JavaFX DatePicker returning null

Question

So I looked through questions and found this one, which was similar to my problem, but didn't address my issues as I haven't initialized my date pickers in my java file.

I created a date picker. Its fx:id in the fxml file matches its name in the corresponding controller. For some reason, whether I manually type a value or select a date from the calendar, datePicker.getValue() ALWAYS returns null. Can anyone think of why this might be happening?

My code is exactly as the situation I've described here. I have a DatePicker called lowEndDate. I have not initialized it. Upon the click of a button, I want to get its value, but it returns null. Does anyone have any idea why this might be? Perhaps I've missed a step. Thank you.

FXML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<?import java.lang.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.text.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.Button?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.Label?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.ListView?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.SplitPane?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.TextArea?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.TextField?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.AnchorPane?>
<?import javafx.scene.text.Font?>

<SplitPane dividerPositions="0.22122571001494767" maxHeight="-Infinity" maxWidth="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" minWidth="-Infinity" prefHeight="395.0" prefWidth="671.0" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1" fx:controller="view.UserMainController">
  <items>
    <AnchorPane minHeight="0.0" minWidth="0.0" prefHeight="398.0" prefWidth="175.0">
         <children>
            <Button fx:id="logOut" layoutX="35.0" layoutY="261.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#logOutButtonClicked" text="Log Out">
               <font>
                  <Font size="15.0" />
               </font>
            </Button>
            <Label layoutX="52.0" layoutY="44.0" text="user:">
               <font>
                  <Font size="19.0" />
               </font>
            </Label>
            <Label fx:id="username" layoutX="16.0" layoutY="76.0" prefHeight="32.0" prefWidth="116.0" textAlignment="CENTER">
               <font>
                  <Font size="25.0" />
               </font>
            </Label>
         </children></AnchorPane>
    <AnchorPane minHeight="0.0" minWidth="0.0" prefHeight="442.0" prefWidth="457.0">
         <children>
            <ListView fx:id="albumListView" layoutY="-2.0" prefHeight="335.0" prefWidth="292.0" />
            <Button fx:id="deleteButton" layoutX="115.0" layoutY="348.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#deleteButtonClicked" prefHeight="31.0" prefWidth="68.0" text="Delete">
               <font>
                  <Font size="15.0" />
               </font>
            </Button>
            <AnchorPane layoutX="292.0" prefHeight="335.0" prefWidth="169.0">
               <children>
                  <Label fx:id="albums" layoutX="73.0" layoutY="44.0" text="Albums">
                     <font>
                        <Font size="22.0" />
                     </font>
                  </Label>
                  <Label fx:id="addSuccess" layoutX="99.0" layoutY="212.0" text="ADD SUCCESSFUL" textFill="#2bee34" visible="false" />
                  <Label fx:id="addFail" layoutX="81.0" layoutY="212.0" text="ALBUM EXISTS. TRY AGAIN" textFill="#d01313" visible="false" />
                  <AnchorPane fx:id="createAlbumAnchor" layoutY="7.0" prefHeight="335.0" prefWidth="169.0" visible="false">
                     <children>
                        <Label layoutX="46.0" layoutY="39.0" text="Create Album">
                           <font>
                              <Font size="22.0" />
                           </font>
                        </Label>
                        <Button fx:id="albumCreate" layoutX="46.0" layoutY="229.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#OKButtonClicked" text="OK">
                           <font>
                              <Font size="15.0" />
                           </font>
                        </Button>
                        <Button fx:id="back" layoutX="121.0" layoutY="229.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#backButtonClicked" text="Back">
                           <font>
                              <Font size="15.0" />
                           </font>
                        </Button>
                        <TextField fx:id="newAlbumName" layoutX="38.0" layoutY="115.0" promptText="Album name" />
                        <Label fx:id="mustInputText" layoutX="64.0" layoutY="160.0" text="MUST INPUT TEXT" textFill="#cd1515" visible="false" />
                     </children>
                  </AnchorPane>
                  <AnchorPane fx:id="searchAnchor" layoutX="4.0" layoutY="7.0" prefHeight="321.0" prefWidth="212.0">
                     <children>
                        <Label layoutX="74.0" layoutY="35.0" text="Search">
                           <font>
                              <Font size="22.0" />
                           </font>
                        </Label>
                        <Label layoutX="76.0" layoutY="67.0" text="Date Range" />
                        <Label layoutX="91.0" layoutY="123.0" text="to" />
                        <Label layoutX="91.0" layoutY="185.0" text="Tags" />
                        <TextArea fx:id="tags" layoutX="24.0" layoutY="208.0" prefHeight="71.0" prefWidth="166.0" promptText="ex: healthy,happy,nyc" />
                        <Button fx:id="searchOK" layoutX="48.0" layoutY="282.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#searchOKButtonClicked" text="OK" />
                        <Button fx:id="searchBack" layoutX="118.0" layoutY="282.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#searchBackButtonClicked" text="Back" />
                        <DatePicker fx:id="highEndDate" layoutX="20.0" layoutY="92.0" promptText="dd/mm/yyyy" />**
                        <DatePicker fx:id="lowEndDate" layoutX="20.0" layoutY="148.0" promptText="dd/mm/yyyy" />
                     </children>
                  </AnchorPane>
               </children>
            </AnchorPane>
            <Button fx:id="createButton" layoutX="21.0" layoutY="348.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#createButtonClicked" text="Create">
               <font>
                  <Font size="15.0" />
               </font>
            </Button>
            <Button fx:id="searchButton" layoutX="212.0" layoutY="348.0" mnemonicParsing="false" onAction="#searchButtonClicked" text="Search">
               <font>
                  <Font size="15.0" />
               </font>
            </Button>
         </children></AnchorPane>
  </items>
</SplitPane>

Code:

public void searchOKButtonClicked(ActionEvent e){
        boolean searchComplete = false;
        User currentUser = LoginController.currentUser;
        if((lowEndDate.getValue() == null) && (highEndDate.getValue() == null) && ((tags == null) || tags.getText().trim().isEmpty())){
            Alert alert = new Alert(AlertType.ERROR);
            alert.setContentText("Oops! At least one field is required to search.");
            alert.show();
        }

}

The trouble here: lowEndDate and highEndDate are ALWAYS null, regardless of input.

Maybe if you include some code, people could help you. Your fxml file, your action listener, ... Have you tried the "simple project to check behaviour of DatePicker" included in the page that you linked with your configuration file? — RubioRic, Apr 11 '16 at 05:11
@RubioRic: I've appended some code, and I altered my work to match the simple project with no results. — Sara, Apr 11 '16 at 05:25
Have you seen this other question? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/32346893/javafx-datepicker-not-updating-value There the value entered in the datepicker is retrieved using datePicker.getEditor().getText() — RubioRic, Apr 11 '16 at 05:38
@RubioRic: yes, I tried that as well. Nothing is retrieved. When I try to print the string, it is empty (nothing prints) — Sara, Apr 11 '16 at 05:40

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 11 '16 at 07:52

Sara, I've tested your fxml file using this simple project

Main

  import javafx.application.Application;
  import javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader;
  import javafx.scene.Parent;
  import javafx.scene.Scene;
  import javafx.stage.Stage;

  public class Main extends Application {
     @Override
     public void start(Stage primaryStage) throws Exception{
         Parent root = FXMLLoader.load(getClass().getResource("sample2.fxml"));
         primaryStage.setTitle("Hello World");
         primaryStage.setScene(new Scene(root));
         primaryStage.show();
     }

     public static void main(String[] args) {
        launch(args);
     }
  }

Controller

   import java.net.URL;
   import java.util.ResourceBundle;

   import javafx.event.ActionEvent;
   import javafx.fxml.FXML;
   import javafx.fxml.Initializable;
   import javafx.scene.control.Alert;
   import javafx.scene.control.Alert.AlertType;
   import javafx.scene.control.DatePicker;

   public class Controller implements Initializable {

       @FXML
       DatePicker lowEndDate;

       public void searchOKButtonClicked(ActionEvent e){

            Alert alert = new Alert(AlertType.ERROR);
            alert.setContentText("Oops! At least one field is required to search. " + " " + lowEndDate.getValue());
            alert.show();
       }

       @Override
       public void initialize(URL arg0, ResourceBundle arg1) {
           // TODO Auto-generated method stub

       }
   }

In your fxml, I've changed the naming in the two datepickers, I think that lowEndDate must be above highEndDate

  <DatePicker fx:id="lowEndDate"  layoutX="20.0" layoutY="92.0"  promptText="dd/mm/yyyy" />
  <DatePicker fx:id="highEndDate" layoutX="20.0" layoutY="148.0" promptText="dd/mm/yyyy" />

This is the result that I've obtained when I introduce a date

Maybe you have an error in another part of your controller but the datepickers seem to work fine.

I will review this and let you know! – Sara Apr 11 '16 at 15:26 — Sara, Apr 11 '16 at 15:26

JavaFX DatePicker returning null

1 Answers1