Cookbooks
Java
Chapter 7. Dates and Times
Getting the current date

Java:
Getting the current date

How to:

Java offers multiple ways to get the current date, using both the old java.util.Date class and the newer java.time package (introduced in Java 8) which is more versatile and intuitive.

Using java.time.LocalDate 

import java.time.LocalDate;

public class CurrentDateExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LocalDate currentDate = LocalDate.now();
        System.out.println(currentDate); // Example output: 2023-04-01
    }
}

Using java.time.LocalDateTime 

import java.time.LocalDateTime;

public class CurrentDateExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LocalDateTime currentDateTime = LocalDateTime.now();
        System.out.println(currentDateTime); // Example output: 2023-04-01T12:34:56.789
    }
}

Using java.util.Date (Legacy) 

import java.util.Date;

public class CurrentDateExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Date currentDate = new Date();
        System.out.println(currentDate); // Example output: Sat Apr 01 12:34:56 BST 2023
    }
}

Utilizing a Third-party Library: Joda-Time

Before Java 8, Joda-Time was the de-facto standard for date and time in Java. If you are working on legacy systems or have a preference for Joda-Time, here’s how you can use it to get the current date:

import org.joda.time.LocalDate;

public class CurrentDateExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        LocalDate currentDate = LocalDate.now();
        System.out.println(currentDate); // Example output: 2023-04-01
    }
}

Note: While java.util.Date and Joda-Time are still used, the java.time package is recommended for new projects due to its immutability and comprehensive API for handling dates and times.

Converting a date into a stringParsing a date from a string