Thread: Issue with converting a string to a date

I have this section:

	public void set_doh(int new_m, int new_d, int new_y)
	{
		String datestring = Integer.toString(new_m) + "/" + Integer.toString(new_d) + "/" + Integer.toString(new_y);
		System.out.println(datestring);
		DateFormat DOB = new SimpleDateFormat("m/d/yyyy");
 
		try
		{
			Date convertedDate = DOB.parse(datestring);
			this.doh = convertedDate;
		}
		catch (ParseException e) {
			System.out.println("Failed to parse");
		}
	}

which is passed information from here:

employee1.set_doh( Integer.parseInt(scanner.nextLine()),Integer.parseInt(scanner.nextLine()),Integer.parseInt(scanner.nextLine()) ); // int

The datestring is printed in the correct format in the first block but when it goes to convert it into Date format I get:

E:\Java Project\Employee.java:145: error: incompatible types
			Date convertedDate = DOB.parse(datestring);
			                              ^
  required: Date
  found:    java.util.Date
1 error

Now, I have a Date.java class in the same folder which was given to me by my instructor and I'm supposed to use that in conjunction with a Dateutil.java she gave me as well. I've noticed that if I remove Date.java from the folder this section of the code will work but then I cannot use the Dateutil.java properly, which is necessary to compare the current date with the object's date.

Should I post the all the code in all three files?

Thanks for any and all help on this!

Hi Norm,

I actually tried that but there are other lines which compare convertedDate to objects represented in the Date class, so they have to be compatible at some point.

The program is supposed to take the date as the three separate integers from the text file and set them into the employee object. However, they are meant to be made into a proper Date format because I am then supposed to use the date to calculate the employee's years of service.

So to answer your question convertedDate is supposed to be the Date class. The program I assume needs to convert from java.util.Date to Date, or perhaps I need to write the parse() method into the Date class I was provided? Do you know how I could do that?

Originally Posted by Norm

What methods does the java.util.Date class have that can be used to create a local Date class object?

I feel like I should be the one asking this question!

This is all it contains:

public class Date
{
      private int month;
      private int day;
      private int year;
 
   Date()
   {
   }
   Date(Date aDate)
   {
      month = aDate.month;
      day = aDate.day;
      year = aDate.year;
   }
 
   Date(int m, int d, int y)
   {
		month = m;
		day = d;
		year = y;
   }
 
   public int get_month()
   {
      return month;
   }
 
   public void set_month(int new_month)
   {
      month = new_month;
   }
 
   public int get_day()
   {
      return day;
   }
 
   public void set_day(int new_day)
   {
      day = new_day;
   }
 
   public int get_year()
   {
      return year;
   }
 
   public void set_year(int new_year)
   {
      year = new_year;
   }
 
} // end Date class

			java.util.Date convertedDate = DOB.parse(datestring);
			Calendar calendar = Calendar.getInstance();
			calendar.setTime(convertedDate);
			this.doh = calendar.getTime();

Same error.

aussiemcgr,

I actually added the

   Date(int m, int d, int y)
   {
		month = m;
		day = d;
		year = y;
   }

to the Date class, it wasn't there before.

I've tried your alternate suggestion previously and when I print the dates back they come out as "Date@kdfj23" or some such unusable muck. Which is why I have been trying to find another way to do it.

I've just realized that maybe I simply need to convert that "Date@kdfj23" back into a more presentable form.

Is this the case?

Norm,

The text of the error is the same as originally,
required: Date
found: java.util.Date

doh is "Date"

Norm, aussiemcgr,

Thanks for the help, especially the tip about toString!
I should have mentioned the string the program was giving me in the OP, would have saved us some time haha.

Dave