Any bright ideas? (string parsing question)

Question

Hi,
I need to put together some static methods for parsing and comparing strings in different formats. I've written the skeleton methods with some nice comments below:
public class ParsingTools {
    * This method should be able to convert a string that contains
    * a date in an arbitrary format, to a java.util.date.
    * E.G. '10.12.1998 4:15 AM', 'Jan 6th 1984', '1/01/00'
    * '24th Feb 1975 0530hrs'.  The boolean 'usa' parameter indicates
    * whether its usa style dates: mm/dd/yyyy, instead of dd/mm/yyyy.
    * @param inputDate
    * @param usa
    * @return
   public static Date parseStringDate(String inputDate, boolean usa){
      Date outputDate = null;
      return outputDate;
    * This method should be able to convert strings like:
    * "$10,000.45" to the double 10000.45, or even:
    * "'x=$$254,433,344.003'" to 254433344.00.  All kinds of
    * extraneous characters could be received, this method extracts
    * and returns the number part.
    * @param inputString
    * @return
   public static double parseMoneyString(String inputString){
      double outputDouble = 0.0;
      return outputDouble;
    * This method takes two strings, the first of which is compared
    * to the second to see if they are a close enough match.
    * E.G. " exerci$ed_" compared with "EXERCISED" should return
    * true, but "elephant" compared with "EXERCISED" should return
    * false.
    * @param inputString
    * @param compareString
    * @return
   public static boolean matchToString(String inputString,
                                       String compareString){
      boolean matches = false;
      return matches;
}Ok, the getting the double from the money string one is easy, just search through the string until you find some numbers, and strip out any commas.
If anyone has any ideas on a clever way of doing the date parsing, and the string compare one, or knows of existing methods to do these, I'd love to hear about it.
Many long hours of messing around with string operations await me otherwise!
Thanks

Answer 1

I need to put together some static methods for
parsing and comparing strings in different formats.
I've written the skeleton methods with some nice
e comments below:Why isn't java.text.DateFormat good enough for you? I'll bet they do it better.
I'd use Locale for currencies.
This is a case where stuff that's already available to you should be preferred. Why write your own when someone else has already done it better? You don't have to maintain it, either. JMO, of course.
>
public class ParsingTools {
* This method should be able to convert a string
ring that contains
* a date in an arbitrary format, to a
to a java.util.date.
* E.G. '10.12.1998 4:15 AM', 'Jan 6th 1984',
84', '1/01/00'
* '24th Feb 1975 0530hrs'.  The boolean 'usa'
usa' parameter indicates
* whether its usa style dates: mm/dd/yyyy,
yyy, instead of dd/mm/yyyy.
* @param inputDate
* @param usa
* @return
public static Date parseStringDate(String
ing inputDate, boolean usa){
Date outputDate = null;
return outputDate;
* This method should be able to convert strings
ings like:
* "$10,000.45" to the double 10000.45, or even:
* "'x=$$254,433,344.003'" to 254433344.00.  All
All kinds of
* extraneous characters could be received, this
this method extracts
* and returns the number part.
* @param inputString
* @return
public static double parseMoneyString(String
ing inputString){
double outputDouble = 0.0;
return outputDouble;
* This method takes two strings, the first of
t of which is compared
* to the second to see if they are a close enough
ough match.
* E.G. " exerci$ed_" compared with "EXERCISED"
SED" should return
* true, but "elephant" compared with "EXERCISED"
SED" should return
* false.
* @param inputString
* @param compareString
* @return
public static boolean matchToString(String
ing inputString,
String
String
String compareString){
boolean matches = false;
return matches;
}Ok, the getting the double from the money string one
is easy, just search through the string until you
find some numbers, and strip out any commas.
If anyone has any ideas on a clever way of doing the
date parsing, and the string compare one, or knows of
existing methods to do these, I'd love to hear about
it.
Many long hours of messing around with string
operations await me otherwise!
Thanks