Convert Java Date from one format to another without converting it into string

Question

I am trying to get my current system date and am formatting it into Etc/UTC and then into this "dd.MM.yyyy HH:mm z" format. The problem is this that the format function after formatting the date returns a string instead of date. Here is the code spinet below

    final Date currentDate = new Date();
    final SimpleDateFormat dateFormatter = new SimpleDateFormat("dd.MM.yyyy HH:mm z");
    dateFormatter.setTimeZone(TimeZone.getTimeZone("Etc/UTC"));
    String finalDateTime=  dateFormatter.format(currentDate);
    System.out.println(finalDateTime);

Is there any alternative solution which allows me to format the date by keeping me within this date object because I have researched every date library after java 8 and before java 8, it seems like if I want to format any type of date or dateTime, I have to use a formatter which converts the given date into string.

Any Alternative solutions or it is not possible?

What exactly do you want? Doo you want to CONVERT the date? Why not getting the information in the final output that you need? — Guilherme Mussi
– Guilherme Mussi, Commented Jun 6, 2018 at 11:31
You can change the timezone but there's no point of changing the date to me? If you need to do so , create a new date instance. — Ravindra Ranwala
– Ravindra Ranwala, Commented Jun 6, 2018 at 11:40
You are confusing a Date with its String representation. It's as if you're asking to use doubles that always print with 2 decimals -- numbers don't understand decimals or printing, only a formatter does. — Hovercraft Full Of Eels
– Hovercraft Full Of Eels, Commented Jun 6, 2018 at 11:46

Sweeper · Accepted Answer · 2018-06-06 11:43:06Z

5

Date represents a single point in time. That's it, nothing more, nothing less. It does not contain any information about time zones.

Wed Jun 06 12:38:15 BST 2018 is the same Date (instant) as Wed Jun 06 11:38:15 GMT 2018, just in a different time zone. It's like the words "humans" and "homo sapians". They refer to the same species, they are just kind of in a different "format".

So you don't need to change the date in any way. You just need to format it differently. This is why formatters return Strings. Only Strings can represent one particular format of a date.

answered Jun 6, 2018 at 11:43

Sweeper

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1 Comment

Radman Shiekh Over a year ago

If I understood your concept, you mean to say that date will always remain the date but formatter will be its Beacon , beacon will come in different shapes but date will always remain the same as an entity. Just like human and clothes , human can wear different clothes but at the end that human is the same human

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