title: Converting a date with dot separators into another format without dots
body: <p>From a JSON payload I get a date formatted like so: "2017.03.11". The desired result is: "11 MARCH 2017". I know how to remove the dots and convert the result into what I want using <code>date()</code>. But is there a more direct way to achieve it (without the step removing the dots)?</p>