JS datetime local - Javascript

Introduction

Javascript provides a built-in Date object that allows developers to work with dates and times. In this guide, we will be exploring the features of the Date object and how it can be used to work with datetime-local inputs.

Date Object

The Date object in Javascript provides a way to work with dates and times. It allows us to create, modify and format date and time values. Here is an example of how to create a new Date object:

const currentDate = new Date();

We can also provide arguments to the Date object to create a specific date and time:

const dateOfBirth = new Date(1990, 1, 1, 12, 0, 0);

This creates a Date object representing February 1st, 1990 at 12:00PM.

We can get various information about a Date object by calling its methods. For example, we can get the year, month, and day of a date:

const year = dateOfBirth.getFullYear(); // 1990
const month = dateOfBirth.getMonth() + 1; // 2
const day = dateOfBirth.getDate(); // 1

datetime-local Input

The datetime-local input is an HTML5 input type that allows users to select a date and time. It displays a date and time control to help users select the appropriate values. The value of the input is a string representing a date and time in ISO 8601 format.

We can set the value of a datetime-local input using a Date object in Javascript. Here is an example:

const dateOfBirth = new Date(1990, 1, 1, 12, 0, 0);
const datetimeLocalInput = document.getElementById('datetime-local-input');

datetimeLocalInput.value = dateOfBirth.toISOString().substring(0, 16);

In this example, we first create a Date object representing February 1st, 1990 at 12:00PM. We then get a reference to an HTML datetime-local input element and set its value to the ISO string representation of the date and time. Note that we only need to include the year, month, day, hours, and minutes in the value string.

Conclusion

In this guide, we have explored the features of the Date object in Javascript and how it can be used to work with datetime-local inputs. We have seen how to create and modify Date objects and set the value of datetime-local inputs using these objects. With this knowledge, you can create powerful datetime controls in your web applications.