[java] LocalDate to java.util.Date and vice versa simplest conversion?

Is there a simple way to convert a LocalDate (introduced with Java 8) to java.util.Date object?

By 'simple', I mean simpler than this:

Date date = Date.from(localDate.atStartOfDay(ZoneId.systemDefault()).toInstant());

which seems a bit awkward to me.

Since we are interested only in the date portion and there is no timezone information in neither of the objects, why introduce time zones explicitly? The midnight time and the system default timezone should be taken implicitly for the conversion.

tl;dr

Is there a simple way to convert a LocalDate (introduced with Java 8) to java.util.Date object? By 'simple', I mean simpler than this

Nope. You did it properly, and as concisely as possible.

java.util.Date.from(                     // Convert from modern java.time class to troublesome old legacy class.  DO NOT DO THIS unless you must, to inter operate with old code not yet updated for java.time.
    myLocalDate                          // `LocalDate` class represents a date-only, without time-of-day and without time zone nor offset-from-UTC. 
    .atStartOfDay(                       // Let java.time determine the first moment of the day on that date in that zone. Never assume the day starts at 00:00:00.
        ZoneId.of( "America/Montreal" )  // Specify time zone using proper name in `continent/region` format, never 3-4 letter pseudo-zones such as “PST”, “CST”, “IST”. 
    )                                    // Produce a `ZonedDateTime` object. 
    .toInstant()                         // Extract an `Instant` object, a moment always in UTC.
)

Read below for issues, and then think about it. How could it be simpler? If you ask me what time does a date start, how else could I respond but ask you “Where?”?. A new day dawns earlier in Paris FR than in Montréal CA, and still earlier in Kolkata IN, and even earlier in Auckland NZ, all different moments.

So in converting a date-only (LocalDate) to a date-time we must apply a time zone (ZoneId) to get a zoned value (ZonedDateTime), and then move into UTC (Instant) to match the definition of a java.util.Date.

Details

Firstly, avoid the old legacy date-time classes such as java.util.Date whenever possible. They are poorly designed, confusing, and troublesome. They were supplanted by the java.time classes for a reason, actually, for many reasons.

But if you must, you can convert to/from java.time types to the old. Look for new conversion methods added to the old classes.

java.util.Date ? java.time.LocalDate

Keep in mind that a java.util.Date is a misnomer as it represents a date plus a time-of-day, in UTC. In contrast, the LocalDate class represents a date-only value without time-of-day and without time zone.

Going from java.util.Date to java.time means converting to the equivalent class of java.time.Instant. The Instant class represents a moment on the timeline in UTC with a resolution of nanoseconds (up to nine (9) digits of a decimal fraction).

Instant instant = myUtilDate.toInstant();

The LocalDate class represents a date-only value without time-of-day and without time zone.

A time zone is crucial in determining a date. For any given moment, the date varies around the globe by zone. For example, a few minutes after midnight in Paris France is a new day while still “yesterday” in Montréal Québec.

So we need to move that Instant into a time zone. We apply ZoneId to get a ZonedDateTime.

ZoneId z = ZoneId.of( "America/Montreal" );
ZonedDateTime zdt = instant.atZone( z );

From there, ask for a date-only, a LocalDate.

LocalDate ld = zdt.toLocalDate();

java.time.LocalDate ? java.util.Date

To move the other direction, from a java.time.LocalDate to a java.util.Date means we are going from a date-only to a date-time. So we must specify a time-of-day. You probably want to go for the first moment of the day. Do not assume that is 00:00:00. Anomalies such as Daylight Saving Time (DST) means the first moment may be another time such as 01:00:00. Let java.time determine that value by calling atStartOfDay on the LocalDate.

ZonedDateTime zdt = myLocalDate.atStartOfDay( z );

Now extract an Instant.

Instant instant = zdt.toInstant();

Convert that Instant to java.util.Date by calling from( Instant ).

java.util.Date d = java.util.Date.from( instant );

More info

• Oracle Tutorial
• Similar Question, Convert java.util.Date to what “java.time” type?

About java.time

The java.time framework is built into Java 8 and later. These classes supplant the troublesome old legacy date-time classes such as java.util.Date, Calendar, & SimpleDateFormat.

To learn more, see the Oracle Tutorial. And search Stack Overflow for many examples and explanations. Specification is JSR 310.

The Joda-Time project, now in maintenance mode, advises migration to the java.time classes.

You may exchange java.time objects directly with your database. Use a JDBC driver compliant with JDBC 4.2 or later. No need for strings, no need for java.sql.* classes. Hibernate 5 & JPA 2.2 support java.time.

Where to obtain the java.time classes?

• Java SE 8, Java SE 9, Java SE 10, Java SE 11, and later - Part of the standard Java API with a bundled implementation.
  • Java 9 brought some minor features and fixes.
• Java SE 6 and Java SE 7
  • Most of the java.time functionality is back-ported to Java 6 & 7 in ThreeTen-Backport.
• Android
  • Later versions of Android (26+) bundle implementations of the java.time classes.
  • For earlier Android (<26), a process known as API desugaring brings a subset of the java.time functionality not originally built into Android.
    • If the desugaring does not offer what you need, the ThreeTenABP project adapts ThreeTen-Backport (mentioned above) to Android. See How to use ThreeTenABP….

The ThreeTen-Extra project extends java.time with additional classes. This project is a proving ground for possible future additions to java.time. You may find some useful classes here such as Interval, YearWeek, YearQuarter, and more.

Converting LocalDateTime to java.util.Date

    LocalDateTime localDateTime = LocalDateTime.now();

    ZonedDateTime zonedDateTime = localDateTime.atZone(ZoneOffset.systemDefault());

    Instant instant = zonedDateTime.toInstant();

    Date date = Date.from(instant);

System.out.println("Result Date is : "+date);

Date to LocalDate

Date date = new Date();
LocalDate localDate = date.toInstant().atZone(ZoneId.systemDefault()).toLocalDate();

LocalDate to Date

LocalDate localDate = LocalDate.now();
Date date = Date.from(localDate.atStartOfDay(ZoneId.systemDefault()).toInstant());

You can convert the java.util.Date object into a String object, which will format the date as yyyy-mm-dd.

LocalDate has a parse method that will convert it to a LocalDate object. The string must represent a valid date and is parsed using DateTimeFormatter.ISO_LOCAL_DATE.

Date to LocalDate

LocalDate.parse(Date.toString())

I solved this question with solution below

  import org.joda.time.LocalDate;
  Date myDate = new Date();
  LocalDate localDate = LocalDate.fromDateFields(myDate);
  System.out.println("My date using Date" Nov 18 11:23:33 BRST 2016);
  System.out.println("My date using joda.time LocalTime" 2016-11-18);

In this case localDate print your date in this format "yyyy-MM-dd"

Date -> LocalDate:

LocalDate localDate = date.toInstant().atZone(ZoneId.systemDefault()).toLocalDate();

LocalDate -> Date:

Date date = Date.from(localDate.atStartOfDay(ZoneId.systemDefault()).toInstant());