Moon?
+        ' I hope you enjoy your day!
+
+        '</GreetingMoon>
+
+    End Sub
+
+End Module

docs/standard/datetime/snippets/timeprovider-overview/vb/myproject.vbproj

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
+    <RootNamespace>dateonlytimeonly</RootNamespace>
+    <TargetFramework>net8.0</TargetFramework>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+
+</Project>