Format a date and display it using JSTL and EL

Question

How do I format and display a Date object in a JSP, most preferably using JSTL and EL but any other solution is welcome? I can not change the bean object.

Answer 1

You need to add the following line of code to the head of your page and your code will work perfect. <%@ taglib prefix="fmt" uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/fmt" %>

Answer 2

Your code should normally work. Try like this:

<%@ taglib prefix="c" uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/core" %>
<%@ taglib prefix="fmt" uri="http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/fmt" %>

<fmt:formatDate value="${person.myDate}" var="formattedDate" 
                type="date" pattern="MM-dd-yyyy" />
${formattedDate}

It usually doesn't work if you have wrong JSTL declarations to match your Servlet/JSP version. Make sure you read this before trying anything else: How to Reference and Use JSTL in your Web Application.

If you don't know exactly your environment, you can perform some tests to find out the versions although a simple ${1 + 2} written in your JSP should be a good indicator of the JSP version. If you see 3 in your browser then you are using JSP 2.x, if you see the string ${1 + 2} instead then you are on JSP 1.x.