Javascript serialization of DateTime in asp.net is not giving a javascript date object?

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When I parse a DateTime to json in .Net it returns a string (i.e. "\/Date(1249335194272)\/"). How do I make it return a js Date object constructor not wrap in a string?

// js server code
var dteNow = <%= jsonDateNow %>;


// js rendered code
var dteNow = "\/Date(1249335477787)\/";


// C#
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.Script.Serialization;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;

namespace testing{
    public partial class iTaxPrep : System.Web.UI.Page
    {
        protected string jsonDateNow;
        protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (!IsPostBack)
            {
                jsonDateNow = new JavaScriptSerializer().Serialize(DateTime.Now);

            }
        }
    }
}
10 Answers

This is a known limitation with JSON. This answer might help you, specifically:

value = new Date(parseInt(value.replace("/Date(", "").replace(")/",""), 10));

This seems to work (Thanks Chris S for the idea). In the C# do a replace to remove the string wrapper from around the date object;

    using System.Collections.Generic;
        using System.Linq;
        using System.Web;
        using System.Web.UI;
        using System.Web.Script.Serialization;
        using System.Web.Script.Services;
        using System.Web.Services;
        using System.Web.UI.WebControls;

        namespace test
        {
            [ScriptService]
            public partial class testing: System.Web.UI.Page
            {
                protected string strCaseID;
                protected string jsonCase;

                protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
                {
                    if (!IsPostBack)
                    {
                        strCaseID =Tools.GetQueryObject("id");
                        // get a complex object with dates, string, arrays etc.
                        jsonESHACase = new JavaScriptSerializer().Serialize(objCase.Get(strCaseID ))
                            .Replace("\"\\/Date(", "new Date(").Replace(")\\/\"", ")");
                    }
                }
            }
        }

..and after removing the quotes and adding the new prefix to Date this js now works. Hooray!

testCase= <%= jsonESHACase %>;
    if (testCase) {
        document.write(testCase["ClosingDate"].format("MM dd yyyy"));
    }

Slightly simpler string clean up with RegEx:

var myDate = "\\/Date(1508821200000)\/";    
var jsDate = new Date(parseInt(myDate.replace(/\D/g, '')));
jsonDateNow = String.Format("Date({0},{1},{2})", Date().Now.getYear(), Date().Now.getMonth() -1, Date().Now.getDay());

This example works

    JavaScriptSerializer serializer = new JavaScriptSerializer();

    DateTime dt = DateTime.Now;
    DateTime dt1 = dt;

    string jsonDateNow = serializer.Serialize(dt1);
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