I need to convert a unix timestamp to a date object.
I tried this:
java.util.Date time = new java.util.Date(timeStamp);
Timestamp value is: 1280512800
The Date should be "2010/07/30 - 22:30:00" (as I get it by PHP) but instead I get Thu Jan 15 23:11:56 IRST 1970.
How should it be done?
For 1280512800, multiply by 1000, since java is expecting milliseconds:
java.util.Date time=new java.util.Date((long)timeStamp*1000);
If you already had milliseconds, then just new java.util.Date((long)timeStamp);
From the documentation:
Allocates a Date object and
initializes it to represent the
specified number of milliseconds since
the standard base time known as "the
epoch", namely January 1, 1970,
00:00:00 GMT.
java.time
Java 8 introduced a new API for working with dates and times: the java.time package.
With java.time you can parse your count of whole seconds since the epoch reference of first moment of 1970 in UTC, 1970-01-01T00:00Z. The result is an Instant.
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochSecond( timeStamp );
If you need a java.util.Date to interoperate with old code not yet updated for java.time, convert. Call new conversion methods added to the old classes.
Date date = Date.from( instant );
This is the right way:
Date date = new Date ();
date.setTime((long)unix_time*1000);
tl;dr
Instant.ofEpochSecond( 1_280_512_800L )
2010-07-30T18:00:00Z
java.time
The new java.time framework built into Java 8 and later is the successor to Joda-Time.
These new classes include a handy factory method to convert a count of whole seconds from epoch. You get an Instant, a moment on the timeline in UTC with up to nanoseconds resolution.
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochSecond( 1_280_512_800L );
instant.toString(): 2010-07-30T18:00:00Z
See that code run live at IdeOne.com.
Asia/Kabul or Asia/Tehran time zones ?
You reported getting a time-of-day value of 22:30 instead of the 18:00 seen here. I suspect your PHP utility is implicitly applying a default time zone to adjust from UTC. My value here is UTC, signified by the Z (short for Zulu, means UTC). Any chance your machine OS or PHP is set to Asia/Kabul or Asia/Tehran time zones? I suppose so as you report IRST in your output which apparently means Iran time. Currently in 2017 those are the only zones operating with a summer time that is four and a half hours ahead of UTC.
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 or IRST as they are not true time zones, not standardized, and not even unique(!).
If you want to see your moment through the lens of a particular region's time zone, apply a ZoneId to get a ZonedDateTime. Still the same simultaneous moment, but seen as a different wall-clock time.
ZoneId z = ZoneId.of( "Asia/Tehran" ) ;
ZonedDateTime zdt = instant.atZone( z ); // Same moment, same point on timeline, but seen as different wall-clock time.
2010-07-30T22:30+04:30[Asia/Tehran]
Converting from java.time to legacy classes
You should stick with the new java.time classes. But you can convert to old if required.
java.util.Date date = java.util.Date.from( instant );
Joda-Time
UPDATE: The Joda-Time project is now in maintenance mode, with the team advising migration to the java.time classes.
FYI, the constructor for a Joda-Time DateTime is similar: Multiply by a thousand to produce a long (not an int!).
DateTime dateTime = new DateTime( ( 1_280_512_800L * 1000_L ), DateTimeZone.forID( "Europe/Paris" ) );
Best to avoid the notoriously troublesome java.util.Date and .Calendar classes. But if you must use a Date, you can convert from Joda-Time.
java.util.Date date = dateTime.toDate();
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.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
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, and later
Built-in.
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
Much 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.
Looks like Calendar is the new way to go:
Calendar mydate = Calendar.getInstance();
mydate.setTimeInMillis(timestamp*1000);
out.println(mydate.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH)+"."+mydate.get(Calendar.MONTH)+"."+mydate.get(Calendar.YEAR));
The last line is just an example how to use it, this one would print eg "14.06.2012".
If you have used System.currentTimeMillis() to save the Timestamp you don't need the "*1000" part.
If you have the timestamp in a string you need to parse it first as a long: Long.parseLong(timestamp).
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/util/Calendar.html
Date's constructor expects the timeStamp value to be in milliseconds.
Multiply your timestamp's value with 1000, then pass it to the constructor.
If you are converting a timestamp value on a different machine, you should also check the timezone of that machine. For example;
The above decriptions will result different Date values, if you run with EST or UTC timezones.
To set the timezone; aka to UTC,
you can simply rewrite;
TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("UTC"));
java.util.Date time= new java.util.Date((Long.parseLong(timestamp)*1000));
For kotlin
fun unixToDate(timeStamp: Long) : String? {
val time = java.util.Date(timeStamp as Long * 1000)
val sdf = SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd")
return sdf.format(time)
}
Sometimes you need to work with adjustments.
Don't use cast to long! Use nanoadjustment.
For example, using Oanda Java API for trading you can get datetime as UNIX format.
For example: 1592523410.590566943
System.out.println("instant with nano = " + Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410, 590566943));
System.out.println("instant = " + Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410));
you get:
instant with nano = 2020-06-18T23:36:50.590566943Z
instant = 2020-06-18T23:36:50Z
Also, use:
Date date = Date.from( Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410, 590566943) );
LocalDateTime is another choice, like:
LocalDateTime.ofInstant(Instant.ofEpochSecond(unixtime), ZoneId.systemDefault())
Date d = new Date(i * 1000 + TimeZone.getDefault().getRawOffset());
Related
I need to convert a unix timestamp to a date object.
I tried this:
java.util.Date time = new java.util.Date(timeStamp);
Timestamp value is: 1280512800
The Date should be "2010/07/30 - 22:30:00" (as I get it by PHP) but instead I get Thu Jan 15 23:11:56 IRST 1970.
How should it be done?
For 1280512800, multiply by 1000, since java is expecting milliseconds:
java.util.Date time=new java.util.Date((long)timeStamp*1000);
If you already had milliseconds, then just new java.util.Date((long)timeStamp);
From the documentation:
Allocates a Date object and
initializes it to represent the
specified number of milliseconds since
the standard base time known as "the
epoch", namely January 1, 1970,
00:00:00 GMT.
java.time
Java 8 introduced a new API for working with dates and times: the java.time package.
With java.time you can parse your count of whole seconds since the epoch reference of first moment of 1970 in UTC, 1970-01-01T00:00Z. The result is an Instant.
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochSecond( timeStamp );
If you need a java.util.Date to interoperate with old code not yet updated for java.time, convert. Call new conversion methods added to the old classes.
Date date = Date.from( instant );
This is the right way:
Date date = new Date ();
date.setTime((long)unix_time*1000);
tl;dr
Instant.ofEpochSecond( 1_280_512_800L )
2010-07-30T18:00:00Z
java.time
The new java.time framework built into Java 8 and later is the successor to Joda-Time.
These new classes include a handy factory method to convert a count of whole seconds from epoch. You get an Instant, a moment on the timeline in UTC with up to nanoseconds resolution.
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochSecond( 1_280_512_800L );
instant.toString(): 2010-07-30T18:00:00Z
See that code run live at IdeOne.com.
Asia/Kabul or Asia/Tehran time zones ?
You reported getting a time-of-day value of 22:30 instead of the 18:00 seen here. I suspect your PHP utility is implicitly applying a default time zone to adjust from UTC. My value here is UTC, signified by the Z (short for Zulu, means UTC). Any chance your machine OS or PHP is set to Asia/Kabul or Asia/Tehran time zones? I suppose so as you report IRST in your output which apparently means Iran time. Currently in 2017 those are the only zones operating with a summer time that is four and a half hours ahead of UTC.
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 or IRST as they are not true time zones, not standardized, and not even unique(!).
If you want to see your moment through the lens of a particular region's time zone, apply a ZoneId to get a ZonedDateTime. Still the same simultaneous moment, but seen as a different wall-clock time.
ZoneId z = ZoneId.of( "Asia/Tehran" ) ;
ZonedDateTime zdt = instant.atZone( z ); // Same moment, same point on timeline, but seen as different wall-clock time.
2010-07-30T22:30+04:30[Asia/Tehran]
Converting from java.time to legacy classes
You should stick with the new java.time classes. But you can convert to old if required.
java.util.Date date = java.util.Date.from( instant );
Joda-Time
UPDATE: The Joda-Time project is now in maintenance mode, with the team advising migration to the java.time classes.
FYI, the constructor for a Joda-Time DateTime is similar: Multiply by a thousand to produce a long (not an int!).
DateTime dateTime = new DateTime( ( 1_280_512_800L * 1000_L ), DateTimeZone.forID( "Europe/Paris" ) );
Best to avoid the notoriously troublesome java.util.Date and .Calendar classes. But if you must use a Date, you can convert from Joda-Time.
java.util.Date date = dateTime.toDate();
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.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
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, and later
Built-in.
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
Much 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.
Looks like Calendar is the new way to go:
Calendar mydate = Calendar.getInstance();
mydate.setTimeInMillis(timestamp*1000);
out.println(mydate.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH)+"."+mydate.get(Calendar.MONTH)+"."+mydate.get(Calendar.YEAR));
The last line is just an example how to use it, this one would print eg "14.06.2012".
If you have used System.currentTimeMillis() to save the Timestamp you don't need the "*1000" part.
If you have the timestamp in a string you need to parse it first as a long: Long.parseLong(timestamp).
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/util/Calendar.html
Date's constructor expects the timeStamp value to be in milliseconds.
Multiply your timestamp's value with 1000, then pass it to the constructor.
If you are converting a timestamp value on a different machine, you should also check the timezone of that machine. For example;
The above decriptions will result different Date values, if you run with EST or UTC timezones.
To set the timezone; aka to UTC,
you can simply rewrite;
TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("UTC"));
java.util.Date time= new java.util.Date((Long.parseLong(timestamp)*1000));
For kotlin
fun unixToDate(timeStamp: Long) : String? {
val time = java.util.Date(timeStamp as Long * 1000)
val sdf = SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd")
return sdf.format(time)
}
Sometimes you need to work with adjustments.
Don't use cast to long! Use nanoadjustment.
For example, using Oanda Java API for trading you can get datetime as UNIX format.
For example: 1592523410.590566943
System.out.println("instant with nano = " + Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410, 590566943));
System.out.println("instant = " + Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410));
you get:
instant with nano = 2020-06-18T23:36:50.590566943Z
instant = 2020-06-18T23:36:50Z
Also, use:
Date date = Date.from( Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410, 590566943) );
LocalDateTime is another choice, like:
LocalDateTime.ofInstant(Instant.ofEpochSecond(unixtime), ZoneId.systemDefault())
Date d = new Date(i * 1000 + TimeZone.getDefault().getRawOffset());
I need to convert a unix timestamp to a date object.
I tried this:
java.util.Date time = new java.util.Date(timeStamp);
Timestamp value is: 1280512800
The Date should be "2010/07/30 - 22:30:00" (as I get it by PHP) but instead I get Thu Jan 15 23:11:56 IRST 1970.
How should it be done?
For 1280512800, multiply by 1000, since java is expecting milliseconds:
java.util.Date time=new java.util.Date((long)timeStamp*1000);
If you already had milliseconds, then just new java.util.Date((long)timeStamp);
From the documentation:
Allocates a Date object and
initializes it to represent the
specified number of milliseconds since
the standard base time known as "the
epoch", namely January 1, 1970,
00:00:00 GMT.
java.time
Java 8 introduced a new API for working with dates and times: the java.time package.
With java.time you can parse your count of whole seconds since the epoch reference of first moment of 1970 in UTC, 1970-01-01T00:00Z. The result is an Instant.
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochSecond( timeStamp );
If you need a java.util.Date to interoperate with old code not yet updated for java.time, convert. Call new conversion methods added to the old classes.
Date date = Date.from( instant );
This is the right way:
Date date = new Date ();
date.setTime((long)unix_time*1000);
tl;dr
Instant.ofEpochSecond( 1_280_512_800L )
2010-07-30T18:00:00Z
java.time
The new java.time framework built into Java 8 and later is the successor to Joda-Time.
These new classes include a handy factory method to convert a count of whole seconds from epoch. You get an Instant, a moment on the timeline in UTC with up to nanoseconds resolution.
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochSecond( 1_280_512_800L );
instant.toString(): 2010-07-30T18:00:00Z
See that code run live at IdeOne.com.
Asia/Kabul or Asia/Tehran time zones ?
You reported getting a time-of-day value of 22:30 instead of the 18:00 seen here. I suspect your PHP utility is implicitly applying a default time zone to adjust from UTC. My value here is UTC, signified by the Z (short for Zulu, means UTC). Any chance your machine OS or PHP is set to Asia/Kabul or Asia/Tehran time zones? I suppose so as you report IRST in your output which apparently means Iran time. Currently in 2017 those are the only zones operating with a summer time that is four and a half hours ahead of UTC.
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 or IRST as they are not true time zones, not standardized, and not even unique(!).
If you want to see your moment through the lens of a particular region's time zone, apply a ZoneId to get a ZonedDateTime. Still the same simultaneous moment, but seen as a different wall-clock time.
ZoneId z = ZoneId.of( "Asia/Tehran" ) ;
ZonedDateTime zdt = instant.atZone( z ); // Same moment, same point on timeline, but seen as different wall-clock time.
2010-07-30T22:30+04:30[Asia/Tehran]
Converting from java.time to legacy classes
You should stick with the new java.time classes. But you can convert to old if required.
java.util.Date date = java.util.Date.from( instant );
Joda-Time
UPDATE: The Joda-Time project is now in maintenance mode, with the team advising migration to the java.time classes.
FYI, the constructor for a Joda-Time DateTime is similar: Multiply by a thousand to produce a long (not an int!).
DateTime dateTime = new DateTime( ( 1_280_512_800L * 1000_L ), DateTimeZone.forID( "Europe/Paris" ) );
Best to avoid the notoriously troublesome java.util.Date and .Calendar classes. But if you must use a Date, you can convert from Joda-Time.
java.util.Date date = dateTime.toDate();
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.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
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, and later
Built-in.
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
Much 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.
Looks like Calendar is the new way to go:
Calendar mydate = Calendar.getInstance();
mydate.setTimeInMillis(timestamp*1000);
out.println(mydate.get(Calendar.DAY_OF_MONTH)+"."+mydate.get(Calendar.MONTH)+"."+mydate.get(Calendar.YEAR));
The last line is just an example how to use it, this one would print eg "14.06.2012".
If you have used System.currentTimeMillis() to save the Timestamp you don't need the "*1000" part.
If you have the timestamp in a string you need to parse it first as a long: Long.parseLong(timestamp).
https://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/util/Calendar.html
Date's constructor expects the timeStamp value to be in milliseconds.
Multiply your timestamp's value with 1000, then pass it to the constructor.
If you are converting a timestamp value on a different machine, you should also check the timezone of that machine. For example;
The above decriptions will result different Date values, if you run with EST or UTC timezones.
To set the timezone; aka to UTC,
you can simply rewrite;
TimeZone.setDefault(TimeZone.getTimeZone("UTC"));
java.util.Date time= new java.util.Date((Long.parseLong(timestamp)*1000));
For kotlin
fun unixToDate(timeStamp: Long) : String? {
val time = java.util.Date(timeStamp as Long * 1000)
val sdf = SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd")
return sdf.format(time)
}
Sometimes you need to work with adjustments.
Don't use cast to long! Use nanoadjustment.
For example, using Oanda Java API for trading you can get datetime as UNIX format.
For example: 1592523410.590566943
System.out.println("instant with nano = " + Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410, 590566943));
System.out.println("instant = " + Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410));
you get:
instant with nano = 2020-06-18T23:36:50.590566943Z
instant = 2020-06-18T23:36:50Z
Also, use:
Date date = Date.from( Instant.ofEpochSecond(1592523410, 590566943) );
LocalDateTime is another choice, like:
LocalDateTime.ofInstant(Instant.ofEpochSecond(unixtime), ZoneId.systemDefault())
Date d = new Date(i * 1000 + TimeZone.getDefault().getRawOffset());
This code is working, but I want to use Joda-Time
public static Date dateFromUTC(Date date){
return new Date(date.getTime() + Calendar.getInstance().getTimeZone().getOffset(date.getTime()));
}
I tried this, but it's not working - what's the problem with this?
public static Date dateFromUTC(Date date){
return new DateTime(date).withZone(DateTimeZone.getDefault()).toDate();
}
tl;dr
Use java.time classes instead.
Instant.now() // Capture current moment in UTC. Always in UTC, by definition.
…and…
ZonedDateTime.now() // Capture current moment as seen through the wall-clock time of the people in the region of the time zone used by default in this JVM.
Details
As others said, you misunderstood the concepts involved in these classes. A java.util.Date represents a moment in UTC, always in UTC†, never in some other time zone. So the code seen in the Question is non-sensical. You are working too hard!
java.time
The Joda-Time project is now in maintenance mode, with the team advising migration to the java.time classes. Many of the concepts are similar between Joda-Time and java.time as both projects are led by the same man, Stephen Colebourne.
When you are ready to migrate, use Instant in place of java.util.Date.
Instant instant = Instant.now() ; // Capture the current moment in UTC.
instant.toString(): 2018-01-23T12:34:56.123456789Z
Instead of java.util.Calendar, use ZonedDateTime to represent a moment seen through the wall-clock time of a particular region (a time zone).
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 z = ZoneId.of( "Pacific/Auckland" ) ;
ZonedDateTime zdt = instant.atZone( z ) ; // Same moment, same point on the timeline, different wall-clock time.
As a shortcut, you can skip the Instant if you want only the zoned time.
ZoneId z = ZoneId.of( "Africa/Tunis" ) ;
ZonedDateTime zdt = ZonedDateTime.now( z ) ; // Capture the current moment as seen by people in a certain time zone.
You can get to UTC from there by extracting an Instant object.
Instant instant = zdt.toInstant() ; // Same moment, same point on the timeline, but viewed with the wall-clock time of UTC.
† Actually, there is a time zone assigned deep within a java.util.Date but is irrelevant to our discussion here. Confusing? Yes. One of many reasons to avoid the awful mess that is the old Date/Calendar and related legacy date-time classes.
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.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
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, and later
Built-in.
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
Much 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.
Try this:
new DateTime(date, DateTimeZone.UTC)
.toLocalDateTime() // value without timezone
.toDateTime() // convert to default timezone
.toDate();
Your code actually does nothing to the date, because new DateTime(date) creates a DateTime object with default timezone. And then you just convert it back to java.util.Date.
First of all, read the article linked in the comments: https://codeblog.jonskeet.uk/2017/04/23/all-about-java-util-date/
A java.util.Date doesn't have a timezone. It actually represents a point in time: the number of milliseconds since unix epoch (Jan 1st 1970, at midnight, in UTC).
When you print the Date, though, it uses the JVM default timezone to convert the Date to date/time values, but the Date itself doesn't have a timezone.
That's why converting a Date object to another timezone doesn't make sense.
If you want to know the date (day, month, year) and time (hour, minute, second, millisecond) that corresponds to the Date in a specific timezone, then you can use Joda-Time:
// java.util.Date
Date date = new Date();
// the Date converted to UTC
DateTime utc = new DateTime(date, DateTimeZone.UTC);
// the Date converted to JVM default timezone
DateTime convertedToDefaultTz= new DateTime(date, DateTimeZone.getDefault());
The conversion can also be made using another DateTime:
DateTime convertedToDefaultTz = utc.withZone(DateTimeZone.getDefault());
Joda's DateTime has a timezone attached to it, so now it makes sense to convert to another one. But the Date objects returned by it will always be the same, because all of them represent the same instant (the same point in the timeline):
Date d1 = utc.toDate();
Date d2 = convertedToDefaultTz.toDate();
System.out.println(d1.equals(d2)); // true
All because - again - a Date doesn't have a timezone.
My server is using GMT time zone but my application is working on IST, so I am converting GMT to IST while saving to database.But when I am converting this saved IST into epoch time then it's adding 5 hours 30 minutes into the saved IST time.
Is there any idea why? Am I doing anything wrong?
The code for converting GMT to IST:
public static Date convertGmtToIst(Date date) throws ParseException {
DateFormat converter = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy:HH:mm:ss");
converter.setTimeZone(TimeZone.getTimeZone("IST"));
String dateReturns = converter.format(date);
SimpleDateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy:HH:mm:ss");
Date alteredDate = formatter.parse(dateReturns);
return alteredDate;
}
This is the code i am using to convert IST(2018-01-24 15:51:01) to epoch time.the date i am passing in this method is 2018-01-24 15:51:01 so this method should returns the epoch time of this date but it's adding 5 hours 30 minutes into this time.
public static long getEpochDateTime(Date date) {
long epochDateTime = date.getTime();
return epochDateTime;
}
tl;dr
Use smart objects, not dumb strings.
Instant.now().toEpochMilli()
Or:
myDate.toInstant().toEpochMilli()
Details
As discussed many times already on Stack Overflow…
My server is using GMT time zone
Never depend on the server OS settings for time zone. Always specify the optional time zone argument passed to the java.time classes’ methods.
converting GMT to IST while saving to database
Do most of your work in UTC. Adjust into another time zone only when business logic so dictates, or for presentation to user.
DateFormat converter = new SimpleDateFormat("dd-MM-yyyy:HH:mm:ss");
Work with date-time objects rather than mere strings.
Never use the troublesome Date and Calendar classes. Now supplanted by the java.time classes.
Never use 3-4 character pseudo-time zone codes such as IST. They are not true time zones, not standardized, and not even unique(!). Use true time zones in continent/region format.
ZoneId z = ZoneId.of( “Asia/Kolkata” ) ;
Get current moment in UTC.
Instant instant = Instant.now() ;
If your code must interoperate with Date, use new methods on old classes to convert to-and-fro.
Instant instant = myJavaUtilDate.toInstant() ;
Generate a string to represent this moment in standard ISO 8601 format by calling toString.
String output = instant.toString() ;
Adjust into another time zone. Same moment, same point on the timeline, different wall-clock time.
ZonedDateTime zdt = Instant.atZone( z ) ; // Same moment, different wall-clock time.
Call toString to generate a string with a format that wisely extends the ISO 8601 format by appending the name of the time zone in square brackets.
String output = zdt.toString() ;
To generate a string in other formats, see the DateTimeFormatter class.
You can move from a zoned moment to UTC by extracting an Instant.
Instant instant = zdt.toInstant() ;
returns the epoch time
Tracking time as a count-from-epoch is bad practice. But if you insist, you can extract a count of milliseconds from first moment of 1970 in UTC. Beware of data loss as Instant has a resolution of nanoseconds.
long millis = instant.toEpochMilli() ;
Get an Instant again. Again, I recommend against using a count-from-epoch, but if you insist.
Instant instant = Instant.ofEpochMilli( millis ) ;
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.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
Where to obtain the java.time classes?
Java SE 8, Java SE 9, and later
Built-in.
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
Much 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, 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.
You should probably include timezone when serializing the date.
new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss'Z'");
I'm all clear on the fact that java.util.Date doesn't have timezone and why so.
I've an application where the user has set his TimeZone, and when he selects Date in a DateTime picker, the component returns a Date object to me.
I then need to modify the date as to save the UTC equivalent in database.
It's pretty simple to get a Date object representing UTC date for a local timezone with org.joda.time :
public static final Date getTimeZoneDependantDate(Date pDateUtc, String pUserTimezoneValue) {
// Build the DateTime Object
DateTime originalDate = new DateTime(pDateUtc.getTime(), DateTimeZone.forID(PREF_TIMEZONE_DEF_VALUE));
// Convert the Date
DateTime convertedDate = originalDate.withZone(DateTimeZone.forID(pUserTimezoneValue));
// Return the localTime associated with the timeZone
return convertedDate.toLocalDateTime().toDate();
}
But I'm stuck on how to do the opposite, change the Date picked by the user (from his timezone perspective) to UTC.
Since LocalDateTime takes the instant and not the local Date as a parameter.
Is there any cleaner way than to parse String ?
tl;dr
You do not provide enough info. Report:
The results of this: myJavaUtilDate.toInstant().toString()
The inputs to the component
The current default time zone of the app
Details
You do not really give enough information about your problem. Are you getting a correct date-time value in UTC via the java.util.Date object from your GUI component or not?
If the user in Québec time zone of America/Montreal entered 9 AM on December 1, 2016, and your component is correctly adjusting those values into UTC while producing the java.util.Date object, then you have no problem. The UTC value would be 2 PM in the afternoon for UTC, as America/Montreal is five hours behind UTC on that particular date. Just pass the Date object to the database after converting to a java.sql.Timestamp object.
FYI, both the old date-time classes classes (Date & Calendar etc.) and Joda-Time are now supplanted by the java.time classes. Here is some example code in java.time showing the kind of behavior your component is hopefully employing.
LocalDate ld = LocalDate.of ( 2016 , Month.DECEMBER , 1 );
LocalTime lt = LocalTime.of ( 9 , 0 );
ZoneId z = ZoneId.of ( "America/Montreal" );
ZonedDateTime zdt = ZonedDateTime.of ( ld , lt , z );
Instant instant = zdt.toInstant (); // UTC
System.out.println ( "zdt.toString(): " + zdt );
System.out.println ( "instant.toString(): " + instant );
zdt.toString(): 2016-12-01T09:00-05:00[America/Montreal]
instant.toString(): 2016-12-01T14:00:00Z
The Z on the end of the string is short for Zulu and means UTC.
Given the unfortunate behavior of java.util.Date::toString to apply your current default time zone while generating the string, I suggest you convert your Date to an Instant so you can get a clear reading of its value.
Instant instantConvertedFromDateOfComponent = myJavaUtilDate.toInstant();
If after this step you do indeed see 2 PM in the afternoon, then all is well and your component is performing well.
If your component is acting badly, ignoring the issue of time zone and reporting your user’s input as if the user intended UTC as their own zone, then you will see 2016-12-01T09:00:00Z. That is a problem. The workaround is to make the time zone adjustment yourself. Extract the “local” (zone-less) values, then apply the intended time zone.
To get the “local” date and time, first convert to OffsetDateTime object.
OffsetDateTime odt = instantConvertedFromDateOfComponent.atOffset( ZoneOffset.UTC );
LocalDateTime ldt = odt.toLocalDateTime(); // 2016-12-01T09:00:00Z
ZonedDateTime zdt = ldt.atZone( z ); // 2016-12-01T09:00-05:00[America/Montreal]
If your JDBC driver complies with JDBC 4.2 or later, you may be able to pass these java.time types directly. If not, convert to java.sql types via new methods added to the old classes. Discussed already many times on Stack Overflow, so search for more info.
The server’s current default time zone should be irrelevant to your programming. Always specify explicitly the desired/expected time zone in optional arguments rather than rely implicitly on default.
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.
The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.
To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.
Where to obtain the java.time classes?
Java SE 8 and SE 9 and later
Built-in.
Part of the standard Java API with a bundled implementation.
Java 9 adds some minor features and fixes.
Java SE 6 and SE 7
Much of the java.time functionality is back-ported to Java 6 & 7 in ThreeTen-Backport.
Android
The ThreeTenABP project adapts ThreeTen-Backport (mentioned above) for Android specifically.
See How to use….
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.
The best way of transmitting and saving the date over network is in the form of timestamp (date in milliseconds) this timestamp does not need any timezone information. But after fetching the date in the form of timestamp use it create date object, If you want to show the date in the UTC format then only you need to convert it.