How to set time zone of a java.util.Date?

Question

I have parsed a java.util.Date from a String but it is setting the local time zone as the time zone of the date object.

The ti

Answer 1

If you must work with only standard JDK classes you can use this:

/**
 * Converts the given date from the fromTimeZone to the
 * toTimeZone.  Since java.util.Date has does not really store time zome
 * information, this actually converts the date to the date that it would be in the
 * other time zone.
 * @param date
 * @param fromTimeZone
 * @param toTimeZone
 * @return
 */
public static Date convertTimeZone(Date date, TimeZone fromTimeZone, TimeZone toTimeZone)
{
    long fromTimeZoneOffset = getTimeZoneUTCAndDSTOffset(date, fromTimeZone);
    long toTimeZoneOffset = getTimeZoneUTCAndDSTOffset(date, toTimeZone);

    return new Date(date.getTime() + (toTimeZoneOffset - fromTimeZoneOffset));
}

/**
 * Calculates the offset of the timeZone from UTC, factoring in any
 * additional offset due to the time zone being in daylight savings time as of
 * the given date.
 * @param date
 * @param timeZone
 * @return
 */
private static long getTimeZoneUTCAndDSTOffset(Date date, TimeZone timeZone)
{
    long timeZoneDSTOffset = 0;
    if(timeZone.inDaylightTime(date))
    {
        timeZoneDSTOffset = timeZone.getDSTSavings();
    }

    return timeZone.getRawOffset() + timeZoneDSTOffset;
}

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