Package com.standbysoft.component.date

Provides classes and interfaces that cover various date operations mechanisms like editing, parsing and selection.

See:
Description

Interface Summary

DateModel	The date model is a convenient way to represent extended information about a date; it is extremely useful for date editing components.
DateParser	The date parser interface defines the operation that must be implemented by any other object wants to scan a text in order to produce a date.
DateSelectionModel	The date selection model defines basic operations needed by date components like JDatePicker to make valid date selections; it abstracts everything there is about date selection.

Class Summary

AbstractDateSelectionModel	The abstract definition for a date selection model that provides implementation for most operations; date selection model implementations should at least start from this class.
DateSelectionModel.SelectionMode	The type of selection for the selection model that allows to choose from single, interval or multiple interval selection.
DefaultDateModel	A default implementation for a date model.
DefaultDateParser	The default date parser tries to determine the date using a specified date format.
DefaultDateSelectionModel	The default date selection model is the model used by all date components.

Exception Summary

DateParserException	An exception that indicates a failed date parsing.
DateSelectionException	An exception that indicates an inconsistent date selection model change.

Package com.standbysoft.component.date Description

Provides classes and interfaces that cover various date operations mechanisms like editing, parsing and selection. These classes are used by the date components to control the respective date aspects.

To classes from this package offer support for:

• Date Editing
• Date Parsing
• Date Selection

Date Editing

As with any other Swing component, date edit components use a model to represent the edited date. A date edit component's model is an instance of a class that implements the DateModel interface.

DefaultDateModel is the default implementation for a date model.

Date Parsing

Date edit components use the date parsing mechanism to allow flexible date input. Parsers can be created to transforms shortcut strings into dates. For instance, one could create a parser that translates strings like 'today', 'yesterday', '3 days ago' or 'next month' to appropriate dates.

DateParser defines the general contract for such a parser and DefaultDateParser is a default implementation that parses dates that respect the specified date format. DateParserException is thrown whenever the parsing operation fails.

Date Selection

The date selection mechanism lets developers control how days are selected, which days can be selected and also notify registered listeners when the selection changes.

To understand what this mechanism is all about you might want to look first at DateSelectionModel and then at its abstract definition AbstractDateSelectionModel. The DefaultDateSelectionModel is the selection model used by default by all date components and it allows all dates to be selected by default.

Most people might not need to restrict the selected dates but for those who do, the next paragraphs show how this can be accomplished using the classes from this package.

• Interval Restriction

  The basic approach to restricting the dates available for selection is to specify an interval of valid dates. Any selection model derived from AbstractDateSelectionModel can specify this interval using the AbstractDateSelectionModel.setMinimumAllowed(java.util.Date) and AbstractDateSelectionModel.setMaximumAllowed(java.util.Date) methods. If the specified value is null then the restriction is removed. By default, there is no such restriction.

• Limited Set of Dates Restriction

  If you use DefaultDateSelectionModel as date selection model, you can also use the DefaultDateSelectionModel.addDisabled(java.util.Date) method to specify which dates cannot be selected and the DefaultDateSelectionModel.removeDisabled(java.util.Date) method to make a date selectable again. This approach is useful when you need to restrict selection for a limited set of dates.

• Dates Pattern Restriction

  Another way you can disable some dates is to use a date selection model that imposes the restrictions you want. All you have to do is to create a date selection model whose AbstractDateSelectionModel.isDisabled(java.util.Date) method returns true for the disabled days. This approach is very useful whenever the disabled dates follow a certain pattern.