Table of Contents

Class RequiredDateTime<TSelf>

Namespace
Trellis
Assembly
Trellis.Primitives.dll

Base class for creating strongly-typed DateTime value objects that prevent primitive obsession for dates. Rejects MinValue as the "empty" equivalent.

public abstract class RequiredDateTime<TSelf> : ScalarValueObject<TSelf, DateTime>, IComparable<ValueObject>, IComparable, IEquatable<ValueObject>, IConvertible, IFormattable where TSelf : RequiredDateTime<TSelf>, IScalarValue<TSelf, DateTime>

Type Parameters

TSelf
Inheritance
RequiredDateTime<TSelf>
Implements
Inherited Members
Extension Methods

Examples

Creating a strongly-typed DateTime value object:

public partial class OrderDate : RequiredDateTime<OrderDate> { }

var result = OrderDate.TryCreate(DateTime.UtcNow);
var fromString = OrderDate.TryCreate("2026-01-15T12:00:00Z");
var invalid = OrderDate.TryCreate(DateTime.MinValue); // Failure

Remarks

This class extends ScalarValueObject<TSelf, T> to provide a specialized base for DateTime-based value objects with automatic validation that prevents default/MinValue dates. When used with the partial keyword, the PrimitiveValueObjectGenerator source generator automatically creates:

  • IScalarValue<TSelf, DateTime> implementation for ASP.NET Core automatic validation
  • TryCreate(DateTime) - Factory method for DateTimes (required by IScalarValue)
  • TryCreate(DateTime?, string?) - Factory method with null/MinValue validation and custom field name
  • TryCreate(string?, string?) - Factory method for parsing strings with validation
  • IParsable<T> implementation (Parse, TryParse)
  • JSON serialization support via ParsableJsonConverter<T>
  • Explicit cast operator from DateTime
  • OpenTelemetry activity tracing

Common use cases:

  • Order dates (OrderDate, ShipDate)
  • Personal dates (BirthDate, HireDate)
  • Scheduling (DueDate, StartDate, EndDate)
  • Any domain concept requiring a non-default DateTime

Constructors

RequiredDateTime(DateTime)

Initializes a new instance of the RequiredDateTime<TSelf> class with the specified DateTime value.

protected RequiredDateTime(DateTime value)

Parameters

value DateTime

The DateTime value. Must not be MinValue.

Methods

ToString()

Returns the DateTime in ISO 8601 round-trip format ("O") using invariant culture. This ensures JSON serialization via ParsableJsonConverter is deterministic, culture-independent, and preserves DateTimeKind (UTC/Local/Unspecified).

public override string ToString()

Returns

string

See Also

ScalarValueObject<TSelf, T>
RequiredInt<TSelf>
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