The DateFormats in for example
logfile is different from application to application or webprovider to
webprovider. Even with de SimpleDateFormat tools in java.text.* it is hard
to match the pattern that we sometimes get. What is the solution?

Building your own DateFormat
routine is not difficult therefor we leave you with my MyDateFormat class
extended form the SimpleDateFormat class
//
// MyDataFormat.java
//

package nl.rotterdam.port.log;

import java.util.*;
import java.text.*;
 /**
  * A generic dataformatting class which multiple date formats can decoded and encoded.
  * The format string has the following special characters for syntax:
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
Symbol
Meaning
Presentation
Example
Y
year
    (Number)
    1996
M
month in year
   (Text) 
    Jul
N
month in year
   (Number) 
    07
D
day in month
    (Number)
    10
d
weekday 
(Text)
Tue
h
hour in day (0~23)
      (Number)
    0
m
minute in hour
  (Number)
    30
s
second in minute
(Number)
    55
Z
GMT zone
     (Text)
    GMT
H
GMT plus/minus sign
       (Text)
     + or -
H
GMT hour
       (Number)
     01
I
GMT minutes
       (Number)
     00
 * 
 */
public class MyDateFormat extends SimpleDateFormat {

  private Calendar c = null;

  /**
   * @param pattern a string with format according to the syntax above
   */
  public MyDateFormat(String pattern) {
    super( pattern );
    this.setTimeZone( new SimpleTimeZone( +2 *60*60*1000, "GMT" ));
  }

  public StringBuffer format (Date date, StringBuffer sb, FieldPosition fp) 
  {
    this.c = Calendar.getInstance();
    c.setTime( date );
    StringCharacterIterator sci = new StringCharacterIterator( toPattern() );
     String result = "";
     for (char ch = sci.first(); ch != CharacterIterator.DONE; ch = sci.next()) {
         result += processChar(ch);
        //System.out.println( "" + ch + " = " + result );
     }
    return new StringBuffer(result);
  }

  private String processChar(char ch) 
  {
    String zeros = "0000";
    //String day =  zeros.substring(DAY_OF_WEEK_IN_MONTH_FIELD);
    DecimalFormat df2 = new DecimalFormat("00") ;
    DecimalFormat df4 = new DecimalFormat("0000");
    MessageFormat mf3 = new MessageFormat("xxx");

    if ( ch== 'D' ) { // day
      return "" + df2.format(c.get(c.DAY_OF_MONTH));
    } else if ( ch=='M') { //month
      String [] months = getDateFormatSymbols().getShortMonths();
      return "" + months[c.get(c.MONTH)];
    } else if ( ch=='Y') { //year
      return df4.format(c.get(c.YEAR));
    } else if ( ch=='h') { //hours
      return df2.format(c.get(c.HOUR));
    } else if ( ch=='m') { //minutes
      return df2.format(c.get(c.MINUTE));
    } else if ( ch=='s') { //seconds
      return df2.format(c.get(c.SECOND));
    } else if ( ch=='d') { //days in string
      String [] weekdays = getDateFormatSymbols().getShortWeekdays();
      return "" + weekdays[ c.get(c.MONTH) ];
    } else if ( ch=='N') { //months in number
      return df2.format(c.get(c.MONTH));
    } else if ( ch=='Z') { //GMT Zoners
      return getTimeZone().getID();
    } else if ( ch=='H') { //GMT Hours
      int ii = getTimeZone().getRawOffset()/(60*60*1000);
      return df2.format(ii);
    } else if ( ch=='p') { //GMT Hours
      int ii = getTimeZone().getRawOffset()/(60*60*1000);
      return (ii > 0 ? "+" : "-");
    } else if ( ch=='I') { //GMT Minutes
      int ii = getTimeZone().getRawOffset()/(60*60*1000);
      int im = (getTimeZone().getRawOffset() - ii*60*60*1000)/(60*1000) ;
      return df2.format(im);
    } else return "" + ch;
  }





  public Date parse( String text) 
  {
    StringCharacterIterator sci = new StringCharacterIterator( toPattern() );
    long result = 0;
    Number month= new Integer(0),day= new Integer(0), year=new Integer(0), hour= new Integer(0), min=new Integer(0), sec=new Integer(0), gmthrs= new Integer(0), gmtmin= new Integer(0);
    String zone = "", dow = "", plm ="";
    DecimalFormat df2 = new DecimalFormat("00");
    DecimalFormat df4 = new DecimalFormat("0000");
    SimpleDateFormat sdf = new SimpleDateFormat("MMM");
    System.out.println("\n");
     for (char ch = sci.first(); ch != CharacterIterator.DONE; ch = sci.next()) {
        try {
          //deprocessChar(char ch)
          if ( ch== 'D'  ) { // day
            day = df2.parse( text.substring(0,2) );
            text = text.substring(2, text.length() );
            dbg( "day=" + day + text );
          } else if ( ch=='d') { //day of the week
            dow = text.substring(0,3);
            text = text.substring(3, text.length() );
            dbg( "dow=" + dow );
          } else if ( ch=='M') { //month
            month = new Integer( sdf.parse( text.substring(0,3), new ParsePosition(0) ).getMonth() );
            text = text.substring(3, text.length() );
            dbg( "month=" + month + text );
          } else if ( ch=='Y') { //year
            year = df4.parse( text.substring(0,4) );
            text = text.substring(4, text.length() );
            dbg( "yr=" + year + text );
          } else if ( ch=='h') { //hours
            hour = df2.parse( text.substring(0,2) );
            text = text.substring(2, text.length() );
          } else if ( ch=='m') { //minutes
            min = df2.parse( text.substring(0,2) );
            text = text.substring(2, text.length() );
          } else if ( ch=='s') { //seconds
            sec = df2.parse( text.substring(0,2) );
            text = text.substring(2, text.length() );
          } else if ( ch=='p') { //plusminus
            plm = text.substring(0,1);
            text = text.substring(1, text.length() );
            dbg("plm = " + plm );
          } else if ( ch=='Z') { //GMT Zoners
            zone = text.substring(0,3);
            text = text.substring(3, text.length() );
          } else if ( ch=='H') { //GMT Hours
            gmthrs = df2.parse( text.substring(0,2) );
            text = text.substring(2, text.length() );
          } else if ( ch=='I') { //GMT Minutes
            gmtmin = df2.parse( text.substring(0,2) );
            text = text.substring(2, text.length() );
          } else {
            text = text.substring(1,text.length());
          }

        } catch (Exception e) { //format error
          e.printStackTrace();
          System.exit(1);
        }
        //System.out.println( "" + ch + " = " + new Date(result) );
     }
    return new Date(year.intValue()-1900, month.intValue(), day.intValue(), hour.intValue(), min.intValue(), sec.intValue());
  }



  public Date parse( String text, ParsePosition pp)  { return new Date(); }
  private void dbg(String m) {/*System.out.println(m);*/ }

  public static void main( String [] args ) {
    MyDateFormat qdf = new MyDateFormat("d, D M Y h:m:s Z");
    qdf.format( new Date( System.currentTimeMillis() ), null,null );
  }

}