java.text.parseException: unparseable date 1994-09-09

Question

I am trying to send a date value from my java program into an oracle sql database. But I keep getting the error: java.text.parseexception: unparseable date.

I set the date format as:

SimpleDateFormat df = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy/MM/dd", Locale.ENGLISH);
        java.sql.Date date = (java.sql.Date)df.parse(dob_text.getText());

I have set my database with the same date format. And try to send the date through a prepared statement like so:

ps.setDate(3, date);

I am entering a date 1994-09-09. That's the correct date format for the one I declared right? Is there something wrong with my java formation code? Has anyone else had this problem? Any help would be much appreciated

Your format uses front slashes (`/`), but your date has dashes (`-`). — sstan, Dec 12 '15 at 22:40
The first element of the Question is also a duplicate of [this](http://stackoverflow.com/q/23569950/642706) and many [many others](http://stackoverflow.com/search?q=unparseable+java). Please search StackOverflow.com before posting. — Basil Bourque, Dec 13 '15 at 04:38
FYI, the terribly troublesome old date-time classes such as [`java.util.Date`](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/10/docs/api/java/util/Date.html), `java.sql.Date`, and `java.text.SimpleDateFormat` are now [legacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_system), supplanted by the [*java.time*](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/10/docs/api/java/time/package-summary.html) classes built into Java 8 and later. See [*Tutorial* by Oracle](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/datetime/TOC.html). — Basil Bourque, Dec 31 '18 at 02:33

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:15

1

This should work, I corrected 2 errors :

First of all, the format should have been yyyy-MM-dd since that's the format of your input.
Then, you can not implicitely cast java.util.Date to java.sql.Date, you need to use the java.sql.Date constructor and java.util.Date#getTime(). See here

Solution

SimpleDateFormat df = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd", Locale.ENGLISH);
java.sql.Date SQLDate = new java.sql.Date(df.parse(dob_text.getText()).getTime());

edited May 23 '17 at 12:15

Community

1
1

answered Dec 12 '15 at 22:50

Yassin Hajaj

21,337
9
51
89

You sir.. are a genius! Thank you! – Cillín Dec 12 '15 at 22:58
@Cillin Which I was:p You're welcome :) – Yassin Hajaj Dec 12 '15 at 23:00
and I don't feel this question should be marked down. It wasn't really an obvious answer for a noob.. – Cillín Dec 12 '15 at 23:20
@Cillin Indeed it was not, but that happens, nothing to worry about. – Yassin Hajaj Dec 12 '15 at 23:21
@Cillín No, not an obvious answer. But both elements of the question have been covered *many* times already on StackOverflow. – Basil Bourque Dec 13 '15 at 04:32
FYI, the terribly troublesome old date-time classes such as [`java.util.Date`](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/10/docs/api/java/util/Date.html), `java.sql.Date`, and `java.text.SimpleDateFormat` are now [legacy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legacy_system), supplanted by the [*java.time*](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/10/docs/api/java/time/package-summary.html) classes built into Java 8 and later. See [*Tutorial* by Oracle](https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/datetime/TOC.html). – Basil Bourque Dec 31 '18 at 02:33

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 12 '15 at 23:02

Your first try probably threw the exception you mentioned because of the wrong format as Josh pointed out. After correcting this the next problem occurs: A java.sql.Date is NOT a java.util.Date. So you cannot just typecast the outcome of the df.parse, which is a java.util.Date. And third: If you provide the pattern to the SimpleDateFormat you can omit the locale. Following code runs without errors:

    String input = "1994-09-09";
    SimpleDateFormat df = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd");
    Date date = df.parse(input);
    System.out.println( date);
    java.sql.Date sqlDate = new java.sql.Date( date.getTime() );
    System.out.println( sqlDate);

Josh Chappelle · Answer 3 · 2015-12-12T22:53:40.630

0

Change your format to yyyy-MM-dd.

I just wrote this program and it works fine. Make sure you aren't getting some other error now.

import java.text.ParseException;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Locale;

public class DateFormatDemo
{
    public static void main(String[] args) throws ParseException
    {
        SimpleDateFormat df = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd", Locale.ENGLISH);
        System.out.println(df.parse("1994-09-09"));
    }
}

edited Dec 12 '15 at 22:53

answered Dec 12 '15 at 22:43

Josh Chappelle

1,558
2
15
37

Didn't do the trick.. – Cillín Dec 12 '15 at 22:45
Good deal. Please accept the answer. Just hitting the up arrow doesn't accept it as being the correct answer. – Josh Chappelle Dec 12 '15 at 22:47
I can't accept it if it didn't work. I got the error java.lang.classcastexception java.util.date cannot be cast to java.sql.date – Cillín Dec 12 '15 at 22:47
@JoshChappelle It did NOT do the trick :) – Yassin Hajaj Dec 12 '15 at 22:48
@Cillín Then use `new java.sql.Date(df.parse(...).getTime());` – TNT Dec 12 '15 at 22:49
Oh thought you said did the trick. Sorry. Are you sure the date you are passing to the formatter is the String you think it is? Add System.out.println(dob_text.getText()) before your df.parse to see what the string is – Josh Chappelle Dec 12 '15 at 22:49
Also, try removing Locale.ENGLISH – Josh Chappelle Dec 12 '15 at 22:51

java.text.parseException: unparseable date 1994-09-09

3 Answers3

Solution