How to format date and time in Android?

How to format correctly according to the device configuration date and time when having a year, month, day, hour and minute?

Use the standard Java DateFormat class.

For example to display the current date and time do the following:

Date date = new Date(location.getTime());
DateFormat dateFormat = android.text.format.DateFormat.getDateFormat(getApplicationContext());
mTimeText.setText("Time: " + dateFormat.format(date));

You can initialise a Date object with your own values, however you should be aware that the constructors have been deprecated and you should really be using a Java Calendar object.

In my opinion, android.text.format.DateFormat.getDateFormat(context) makes me confused because this method returns java.text.DateFormat rather than android.text.format.DateFormat - -".

So, I use the fragment code as below to get the current date/time in my format.

android.text.format.DateFormat df = new android.text.format.DateFormat();
df.format("yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss a", new java.util.Date());

or

android.text.format.DateFormat.format("yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss a", new java.util.Date());

In addition, you can use others formats. Follow DateFormat.

You can use DateFormat. Result depends on default Locale of the phone, but you can specify Locale too :

https://developer.android.com/reference/java/text/DateFormat.html

This is results on a

DateFormat.getDateInstance().format(date)                                          

FR Locale : 3 nov. 2017

US/En Locale : Jan 12, 1952

DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.SHORT).format(date)

FR Locale : 03/11/2017

US/En Locale : 12.13.52

DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.MEDIUM).format(date)

FR Locale : 3 nov. 2017

US/En Locale : Jan 12, 1952

DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.LONG).format(date)

FR Locale : 3 novembre 2017

US/En Locale : January 12, 1952

DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.FULL).format(date)

FR Locale : vendredi 3 novembre 2017

US/En Locale : Tuesday, April 12, 1952

DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance().format(date)

FR Locale : 3 nov. 2017 16:04:58

DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance(DateFormat.SHORT, DateFormat.SHORT).format(date)

FR Locale : 03/11/2017 16:04

DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance(DateFormat.SHORT, DateFormat.MEDIUM).format(date)

FR Locale : 03/11/2017 16:04:58

DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance(DateFormat.SHORT, DateFormat.LONG).format(date)

FR Locale : 03/11/2017 16:04:58 GMT+01:00

DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance(DateFormat.SHORT, DateFormat.FULL).format(date)

FR Locale : 03/11/2017 16:04:58 heure normale d’Europe centrale

DateFormat.getTimeInstance().format(date)

FR Locale : 16:04:58

DateFormat.getTimeInstance(DateFormat.SHORT).format(date)

FR Locale : 16:04

DateFormat.getTimeInstance(DateFormat.MEDIUM).format(date)

FR Locale : 16:04:58

DateFormat.getTimeInstance(DateFormat.LONG).format(date)

FR Locale : 16:04:58 GMT+01:00

DateFormat.getTimeInstance(DateFormat.FULL).format(date)

FR Locale : 16:04:58 heure normale d’Europe centrale

Date to Locale date string:

Date date = new Date();
String stringDate = DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance().format(date);

Options:

   DateFormat.getDateInstance() 

- > Dec 31, 1969

   DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance() 

-> Dec 31, 1969 4:00:00 PM

   DateFormat.getTimeInstance() 

-> 4:00:00 PM