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javadatecomparison

How to compare dates in Java?

How do I compare dates in between in Java?

Example:

date1 is 22-02-2010
date2 is 07-04-2010 today
date3 is 25-12-2010

date3 is always greater than date1 and date2 is always today. How do I verify if today's date is in between date1 and date 3?

Solution

  • Date has before and after methods and can be compared to each other as follows:

    if(todayDate.after(historyDate) && todayDate.before(futureDate)) {
    // In between
}

    For an inclusive comparison:

    if(!historyDate.after(todayDate) && !futureDate.before(todayDate)) {
    /* historyDate <= todayDate <= futureDate */ 
}

    You could also give Joda-Time a go, but note that:

    Joda-Time is the de facto standard date and time library for Java prior to Java SE 8. Users are now asked to migrate to java.time (JSR-310).

    Back-ports are available for Java 6 and 7 as well as Android.