But hey, list, I need some more feedback here :-]. This is killing me. This cannot be right. I must be doing something wrong.
Ok, here is my reasoning. Please tell me if you agree:
I have a java.util.Date (hence forward called Date). Date doesn't know didley about time zones. This date is just 1 september 2005, sec (so 00:00h).
Now I suppose (please comment !) that JSF convertDateTime is "time zone" aware. It finds out somehow that this computer is running in Belgium, and that we are (daylight savings time) actually on GMT+2. Given no more directions, it seems to want to render the Date in GMT as default. So, it says "hey, it's 31 august, 22:00h", presuming that the Date it got to render is actually in the time zone of the machine.
When I change the code, and add <f:convertDateTime type="both" timeZone="GMT+2" ... />, the converter reasons "I get a Date from time zone GMT+2, and this guy wants me to render it in time zone GMT+2", and does ok.
Ok, that's all speculation, because I really don't know.
Now the serious issue is that if this is used in an input text. The rendering is the same in outputText and inputText. But if a user enters "1/9/2005", this actually translates into a Date in the DB that is 1/9/2005, 00:00h, without the time zone setting, and with the time zone setting. (to DB using Hibernate 'date', meaning time part is always oo:00h). Tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut.
The net effect is that users enter data ok. Stuff is saved. If later they edit other fields of the record, the "day early" value is shown in the date inputText. User is not looking there, and is unaware of the "feature". The user is focussing on other fields (he only wants to correct the last name). He does so, and hits submit. NOW THE DAY EARLY VALUE IS BEING WRITTEN TO THE DB!!! And if this is repeated, each time the date is counting down.
Ok. This must be a bug, no?
* The time zone stuff is surprising at least. The default should be that in all instances a raw Date is interpreted the same, not as GMT in one case, and as GMT+2 in another. This can't be in the spec's like this, can it?
* If it is in the spec's: I am missing something. It can be necessary to repeat the time zone in all tags! Is there a general setting in faces-config.xml or web.xml or something I don't know about?
* The inconsistency between parsing and rendering must be a bug, no?
But on the other hand, this is so blatant, and there is nothing on this in this mailing list I can remember or find, and I couldn't find anything relevant in the JIRA, so it must be me being very tired (deployment stress :-$).
I'm getting totally twisted and paranoid. Please set me straight.
On 29 Sep 2005, at 19:11, Matt Blum wrote:
Try changing the convertDateTime tag thusly:<x-tad-smaller>Met vriendelijke groeten,
<f:convertDateTime pattern="dd/MM/yyyy" timeZone="CET" />
-Matt
On 9/29/05, Jan Dockx <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Submitting data works ok: if I enter 1/9/2005 in the entry field, the DB ends up with 1/9/2005, 0:00h. So the MyFaces DateTimeConverter converts ok. So far so good. Data that comes from the DB creates a java.util.Date that is 1/9/2005, 0:00h. Ok. When I show it with JSP EL, I see 1/9/2005. Ok. When I show that Date with JSF however, it shows 31/8/2005 23:00h! When I add timeZone="GMT+2", it renders 1/9/2005. We are in Belgium, daylight saving time is active, and we are in GMT+1.
At least, this is inconsistent behavior. And frankly, looking at the code of DateTimeConverter, I don't get it.
On Thursday, September 29, 2005, at 05:28PM, Jan Dockx < [EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>I'm getting tired.
>
>We have this jsf code:
>
> 1: <h:outputText value="#{enrollmentH.instance.startDate}" /><br />
> <f:verbatim>2: ${enrollmentH.instance.startDate}<br /></f:verbatim>
> <x:inputText id="startDate"
> value="#{enrollmentH.instance.startDate}"
> required="true"
> size="10"
> maxlength="10"
> displayValueOnly="#{not enrollmentH.showFields}"
> displayValueOnlyStyleClass="#{enrollmentH.viewMode}">
> <f:convertDateTime pattern="dd/MM/yyyy" />
> </x:inputText>
>
>(ok, it's hacked)
>
>the enrollmentH.instance.startDate is a java.util.Date, 1 september 2005.
>
>What is shown is
>
>31-aug-2005
>2: 2005-09-01
>31/08/2005?
>
>in other words:
>
>h:outputText rendes 31 august
>JSP el renders 1 september
>h:inputText renders 31 august
>
>JSF is one day off!!!
>
>It's probably our fault. We are using a custom build of the main trunk, 2005-09-28, 11:00am CET.
>What are we missing????
>
>
Jan Dockx
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