How to save current date and time to database using java?

Question

I am using the following code to get the current date and time, but the output is not what I am expecting and I cant save it into database.

Output >> current: Tue Mar 05 09:58:26 EST 2013

Expected output >> current: 2013-03-05 9:58:26

 .....{  
        SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss");
        SimpleDateFormat parseFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss");
        Date date = new Date();
        try {
            System.out.println("current: " +parseFormat.parse(dateFormat.format(date)));
            return parseFormat.parse(dateFormat.format(date));
        } catch (ParseException ex) {
            Logger.getLogger(ConstructionModel.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
        }
        return date;
     }
        ......

        ps.setDate(....) <<< failed

Database

 name   type
 mydate Date

Solution 1

You need to use sql timestamp for saving to the database. Convert your java.util.Date to java.sql.Timestamp:

ps.setTimestamp(new java.sql.Timestamp(myDate.getTime()));

Solution 2

You don't need to parse before formatting:

SimpleDateFormat dateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss");

Date date = new Date();

String frmtdDate = dateFormat.format(date);

System.out.println("frmtdDate: " + frmtdDate);

However, if you are trying to fit the date into some DB statement, you should not do it in the form of text, instead use one of the JDBC setters that utilize java.sql.Date or java.sql.Timestamp

Solution 3

format takes a Date and returns a formatted String. parse takes a formatted String and returns a Date object. When you do parseFormat.parse(dateFormat.format(date)) you are converting Date to String and to Date again. The value that is printed is the default representation provided by Date.toString() instead of the formatted string.

       System.out.println("current: " +dateFormat.format(date));

Comments

[Kamil]

Why you are using client PC time instead of database server time?Using CURRENT_TIME or NOW SQL function is better for many reasons including that all data is based one , server system clock.

[JB Nizet]

That wouldn't save the time part of the date.

[Igor Rodriguez]

@Daniel: You'll need to set it as Timestamp, to save the date and time. See my answer.

[amphibient]

docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/sql/…, java.sql.Date)

[amphibient]

@IgorRodriguez, with most JDBC APIs I know of, it can be done as a Date, does not have to be a Timestamp

[Daniel Morgan]

I did it but it gives error which says, no suitable method found for setTimestamp(int,Date) method PreparedStatement.setTimestamp(int,Timestamp,Calendar) is not applicable method (int,Timestamp) is not applicable ....

[Igor Rodriguez]

@Daniel: You need to create a new Timestamp with your date, as in the example.

[Daniel Morgan]

I changed it to your code and used the setTimestamp but gives me an error.

[Igor Rodriguez]

@foampile: If I don't have bad memory, I had problems with Date with some in-memory database. That's the reason I prefer now to use timestamps.

[Igor Rodriguez]

@Daniel: There are 2 different Timestamp. Are you using the one in the java.sql package? Note that your IDE may have imported java.security.Timestamp, that is a different one.