code: public static String format(final Date date, String format) {
  
  		if (date != null) {
  
  			if (StringUtils.isBlank(format)) {
  
  				format = DateProperty.getDefaultFormat();
  
  			}
  
  			return new SimpleDateFormat(format).format(date);
  		}
  
  		return null;
  
  	}
docs: Central method to format a date into a string.
  
  If no format is given, use the (old) default format.
  
  @param date
  @param format optional SimpleDateFormat pattern
  @return