Refactor default toString with date support into separate utility

main/src/com/google/refine/expr/functions/ToString.java

@@ -42,33 +42,33 @@ import java.util.Properties;
 import org.json.JSONException;
 import org.json.JSONWriter;
 
+import com.google.refine.expr.EvalError;
 import com.google.refine.grel.Function;
+import com.google.refine.util.StringUtils;
 
 public class ToString implements Function {
 
     @Override
-    public String call(Properties bindings, Object[] args) {
+    public Object call(Properties bindings, Object[] args) {
         if (args.length >= 1) {
             Object o1 = args[0];
-            if (o1 != null) {
-                if (o1 instanceof Calendar || o1 instanceof Date) {
-                    DateFormat formatter = null;
             if (args.length == 2) {
+                if (o1 instanceof Calendar || o1 instanceof Date) {
                     Object o2 = args[1];
-                        if (o2 != null && o2 instanceof String) {
+                    if (o2 instanceof String) {
-                            formatter = new SimpleDateFormat((String) o2);
+                        DateFormat formatter = new SimpleDateFormat((String) o2);
-                        }
-                    }
-                    if (formatter == null) {
-                        formatter = DateFormat.getDateInstance();
-                    }
                         return formatter.format(o1 instanceof Date ? ((Date) o1) : ((Calendar) o1).getTime());
-                } else {
+                    }
-                    return (o1 instanceof String) ? (String) o1 : o1.toString();
+                }
+            } else if (args.length == 1) {
+                if (o1 instanceof String) {
+                    return (String) o1;
+                } else if (o1 != null) {
+                    return StringUtils.toString(o1);
                 } 
             }
         }
-        return null;
+        return new EvalError("ToString accepts an object an optional second argument containing a date format string");
     }
 
     

main/src/com/google/refine/expr/functions/strings/Escape.java

@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ import org.json.JSONException;
 import org.json.JSONWriter;
 
 import com.google.refine.expr.EvalError;
-import com.google.refine.expr.functions.ToString;
 import com.google.refine.grel.ControlFunctionRegistry;
 import com.google.refine.grel.Function;
+import com.google.refine.util.StringUtils;
 
 public class Escape implements Function {
 
@@ -60,8 +60,7 @@ public class Escape implements Function {
                 s = "";
             } else {
                 // Use our own ToString so that formatting is consistent
-                ToString toString = new ToString();
+                s = StringUtils.toString(o1);
-                s = toString.call(bindings,new Object[] {o1});
             }
             if (o2 instanceof String) {
                 String mode = ((String) o2).toLowerCase();

main/src/com/google/refine/util/StringUtils.java

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+package com.google.refine.util;
+
+import java.text.DateFormat;
+import java.util.Calendar;
+import java.util.Date;
+
+
+public class StringUtils {
+
+    /**
+     * String formatting method that knows how to format dates (using the defaul locale's date formatter)
+     * @param o object to be converted to a string
+     * @return string representing object
+     */
+    public static String toString(Object o) {
+        if (o instanceof Calendar || o instanceof Date) {
+            DateFormat formatter = DateFormat.getDateInstance();
+            return formatter.format(o instanceof Date ? ((Date) o) : ((Calendar) o).getTime());
+        } else {
+            return o.toString();
+        }
+    }
+}
+

main/tests/server/src/com/google/refine/tests/expr/functions/strings/ToFromConversionTests.java

@@ -111,10 +111,8 @@ public class ToFromConversionTests extends RefineTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testToString() {
-//      Assert.assertTrue(invoke("toString") instanceof EvalError);
+      Assert.assertTrue(invoke("toString") instanceof EvalError);
-      Assert.assertNull(invoke("toString"));
+      Assert.assertTrue(invoke("toString", (Object) null) instanceof EvalError);
-//      Assert.assertTrue(invoke("toString", (Object) null) instanceof EvalError);
-      Assert.assertNull(invoke("toString", (Object) null));
       Assert.assertEquals(invoke("toString", Double.valueOf(100.0)),"100.0");
       // Calendar
       // Date