Time Zone Abbreviation to Current Time?

Question

Is there a way that I can use a Time Zone abbreviation (PST, EDT, GMT, etc) and turn it into the current time with C# on WP7?

I would assume I could use something like TimeZoneInfo to find the offset, but how do actually get the offset from the abbreviation, or alternatively from the full time zone name (gotten by mapping the abbreviations to the full names)?

Answer 1

I would suggest putting the table in config or as config type file rather than raw code as some Abbreviations can be duplicated in different parts of the world. That mean additions and changes can be done without the need to recompile release a new version.

Answer 2

Use TimeZoneInfo.Id that's what it's there for.

Answer 3

This is what I'm using:

    public static readonly Dictionary<string, string> AbbreviationsMap = new Dictionary<string, string>() {
        {"ACDT", "+1030"}, // Australian Central Daylight
        {"ACST", "+0930"}, // Australian Central Standard
        {"ADT", "-0300"}, // (US) Atlantic Daylight
        {"AEDT", "+1100"}, // Australian East Daylight
        {"AEST", "+1000"}, // Australian East Standard
        {"AHDT", "-0900"},
        {"AHST", "-1000"},
        {"AST", "-0400"}, // (US) Atlantic Standard
        {"AT", "-0200"}, // Azores
        {"AWDT", "+0900"}, // Australian West Daylight
        {"AWST", "+0800"}, // Australian West Standard
        {"BAT", "+0300"}, // Bhagdad
        {"BDST", "+0200"}, // British Double Summer
        {"BET", "-1100"}, // Bering Standard
        {"BST", "-0300"}, // Brazil Standard
        {"BT", "+0300"}, // Baghdad
        {"BZT2", "-0300"}, //Brazil Zone 2
        {"CADT", "+1030"}, // Central Australian Daylight
        {"CAST", "+0930"}, // Central Australian Standard
        {"CAT", "-1000"}, // Central Alaska
        {"CCT", "+0800"}, // China Coast
        {"CDT", "-0500"}, // (US) Central Daylight
        {"CED", "+0200"}, // Central European Daylight
        {"CET", "+0100"}, // Central European
        {"CST", "-0600"}, // (US) Central Standard
        {"CENTRAL", "-0600"}, // (US) Central Standard
        {"EAST", "+1000"}, // Eastern Australian Standard
        {"EDT", "-0400"}, // (US) Eastern Daylight
        {"EED", "+0300"}, // Eastern European Daylight
        {"EET", "+0200"}, // Eastern Europe
        {"EEST", "+0300"}, // Eastern Europe Summer
        {"EST", "-0500"}, // (US) Eastern Standard
        {"EASTERN", "-0500"}, // (US) Eastern Standard
        {"FST", "+0200"}, // French Summer
        {"FWT", "+0100"}, // French Winter
        {"GMT", "-0000"}, // Greenwich Mean
        {"GST", "+1000"}, // Guam Standard
        {"HDT", "-0900"}, // Hawaii Daylight
        {"HST", "-1000"}, // Hawaii Standard
        {"IDLE", "+1200"}, // Internation Date Line East
        {"IDLW", "-1200"}, // Internation Date Line West
        {"IST", "+0530"}, // Indian Standard
        {"IT", "+0330"}, // Iran
        {"JST", "+0900"}, // Japan Standard
        {"JT", "+0700"}, // Java
        {"MDT", "-0600"}, // (US) Mountain Daylight
        {"MED", "+0200"}, // Middle European Daylight
        {"MET", "+0100"}, // Middle European
        {"MEST", "+0200"}, // Middle European Summer
        {"MEWT", "+0100"}, // Middle European Winter
        {"MST", "-0700"}, // (US) Mountain Standard
        {"MOUNTAIN", "-0700"}, // (US) Mountain Standard
        {"MT", "+0800"}, // Moluccas
        {"NDT", "-0230"}, // Newfoundland Daylight
        {"NFT", "-0330"}, // Newfoundland
        {"NT", "-1100"}, // Nome
        {"NST", "+0630"}, // North Sumatra
        {"NZ", "+1100"}, // New Zealand 
        {"NZST", "+1200"}, // New Zealand Standard
        {"NZDT", "+1300"}, // New Zealand Daylight 
        {"NZT", "+1200"}, // New Zealand
        {"PDT", "-0700"}, // (US) Pacific Daylight
        {"PST", "-0800"}, // (US) Pacific Standard
        {"PACIFIC", "-0800"}, // (US) Pacific Standard
        {"ROK", "+0900"}, // Republic of Korea
        {"SAD", "+1000"}, // South Australia Daylight
        {"SAST", "+0900"}, // South Australia Standard
        {"SAT", "+0900"}, // South Australia Standard
        {"SDT", "+1000"}, // South Australia Daylight
        {"SST", "+0200"}, // Swedish Summer
        {"SWT", "+0100"}, // Swedish Winter
        {"USZ3", "+0400"}, //USSR Zone 3
        {"USZ4", "+0500"}, //USSR Zone 4
        {"USZ5", "+0600"}, //USSR Zone 5
        {"USZ6", "+0700"}, //USSR Zone 6
        {"UT", "-0000"}, // Universal Coordinated
        {"UTC", "-0000"}, // Universal Coordinated
        {"UZ10", "+1100"}, //USSR Zone 10
        {"WAT", "-0100"}, // West Africa
        {"WET", "-0000"}, // West European
        {"WST", "+0800"}, // West Australian Standard
        {"YDT", "-0800"}, // Yukon Daylight
        {"YST", "-0900"}, // Yukon Standard
        {"ZP4", "+0400"}, // USSR Zone 3
        {"ZP5", "+0500"}, //USSR Zone 4
        {"ZP6", "+0600"}   //USSR Zone 5
    };

Answer 4

I hope this isn't too much copy, but based on the solution above, here is the above implemented

var Abbreviations = new Dictionary<string, string>()
            {
            {"A","Alpha Time Zone"},
            {"ACDT","Australian Central Daylight Time"},
            {"ACST","Australian Central Standard Time"},
            {"ADT","Atlantic Daylight Time"},
            {"ADT","Atlantic Daylight Time"},
            {"AEDT","Australian Eastern Daylight Time"},
            {"AEST","Australian Eastern Standard Time"},
            {"AFT","Afghanistan Time"},
            {"AKDT","Alaska Daylight Time"},
            {"AKST","Alaska Standard Time"},
            {"ALMT","Alma-Ata Time"},
            {"AMST","Armenia Summer Time"},
            {"AMST","Amazon Summer Time"},
            {"AMT","Armenia Time"},
            {"AMT","Amazon Time"},
            {"ANAST","Anadyr Summer Time"},
            {"ANAT","Anadyr Time"},
            {"AQTT","Aqtobe Time"},
            {"ART","Argentina Time"},
            {"AST","Arabia Standard Time"},
            {"AST","Atlantic Standard Time"},
            {"AST","Atlantic Standard Time"},
            {"AST","Atlantic Standard Time"},
            {"AWDT","Australian Western Daylight Time"},
            {"AWST","Australian Western Standard Time"},
            {"AZOST","Azores Summer Time"},
            {"AZOT","Azores Time"},
            {"AZST","Azerbaijan Summer Time"},
            {"AZT","Azerbaijan Time"},
            {"B","Bravo Time Zone"},
            {"BNT","Brunei Darussalam Time"},
            {"BOT","Bolivia Time"},
            {"BRST","Brasilia Summer Time"},
            {"BRT","Brasília time"},
            {"BST","Bangladesh Standard Time"},
            {"BST","British Summer Time"},
            {"BTT","Bhutan Time"},
            {"C","Charlie Time Zone"},
            {"CAST","Casey Time"},
            {"CAT","Central Africa Time"},
            {"CCT","Cocos Islands Time"},
            {"CDT","Cuba Daylight Time"},
            {"CDT","Central Daylight Time"},
            {"CEST","Central European Summer Time"},
            {"CET","Central European Time"},
            {"CET","Central European Time"},
            {"CHADT","Chatham Island Daylight Time"},
            {"CHAST","Chatham Island Standard Time"},
            {"CKT","Cook Island Time"},
            {"CLST","Chile Summer Time"},
            {"CLT","Chile Standard Time"},
            {"COT","Colombia Time"},
            {"CST","China Standard Time"},
            {"CST","Central Standard Time"},
            {"CST","Cuba Standard Time"},
            {"CST","Central Standard Time"},
            {"CVT","Cape Verde Time"},
            {"CXT","Christmas Island Time"},
            {"ChST","Chamorro Standard Time"},
            {"D","Delta Time Zone"},
            {"DAVT","Davis Time"},
            {"E","Echo Time Zone"},
            {"EASST","Easter Island Summer Time"},
            {"EAST","Easter Island Standard Time"},
            {"EAT","Eastern Africa Time"},
            {"EAT","East Africa Time"},
            {"ECT","Ecuador Time"},
            {"EDT","Eastern Daylight Time"},
            {"EDT","Eastern Daylight Time"},
            {"EDT","Eastern Daylight Time"},
            {"EEST","Eastern European Summer Time"},
            {"EEST","Eastern European Summer Time"},
            {"EEST","Eastern European Summer Time"},
            {"EET","Eastern European Time"},
            {"EET","Eastern European Time"},
            {"EET","Eastern European Time"},
            {"EGST","Eastern Greenland Summer Time"},
            {"EGT","East Greenland Time"},
            {"EST","Eastern Standard Time"},
            {"EST","Eastern Standard Time"},
            {"EST","Eastern Standard Time"},
            {"ET","Tiempo del Este"},
            {"ET","Tiempo del Este"},
            {"ET","Tiempo Del Este "},
            {"F","Foxtrot Time Zone"},
            {"FJST","Fiji Summer Time"},
            {"FJT","Fiji Time"},
            {"FKST","Falkland Islands Summer Time"},
            {"FKT","Falkland Island Time"},
            {"FNT","Fernando de Noronha Time"},
            {"G","Golf Time Zone"},
            {"GALT","Galapagos Time"},
            {"GAMT","Gambier Time"},
            {"GET","Georgia Standard Time"},
            {"GFT","French Guiana Time"},
            {"GILT","Gilbert Island Time"},
            {"GMT","Greenwich Mean Time"},
            {"GMT","Greenwich Mean Time"},
            {"GST","Gulf Standard Time"},
            {"GYT","Guyana Time"},
            {"H","Hotel Time Zone"},
            {"HAA","Heure Avancée de l'Atlantique"},
            {"HAA","Heure Avancée de l'Atlantique"},
            {"HAC","Heure Avancée du Centre"},
            {"HADT","Hawaii-Aleutian Daylight Time"},
            {"HAE","Heure Avancée de l'Est "},
            {"HAE","Heure Avancée de l'Est "},
            {"HAP","Heure Avancée du Pacifique"},
            {"HAR","Heure Avancée des Rocheuses"},
            {"HAST","Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time"},
            {"HAT","Heure Avancée de Terre-Neuve"},
            {"HAY","Heure Avancée du Yukon"},
            {"HKT","Hong Kong Time"},
            {"HLV","Hora Legal de Venezuela"},
            {"HNA","Heure Normale de l'Atlantique"},
            {"HNA","Heure Normale de l'Atlantique"},
            {"HNA","Heure Normale de l'Atlantique"},
            {"HNC","Heure Normale du Centre"},
            {"HNC","Heure Normale du Centre"},
            {"HNE","Heure Normale de l'Est"},
            {"HNE","Heure Normale de l'Est"},
            {"HNE","Heure Normale de l'Est"},
            {"HNP","Heure Normale du Pacifique"},
            {"HNR","Heure Normale des Rocheuses"},
            {"HNT","Heure Normale de Terre-Neuve"},
            {"HNY","Heure Normale du Yukon"},
            {"HOVT","Hovd Time"},
            {"I","India Time Zone"},
            {"ICT","Indochina Time"},
            {"IDT","Israel Daylight Time"},
            {"IOT","Indian Chagos Time"},
            {"IRDT","Iran Daylight Time"},
            {"IRKST","Irkutsk Summer Time"},
            {"IRKT","Irkutsk Time"},
            {"IRST","Iran Standard Time"},
            {"IST","Israel Standard Time"},
            {"IST","India Standard Time"},
            {"IST","Irish Standard Time"},
            {"JST","Japan Standard Time"},
            {"K","Kilo Time Zone"},
            {"KGT","Kyrgyzstan Time"},
            {"KRAST","Krasnoyarsk Summer Time"},
            {"KRAT","Krasnoyarsk Time"},
            {"KST","Korea Standard Time"},
            {"KUYT","Kuybyshev Time"},
            {"L","Lima Time Zone"},
            {"LHDT","Lord Howe Daylight Time"},
            {"LHST","Lord Howe Standard Time"},
            {"LINT","Line Islands Time"},
            {"M","Mike Time Zone"},
            {"MAGST","Magadan Summer Time"},
            {"MAGT","Magadan Time"},
            {"MART","Marquesas Time"},
            {"MAWT","Mawson Time"},
            {"MDT","Mountain Daylight Time"},
            {"MESZ","Mitteleuropäische Sommerzeit"},
            {"MEZ","Mitteleuropäische Zeit"},
            {"MHT","Marshall Islands Time"},
            {"MMT","Myanmar Time"},
            {"MSD","Moscow Daylight Time"},
            {"MSK","Moscow Standard Time"},
            {"MST","Mountain Standard Time"},
            {"MUT","Mauritius Time"},
            {"MVT","Maldives Time"},
            {"MYT","Malaysia Time"},
            {"N","November Time Zone"},
            {"NCT","New Caledonia Time"},
            {"NDT","Newfoundland Daylight Time"},
            {"NFT","Norfolk Time"},
            {"NOVST","Novosibirsk Summer Time"},
            {"NOVT","Novosibirsk Time"},
            {"NPT","Nepal Time "},
            {"NST","Newfoundland Standard Time"},
            {"NUT","Niue Time"},
            {"NZDT","New Zealand Daylight Time"},
            {"NZDT","New Zealand Daylight Time"},
            {"NZST","New Zealand Standard Time"},
            {"NZST","New Zealand Standard Time"},
            {"O","Oscar Time Zone"},
            {"OMSST","Omsk Summer Time"},
            {"OMST","Omsk Standard Time"},
            {"P","Papa Time Zone"},
            {"PDT","Pacific Daylight Time"},
            {"PET","Peru Time"},
            {"PETST","Kamchatka Summer Time"},
            {"PETT","Kamchatka Time"},
            {"PGT","Papua New Guinea Time"},
            {"PHOT","Phoenix Island Time"},
            {"PHT","Philippine Time"},
            {"PKT","Pakistan Standard Time"},
            {"PMDT","Pierre & Miquelon Daylight Time"},
            {"PMST","Pierre & Miquelon Standard Time"},
            {"PONT","Pohnpei Standard Time"},
            {"PST","Pacific Standard Time"},
            {"PST","Pitcairn Standard Time"},
            {"PT","Tiempo del Pacífico"},
            {"PWT","Palau Time"},
            {"PYST","Paraguay Summer Time"},
            {"PYT","Paraguay Time"},
            {"Q","Quebec Time Zone"},
            {"R","Romeo Time Zone"},
            {"RET","Reunion Time"},
            {"S","Sierra Time Zone"},
            {"SAMT","Samara Time"},
            {"SAST","South Africa Standard Time"},
            {"SBT","Solomon IslandsTime"},
            {"SCT","Seychelles Time"},
            {"SGT","Singapore Time"},
            {"SRT","Suriname Time"},
            {"SST","Samoa Standard Time"},
            {"T","Tango Time Zone"},
            {"TAHT","Tahiti Time"},
            {"TFT","French Southern and Antarctic Time"},
            {"TJT","Tajikistan Time"},
            {"TKT","Tokelau Time"},
            {"TLT","East Timor Time"},
            {"TMT","Turkmenistan Time"},
            {"TVT","Tuvalu Time"},
            {"U","Uniform Time Zone"},
            {"ULAT","Ulaanbaatar Time"},
            {"UTC","Universal Time Coordinated"},
            {"UYST","Uruguay Summer Time"},
            {"UYT","Uruguay Time"},
            {"UZT","Uzbekistan Time"},
            {"V","Victor Time Zone"},
            {"VET","Venezuelan Standard Time"},
            {"VLAST","Vladivostok Summer Time"},
            {"VLAT","Vladivostok Time"},
            {"VUT","Vanuatu Time"},
            {"W","Whiskey Time Zone"},
            {"WAST","West Africa Summer Time"},
            {"WAT","West Africa Time"},
            {"WEST","Western European Summer Time"},
            {"WEST","Western European Summer Time"},
            {"WESZ","Westeuropäische Sommerzeit"},
            {"WET","Western European Time"},
            {"WET","Western European Time"},
            {"WEZ","Westeuropäische Zeit"},
            {"WFT","Wallis and Futuna Time"},
            {"WGST","Western Greenland Summer Time"},
            {"WGT","West Greenland Time"},
            {"WIB","Western Indonesian Time"},
            {"WIT","Eastern Indonesian Time"},
            {"WITA","Central Indonesian Time"},
            {"WST","Western Sahara Summer Time"},
            {"WST","West Samoa Time"},
            {"WT","Western Sahara Standard Time"},
            {"X","X-ray Time Zone"},
            {"Y","Yankee Time Zone"},
            {"YAKST","Yakutsk Summer Time"},
            {"YAKT","Yakutsk Time"},
            {"YAPT","Yap Time"},
            {"YEKST","Yekaterinburg Summer Time"},
            {"YEKT","Yekaterinburg Time"},
            {"Z","Zulu Time Zone"}

            };

Answer 5

No, that's not going to fly. There is no agreed-upon standard to abbreviating time zone names. Hard to make one too, the common abbreviation for China Standard Time and Central Standard Time, CST, will probably be ambiguous forever. Check this list of common abbreviations.

On top of which Windows Phone doesn't have the time zone database that Windows has (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Time Zones). You'll have to make your own.