Added in API level 1

DateFormat

abstract class DateFormat : Format
kotlin.Any
   ↳ java.text.Format
   ↳ java.text.DateFormat

DateFormat is an abstract class for date/time formatting subclasses which formats and parses dates or time in a language-independent manner. The date/time formatting subclass, such as SimpleDateFormat, allows for formatting (i.e., date → text), parsing (text → date), and normalization. The date is represented as a Date object or as the milliseconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 GMT.

DateFormat provides many class methods for obtaining default date/time formatters based on the default or a given locale and a number of formatting styles. The formatting styles include FULL, LONG, MEDIUM, and SHORT. More detail and examples of using these styles are provided in the method descriptions.

DateFormat helps you to format and parse dates for any locale. Your code can be completely independent of the locale conventions for months, days of the week, or even the calendar format: lunar vs. solar.

To format a date for the current Locale, use one of the static factory methods:

<code>myString = DateFormat.getDateInstance().format(myDate);
  </code>

If you are formatting multiple dates, it is more efficient to get the format and use it multiple times so that the system doesn't have to fetch the information about the local language and country conventions multiple times.

<code>DateFormat df = DateFormat.getDateInstance();
  for (int i = 0; i &lt; myDate.length; ++i) {
      output.println(df.format(myDate[i]) + "; ");
  }
  </code>

To format a date for a different Locale, specify it in the call to getDateInstance().

<code>DateFormat df = DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.LONG, Locale.FRANCE);
  </code>

You can use a DateFormat to parse also.

<code>myDate = df.parse(myString);
  </code>

Use getDateInstance to get the normal date format for that country. There are other static factory methods available. Use getTimeInstance to get the time format for that country. Use getDateTimeInstance to get a date and time format. You can pass in different options to these factory methods to control the length of the result; from SHORT to MEDIUM to LONG to FULL. The exact result depends on the locale, but generally:

  • SHORT is completely numeric, such as 12.13.52 or 3:30pm
  • MEDIUM is longer, such as Jan 12, 1952
  • LONG is longer, such as January 12, 1952 or 3:30:32pm
  • FULL is pretty completely specified, such as Tuesday, April 12, 1952 AD or 3:30:42pm PST.

You can also set the time zone on the format if you wish. If you want even more control over the format or parsing, (or want to give your users more control), you can try casting the DateFormat you get from the factory methods to a SimpleDateFormat. This will work for the majority of countries; just remember to put it in a try block in case you encounter an unusual one.

You can also use forms of the parse and format methods with ParsePosition and FieldPosition to allow you to

  • progressively parse through pieces of a string.
  • align any particular field, or find out where it is for selection on the screen.

Synchronization

Date formats are not synchronized. It is recommended to create separate format instances for each thread. If multiple threads access a format concurrently, it must be synchronized externally.

Summary

Nested classes
open

Defines constants that are used as attribute keys in the AttributedCharacterIterator returned from DateFormat.formatToCharacterIterator and as field identifiers in FieldPosition.

Constants
static Int

Useful constant for AM_PM field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for DATE field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for DAY_OF_WEEK field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for DAY_OF_WEEK_IN_MONTH field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for DAY_OF_YEAR field alignment.

static Int

Constant for default style pattern.

static Int

Useful constant for ERA field alignment.

static Int

Constant for full style pattern.

static Int

Useful constant for zero-based HOUR field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for one-based HOUR field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for zero-based HOUR_OF_DAY field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for one-based HOUR_OF_DAY field alignment.

static Int

Constant for long style pattern.

static Int

Constant for medium style pattern.

static Int

Useful constant for MILLISECOND field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for MINUTE field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for MONTH field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for SECOND field alignment.

static Int

Constant for short style pattern.

static Int

Useful constant for TIMEZONE field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for WEEK_OF_MONTH field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for WEEK_OF_YEAR field alignment.

static Int

Useful constant for YEAR field alignment.

Protected constructors

Create a new date format.

Public methods
open Any

Overrides Cloneable

open Boolean
equals(other: Any?)

Overrides equals

StringBuffer
format(obj: Any, toAppendTo: StringBuffer, fieldPosition: FieldPosition)

Formats the given Object into a date-time string.

abstract StringBuffer
format(date: Date, toAppendTo: StringBuffer, fieldPosition: FieldPosition)

Formats a Date into a date-time string.

String
format(date: Date)

Formats a Date into a date-time string.

open static Array<Locale!>

Returns an array of all locales for which the get*Instance methods of this class can return localized instances.

open Calendar

Gets the calendar associated with this date/time formatter.

static DateFormat

Gets the date formatter with the default formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

static DateFormat

Gets the date formatter with the given formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

static DateFormat
getDateInstance(style: Int, aLocale: Locale)

Gets the date formatter with the given formatting style for the given locale.

static DateFormat

Gets the date/time formatter with the default formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

static DateFormat
getDateTimeInstance(dateStyle: Int, timeStyle: Int)

Gets the date/time formatter with the given date and time formatting styles for the default FORMAT locale.

static DateFormat
getDateTimeInstance(dateStyle: Int, timeStyle: Int, aLocale: Locale)

Gets the date/time formatter with the given formatting styles for the given locale.

static DateFormat

Get a default date/time formatter that uses the SHORT style for both the date and the time.

open NumberFormat

Gets the number formatter which this date/time formatter uses to format and parse a time.

static DateFormat

Gets the time formatter with the default formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

static DateFormat

Gets the time formatter with the given formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

static DateFormat
getTimeInstance(style: Int, aLocale: Locale)

Gets the time formatter with the given formatting style for the given locale.

open TimeZone

Gets the time zone.

open Int

Overrides hashCode

open Boolean

Tell whether date/time parsing is to be lenient.

open Date?
parse(source: String)

Parses text from the beginning of the given string to produce a date.

abstract Date?
parse(source: String, pos: ParsePosition)

Parse a date/time string according to the given parse position.

open Any?

Parses text from a string to produce a Date.

open Unit
setCalendar(newCalendar: Calendar)

Set the calendar to be used by this date format.

open Unit
setLenient(lenient: Boolean)

Specify whether or not date/time parsing is to be lenient.

open Unit
setNumberFormat(newNumberFormat: NumberFormat)

Allows you to set the number formatter.

open Unit

Sets the time zone for the calendar of this DateFormat object.

Inherited functions
Properties
Calendar

The Calendar instance used for calculating the date-time fields and the instant of time.

NumberFormat

The number formatter that DateFormat uses to format numbers in dates and times.

Constants

AM_PM_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val AM_PM_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for AM_PM field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 14

DATE_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val DATE_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for DATE field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 3

DAY_OF_WEEK_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val DAY_OF_WEEK_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for DAY_OF_WEEK field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 9

DAY_OF_WEEK_IN_MONTH_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val DAY_OF_WEEK_IN_MONTH_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for DAY_OF_WEEK_IN_MONTH field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 11

DAY_OF_YEAR_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val DAY_OF_YEAR_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for DAY_OF_YEAR field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 10

DEFAULT

Added in API level 1
static val DEFAULT: Int

Constant for default style pattern. Its value is MEDIUM.

Value: 2

ERA_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val ERA_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for ERA field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 0

FULL

Added in API level 1
static val FULL: Int

Constant for full style pattern.

Value: 0

HOUR0_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val HOUR0_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for zero-based HOUR field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting. HOUR0_FIELD is used for the zero-based 12-hour clock. For example, 11:30 PM + 1 hour results in 00:30 AM.

Value: 16

HOUR1_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val HOUR1_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for one-based HOUR field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting. HOUR1_FIELD is used for the one-based 12-hour clock. For example, 11:30 PM + 1 hour results in 12:30 AM.

Value: 15

HOUR_OF_DAY0_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val HOUR_OF_DAY0_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for zero-based HOUR_OF_DAY field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting. HOUR_OF_DAY0_FIELD is used for the zero-based 24-hour clock. For example, 23:59 + 01:00 results in 00:59.

Value: 5

HOUR_OF_DAY1_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val HOUR_OF_DAY1_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for one-based HOUR_OF_DAY field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting. HOUR_OF_DAY1_FIELD is used for the one-based 24-hour clock. For example, 23:59 + 01:00 results in 24:59.

Value: 4

LONG

Added in API level 1
static val LONG: Int

Constant for long style pattern.

Value: 1

MEDIUM

Added in API level 1
static val MEDIUM: Int

Constant for medium style pattern.

Value: 2

MILLISECOND_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val MILLISECOND_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for MILLISECOND field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 8

MINUTE_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val MINUTE_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for MINUTE field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 6

MONTH_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val MONTH_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for MONTH field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 2

SECOND_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val SECOND_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for SECOND field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 7

SHORT

Added in API level 1
static val SHORT: Int

Constant for short style pattern.

Value: 3

TIMEZONE_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val TIMEZONE_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for TIMEZONE field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 17

WEEK_OF_MONTH_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val WEEK_OF_MONTH_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for WEEK_OF_MONTH field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 13

WEEK_OF_YEAR_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val WEEK_OF_YEAR_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for WEEK_OF_YEAR field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 12

YEAR_FIELD

Added in API level 1
static val YEAR_FIELD: Int

Useful constant for YEAR field alignment. Used in FieldPosition of date/time formatting.

Value: 1

Protected constructors

DateFormat

Added in API level 1
protected DateFormat()

Create a new date format.

Public methods

clone

Added in API level 1
open fun clone(): Any

Overrides Cloneable

Return
Any a clone of this instance.
Exceptions
java.lang.CloneNotSupportedException if the object's class does not support the Cloneable interface. Subclasses that override the clone method can also throw this exception to indicate that an instance cannot be cloned.

equals

Added in API level 1
open fun equals(other: Any?): Boolean

Overrides equals

Parameters
obj the reference object with which to compare.
Return
Boolean true if this object is the same as the obj argument; false otherwise.

format

Added in API level 1
fun format(
    obj: Any,
    toAppendTo: StringBuffer,
    fieldPosition: FieldPosition
): StringBuffer

Formats the given Object into a date-time string. The formatted string is appended to the given StringBuffer.

Parameters
obj Any: Must be a Date or a Number representing a millisecond offset from the Epoch.
toAppendTo StringBuffer: The string buffer for the returning date-time string.
pos A FieldPosition identifying a field in the formatted text
fieldPosition FieldPosition: keeps track on the position of the field within the returned string. For example, given a date-time text "1996.07.10 AD at 15:08:56 PDT", if the given fieldPosition is DateFormat#YEAR_FIELD, the begin index and end index of fieldPosition will be set to 0 and 4, respectively. Notice that if the same date-time field appears more than once in a pattern, the fieldPosition will be set for the first occurrence of that date-time field. For instance, formatting a Date to the date-time string "1 PM PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)" using the pattern "h a z (zzzz)" and the alignment field DateFormat#TIMEZONE_FIELD, the begin index and end index of fieldPosition will be set to 5 and 8, respectively, for the first occurrence of the timezone pattern character 'z'.
Return
StringBuffer the string buffer passed in as toAppendTo, with formatted text appended.
Exceptions
java.lang.NullPointerException if toAppendTo or pos is null
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException if the Format cannot format the given obj.

See Also

format

Added in API level 1
abstract fun format(
    date: Date,
    toAppendTo: StringBuffer,
    fieldPosition: FieldPosition
): StringBuffer

Formats a Date into a date-time string. The formatted string is appended to the given StringBuffer.

Parameters
date Date: a Date to be formatted into a date-time string.
toAppendTo StringBuffer: the string buffer for the returning date-time string.
fieldPosition FieldPosition: keeps track on the position of the field within the returned string. For example, given a date-time text "1996.07.10 AD at 15:08:56 PDT", if the given fieldPosition is DateFormat#YEAR_FIELD, the begin index and end index of fieldPosition will be set to 0 and 4, respectively. Notice that if the same date-time field appears more than once in a pattern, the fieldPosition will be set for the first occurrence of that date-time field. For instance, formatting a Date to the date-time string "1 PM PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)" using the pattern "h a z (zzzz)" and the alignment field DateFormat#TIMEZONE_FIELD, the begin index and end index of fieldPosition will be set to 5 and 8, respectively, for the first occurrence of the timezone pattern character 'z'.
Return
StringBuffer the string buffer passed in as toAppendTo, with formatted text appended.

format

Added in API level 1
fun format(date: Date): String

Formats a Date into a date-time string.

Parameters
date Date: the time value to be formatted into a date-time string.
Return
String the formatted date-time string.

getAvailableLocales

Added in API level 1
open static fun getAvailableLocales(): Array<Locale!>

Returns an array of all locales for which the get*Instance methods of this class can return localized instances. It must contain at least a Locale instance equal to Locale.US.

Return
Array<Locale!> An array of locales for which localized DateFormat instances are available.

getCalendar

Added in API level 1
open fun getCalendar(): Calendar

Gets the calendar associated with this date/time formatter.

Return
Calendar the calendar associated with this date/time formatter.

getDateInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getDateInstance(): DateFormat

Gets the date formatter with the default formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

This is equivalent to calling getDateInstance(DEFAULT,.

Return
DateFormat a date formatter.

getDateInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getDateInstance(style: Int): DateFormat

Gets the date formatter with the given formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

This is equivalent to calling getDateInstance(style,.

Parameters
style Int: the given formatting style. For example, SHORT for "M/d/yy" in the US locale.
Return
DateFormat a date formatter.

getDateInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getDateInstance(
    style: Int,
    aLocale: Locale
): DateFormat

Gets the date formatter with the given formatting style for the given locale.

Parameters
style Int: the given formatting style. For example, SHORT for "M/d/yy" in the US locale.
aLocale Locale: the given locale.
Return
DateFormat a date formatter.

getDateTimeInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getDateTimeInstance(): DateFormat

Gets the date/time formatter with the default formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

This is equivalent to calling getDateTimeInstance(DEFAULT,.

Return
DateFormat a date/time formatter.

getDateTimeInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getDateTimeInstance(
    dateStyle: Int,
    timeStyle: Int
): DateFormat

Gets the date/time formatter with the given date and time formatting styles for the default FORMAT locale.

This is equivalent to calling getDateTimeInstance(dateStyle,.

Parameters
dateStyle Int: the given date formatting style. For example, SHORT for "M/d/yy" in the US locale.
timeStyle Int: the given time formatting style. For example, SHORT for "h:mm a" in the US locale.
Return
DateFormat a date/time formatter.

getDateTimeInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getDateTimeInstance(
    dateStyle: Int,
    timeStyle: Int,
    aLocale: Locale
): DateFormat

Gets the date/time formatter with the given formatting styles for the given locale.

Parameters
dateStyle Int: the given date formatting style.
timeStyle Int: the given time formatting style.
aLocale Locale: the given locale.
Return
DateFormat a date/time formatter.

getInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getInstance(): DateFormat

Get a default date/time formatter that uses the SHORT style for both the date and the time.

Return
DateFormat a date/time formatter

getNumberFormat

Added in API level 1
open fun getNumberFormat(): NumberFormat

Gets the number formatter which this date/time formatter uses to format and parse a time.

Return
NumberFormat the number formatter which this date/time formatter uses.

getTimeInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getTimeInstance(): DateFormat

Gets the time formatter with the default formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

This is equivalent to calling getTimeInstance(DEFAULT,.

Return
DateFormat a time formatter.

getTimeInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getTimeInstance(style: Int): DateFormat

Gets the time formatter with the given formatting style for the default FORMAT locale.

This is equivalent to calling getTimeInstance(style,.

Parameters
style Int: the given formatting style. For example, SHORT for "h:mm a" in the US locale.
Return
DateFormat a time formatter.

getTimeInstance

Added in API level 1
static fun getTimeInstance(
    style: Int,
    aLocale: Locale
): DateFormat

Gets the time formatter with the given formatting style for the given locale.

Parameters
style Int: the given formatting style. For example, SHORT for "h:mm a" in the US locale.
aLocale Locale: the given locale.
Return
DateFormat a time formatter.

getTimeZone

Added in API level 1
open fun getTimeZone(): TimeZone

Gets the time zone. This method is equivalent to the following call.

<code>getCalendar().getTimeZone()
  </code>

Return
TimeZone the time zone associated with the calendar of DateFormat.

hashCode

Added in API level 1
open fun hashCode(): Int

Overrides hashCode

Return
Int a hash code value for this object.

isLenient

Added in API level 1
open fun isLenient(): Boolean

Tell whether date/time parsing is to be lenient. This method is equivalent to the following call.

<code>getCalendar().isLenient()
  </code>

Return
Boolean true if the calendar is lenient; false otherwise.

parse

Added in API level 1
open fun parse(source: String): Date?

Parses text from the beginning of the given string to produce a date. The method may not use the entire text of the given string.

See the parse(java.lang.String,java.text.ParsePosition) method for more information on date parsing.

WARNING: Don't use this method to deserialize a date. The underlying localized date/time format and parsing behaviors can change across Android versions as common usage in the locale changes. Consider using long type for storing a timestamp or java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter#ISO_INSTANT for deserializing the ISO-8601 instant format.

Parameters
source String: A String whose beginning should be parsed.
Return
Date? A Date parsed from the string.
Exceptions
java.text.ParseException if the beginning of the specified string cannot be parsed.

parse

Added in API level 1
abstract fun parse(
    source: String,
    pos: ParsePosition
): Date?

Parse a date/time string according to the given parse position. For example, a time text "07/10/96 4:5 PM, PDT" will be parsed into a Date that is equivalent to Date(837039900000L).

By default, parsing is lenient: If the input is not in the form used by this object's format method but can still be parsed as a date, then the parse succeeds. Clients may insist on strict adherence to the format by calling setLenient(false).

WARNING: Don't use this method to deserialize a date. The underlying localized date/time format and parsing behaviors can change across Android versions as common usage in the locale changes. Consider using long type for storing a timestamp or java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter#ISO_INSTANT for deserializing the ISO-8601 instant format.

This parsing operation uses the calendar to produce a Date. As a result, the calendar's date-time fields and the TimeZone value may have been overwritten, depending on subclass implementations. Any TimeZone value that has previously been set by a call to setTimeZone may need to be restored for further operations.

Parameters
source String: The date/time string to be parsed
pos ParsePosition: On input, the position at which to start parsing; on output, the position at which parsing terminated, or the start position if the parse failed.
Return
Date? A Date, or null if the input could not be parsed

parseObject

Added in API level 1
open fun parseObject(
    source: String,
    pos: ParsePosition
): Any?

Parses text from a string to produce a Date.

The method attempts to parse text starting at the index given by pos. If parsing succeeds, then the index of pos is updated to the index after the last character used (parsing does not necessarily use all characters up to the end of the string), and the parsed date is returned. The updated pos can be used to indicate the starting point for the next call to this method. If an error occurs, then the index of pos is not changed, the error index of pos is set to the index of the character where the error occurred, and null is returned.

See the parse(java.lang.String,java.text.ParsePosition) method for more information on date parsing.

Parameters
source String: A String, part of which should be parsed.
pos ParsePosition: A ParsePosition object with index and error index information as described above.
Return
Any? A Date parsed from the string. In case of error, returns null.
Exceptions
java.lang.NullPointerException if source or pos is null.

setCalendar

Added in API level 1
open fun setCalendar(newCalendar: Calendar): Unit

Set the calendar to be used by this date format. Initially, the default calendar for the specified or default locale is used.

Any TimeZone and leniency values that have previously been set are overwritten by newCalendar's values.

Parameters
newCalendar Calendar: the new Calendar to be used by the date format

setLenient

Added in API level 1
open fun setLenient(lenient: Boolean): Unit

Specify whether or not date/time parsing is to be lenient. With lenient parsing, the parser may use heuristics to interpret inputs that do not precisely match this object's format. With strict parsing, inputs must match this object's format.

This method is equivalent to the following call.

<code>getCalendar().setLenient(lenient)
  </code>

This leniency value is overwritten by a call to setCalendar().

Parameters
lenient Boolean: when true, parsing is lenient

setNumberFormat

Added in API level 1
open fun setNumberFormat(newNumberFormat: NumberFormat): Unit

Allows you to set the number formatter.

Parameters
newNumberFormat NumberFormat: the given new NumberFormat.

setTimeZone

Added in API level 1
open fun setTimeZone(zone: TimeZone): Unit

Sets the time zone for the calendar of this DateFormat object. This method is equivalent to the following call.

<code>getCalendar().setTimeZone(zone)
  </code>

The TimeZone set by this method is overwritten by a setCalendar call.

The TimeZone set by this method may be overwritten as a result of a call to the parse method.

Parameters
zone TimeZone: the given new time zone.

Properties

calendar

Added in API level 1
protected var calendar: Calendar

The Calendar instance used for calculating the date-time fields and the instant of time. This field is used for both formatting and parsing.

Subclasses should initialize this field to a Calendar appropriate for the Locale associated with this DateFormat.

numberFormat

Added in API level 1
protected var numberFormat: NumberFormat

The number formatter that DateFormat uses to format numbers in dates and times. Subclasses should initialize this to a number format appropriate for the locale associated with this DateFormat.