How to Get Current Date and Time on Flutter

How to Get Current Date and Time on Flutter

by

Getting the current date and time is a fundamental requirement in many apps, from displaying a timestamp on a message to setting a deadline for a task. In Flutter, this is incredibly easy to do using Dart’s built-in DateTime class.

This guide will walk you through getting the current time and, just as importantly, formatting it into a user-friendly string.

1. Getting the Current DateTime Object

To get the current date and time, you simply use the DateTime.now() constructor. This returns a DateTime object containing all the information about the current moment, right down to the microsecond.

Code Example

void main() {
  // Get the current date and time
  final DateTime now = DateTime.now();
  
  print(now);
  // Example Output: 2025-07-05 17:31:20.123
}
Dart

While this gives you the data, the default format isn’t very user-friendly. For that, we need to format it.

2. Formatting the Date and Time

The best way to format a DateTime object is with the official intl package. It provides a powerful and flexible DateFormat class for this purpose.

Step A: Add the intl Package

First, add the intl package to your pubspec.yaml file:

YAML

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  intl: ^0.19.0 # Use the latest version
Dart

Don’t forget to run flutter pub get in your terminal to install it.

Step B: Use DateFormat to Format Your Date

Now you can import the package and use DateFormat to create any format you need.

Code Example

import 'package:flutter/material.dart';
import 'package:intl/intl.dart';

class DateTimeScreen extends StatelessWidget {
  const DateTimeScreen({super.key});

  @override
  Widget build(BuildContext context) {
    // 1. Get the current DateTime
    final now = DateTime.now();

    // 2. Create different formatters
    final formatterDate = DateFormat('yyyy-MM-dd');
    final formatterTime = DateFormat('h:mm a');
    final formatterFull = DateFormat('EEEE, MMMM d, y');

    // 3. Format the DateTime
    final formattedDate = formatterDate.format(now); // 2025-07-05
    final formattedTime = formatterTime.format(now); // 5:31 PM
    final formattedFull = formatterFull.format(now); // Saturday, July 5, 2025

    return Scaffold(
      appBar: AppBar(
        title: const Text('Date and Time'),
      ),
      body: Center(
        child: Column(
          mainAxisAlignment: MainAxisAlignment.center,
          children: [
            Text(
              'Date: $formattedDate',
              style: const TextStyle(fontSize: 24),
            ),
            Text(
              'Time: $formattedTime',
              style: const TextStyle(fontSize: 24),
            ),
            const SizedBox(height: 20),
            Text(
              formattedFull,
              style: const TextStyle(fontSize: 20),
            ),
          ],
        ),
      ),
    );
  }
}
Dart

You can find a full list of formatting patterns in the intl package documentation.

3. Accessing Individual Date and Time Components

If you need to perform logic based on a specific part of the date (like the year or month), you can access these components directly from the DateTime object as properties.

final now = DateTime.now();

int year = now.year;       // 2025
int month = now.month;      // 7 (for July)
int day = now.day;        // 5
int hour = now.hour;       // 17 (24-hour format)
int minute = now.minute;    // 31
int weekday = now.weekday;  // 6 (where Saturday is 6)

// Example usage
if (now.weekday == DateTime.saturday) {
  print("It's the weekend!");
}
Dart

Key Takeaways

  • Get the object: Use DateTime.now() to get the current moment.
  • Format for users: Use the intl package and its DateFormat class to convert the DateTime object into a human-readable string.
  • Access for logic: Use properties like .year, .month, and .weekday for conditional logic.

You Will Also Love to Read

Leave a Comment