How Can I Change Date Formats in Java?

Altering Date Formats in Java

In Java, manipulating date formats is crucial for various scenarios. One common requirement is to convert dates from one format to another. Consider the task of changing the date format from "dd/MM/yyyy" to "yyyy/MM/dd."

The solution utilizes Java's powerful SimpleDateFormat class to convert between formats. Here's a step-by-step approach to achieve this conversion:

1. Define the initial and target date formats.
2. Parse the date string in the old format using SimpleDateFormat.
3. Create a new SimpleDateFormat object with the target format.
4. Convert the original date to the desired format using the target SimpleDateFormat.

For example, to convert the date string "12/08/2010" from "dd/MM/yyyy" to "yyyy/MM/dd," you can use the following code:

final String OLD_FORMAT = "dd/MM/yyyy";
final String NEW_FORMAT = "yyyy/MM/dd";

// August 12, 2010
String oldDateString = "12/08/2010";
String newDateString;

SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat(OLD_FORMAT);
Date d = sdf.parse(oldDateString);
sdf.applyPattern(NEW_FORMAT);
newDateString = sdf.format(d);

This code snippet accurately converts the given date string in the old format to the desired format. Such conversion is essential for standardizing date representations, interfacing with different data sources, and manipulating dates in a flexible manner.

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