Gotcha: passing 2 as month may give you unexpected result: in Calendar API, month is zero-based. 2 actually means March.
I don't know what is an "easy" way that you are looking for as I feel that using Calendar is already easy enough.
Remember to use correct constants for month:
Date date = new GregorianCalendar(2014, Calendar.FEBRUARY, 11).getTime();
Another way is to make use of DateFormat, which I usually have a util like this:
public static Date parseDate(String date) {
try {
return new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd").parse(date);
} catch (ParseException e) {
return null;
}
}
so that I can simply write
Date myDate = parseDate("2014-02-14");
Yet another alternative I prefer: Don't use Java Date/Calendar anymore. Switch to JODA Time or Java Time (aka JSR310, available in JDK 8+). You can use LocalDate to represent a date, which can be easily created by
LocalDate myDate =LocalDate.parse("2014-02-14");
// or
LocalDate myDate2 = new LocalDate(2014, 2, 14);
// or, in JDK 8+ Time
LocalDate myDate3 = LocalDate.of(2014, 2, 14);
Videos
Gotcha: passing 2 as month may give you unexpected result: in Calendar API, month is zero-based. 2 actually means March.
I don't know what is an "easy" way that you are looking for as I feel that using Calendar is already easy enough.
Remember to use correct constants for month:
Date date = new GregorianCalendar(2014, Calendar.FEBRUARY, 11).getTime();
Another way is to make use of DateFormat, which I usually have a util like this:
public static Date parseDate(String date) {
try {
return new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd").parse(date);
} catch (ParseException e) {
return null;
}
}
so that I can simply write
Date myDate = parseDate("2014-02-14");
Yet another alternative I prefer: Don't use Java Date/Calendar anymore. Switch to JODA Time or Java Time (aka JSR310, available in JDK 8+). You can use LocalDate to represent a date, which can be easily created by
LocalDate myDate =LocalDate.parse("2014-02-14");
// or
LocalDate myDate2 = new LocalDate(2014, 2, 14);
// or, in JDK 8+ Time
LocalDate myDate3 = LocalDate.of(2014, 2, 14);
tl;dr
LocalDate.of( 2014 , 2 , 11 )
If you insist on using the terrible old java.util.Date class, convert from the modern java.time classes.
java.util.Date // Terrible old legacy class, avoid using. Represents a moment in UTC.
.from( // New conversion method added to old classes for converting between legacy classes and modern classes.
LocalDate // Represents a date-only value, without time-of-day and without time zone.
.of( 2014 , 2 , 11 ) // Specify year-month-day. Notice sane counting, unlike legacy classes: 2014 means year 2014, 1-12 for Jan-Dec.
.atStartOfDay( // Let java.time determine first moment of the day. May *not* start at 00:00:00 because of anomalies such as Daylight Saving Time (DST).
ZoneId.of( "Africa/Tunis" ) // Specify time zone as `Continent/Region`, never the 3-4 letter pseudo-zones like `PST`, `EST`, or `IST`.
) // Returns a `ZonedDateTime`.
.toInstant() // Adjust from zone to UTC. Returns a `Instant` object, always in UTC by definition.
) // Returns a legacy `java.util.Date` object. Beware of possible data-loss as any microseconds or nanoseconds in the `Instant` are truncated to milliseconds in this `Date` object.
Details
If you want "easy", you should be using the new java.time package in Java 8 rather than the notoriously troublesome java.util.Date & .Calendar classes bundled with Java.
java.time
The java.time framework built into Java 8 and later supplants the troublesome old java.util.Date/.Calendar classes.
Date-only
A LocalDate class is offered by java.time to represent a date-only value without any time-of-day or time zone. You do need a time zone to determine a date, as a new day dawns earlier in Paris than in Montréal for example. The ZoneId class is for time zones.
ZoneId zoneId = ZoneId.of( "Asia/Singapore" );
LocalDate today = LocalDate.now( zoneId );
Dump to console:
System.out.println ( "today: " + today + " in zone: " + zoneId );
today: 2015-11-26 in zone: Asia/Singapore
Or use a factory method to specify the year, month, day.
LocalDate localDate = LocalDate.of( 2014 , Month.FEBRUARY , 11 );
localDate: 2014-02-11
Or pass a month number 1-12 rather than a DayOfWeek enum object.
LocalDate localDate = LocalDate.of( 2014 , 2 , 11 );
Time zone
A LocalDate has no real meaning until you adjust it into a time zone. In java.time, we apply a time zone to generate a ZonedDateTime object. That also means a time-of-day, but what time? Usually makes sense to go with first moment of the day. You might think that means the time 00:00:00.000, but not always true because of Daylight Saving Time (DST) and perhaps other anomalies. Instead of assuming that time, we ask java.time to determine the first moment of the day by calling atStartOfDay.
Specify a proper time zone name in the format of continent/region, such as America/Montreal, Africa/Casablanca, or Pacific/Auckland. Never use the 3-4 letter abbreviation such as EST or IST as they are not true time zones, not standardized, and not even unique(!).
ZoneId zoneId = ZoneId.of( "Asia/Singapore" );
ZonedDateTime zdt = localDate.atStartOfDay( zoneId );
zdt: 2014-02-11T00:00+08:00[Asia/Singapore]
UTC
For back-end work (business logic, database, data storage & exchange) we usually use UTC time zone. In java.time, the Instant class represents a moment on the timeline in UTC. An Instant object can be extracted from a ZonedDateTime by calling toInstant.
Instant instant = zdt.toInstant();
instant: 2014-02-10T16:00:00Z
Convert
You should avoid using java.util.Date class entirely. But if you must interoperate with old code not yet updated for java.time, you can convert back-and-forth. Look to new conversion methods added to the old classes.
java.util.Date d = java.util.from( instant ) ;
…and…
Instant instant = d.toInstant() ;
About java.time
The java.time framework is built into Java 8 and later. These classes supplant the troublesome old legacy date-time classes such as java.util.Date, Calendar, & SimpleDateFormat.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
You may exchange java.time objects directly with your database. Use a JDBC driver compliant with JDBC 4.2 or later. No need for strings, no need for java.sql.* classes. Hibernate 5 & JPA 2.2 support java.time.
Where to obtain the java.time classes?
- Java SE 8, Java SE 9, Java SE 10, Java SE 11, and later - Part of the standard Java API with a bundled implementation.
- Java 9 brought some minor features and fixes.
- Java SE 6 and Java SE 7
- Most of the java.time functionality is back-ported to Java 6 & 7 in ThreeTen-Backport.
- Android
- Later versions of Android (26+) bundle implementations of the java.time classes.
- For earlier Android (<26), a process known as API desugaring brings a subset of the java.time functionality not originally built into Android.
- If the desugaring does not offer what you need, the ThreeTenABP project adapts ThreeTen-Backport (mentioned above) to Android. See How to use ThreeTenABP….
UPDATE: The Joda-Time library is now in maintenance mode, and advises migration to the java.time classes. I am leaving this section in place for history.
Joda-Time
For one thing, Joda-Time uses sensible numbering so February is 2 not 1. Another thing, a Joda-Time DateTime truly knows its assigned time zone unlike a java.util.Date which seems to have time zone but does not.
And don't forget the time zone. Otherwise you'll be getting the JVM’s default.
DateTimeZone timeZone = DateTimeZone.forID( "Asia/Singapore" );
DateTime dateTimeSingapore = new DateTime( 2014, 2, 11, 0, 0, timeZone );
DateTime dateTimeUtc = dateTimeSingapore.withZone( DateTimeZone.UTC );
java.util.Locale locale = new java.util.Locale( "ms", "SG" ); // Language: Bahasa Melayu (?). Country: Singapore.
String output = DateTimeFormat.forStyle( "FF" ).withLocale( locale ).print( dateTimeSingapore );
Dump to console…
System.out.println( "dateTimeSingapore: " + dateTimeSingapore );
System.out.println( "dateTimeUtc: " + dateTimeUtc );
System.out.println( "output: " + output );
When run…
dateTimeSingapore: 2014-02-11T00:00:00.000+08:00
dateTimeUtc: 2014-02-10T16:00:00.000Z
output: Selasa, 2014 Februari 11 00:00:00 SGT
Conversion
If you need to convert to a java.util.Date for use with other classes…
java.util.Date date = dateTimeSingapore.toDate();
tl;dr
I want a Date object to be included in a Magazine object so that I can know when was the Magazine published.
So add a member variable of type java.time.LocalDate.
package work.basil.example;
import java.time.LocalDate;
public class Magazine
{
// Member variables.
public LocalDate published ;
// Constructor.
public Magazine ( LocalDate published )
{
this.published = published;
}
}
To use it:
Magazine m = new Magazine( LocalDate.of( 2019 , Month.JANUARY , 23 ) ) ;
LocalDate
- The modern approach uses
LocalDate. - Never use
java.util.Dateorjava.sql.Date.
The LocalDate class represents a date-only value without time-of-day and without time zone or offset-from-UTC.
A time zone is crucial in determining a date. For any given moment, the date varies around the globe by zone. For example, a few minutes after midnight in Paris France is a new day while still “yesterday” in Montréal Québec.
If no time zone is specified, the JVM implicitly applies its current default time zone. That default may change at any moment during runtime(!), so your results may vary. Better to specify your desired/expected time zone explicitly as an argument. If critical, confirm the zone with your user.
Specify a proper time zone name in the format of Continent/Region, such as America/Montreal, Africa/Casablanca, or Pacific/Auckland. Never use the 2-4 letter abbreviation such as EST or IST as they are not true time zones, not standardized, and not even unique(!).
ZoneId z = ZoneId.of( "America/Montreal" ) ;
LocalDate today = LocalDate.now( z ) ;
If you want to use the JVM’s current default time zone, ask for it and pass as an argument. If omitted, the code becomes ambiguous to read in that we do not know for certain if you intended to use the default or if you, like so many programmers, were unaware of the issue.
ZoneId z = ZoneId.systemDefault() ; // Get JVM’s current default time zone.
Or specify a date. You may set the month by a number, with sane numbering 1-12 for January-December.
LocalDate ld = LocalDate.of( 1986 , 2 , 23 ) ; // Years use sane direct numbering (1986 means year 1986). Months use sane numbering, 1-12 for January-December.
Or, better, use the Month enum objects pre-defined, one for each month of the year. Tip: Use these Month objects throughout your codebase rather than a mere integer number to make your code more self-documenting, ensure valid values, and provide type-safety. Ditto for Year & YearMonth.
LocalDate ld = LocalDate.of( 1986 , Month.FEBRUARY , 23 ) ;
About java.time
The java.time framework is built into Java 8 and later. These classes supplant the troublesome old legacy date-time classes such as java.util.Date, Calendar, & SimpleDateFormat.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
You may exchange java.time objects directly with your database. Use a JDBC driver compliant with JDBC 4.2 or later. No need for strings, no need for java.sql.* classes.
Where to obtain the java.time classes?
- Java SE 8, Java SE 9, Java SE 10, Java SE 11, and later - Part of the standard Java API with a bundled implementation.
- Java 9 adds some minor features and fixes.
- Java SE 6 and Java SE 7
- Most of the java.time functionality is back-ported to Java 6 & 7 in ThreeTen-Backport.
- Android
- Later versions of Android bundle implementations of the java.time classes.
- For earlier Android (<26), the ThreeTenABP project adapts ThreeTen-Backport (mentioned above). See How to use ThreeTenABP….
The ThreeTen-Extra project extends java.time with additional classes. This project is a proving ground for possible future additions to java.time. You may find some useful classes here such as Interval, YearWeek, YearQuarter, and more.
"Deprecated" refers to functions or elements that are in the process of being replaced by newer ones. Deprecated items may work in the current version of a programming language, they may not function in future updates.
But you can ignore and use it.
Example :
String pattern = "yyyy-MM-dd";
SimpleDateFormat simpleDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat(pattern);
String date = simpleDateFormat.format(new Date(1,1,1));
System.out.println(date);
Output :
1901-02-01
But if you don't want to use deprecated methods, you can go for LocalDate :
LocalDate localDate = LocalDate.of(2019, 1, 1);
DateTimeFormatter dateTimeFormatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("yyyy-MM-dd");
String formatted = localDate.format(dateTimeFormatter);
System.out.println(formatted);
Output :
2019-01-01
Here's the Javadoc in Oracle's website for the Date class: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Date.html
If you scroll down to "Constructor Summary," you'll see the different options for how a Date object can be instantiated. Like all objects in Java, you create a new one with the following:
Date firstDate = new Date(ConstructorArgsHere);
Now you have a bit of a choice. If you don't pass in any arguments, and just do this,
Date firstDate = new Date();
it will represent the exact date and time at which you called it. Here are some other constructors you may want to make use of:
Date firstDate1 = new Date(int year, int month, int date);
Date firstDate2 = new Date(int year, int month, int date, int hrs, int min);
Date firstDate3 = new Date(int year, int month, int date, int hrs, int min, int sec);
java.util.Date constructor with parameters like new Date(int year, int month, int date, int hrs, int min). is deprecated and preferably do not use it any more. Oracle documentation prefers the way over java.util.Calendar. So you can set any date and instantiate Date object through the getTime() method.
Calendar calendar = Calendar.getInstance();
calendar.set(2018, 11, 31, 59, 59, 59);
Date happyNewYearDate = calendar.getTime();
Notice that month number starts from 0