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Obtain the current system date and time.
Syntax
object.GetTime( [RemoteHost],
[RemotePort], [Timeout], [Localize] )
Parameters
- RemoteHost
- A string which specifies the host name or IP address of the
server. If this argument is not specified, it defaults to the
value of the HostAddress property if it is defined.
Otherwise, it defaults to the value of the HostName
property.
- RemotePort
- A number which specifies the port to connect to on the server.
If this argument is not specified, it defaults to the value
of the RemotePort property. A value of zero indicates that
the default port number for this service should be used to
establish the connection.
- Timeout
- The number of seconds that the client will wait for a response
before failing the operation. If this argument is not specified,
the value of the Timeout property will be used as the default.
- Localize
- A boolean argument which specifies if the time should be
localized to the timezone on the current system. If the value is
True, then the time returned by the server will be adjusted so that
it reflects the current time in the local timezone. If this
argument is omitted or a value of false is passed to the method,
the date and time are returned in Coordinated Universal Time
(UTC).
Return Value
The time and date retrieved from the server will be returned as a
string formatted according to the user's current locale. If the date
could not be retrieved, an empty string will be returned. To
determine the cause of the failure, check the value of the
LastError property.
Remarks
The GetTime method causes the control to connect to the
specified server and request the current date and time. The network
time value can represent a date and time up to the year 2036. It is
important to note that the network time value is not the same as
the UNIX time value that is used the standard C library time functions.
In the United States, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST) hosts a number of public servers which can be used
to obtain the current time. The following table lists the current
host names and addresses:
| Server Name |
IP Address |
Location |
| time-a-g.nist.gov |
129.6.15.28 |
Gaithersburg, Maryland |
| time-b-g.nist.gov |
129.6.15.29 |
Gaithersburg, Maryland |
| time-nw.nist.gov |
131.107.13.100 |
Redmond, Washington |
| time-a-b.nist.gov |
132.163.96.1 |
Boulder, Colorado |
| time-b-b.nist.gov |
132.163.96.2 |
Boulder, Colorado |
| time-c-b.nist.gov |
132.163.96.3 |
Boulder, Colorado |
Time servers are also commonly maintained by government agencies and
universities. If you are unable to obtain the time from a server, contact
the system administrator to determine if they support the standard time
service available on port 37 or 123.
See Also
LocalDate Property,
LocalTime Property,
SystemDate Property,
SystemTime Property,
SetTime Method
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