C# DateTime Formatter

This developer utility visualizes the behavior of the C# `DateTime.ToString()` method, providing an interactive playground for testing standard and custom format strings. .NET formatting follows a specific syntax where single characters (like "d", "t", "O") represent standardized patterns defined by the user's culture settings, while multi-character strings (like "yyyy-MM-dd") allow for custom layouts.

The tool bridges the gap between documentation and implementation by showing real-time previews. Developers can toggle between standard specifiers to see exactly how "g" differs from "G" (general date short/long time) or how "s" (sortable) formats timestamps for database storage. It also helps debug common pitfalls, such as the difference between "mm" (minutes) and "MM" (months), or "hh" (12-hour) vs "HH" (24-hour) clocks.

By generating the exact code snippet required to produce the desired output, the tool saves developers from repeated compilation cycles just to verify date appearances. It simulates the formatting logic client-side using JavaScript date libraries mapped to .NET behavior, ensuring accurate representations for most common use cases without needing a backend compiler.