ReflectionUtils.java

//use your own package name
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Calendar;

import com.bcbsfl.cip.cip.msg.utils.DateUtils;

//********************************************************************
// Just an idean how one can enrich the 
// reflection utils to deal with various differences in types
// Perhaps there is more than one way to do this
// This is just one rudimentary of doing this
//********************************************************************
public class ReflectionUtils 
{
    private static SimpleDateFormat DateFormatter 
            = new SimpleDateFormat("your date format string");

    private static SimpleDateFormat DateTimeFormatter 
            = new SimpleDateFormat("your date format string");
   
   //This can be further optimized using functors
   //For now this will do
   public static Object getStringAsObject(String typeName, String value)
   {
      if (typeName.equals("java.lang.String"))
      {
         return value;
      }
      if (typeName.equals("int"))
      {
         return getStringAsInteger(value);
      }
      
      if (typeName.equals("java.util.Calendar"))
      {
         return getStringAsCalendar(value);
      }
      
      if (typeName.equals("long"))
      {
         return getStringAsLong(value);
      }
      if (typeName.equals("double"))
      {
         return getStringAsDouble(value);
      }
      if (typeName.equals("float"))
      {
         return getStringAsFloat(value);
      }
      throw new RuntimeException("Unrecognized type encountered:" + typeName);
   }
   
   public static Integer getStringAsInteger(String value)
   {
      return new Integer(Integer.parseInt(value));
   }

   public static Long getStringAsLong(String value)
   {
      return new Long(Long.parseLong(value));
   }
   
   public static Double getStringAsDouble(String value)
   {
      return new Double(Double.parseDouble(value));
   }
   
   public static Float getStringAsFloat(String value)
   {
      return new Float(Float.parseFloat(value));
   }
   
   public static Calendar getStringAsCalendar(String value)
   {
      try
      {
         Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
         cal.setTime(ReflectionUtils.DateTimeFormatter.parse(value));
         return cal;
      }
      catch(ParseException x)
      {
         RuntimeException rt = 
            new RuntimeException("Could not parse a timestamp:" + value, x);
         throw rt;
      }
   }
   
   public static String getValueAsString(Object o)
   {
      if (o instanceof Calendar)
      {
         //do this
         Calendar cal = (Calendar)o;
         //return date as a string
      }
      return o.toString();
   }
}//eof-class