WebObjects 4: Using the NSGregorianDateFormatter

Q: I'm trying to use a NSGregorianDateFormatter to format dates. I'm following the procedure suggested in the documentation, but I get an error message when I try to use the date formatter. What am I doing wrong?

A: Make sure you're applying the NSGregorianDateFormatter to the date, and not to the enclosing object. The correct way to use an NSGregorianDateFormatter is:

// construct a date, then turn it into a string with toString()
String aDateString;
aDateString = (new NSGregorianDate()).toString();
NSGregorianDate aDate;

// use whatever formatting that you want...
NSGregorianDateFormatter aDateFormat = new NSGregorianDateFormatter("%m/%d/%Y", false);

// format your date
aDate = (NSGregorianDate)aDateFormat.objectValueForString(aDateString);