gistfile1.txt

// originally from: http://sites.google.com/site/gson/gson-type-adapters-for-common-classes-1
    private static class DateTimeTypeConverter
            implements JsonSerializer<DateTime>, JsonDeserializer<DateTime> {
        public JsonElement serialize(DateTime src, Type srcType, JsonSerializationContext context) {
            return new JsonPrimitive(src.toString());
        }

        public DateTime deserialize(JsonElement json, Type type, JsonDeserializationContext context)
                throws JsonParseException {
            try {
                try {
                    return new DateTime(json.getAsString());
                } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
                    // May be it came in formatted as a java.util.Date, so try that
                    Date date = context.deserialize(json, Date.class);
                    return new DateTime(date);
                }
            } catch (JsonParseException jpe) {
                // Github seems to use a format that doesn't work with java.util.Date
                SimpleDateFormat githubFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd'T'HH:mm:ssZ");
                try {
                    return new DateTime(githubFormat.parse(json.getAsString()));
                } catch (ParseException eFirst) {
                    // Github seems to use ANOTHER format that doesn't work with java.util.Date (what the hell?)
                    SimpleDateFormat secondGithubFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy/MM/dd HH:mm:ss Z");
                    try {
                        return new DateTime(secondGithubFormat.parse(json.getAsString()));
                    } catch (ParseException eSecond) {
                        System.err.println("GithubPostReceive: Unable to parse date!");
                        eSecond.printStackTrace(System.err);
                    }
                }
                return null;
            }
        }
    }