Google made flutter, a mobile application development framework that happens to be open source. It is cross-platform and can be used for writing android and iOS apps with native performance using dart as a single code base. Flutter has a robust framework that comes out of the box with many in-built tools and functions on how to format dates, times, or any other time-related features in mobile applications. Formatting date and time in flutter apps may be difficult regardless of the experience one has.

Nonetheless, developers can realize their preferred formatting by exploiting numerous built-in functionalities. Such functionalities are able to customize dates/times as need be through implementation specific formats which also makes it possible to manage time zones well enough. In totality, Flutter extends full support towards making date and time formatting easier for developers thereby improving user experience.

Flutter comes with DateTime class which does not only represent dates but also times within itself. By utilizing DateFormat class from intl package, you can convert a DateTime object into string representation so that it becomes easy to read.

Dates and times can be formatted in Flutter by usage of the DateFormat class from intl package. The intl package is there to present internationalization as well as localization utilities including date and time formatting.

To format a flutter date and time you should do the following things:

  1. The first step would be importing the intl package, which we can do in Dart file by adding this line at the top:

import 'package:intl/intl.dart';

 

  1. Next, create a DateTime object that represents a specific date and time you want to format:
DateTime now = DateTime.now();

 

  1. Then, create a DateFormat object that defines a desired format:
DateFormat formatter = DateFormat('yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss');


In this example, the format will look like “year-month-day hour:minute:second”. Different patterns for dates and times allow customizing your format for any requirements.

  1. It is possible to use DateFormat object to format DateTime objects:
String formattedDate = formatter.format(now);

The format method returns a string that represents the formatted date and time.


Here is a complete example:

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:intl/intl.dart';

void main() {
  runApp(MyApp());
}

class MyApp extends StatelessWidget {
  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    DateTime now = DateTime.now();
    DateFormat formatter = DateFormat('yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss');
    String formattedDate = formatter.format(now);

    return MaterialApp(
      home: Scaffold(
        body: Center(
          child: Text(formattedDate),
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}

For instance, in this example the current date and time are formatted using "year-month-day hour:minute:second" format and shown at the center of the screen using a Text widget.


Output:

2023-04-20 14:30:45

You can alter the pattern passed to the DateFormat constructor according to your own likes. For example, if you only want to display the date, use “yyyy-MM-dd” pattern:

DateFormat formatter = DateFormat('yyyy-MM-dd');


Output:

2023-04-20


Likewise if you wish to show only hours, minutes and seconds; consider using "HH:mm:ss" pattern:

DateFormat formatter = DateFormat('HH:mm:ss');


Output:

14:30:45


In order to create a cohesive user experience in Flutter applications, developers need to be able to efficiently format dates and times. With DateFormat class’s assistance, they are enabled easily format dates and times as per their needs with accurate handling of time zones. This write-up outlines guidelines that developers can follow in order to customize date/time formatting within their Flutter apps so as not miss out on any points. They have built-in support for displaying dates and times in different formats or converting between time zones without having any knowledge about how those specific tasks should be performed by programmers.

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