Date format issue with NSDateFormatter

Question

I have this code:

var d = "22/12/1968 01:10:40"
var form : NSDateFormatter = NSDateFormatter()
form.dateFormat = "dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss"
form.timeZone = NSTimeZone.localTimeZone() //Italy
print(form.dateFromString(d)!)

When I execute it I get this:

1968-12-22 00:10:40 +0000

first thing Why do I get "+0000" at end? and why the data format isn't respected?

Second , the time is wrong. It's like the time is setted on London's time , but instead I setted it on my local time zone ( italy). I tested it on iPhone Simulator

`NSDate` represents an absolute point in time. It does not have a timezone and it has no format. Printing an NSDate always uses a default format and UTC. — Martin R, Dec 22 '15 at 10:04
what is format you expected? And input format you need format? — vien vu, Dec 22 '15 at 10:08
Have a look at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/29407599/nsdateformatter-return-wrong-date-swift — Martin R, Dec 22 '15 at 10:09
Have a look at `form.timeZone = NSTimeZone(abbreviation: "UTC");` — RichAppz, Dec 22 '15 at 10:12
@ginogino Input of you is a string? Right? So I just want know format of it? — vien vu, Dec 22 '15 at 10:12
@ginogino : because you use print() directly the object NSDate, it will use the default format to print out your NSDate object. You did not print a String that got from NSDateFormatter. See the link that Martin R gave you. — Duyen-Hoa, Dec 22 '15 at 10:16

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Dec 22 '15 at 10:27

Why the date is wrong?

var d = "22/12/1968 01:10:40" var form : NSDateFormatter = NSDateFormatter() form.dateFormat = "dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm:ss"

//until here, there is no "problem"

form.timeZone = NSTimeZone.localTimeZone() //Italy //it means, the datetime is 22/12/1968 01:10:40 in Italy (GMT +1)

//Remember that NSDate is absolute time, or it holds GMT+0 time. //As now, in Italy, it's 22/12/1968 01:10:40, then in GMT+0 time, it's 1h later. So, testDate holds 22/12/1968 00:10:40

NSDate testDate = form.dateFromString(d)!
Why it does not print the same format? Because you did not use your NSDateFormatter object to get back date string but you used print() to print out directly the description of your object NSDate.

and what I have to print I don't understand – gino gino Dec 22 '15 at 10:40 — gino gino, Dec 22 '15 at 10:40

Date format issue with NSDateFormatter

1 Answers1