How to Format Dates in Retrofit for Android: A Guide to Using the LocalDateTime Class

Learn how to correctly format date strings when passing them in Retrofit URLs by utilizing the `LocalDateTime` class in your Android applications.
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How to Format Dates in Retrofit for Android: A Guide to Using the LocalDateTime Class

Dealing with date and time formatting can often be a tricky issue, especially when developing Android applications using libraries like Retrofit. One common problem developers encounter is sending date-time values through URLs in a correctly formatted manner.

In this post, we will explore the problem of incorrect date formatting when using Retrofit and how you can solve it effectively.

Problem: Incorrect Date Format in URL

Imagine you have an API that requires you to send a date-time value as part of the URL. The desired format for the date is yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss. However, when you try to send a date value using Retrofit's capabilities, you might end up with a date in an undesired format, such as:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This type of output, which represents the date and time in a verbose manner, isn’t what you want. The expected output should look like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

So how can we adjust your Retrofit API call to achieve this?

Solution: Switching to LocalDateTime

Here’s how you can implement the solution:

Step 1: Change Data Type

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Use toString() for Formatting

With LocalDateTime, you can use its built-in methods to easily convert the date-time to the desired format. When you invoke toString() on a LocalDateTime instance, it formats the date automatically in the standard yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ss format.

Why This Works

Conclusion

Now that you have this solution, you can enhance the functionality of your APIs while ensuring that your date and time values are correctly formatted in your URLs. Happy coding!