Get date and time on the same line

Displaying Date and Time on a Single Line in PowerShell

Learn how to format and combine date and time information into a concise, single-line output using PowerShell cmdlets and formatting techniques.

When working with PowerShell, it's common to retrieve date and time information. By default, the Get-Date cmdlet often provides a verbose output that might span multiple lines or include more detail than necessary for certain tasks. This article will guide you through various methods to format and display the current date and time on a single, compact line, making your script outputs cleaner and easier to read.

Understanding Get-Date Output

The Get-Date cmdlet is PowerShell's primary tool for retrieving date and time objects. Without any parameters, it returns a DateTime object representing the current date and time, formatted according to your system's regional settings. While this default output is comprehensive, it often includes the day of the week and a full timestamp, which might not always be desired for single-line logging or display.

Get-Date

Default output of Get-Date

Formatting with -Format Parameter

The most straightforward way to customize the output of Get-Date is by using the -Format parameter. This parameter accepts standard .NET Framework date and time format specifiers. By combining these specifiers, you can precisely control how the date and time components are arranged on a single line.

flowchart TD
    A["Get-Date"]
    B["Specify -Format Parameter"]
    C["Use Format Specifiers (e.g., 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss')"]
    D["Output: Single Line Date/Time String"]

    A --> B
    B --> C
    C --> D

Process for formatting Get-Date output

Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
Get-Date -Format "MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss tt"
Get-Date -Format "dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy HH:mm"

Examples using the -Format parameter with different specifiers

Using ToString() Method for Flexibility

Every DateTime object in PowerShell has a ToString() method, which offers similar formatting capabilities to the -Format parameter. This method is particularly useful when you're working with a DateTime object that has already been retrieved or stored in a variable, allowing you to format it on demand without re-calling Get-Date.

$currentTime = Get-Date
$currentTime.ToString("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")

# You can also use standard format strings like 'G' for general date/time pattern
$currentTime.ToString("G")

Formatting a DateTime object using the ToString() method

Combining Date and Time Components Manually

For highly specific or custom formats that might not be easily achieved with standard format specifiers, you can extract individual components of the DateTime object and combine them into a string. This method offers the most granular control over the output.

$date = Get-Date
"$($date.Year)-$($date.Month.ToString('00'))-$($date.Day.ToString('00')) $($date.Hour.ToString('00')):$($date.Minute.ToString('00')):$($date.Second.ToString('00'))"

# Using -join for a more programmatic approach
($date.Year, $date.Month.ToString('00'), $date.Day.ToString('00')) -join '-' + ' ' + ($date.Hour.ToString('00'), $date.Minute.ToString('00'), $date.Second.ToString('00')) -join ':'

Manually combining date and time components into a single string

1. Retrieve the DateTime object

Start by getting the current date and time using Get-Date and store it in a variable, e.g., $now = Get-Date.

2. Choose your formatting method

Decide whether to use the -Format parameter, the .ToString() method, or manual string concatenation based on your specific formatting needs and desired flexibility.

3. Apply format specifiers

Use appropriate format specifiers (e.g., "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss") to achieve the desired single-line output. Test different combinations to find the perfect fit.

4. Integrate into scripts

Incorporate the formatted date and time string into your PowerShell scripts for logging, file naming, or display purposes.