Format Exception- DateTime and hours

Question

I want to get the hours from the datetime. So if it is 1pm it will just be 1 if it is 10pm it will be 10. So no leading zero to be place on hours 1-9

So I tried to do this

DateTime test= DateTime.Now;
Console.WriteLine(test.ToString("h"));

I get this

System.FormatException was unhandled
Message=Input string was not in a correct format. Source=mscorlib
StackTrace: at System.DateTimeFormat.GetRealFormat(String format, DateTimeFormatInfo dtfi) at System.DateTimeFormat.ExpandPredefinedFormat(String format, DateTime& dateTime, DateTimeFormatInfo& dtfi, TimeSpan& offset) at System.DateTimeFormat.Format(DateTime dateTime, String format, DateTimeFormatInfo dtfi, TimeSpan offset) at System.DateTimeFormat.Format(DateTime dateTime, String format, DateTimeFormatInfo dtfi) at System.DateTime.ToString(String format) at ConsoleApplication1.Program.Main(String[] args) in C:\Users\chobo2\Documents\Visual Studio 2010\Projects\ConsoleApplication1\ConsoleApplication1\Program.cs:line 21 at System.AppDomain._nExecuteAssembly(RuntimeAssembly assembly, String[] args) at System.AppDomain.ExecuteAssembly(String assemblyFile, Evidence assemblySecurity, String[] args) at Microsoft.VisualStudio.HostingProcess.HostProc.RunUsersAssembly() at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean ignoreSyncCtx) at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state) at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart() InnerException:

Answer 1

From MSDN (the "h" custom format specifier):

If the "h" format specifier is used without other custom format specifiers, it is interpreted as a standard date and time format specifier and throws a FormatException. For more information about using a single format specifier, see Using Single Custom Format Specifiers later in this topic.

You can use the following (as described in "Using Single Custom Format Specifiers)":

To use any of the custom date and time format specifiers as the only specifier in a format string (that is, to use the "d", "f", "F", "g", "h", "H", "K", "m", "M", "s", "t", "y", "z", ":", or "/" custom format specifier by itself), include a space before or after the specifier, or include a percent ("%") format specifier before the single custom date and time specifier.

So, you can do the following:

DateTime test= DateTime.Now;
Console.WriteLine(test.ToString("{0:%h}")); // From the document, adds precision
Console.WriteLine(test.ToString("%h")); // Will also work