Java SimpleDateFormat

The java.text.SimpleDateFormat class provides methods to format and parse date and time in java. The SimpleDateFormat is a concrete class for formatting and parsing date which inherits java.text.DateFormat class.

Notice that formatting means converting date to string and parsing means converting string to date.

Constructors of the Class SimpleDateFormat

SimpleDateFormat(String pattern_args): Instantiates the SimpleDateFormat class using the provided pattern – pattern_args, default date format symbols for the default FORMAT locale.

SimpleDateFormat(String pattern_args, Locale locale_args): Instantiates the SimpleDateFormat class using the provided pattern – pattern_args. For the provided FORMAT Locale, the default date format symbols are – locale_args.

SimpleDateFormat(String pattern_args, DateFormatSymbols formatSymbols): Instantiates the SimpleDateFormat class and using the provided pattern – pattern_args and the date formatSymbols.

Java SimpleDateFormat Example: Date to String

Let’s see the simple example to format date in java using java.text.SimpleDateFormat class.

FileName: SimpleDateFormatExample.java

  import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;  import java.util.Date;  public class SimpleDateFormatExample {  public static void main(String[] args) {  Date date = new Date();  SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(“dd/MM/yyyy”);  String strDate= formatter.format(date);  System.out.println(strDate);  }  }  

Test it Now

Output:

13/04/2015

Note: M (capital M) represents month and m (small m) represents minute in java.

Let’s see the full example to format date and time in java using java.text.SimpleDateFormat class.

FileName: SimpleDateFormatExample2.java

  import java.text.ParseException;  import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;  import java.util.Date;  import java.util.Locale;  public class SimpleDateFormatExample2 {  public static void main(String[] args) {  Date date = new Date();  SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(“MM/dd/yyyy”);  String strDate = formatter.format(date);  System.out.println(“Date Format with MM/dd/yyyy : “+strDate);    formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(“dd-M-yyyy hh:mm:ss”);  strDate = formatter.format(date);  System.out.println(“Date Format with dd-M-yyyy hh:mm:ss : “+strDate);    formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(“dd MMMM yyyy”);  strDate = formatter.format(date);  System.out.println(“Date Format with dd MMMM yyyy : “+strDate);    formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(“dd MMMM yyyy zzzz”);  strDate = formatter.format(date);  System.out.println(“Date Format with dd MMMM yyyy zzzz : “+strDate);    formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(“E, dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss z”);  strDate = formatter.format(date);  System.out.println(“Date Format with E, dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss z : “+strDate);  }  }  

Test it Now

Output:

Date Format with MM/dd/yyyy : 04/13/2015  Date Format with dd-M-yyyy hh:mm:ss : 13-4-2015 10:59:26  Date Format with dd MMMM yyyy : 13 April 2015  Date Format with dd MMMM yyyy zzzz : 13 April 2015 India Standard Time  Date Format with E, dd MMM yyyy HH:mm:ss z : Mon, 13 Apr 2015 22:59:26 IST

Java SimpleDateFormat Example: String to Date

Let’s see the simple example to convert string into date using java.text.SimpleDateFormat class.

FileName: SimpleDateFormatExample3.java

  import java.text.ParseException;  import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;  import java.util.Date;  public class SimpleDateFormatExample3 {  public static void main(String[] args) {  SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat(“dd/MM/yyyy”);  try {  Date date = formatter.parse(“31/03/2015”);  System.out.println(“Date is: “+date);  } catch (ParseException e) {e.printStackTrace();}  }  }  

Test it Now

Output:

Date is: Tue Mar 31 00:00:00 IST 2015

Methods

set2DigitYearStart()

Syntax:

Parameters:

startDate: The date has been set in the range – startDate to startDate + 100 years

Return Type:

The method return type is void

Implementation:

Let’s see how one can implement the method in the code.

FileName: Set2DigitYearStart.java

  // important import statements  import java.util.Calendar;  import java.text.*;      public class Set2DigitYearStart  {  // main method  public static void main(String argvs[]) throws InterruptedException  {  // creating an object of the class SimpleDateFormat  SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat(“MM / dd / yy” );      try  {  // getting the instance of the class Calendar  Calendar clndr = Calendar.getInstance();  clndr.setTime(sdf.parse(“11 / 12 / 21”));  System.out.println(“Initial Timing is : ” + clndr.getTime());    // Setting 2020    // Using the set2DigitYearStart() method  sdf.set2DigitYearStart(sdf.parse(“02 / 02 / 2000”));    clndr.setTime(sdf.parse(“02 / 02 / 15”));  System.out.println(“The New Timing is : ” + clndr.getTime());    }    catch (ParseException exp)  {  exp.printStackTrace();  }  }  }  

Output:

Initial Timing is : Fri Nov 12 00:00:00 GMT 2021  The New Timing is : Mon Feb 02 00:00:00 GMT 2015

get2DigitYearStart()

Syntax:

Parameters:

No parameter is required for this method

Return Type:

The method return type is Date and returns the beginning of the 100 years period that was being set during the parsing.

Implementation:

Let’s see how one can implement the method in the code.

FileName: Get2DigitYearStart.java

  // important import statements  import java.util.Calendar;  import java.text.*;      public class Get2DigitYearStart  {  // main method  public static void main(String argvs[]) throws InterruptedException  {  // creating an object of the class SimpleDateFormat  SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat(“MM / dd / yy” );      try  {  // getting the instance of the class Calendar  Calendar clndr = Calendar.getInstance();  clndr.setTime(sdf.parse(“11 / 12 / 21”));  System.out.println(“Initial Timing is : ” +  clndr.getTime());    // Setting 2020    // Using the set2DigitYearStart() method  sdf.set2DigitYearStart(sdf.parse(“02 / 02 / 2000”));    System.out.println(“The New Timing is : ” +  clndr.getTime());    // Using the method get2DigitYearStart() for checking the start year  clndr.setTime(sdf.get2DigitYearStart());  System.out.println(“The start year is: ” + clndr.get(Calendar.YEAR));    }    catch (ParseException exp)  {  exp.printStackTrace();  }  }  }  

Output:

Initial Timing is : Fri Nov 12 00:00:00 GMT 2021  The New Timing is : Mon Feb 02 00:00:00 GMT 2015  The start year is: 2000

toPattern()

Syntax:

Parameters:

No parameter is required for this method

Return Type:

The method return type is String and returns the date format pattern.

Implementation:

Let’s see how one can implement the method in the code.

FileName: ToPattern.java

  // important import statements  import java.util.Calendar;  import java.text.*;      public class ToPattern  {  // main method  public static void main(String argvs[]) throws InterruptedException  {      // creating an object of the class SimpleDateFormat  SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat();     // Initializing the Calendar object  Calendar clndr = Calendar.getInstance();    // getting the Current Date  String currDate = sdf.format(clndr.getTime());    System.out.println(“Current Date : ” + currDate);    // Using the toPattern() method  // Displaying the Date Pattern  System.out.println(“The Date Pattern is: ” + sdf.toPattern());    }      }  

Output:

Current Date : 12/11/21, 7:24 AM  The Date Pattern is: M/d/yy, h:mm a

parse()

Syntax:

Parameters:

No parameter is required for this method

Return Type:

The method return type is Date and returns the date parsed.

Implementation:

Let’s see how one can implement the method in the code.

FileName: Parse.java

  // important import statements  import java.util.Calendar;  import java.text.*;    public class Parse  {    // main method  public static void main(String argvs[]) throws InterruptedException  {    // creating an object of the class SimpleDateFormat  SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat(“MM / dd / yy” );      try  {    // getting the instance of the class Calendar  Calendar clndr = Calendar.getInstance();  clndr.setTime(sdf.parse(“11 / 12 / 21”));  System.out.println(“Initial Timing is : ” +  clndr.getTime());          }    catch (ParseException exp)  {  exp.printStackTrace();  }  }  }  

Output:

Initial Timing is : Fri Nov 12 00:00:00 GMT 2021

applyPattern()

Syntax:

Parameters:

No parameter is required for this method

Return Type:

The method return type is void. Hence, the method returns nothing.

Implementation:

Let’s see how one can implement the method in the code.

FileName: ApplyPattern.java

  // important import statements  import java.util.Calendar;  import java.text.*;      public class ApplyPattern  {    // main method  public static void main(String argvs[]) throws InterruptedException  {    // creating an object of the class SimpleDateFormat  SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat();    // Initializing calendar Object  Calendar clndr = Calendar.getInstance();    // Using the arg pattern  String ar = “dd / MM / yyyy HH:mm Z”;    // Using the method applyPattern() to set the date to arg format  sdf.applyPattern(ar);    // for the current time and date  String currDate = sdf.format(clndr.getTime());  System.out.println(“The current date is: ” + currDate);    // Printing the pattern used  System.out.println(“The Pattern applied is: ” + sdf.toPattern());    }  }  

Output:

The current date is: 11 / 12 / 2021 07:41 +0000  The Pattern applied is: dd / MM / yyyy HH:mm Z

format()

Syntax:

Parameters:

The method takes Date as the argument

Return Type:

The method return type is String, and the method returns the formatted string of the date.

Implementation:

Let’s see how one can implement the method in the code.

FileName: Format.java

  // important import statements  import java.util.Calendar;  import java.text.*;      public class Format  {    // main method  public static void main(String argvs[]) throws InterruptedException  {  // creating an object of the class SimpleDateFormat  SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat();    // Initializing calendar Object  Calendar clndr = Calendar.getInstance();    System.out.println(“The actual date is: ” + clndr.getTime());    // use theh format() method for the current time and date  String currDate = sdf.format(clndr.getTime());  System.out.println(“The formatted date is: ” + currDate);  }  }  

Output:

The actual date is: Sat Dec 11 13:48:36 GMT 2021  The formatted date is: 12/11/21, 1:48 PM

toLocalizedPattern()

Syntax:

Parameters:

The method does not take any argument

Return Type:

The method return type is String, and the method returns the Date pattern string of the date formatter.

Implementation:

Let’s see how one can implement the method in the code.

FileName: ToLocalizedPattern.java

  // important import statements  import java.util.Calendar;  import java.text.*;      public class ToLocalizedPattern  {    // main method  public static void main(String argvs[]) throws InterruptedException  {  // creating an object of the class SimpleDateFormat  SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat();    // Initializing calendar Object  Calendar clndr = Calendar.getInstance();    System.out.println(“The Date is: ” + sdf.format(clndr.getTime()));    // Using the format() method for formatting the Date to String  System.out.println(“The pattern in the DateFormater is : ” + sdf.toLocalizedPattern());  }  }  

Output:

The Date is: 12/11/21, 3:01 PM  The pattern in the DateFormater is : M/d/yy, h:mm a

Next TopicJava Get Current Date and Time in Java

Java SimpleDateFormat

Java SimpleDateFormat

Constructors of the Class SimpleDateFormat

Java SimpleDateFormat Example: Date to String

Note: M (capital M) represents month and m (small m) represents minute in java.

Java SimpleDateFormat Example: String to Date

Methods

set2DigitYearStart()

get2DigitYearStart()

toPattern()

parse()

applyPattern()

format()

toLocalizedPattern()

Java Static Import

Java BoxLayout

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