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Java Date and Time API

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Introduction

The Java Date and Time API, introduced in Java 8, provides a comprehensive model for date and time handling. The new API is based on the ISO-8601 calendar system and is intended to replace the old java.util.Date and java.util.Calendar classes. The API is designed to be easy to use and understand, providing a more natural and expressive way to work with dates and times.

Key Points:

  • Immutability: All classes in the new Date and Time API are immutable and thread-safe.
  • Separation of Concerns: Separate classes for different use cases, such as LocalDate for dates, LocalTime for times, and LocalDateTime for both.
  • Time Zones: Improved support for time zones with ZonedDateTime and OffsetDateTime.
  • Fluent API: Methods that return instances of the same type to allow for method chaining.

Table of Contents

  1. Important Classes and Methods
    • LocalDate
    • LocalTime
    • LocalDateTime
    • ZonedDateTime
    • OffsetDateTime
    • Period
    • Duration
    • Instant
    • DateTimeFormatter
  2. Working with LocalDate
  3. Working with LocalTime
  4. Working with LocalDateTime
  5. Working with ZonedDateTime and OffsetDateTime
  6. Working with Period and Duration
  7. Working with Instant
  8. Formatting and Parsing Dates and Times
  9. Conclusion

2. Working with LocalDate

Represents a date without a time-zone in the ISO-8601 calendar system.

Important Methods:

  • now(): Returns the current date.
  • of(int year, int month, int dayOfMonth): Obtains an instance of LocalDate from a year, month, and day.
  • parse(CharSequence text): Obtains an instance of LocalDate from a text string.
  • plusDays(long daysToAdd): Returns a copy of this date with the specified number of days added.
  • minusDays(long daysToSubtract): Returns a copy of this date with the specified number of days subtracted.
  • getDayOfWeek(): Returns the day-of-week of this date.

Example:

import java.time.LocalDate; import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter; public class LocalDateExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Current date LocalDate currentDate = LocalDate.now(); System.out.println("Current date: " + currentDate); // Specific date LocalDate specificDate = LocalDate.of(2023, 6, 13); System.out.println("Specific date: " + specificDate); // Parsing date LocalDate parsedDate = LocalDate.parse("2023-06-13"); System.out.println("Parsed date: " + parsedDate); // Formatting date DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd/MM/yyyy"); String formattedDate = currentDate.format(formatter); System.out.println("Formatted date: " + formattedDate); // Adding days LocalDate addedDate = currentDate.plusDays(5); System.out.println("Date after adding 5 days: " + addedDate); // Subtracting days LocalDate subtractedDate = currentDate.minusDays(5); System.out.println("Date after subtracting 5 days: " + subtractedDate); // Getting the day of the week System.out.println("Day of the week: " + currentDate.getDayOfWeek()); } }

Explanation:

  • now(): Gets the current date.
  • of(): Creates a LocalDate from year, month, and day.
  • parse(): Parses a date string to create a LocalDate.
  • format(): Formats the date using a specific pattern.
  • plusDays(): Adds days to the date.
  • minusDays(): Subtracts days from the date.
  • getDayOfWeek(): Gets the day of the week.

3. Working with LocalTime

Represents a time without a date in the ISO-8601 calendar system.

Important Methods:

  • now(): Returns the current time.
  • of(int hour, int minute, int second): Obtains an instance of LocalTime from an hour, minute, and second.
  • parse(CharSequence text): Obtains an instance of LocalTime from a text string.
  • plusHours(long hoursToAdd): Returns a copy of this time with the specified number of hours added.
  • minusMinutes(long minutesToSubtract): Returns a copy of this time with the specified number of minutes subtracted.
  • withHour(int hour): Returns a copy of this time with the hour-of-day altered.

Example:

import java.time.LocalTime; import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter; public class LocalTimeExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Current time LocalTime currentTime = LocalTime.now(); System.out.println("Current time: " + currentTime); // Specific time LocalTime specificTime = LocalTime.of(10, 15, 30); System.out.println("Specific time: " + specificTime); // Parsing time LocalTime parsedTime = LocalTime.parse("10:15:30"); System.out.println("Parsed time: " + parsedTime); // Formatting time DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("hh:mm:ss a"); String formattedTime = currentTime.format(formatter); System.out.println("Formatted time: " + formattedTime); // Adding hours LocalTime addedTime = currentTime.plusHours(2); System.out.println("Time after adding 2 hours: " + addedTime); // Subtracting minutes LocalTime subtractedTime = currentTime.minusMinutes(30); System.out.println("Time after subtracting 30 minutes: " + subtractedTime); // Changing the hour LocalTime changedHourTime = currentTime.withHour(5); System.out.println("Time with changed hour: " + changedHourTime); } }

Explanation:

  • now(): Gets the current time.
  • of(): Creates a LocalTime from hour, minute, and second.
  • parse(): Parses a time string to create a LocalTime.
  • format(): Formats the time using a specific pattern.
  • plusHours(): Adds hours to the time.
  • minusMinutes(): Subtracts minutes from the time.
  • withHour(): Changes the hour of the time.

4. Working with LocalDateTime

Represents a date-time without a time-zone in the ISO-8601 calendar system.

Important Methods:

  • now(): Returns the current date-time.
  • of(int year, int month, int dayOfMonth, int hour, int minute, int second): Obtains an instance of LocalDateTime from a date and time.
  • parse(CharSequence text): Obtains an instance of LocalDateTime from a text string.
  • plusDays(long daysToAdd): Returns a copy of this date-time with the specified number of days added.
  • minusHours(long hoursToSubtract): Returns a copy of this date-time with the specified number of hours subtracted.
  • toLocalDate(): Extracts the LocalDate part of this date-time.

Example:

import java.time.LocalDateTime; import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter; public class LocalDateTimeExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Current date-time LocalDateTime currentDateTime = LocalDateTime.now(); System.out.println("Current date-time: " + currentDateTime); // Specific date-time LocalDateTime specificDateTime = LocalDateTime.of(2023, 6, 13, 10, 15, 30); System.out.println("Specific date-time: " + specificDateTime); // Parsing date-time LocalDateTime parsedDateTime = LocalDateTime.parse("2023-06-13T10:15:30"); System.out.println("Parsed date-time: " + parsedDateTime); // Formatting date-time DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss"); String formattedDateTime = currentDateTime.format(formatter); System.out.println("Formatted date-time: " + formattedDateTime); // Adding days LocalDateTime addedDateTime = currentDateTime.plusDays(5); System.out.println("Date-time after adding 5 days: " + addedDateTime); // Subtracting hours LocalDateTime subtractedDateTime = currentDateTime.minusHours(3); System.out.println("Date-time after subtracting 3 hours: " + subtractedDateTime); // Extracting the date part System.out.println("Date part: " + currentDateTime.toLocalDate()); // Extracting the time part System.out.println("Time part: " + currentDateTime.toLocalTime()); } }

Explanation:

  • now(): Gets the current date-time.
  • of(): Creates a LocalDateTime from year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.
  • parse(): Parses a date-time string to create a LocalDateTime.
  • format(): Formats the date-time using a specific pattern.
  • plusDays(): Adds days to the date-time.
  • minusHours(): Subtracts hours from the date-time.
  • toLocalDate(): Extracts the date part from the date-time.
  • toLocalTime(): Extracts the time part from the date-time.

5. Working with ZonedDateTime and OffsetDateTime

ZonedDateTime

Represents a date-time with a time-zone in the ISO-8601 calendar system.

Important Methods:

  • now(): Returns the current date-time with the system default time-zone.
  • of(int year, int month, int dayOfMonth, int hour, int minute, int second, int nanoOfSecond, ZoneId zone): Obtains an instance of ZonedDateTime from a date-time and zone.
  • parse(CharSequence text): Obtains an instance of ZonedDateTime from a text string.
  • plusMonths(long monthsToAdd): Returns a copy of this date-time with the specified number of months added.
  • minusMinutes(long minutesToSubtract): Returns a copy of this date-time with the specified number of minutes subtracted.
  • toLocalDateTime(): Extracts the LocalDateTime part of this date-time.

OffsetDateTime

Represents a date-time with an offset from UTC/Greenwich in the ISO-8601 calendar system.

Important Methods:

  • now(): Returns the current date-time with the system default offset.
  • of(int year, int month, int dayOfMonth, int hour, int minute, int second, int nanoOfSecond, ZoneOffset offset): Obtains an instance of OffsetDateTime from a date-time and offset.
  • parse(CharSequence text): Obtains an instance of OffsetDateTime from a text string.
  • plusWeeks(long weeksToAdd): Returns a copy of this date-time with the specified number of weeks added.
  • minusSeconds(long secondsToSubtract): Returns a copy of this date-time with the specified number of seconds subtracted.
  • toLocalDateTime(): Extracts the LocalDateTime part of this date-time.

ZonedDateTime and OffsetDateTime Examples:

import java.time.ZonedDateTime; import java.time.OffsetDateTime; import java.time.ZoneId; import java.time.ZoneOffset; import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter; public class ZonedDateTimeExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Current ZonedDateTime ZonedDateTime currentZonedDateTime = ZonedDateTime.now(); System.out.println("Current ZonedDateTime: " + currentZonedDateTime); // Specific ZonedDateTime ZonedDateTime specificZonedDateTime = ZonedDateTime.of(2023, 6, 13, 10, 15, 30, 0, ZoneId.of("Europe/Paris")); System.out.println("Specific ZonedDateTime: " + specificZonedDateTime); // Parsing ZonedDateTime ZonedDateTime parsedZonedDateTime = ZonedDateTime.parse("2023-06-13T10:15:30+02:00[Europe/Paris]"); System.out.println("Parsed ZonedDateTime: " + parsedZonedDateTime); // Formatting ZonedDateTime DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd/MM/yyyy - HH:mm:ss Z"); String formattedZonedDateTime = currentZonedDateTime.format(formatter); System.out.println("Formatted ZonedDateTime: " + formattedZonedDateTime); // Adding months ZonedDateTime addedZonedDateTime = currentZonedDateTime.plusMonths(3); System.out.println("ZonedDateTime after adding 3 months: " + addedZonedDateTime); // Subtracting minutes ZonedDateTime subtractedZonedDateTime = currentZonedDateTime.minusMinutes(30); System.out.println("ZonedDateTime after subtracting 30 minutes: " + subtractedZonedDateTime); // Extracting LocalDateTime from ZonedDateTime System.out.println("LocalDateTime part: " + currentZonedDateTime.toLocalDateTime()); // Current OffsetDateTime OffsetDateTime currentOffsetDateTime = OffsetDateTime.now(); System.out.println("Current OffsetDateTime: " + currentOffsetDateTime); // Specific OffsetDateTime OffsetDateTime specificOffsetDateTime = OffsetDateTime.of(2023, 6, 13, 10, 15, 30, 0, ZoneOffset.of("+02:00")); System.out.println("Specific OffsetDateTime: " + specificOffsetDateTime); // Parsing OffsetDateTime OffsetDateTime parsedOffsetDateTime = OffsetDateTime.parse("2023-06-13T10:15:30+02:00"); System.out.println("Parsed OffsetDateTime: " + parsedOffsetDateTime); // Formatting OffsetDateTime String formattedOffsetDateTime = currentOffsetDateTime.format(formatter); System.out.println("Formatted OffsetDateTime: " + formattedOffsetDateTime); // Adding weeks OffsetDateTime addedOffsetDateTime = currentOffsetDateTime.plusWeeks(2); System.out.println("OffsetDateTime after adding 2 weeks: " + addedOffsetDateTime); // Subtracting seconds OffsetDateTime subtractedOffsetDateTime = currentOffsetDateTime.minusSeconds(60); System.out.println("OffsetDateTime after subtracting 60 seconds: " + subtractedOffsetDateTime); // Extracting LocalDateTime from OffsetDateTime System.out.println("LocalDateTime part: " + currentOffsetDateTime.toLocalDateTime()); } }

Explanation:

  • now(): Gets the current ZonedDateTime or OffsetDateTime.
  • of(): Creates a ZonedDateTime or OffsetDateTime from date, time, and zone/offset.
  • parse(): Parses a date-time string to create a ZonedDateTime or OffsetDateTime.
  • format(): Formats the date-time using a specific pattern.
  • plusMonths(): Adds months to the date-time.
  • minusMinutes(): Subtracts minutes from the date-time.
  • toLocalDateTime(): Extracts the LocalDateTime part from the date-time.

6. Working with Period and Duration

Period

Represents a date-based amount of time in the ISO-8601 calendar system.

Important Methods:

  • ofYears(int years): Obtains a Period representing a number of years.
  • ofMonths(int months): Obtains a Period representing a number of months.
  • ofDays(int days): Obtains a Period representing a number of days.
  • between(LocalDate startDateInclusive, LocalDate endDateExclusive): Obtains a Period representing the period between two dates.
  • plusMonths(long monthsToAdd): Returns a copy of this period with the specified number of months added.
  • minusDays(long daysToSubtract): Returns a copy of this period with the specified number of days subtracted.

Duration

Represents a time-based amount of time in the ISO-8601 calendar system.

Important Methods:

  • ofHours(long hours): Obtains a Duration representing a number of hours.
  • ofMinutes(long minutes): Obtains a Duration representing a number of minutes.
  • ofSeconds(long seconds): Obtains a Duration representing a number of seconds.
  • between(Temporal startInclusive, Temporal endExclusive): Obtains a Duration representing the duration between two temporal objects.
  • plusMillis(long millisToAdd): Returns a copy of this duration with the specified number of milliseconds added.
  • minusNanos(long nanosToSubtract): Returns a copy of this duration with the specified number of nanoseconds subtracted.

Period and Duration Examples:

import java.time.LocalDate; import java.time.LocalTime; import java.time.Period; import java.time.Duration; public class PeriodDurationExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Period example LocalDate startDate = LocalDate.of(2023, 1, 1); LocalDate endDate = LocalDate.of(2023, 6, 13); Period period = Period.between(startDate, endDate); System.out.println("Period: " + period); // Period: P5M12D // Adding Period LocalDate datePlusPeriod = startDate.plus(period); System.out.println("Date after adding period: " + datePlusPeriod); // 2023-06-13 // Duration example LocalTime startTime = LocalTime.of(10, 15, 30); LocalTime endTime = LocalTime.of(12, 45, 50); Duration duration = Duration.between(startTime, endTime); System.out.println("Duration: " + duration); // Duration: PT2H30M20S // Adding Duration LocalTime timePlusDuration = startTime.plus(duration); System.out.println("Time after adding duration: " + timePlusDuration); // 12:45:50 } }

Explanation:

  • Period.between(): Creates a Period between two LocalDate instances.
  • plus(Period): Adds a Period to a LocalDate.
  • Duration.between(): Creates a Duration between two LocalTime instances.
  • plus(Duration): Adds a Duration to a LocalTime.

7. Working with Instant

Represents a point in time.

Important Methods:

  • now(): Returns the current instant.
  • ofEpochSecond(long epochSecond): Obtains an instance of Instant using seconds from the epoch of 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z.
  • parse(CharSequence text): Obtains an instance of Instant from a text string.
  • plusSeconds(long secondsToAdd): Returns a copy of this instant with the specified number of seconds added.
  • minusMillis(long millisToSubtract): Returns a copy of this instant with the specified number of milliseconds subtracted.
  • toEpochMilli(): Converts this instant to the number of milliseconds from the epoch of 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z.

Example:

import java.time.Instant; public class InstantExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Current instant Instant currentInstant = Instant.now(); System.out.println("Current instant: " + currentInstant); // Specific instant Instant specificInstant = Instant.parse("2023-06-13T10:15:30.00Z"); System.out.println("Specific instant: " + specificInstant); // Adding seconds to instant Instant addedInstant = currentInstant.plusSeconds(3600); System.out.println("Instant plus one hour: " + addedInstant); // Subtracting milliseconds from instant Instant subtractedInstant = currentInstant.minusMillis(5000); System.out.println("Instant minus 5000 milliseconds: " + subtractedInstant); // Getting epoch milliseconds long epochMilli = currentInstant.toEpochMilli(); System.out.println("Epoch milliseconds: " + epochMilli); } }

Explanation:

  • now(): Gets the current Instant.
  • ofEpochSecond(): Creates an Instant using seconds from the epoch.
  • parse(): Parses an instant string to create an Instant.
  • plusSeconds(): Adds seconds to the instant.
  • minusMillis(): Subtracts milliseconds from the instant.
  • toEpochMilli(): Converts the instant to milliseconds from the epoch.

8. Formatting and Parsing Dates and Times

Example:

import java.time.LocalDate; import java.time.LocalTime; import java.time.LocalDateTime; import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter; public class DateTimeFormatterExample { public static void main(String[] args) { // Formatting LocalDate LocalDate date = LocalDate.now(); DateTimeFormatter dateFormatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd/MM/yyyy"); String formattedDate = date.format(dateFormatter); System.out.println("Formatted LocalDate: " + formattedDate); // Parsing LocalDate String dateString = "13/06/2023"; LocalDate parsedDate = LocalDate.parse(dateString, dateFormatter); System.out.println("Parsed LocalDate: " + parsedDate); // Formatting LocalTime LocalTime time = LocalTime.now(); DateTimeFormatter timeFormatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("hh:mm:ss a"); String formattedTime = time.format(timeFormatter); System.out.println("Formatted LocalTime: " + formattedTime); // Parsing LocalTime String timeString = "10:15:30 AM"; LocalTime parsedTime = LocalTime.parse(timeString, timeFormatter); System.out.println("Parsed LocalTime: " + parsedTime); // Formatting LocalDateTime LocalDateTime dateTime = LocalDateTime.now(); DateTimeFormatter dateTimeFormatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss"); String formattedDateTime = dateTime.format(dateTimeFormatter); System.out.println("Formatted LocalDateTime: " + formattedDateTime); // Parsing LocalDateTime String dateTimeString = "13/06/2023 10:15:30"; LocalDateTime parsedDateTime = LocalDateTime.parse(dateTimeString, dateTimeFormatter); System.out.println("Parsed LocalDateTime: " + parsedDateTime); } }

Explanation:

  • ofPattern(): Creates a DateTimeFormatter with a specific pattern.
  • format(): Formats a date-time object using the formatter.
  • parse(): Parses a date-time string to create a date-time object.

9. Conclusion

The Java Date and Time API provides a powerful and flexible way to handle dates and times. By leveraging classes such as LocalDate, LocalTime, LocalDateTime, ZonedDateTime, OffsetDateTime, Period, Duration, Instant, and DateTimeFormatter, you can perform a wide range of date and time operations in a clear and concise manner.

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