Javascript serialization of DateTime in asp.net is not giving a javascript date object?

When I parse a DateTime to json in .Net it returns a string (i.e. "\/Date(1249335194272)\/"). How do I make it return a js Date object constructor not wrap in a string?

// js server code
var dteNow = <%= jsonDateNow %>;


// js rendered code
var dteNow = "\/Date(1249335477787)\/";


// C#
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.Script.Serialization;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;

namespace testing{
    public partial class iTaxPrep : System.Web.UI.Page
    {
        protected string jsonDateNow;
        protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (!IsPostBack)
            {
                jsonDateNow = new JavaScriptSerializer().Serialize(DateTime.Now);

            }
        }
    }
}

Solution 1:

This is a known limitation with JSON. This answer might help you, specifically:

value = new Date(parseInt(value.replace("/Date(", "").replace(")/",""), 10));

Solution 2:

This seems to work (Thanks Chris S for the idea). In the C# do a replace to remove the string wrapper from around the date object;

    using System.Collections.Generic;
        using System.Linq;
        using System.Web;
        using System.Web.UI;
        using System.Web.Script.Serialization;
        using System.Web.Script.Services;
        using System.Web.Services;
        using System.Web.UI.WebControls;

        namespace test
        {
            [ScriptService]
            public partial class testing: System.Web.UI.Page
            {
                protected string strCaseID;
                protected string jsonCase;

                protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
                {
                    if (!IsPostBack)
                    {
                        strCaseID =Tools.GetQueryObject("id");
                        // get a complex object with dates, string, arrays etc.
                        jsonESHACase = new JavaScriptSerializer().Serialize(objCase.Get(strCaseID ))
                            .Replace("\"\\/Date(", "new Date(").Replace(")\\/\"", ")");
                    }
                }
            }
        }

..and after removing the quotes and adding the new prefix to Date this js now works. Hooray!

testCase= <%= jsonESHACase %>;
    if (testCase) {
        document.write(testCase["ClosingDate"].format("MM dd yyyy"));
    }

Solution 3:

Simple javascript manipulation like this:

function(param){
  var date = new Date(parseInt(param.substr(6)));
  return date;
}

Pass in JSON date as param to the function and it will return a javascript date.

Solution 4:

With a little string manipulation and an eval you can create a Date object

var dteNow = "\/Date(1249335477787)\/";
var dteObj = eval("new " + dteNow.replace(/\//g,""));

Solution 5:

You can try this:

"MyField: " + string.Format("(function(y,m,d,h,mm,s){{var d=new Date(Date.UTC(y,m-1,d,h,mm,s));return d;}})({0},{1},{2},{3},{4},{5})", d.Year, d.Month, d.Day, d.Hour, d.Minute, d.Second);

This seems to work in FF and IE.