Error filling print - Casting String to Date with iReport Design

[jorgew.moura]

I'm studying the iReport Design report tool and, when I tried convert a String object to Date, I received the message:

Error filling print... java.util.Date cannot be cast to java.lang.String[/code]

I tried convert it using:

new SimpleDateFormat("yyyyMMdd").parse($F{date})[/code]

$F{date} is the String that I get from the query. I try convert it in the Pattern Expr. of Text Field Properties of the $F{date}.

This don't work with Expression Class java.land.String and don't work with java.util.Date.

[sergey.vishnevetskiy]

In a similar situation I had to make scriptlet with this

public String toDateFormat (String dateInput, String desiredFormat, String existingFormat ){    SimpleDateFormat sdfOld = new SimpleDateFormat(existingFormat);    Date date = null;    try {        date = sdfOld.parse(dateInput);    } catch (ParseException e) {        e.printStackTrace();    }    SimpleDateFormat sdfNew = new SimpleDateFormat(desiredFormat);    return String.valueOf(sdfNew.format(date));}[/code]

to be able affectively manage it. Surely it's reloaded with default formats that I use, to make it simplier, but approach still the same.