Convert Oracle date format masks to Java format masks

Question

Have an application based on Oracle that stores data in text form (for display) and in native date format. It is being migrated to another application with a Java based front end that can only use Java format masks to display the dates in the desired display format.
Is there a way to translate the Oracle format masks to Java? I can do this in SQL or PL/SQL using the database or in Java.
I really don't want to write detailed code to parse the masks, although if parsers are available to take an oracle mask into its metadata (minute, year, etc), it may be possible for me to write the code.
This seems like something that must have been done many times over the years. I would prefer to reuse workable code rather than reinventing the wheel.
To be clear, I do not need to alter data or convert dates shown in string form. Just the format masks so the new app will display dates in the same manner as the old app. Fortunately, both apps handle interpreting the format masks in their native technology, so it is just converting the format mask.

Answer 1

kenmadsen wrote:
Both applications have a varchar2 column and a date column. A date picker selects and returns the date in native format for storage and the application uses the mask to format the varchar2 column for display (and storage). The old application uses an Oracle date format mask DD-Mon-YYYY HH24:MI and the new application uses Java date masks (DD-MM-YYYY hh:mm). (I may not have the translation from HH24 to hh correct).
The date column and the display column store the same information (a date), but one is stored natively and the other is displayed as the application administrator want the particular row to be formatted for display. (the mask is a column in the same table as the other 2 columns). Each row has characteristics (other columns) that determines what the data is and how it should be shown (some things need to show time; others only the date)
So the problem is, when migrating, the new application cannot render the dates as the old app did because "Mon" is Oracle format, not Java format.
No data is being converted in the migration, except for the mask itself. Both applications have the same record structure with respect to these columns and they both use the mask to generate the formatted varchar2 data for display in the application and storage.too bad you insist on try to describe with words rather than actual CODE.
Please explain again why this is an Oracle problem & NOT a Java problem?
Oracle RDBMS is a data repository & can't automagically change data content for you.