Example. In this program, we get two DateTimes. Then we get the difference as a TimeSpan instance. Next, we convert that TimeSpan into a long Ticks.
Finally We convert that long Ticks back into a TimeSpan, showing that you can round-trip longs and TimeSpans.
using System;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
// Difference between today and yesterday.
DateTime yesterday = DateTime.Now.Subtract(TimeSpan.FromDays(1));
DateTime now = DateTime.Now;
TimeSpan diff = now.Subtract(yesterday);
// TimeSpan can be represented as a long [ticks].
long ticks = diff.Ticks;
// You can convert a long [ticks] back into TimeSpan.
TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.FromTicks(ticks);
// Display.
Console.WriteLine(ts);
// Note: long and TimeSpan are the same number of bytes [8].
unsafe
{
Console.WriteLine(sizeof(long));
Console.WriteLine(sizeof(TimeSpan));
}
}
}1.00:00:00.0010000
8
8
Byte count. In the unsafe context, the program shows that a long is 8 bytes and a TimeSpan is also 8 bytes. Therefore, it is logical for one to fit in the other.
Summary. It is possible to convert from a TimeSpan and a long using the Ticks property and the FromTicks method. Sometimes a long representation is more useful for external systems.
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This page was last updated on Sep 3, 2022 (rewrite).