How to validate and modify a String before pasting it into a JSpinner?

Question

I have a JSpinner with a SpinnerDateModel of "HH:mm" format. I want the user to be (for example) able to copy a date in "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS" from a table (or any other source) and paste it into the JSpinner - the HH:mm part only. Such full date string is normally invalid for the component but I still want to try the pasted string and get the desired info from from it (if it's there)... I thought that my validation method should look something like below but I don't know how to change the paste() behaviour so that I can add the validation and change of the pasted text...

        private String validateAndReturnCorrected(String pastedText) {

            DateFormat hoursMinutesFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("HH:mm");
            try {
                // trying to paste a full date string?
                DateFormat fullDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS");
                Date date = fullDateFormat.parse(pastedText);
                return hoursMinutesFormat.format(date);
            } catch (ParseException ex) {
            }
            // trying to paste hour and minutes?
            try {
                Date date = hoursMinutesFormat.parse(pastedText);
                return hoursMinutesFormat.format(date);
            } catch (ParseException ex1) {
            }
            // trying to paste date in HH:mm:ss format?
            try {
                DateFormat hoursMinutesSecondsFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("HH:mm:ss");
                Date date = hoursMinutesSecondsFormat.parse(pastedText);
                return hoursMinutesSecondsFormat.format(date);
            } catch (ParseException ex2) {
            }
            // trying to paste date in HH:mm:ss.SSS format?
            try {
                DateFormat hoursMinutesSecondsMilisecondsFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("HH:mm:ss.SSS");
                Date date = hoursMinutesSecondsMilisecondsFormat.parse(pastedText);
                return hoursMinutesFormat.format(date);
            } catch (ParseException ex3) {
            }

            // unable to correct the string...
            return "";

        }

---

UPDATE

Changing the googled question I found the following two sites which led me to get the problem solved:

• http://www.javapractices.com/topic/TopicAction.do?Id=82
• https://stackoverflow.com/a/25276224/5653483

So the solution looks something like this:

class ProxyAction extends TextAction implements ClipboardOwner {

    private TextAction action;

    public ProxyAction(TextAction action) {
        super(action.toString());
        this.action = action;
    }

    @Override
    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
        String cbc=getClipboardContents();
        setClipboardContents(validateAndReturnCorrected(cbc));
        action.actionPerformed(e);
        setClipboardContents(cbc);
        System.out.println("Paste Occured...............................................................");
    }

// here goes the validateAndReturnCorrected method

    public String getClipboardContents() {
        String result = "";
        try {
            result = (String) Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getSystemClipboard().getData(DataFlavor.stringFlavor);
        } catch (UnsupportedFlavorException | IOException ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }
        return result;
    }

    public void setClipboardContents(String aString) {
        StringSelection stringSelection = new StringSelection(aString);
        Clipboard clipboard = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getSystemClipboard();
        clipboard.setContents(stringSelection, this);
    }

    @Override
    public void lostOwnership(Clipboard clipboard, Transferable contents) {
    }
}

Answer 1

I want the user to be (for example) able to copy a date in "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS" from a table (or any other source) and paste it into the JSpinner - the HH:mm part only.

• this simple thing is implemented in JSpinners Xxx(Spinner)Model and depends of - if is SimpleDateFormat added to JSpinner

• validation of the input (SpinnerEditor), is just a JFormattedTextField by default (for more info to read JFormattedTextFields configurations and InputVerifier)

• for example (the basics and standards, without to override or set something special), date is changed from 08.december to 10. december and hour from 10 a.m. to 7 a.m.

.

.

import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.GraphicsEnvironment;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.text.DateFormat;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import javax.swing.AbstractSpinnerModel;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JSpinner;
import javax.swing.SpinnerDateModel;
import javax.swing.SpinnerListModel;
import javax.swing.SpinnerNumberModel;

public class JSpinnerTest {

    public static final int DEFAULT_WIDTH = 400;
    public static final int DEFAULT_HEIGHT = 250;
    private JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    private JPanel mainPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 3, 10, 10));
    private JButton okButton = new JButton("Ok");
    private JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel();

    public JSpinnerTest() {
        buttonPanel.add(okButton);
        mainPanel = new JPanel();
        mainPanel.setLayout(new GridLayout(0, 3, 10, 10));

        JSpinner defaultSpinner = new JSpinner();
        addRow("Default", defaultSpinner);
        JSpinner boundedSpinner = new JSpinner(new SpinnerNumberModel(5, 0, 10, 0.5));
        addRow("Bounded", boundedSpinner);
        String[] fonts = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment()
                .getAvailableFontFamilyNames();
        JSpinner listSpinner = new JSpinner(new SpinnerListModel(fonts));
        addRow("List", listSpinner);
        JSpinner reverseListSpinner = new JSpinner(new SpinnerListModel(fonts) {
            private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

            @Override
            public Object getNextValue() {
                return super.getPreviousValue();
            }

            @Override
            public Object getPreviousValue() {
                return super.getNextValue();
            }
        });
        addRow("Reverse List", reverseListSpinner);
        JSpinner dateSpinner = new JSpinner(new SpinnerDateModel());
        addRow("Date", dateSpinner);
        JSpinner betterDateSpinner = new JSpinner(new SpinnerDateModel());
        String pattern = ((SimpleDateFormat) DateFormat.getDateInstance()).toPattern();
        betterDateSpinner.setEditor(new JSpinner.DateEditor(betterDateSpinner, pattern));
        addRow("Better Date", betterDateSpinner);
        JSpinner timeSpinner = new JSpinner(new SpinnerDateModel());
        pattern = ((SimpleDateFormat) DateFormat.getTimeInstance(DateFormat.SHORT)).toPattern();
        timeSpinner.setEditor(new JSpinner.DateEditor(timeSpinner, pattern));
        addRow("Time", timeSpinner);
        JSpinner permSpinner = new JSpinner(new PermutationSpinnerModel("meat"));
        addRow("Word permutations", permSpinner);
        frame.setTitle("SpinnerTest");
        frame.setSize(DEFAULT_WIDTH, DEFAULT_HEIGHT);
        frame.add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
        frame.add(mainPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }

    private void addRow(String labelText, final JSpinner spinner) {
        mainPanel.add(new JLabel(labelText));
        mainPanel.add(spinner);
        final JLabel valueLabel = new JLabel();
        mainPanel.add(valueLabel);
        okButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
            @Override
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event) {
                Object value = spinner.getValue();
                valueLabel.setText(value.toString());
            }
        });
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                JSpinnerTest frame = new JSpinnerTest();

            }
        });
    }
}

class PermutationSpinnerModel extends AbstractSpinnerModel {

    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

    /**
     * Constructs the model.
     *
     * @param w the word to permute
     */
    public PermutationSpinnerModel(String w) {
        word = w;
    }

    @Override
    public Object getValue() {
        return word;
    }

    @Override
    public void setValue(Object value) {
        if (!(value instanceof String)) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException();
        }
        word = (String) value;
        fireStateChanged();
    }

    @Override
    public Object getNextValue() {
        int[] codePoints = toCodePointArray(word);
        for (int i = codePoints.length - 1; i > 0; i--) {
            if (codePoints[i - 1] < codePoints[i]) {
                int j = codePoints.length - 1;
                while (codePoints[i - 1] > codePoints[j]) {
                    j--;
                }
                swap(codePoints, i - 1, j);
                reverse(codePoints, i, codePoints.length - 1);
                return new String(codePoints, 0, codePoints.length);
            }
        }
        reverse(codePoints, 0, codePoints.length - 1);
        return new String(codePoints, 0, codePoints.length);
    }

    @Override
    public Object getPreviousValue() {
        int[] codePoints = toCodePointArray(word);
        for (int i = codePoints.length - 1; i > 0; i--) {
            if (codePoints[i - 1] > codePoints[i]) {
                int j = codePoints.length - 1;
                while (codePoints[i - 1] < codePoints[j]) {
                    j--;
                }
                swap(codePoints, i - 1, j);
                reverse(codePoints, i, codePoints.length - 1);
                return new String(codePoints, 0, codePoints.length);
            }
        }
        reverse(codePoints, 0, codePoints.length - 1);
        return new String(codePoints, 0, codePoints.length);
    }

    private static int[] toCodePointArray(String str) {
        int[] codePoints = new int[str.codePointCount(0, str.length())];
        for (int i = 0, j = 0; i < str.length(); i++, j++) {
            int cp = str.codePointAt(i);
            if (Character.isSupplementaryCodePoint(cp)) {
                i++;
            }
            codePoints[j] = cp;
        }
        return codePoints;
    }

    private static void swap(int[] a, int i, int j) {
        int temp = a[i];
        a[i] = a[j];
        a[j] = temp;
    }

    private static void reverse(int[] a, int i, int j) {
        while (i < j) {
            swap(a, i, j);
            i++;
            j--;
        }
    }
    private String word;
}

Answer 2

I think you should be able to this in 2 steps.

1. First you need to attach an ChangeListener on the JSpinner.
2. Then inside the stateChanged method you do your validation and apply the changes to the value.