VB.NET - Given a date, how can I get the date of last four fridays? - vb.net

Question

Given today's date want to get the date of the each Friday for the last four weeks.

Answer 1

Here is an easy LINQ approach:
Dim today = Date.Today
Dim lastFridays = From d In Enumerable.Range(0, Int32.MaxValue)
Let dt = today.AddDays(-d)
Where dt.DayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.Friday
Select dt
Dim lastFourFridays As Date() = lastFridays.Take(4).ToArray()
Since it's not the most efficient approach, here is a query that is still readable and maintainable but only searches the first friday and then takes only every 7th day:
Dim lastFriday = lastFridays.First() ' reuse of above query '
Dim fridays = From d In Enumerable.Range(0, Int32.MaxValue)
Let dt = lastFriday.AddDays(-d * 7)
Select dt
Dim lastFourFridays As Date() = fridays.Take(4).ToArray()

Answer 2

You may consume this one, which returns a list of such dates and excludes the one if the specifiedDate date is Friday:
Public Shared Function GetLastFourFridays(specifiedDate As DateTime) As List(Of DateTime)
Dim dtm As New List(Of DateTime)()
Dim dt As DateTime = specifiedDate
For i As Integer = 0 To 6
dt = dt.AddDays(-1)
If dt.DayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.Friday Then
dtm.Add(dt)
Exit For
End If
Next
dtm.Add(dt.AddDays(-7))
dtm.Add(dt.AddDays(-14))
dtm.Add(dt.AddDays(-21))
Return dtm
End Function
and the way you use it is:
Dim dtm As List(Of DateTime) = GetLastFourFridays(DateTime.Now)
For Each d As var In dtm
Console.WriteLine(String.Format("Date: {0}, Day: {1}", d.ToString(), [Enum].Parse(GetType(DayOfWeek), d.DayOfWeek.ToString())))
Next

Answer 3

Here is my way:
Function Last4Friday(ByVal StartDate As Date) As array
Dim L4F()
Dim mDate as date = StartDate
For value As Integer = 1 To 7
mDate = mDate.AddDays(-1)
If mDate.DayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.Friday Then
L4F = {mDate, mDate.AddDays(-7), mDate.AddDays(-14), mDate.AddDays(-21)}
exit for
End If
Next
Return L4F
End Function
Edit: If you need to check the inserted date and you want it returned in the array you may simply use:
Dim mDate as date = StartDate.AddDays(1)
instead of
Dim mDate as date = StartDate

Answer 4

Try this. It doesn't use a loop to find the starting Friday.
Dim someDate As DateTime = DateTime.Now
If someDate.DayOfWeek <> DayOfWeek.Friday Then
'do the math to get a Friday
someDate = someDate.AddDays(DayOfWeek.Friday - someDate.AddDays(1).DayOfWeek - 6)
End If
Dim last4Fridays As New List(Of DateTime) From {someDate, someDate.AddDays(-7), someDate.AddDays(-14), someDate.AddDays(-21)}
All of the other suggestions have used a loop to find the starting Friday. If this code is used infrequently then how the starting Friday is determined might not matter.
edit: as function
Function FindLastFourFridays(someDate As DateTime) As List(Of DateTime)
'Find first Friday to include
If someDate.DayOfWeek <> DayOfWeek.Friday Then
someDate = someDate.AddDays(DayOfWeek.Friday - someDate.AddDays(1).DayOfWeek - 6)
' uncomment these two lines if you do not want initial someDate.DayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.Friday to be included
'Else
' someDate = someDate.AddDays(-7)
End If
'build the return (four fridays)
Dim last4Fridays As New List(Of DateTime) From {someDate, someDate.AddDays(-7), someDate.AddDays(-14), someDate.AddDays(-21)}
Return last4Fridays
End Function

Answer 5

This function does not need to be passed a date it picks up today's date and gets the last four Friday's from today. It can be changed around to get any day of the week.
Dim todaysDate As Date = Date.Today
Dim oldDay As Integer
Dim thisWeek As Date
Dim firstWeek As Date
Dim secondWeek As Date
Dim thirdWeek As Date
Dim fourthWeek As Date
'finds the Friday of the end of the current week No mattter what day you are working
Dim daycount As Integer
'use this to check specific dates "Dim datetime As New DateTime(2015, 4, 13)"
oldDay = Weekday(todaysDate)
thisWeek = todaysDate
If oldDay < 6 Then
daycount = 6 - oldDay
thisWeek = thisWeek.AddDays(+daycount)
ElseIf oldDay > 6 Then
daycount = oldDay - 6
thisWeek = thisWeek.AddDays(-daycount)
End If
Dim currentDate As Date = Now
Do While Not currentDate.DayOfWeek = DayOfWeek.Friday
currentDate = currentDate.AddDays(-1)
Loop
fourthWeek = currentDate.AddDays(-21)
thirdWeek = currentDate.AddDays(-14)
secondWeek = currentDate.AddDays(-7)
firstWeek = currentDate