Question

How to parse a date in Java?

I'm trying to parse a date in Java but I'm unsure about the best way to handle different date formats. I've seen the SimpleDateFormat class, but I’m not sure how to use it correctly or how to handle exceptions if the date format doesn't match. Can someone explain the proper way to parse a date in Java, especially when working with different formats?

Answer 1

Using DateTimeFormatter 

Example:

import java.time.LocalDate;

import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;

public class DateParsing {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        String dateStr = "2024-11-24";

        // Define the date format pattern

        DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("yyyy-MM-dd");

        // Parse the date string into a LocalDate object

        LocalDate date = LocalDate.parse(dateStr, formatter);

        System.out.println("Parsed Date: " + date);

    }

}

The DateTimeFormatter uses the ofPattern() method to specify the format. The pattern "yyyy-MM-dd" is the same as in the SimpleDateFormat example.

The parse() method converts the string into a LocalDate object.

Date Format Patterns in DateTimeFormatter:

• yyyy - Year (4 digits)

• MM - Month (2 digits)

• dd - Day (2 digits)

• HH - Hour (24-hour format)

• mm - Minute

• ss - Second