React Js Bootstrap Datepicker Features and Functionality

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React Js Bootstrap Datepicker is a powerful tool for handling date and time inputs in your web applications. It provides a user-friendly interface for selecting dates and times.

One of the key features of React Js Bootstrap Datepicker is its ability to disable specific dates, such as weekends or holidays, to prevent users from selecting them.

It also supports multiple date formats, including MM/DD/YYYY and YYYY-MM-DD, making it versatile and accommodating to different user preferences.

The datepicker allows users to navigate through dates using various buttons and keys, including next, previous, and today buttons.

Configuration

The configuration of the React JS Bootstrap Datepicker is straightforward. You can customize its appearance by importing the datepicker CSS file.

To enable the datepicker, you need to initialize it with the element you want to attach it to. This is done by calling the datepicker() function on the element.

You can also configure the datepicker to display the date in a specific format by passing the format option to the datepicker() function.

Before Show Day

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Before Show Day is a crucial configuration option for your calendar. It's a function that takes a date as a parameter and returns one of several possible values.

You can use it to indicate whether or not a particular date is selectable. Simply return a Boolean value, where true means the date is selectable and false means it's not.

You can also use Before Show Day to apply additional CSS classes to a date's cell. This can be useful for customizing the appearance of your calendar.

The function can return a String representing the CSS classes to apply. For example, you might return 'highlight' to highlight a specific date.

If you need more control, you can return an object with specific properties. This object can contain information like the date's cell class, the date's text, or even a custom object.

Here's a summary of the possible return values:

  • undefined: no effect
  • Boolean: indicates date selectability
  • String: additional CSS classes to apply
  • Object: custom properties, such as cell class or date text

Before Show Year

The beforeShowYear configuration option is a crucial part of customizing your date picker. It determines what happens when a year is about to be shown.

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To have no effect, simply set beforeShowYear to undefined. This is a great option if you don't need to customize the year's display.

You can also use beforeShowYear to make a specific year selectable or not. Just set it to a Boolean value, like true or false, to achieve this.

If you want to add some extra styling to the year's cell, you can use a String to specify additional CSS classes. For example, you could add a class like "year-cell" to give it a custom look.

Here are the possible values for beforeShowYear:

  • undefined: no effect
  • Boolean (true or false): makes a specific year selectable or not
  • String (e.g. "year-cell"): adds CSS classes to the year's cell
  • Object: with properties like the ones mentioned above

Multidate

The multidate feature is a powerful tool that allows users to select multiple dates from a calendar.

You can customize the way dates are displayed by using the multidateSeparator option, which defaults to a comma.

Using a comma as the separator is a good idea, but be careful not to use a string that could be a substring of a formatted date, as this can cause issues when parsing the input's value.

Today Button

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The Today Button is a useful feature in datepicker configuration. It allows users to quickly select the current date.

To display the Today button, you can set the todayBtn option to true or "linked". If set to true, the button will only move the current date into view.

If you set todayBtn to "linked", the current date will also be selected.

Behavior

The behavior of the React JS Bootstrap Datepicker is quite flexible, and it can be customized to fit your needs.

You can configure the date format by using the format option, which can be set to different formats like 'MM/DD/YYYY' or 'YYYY-MM-DD'.

The datepicker also has a built-in feature to disable certain dates, which can be useful for limiting the user to only select specific dates.

Start View

The start view of a datepicker is a crucial aspect of its behavior. It determines what the user sees when they open the datepicker.

You can set the start view to show different time periods, such as days, months, years, or even centuries.

For example, if you're creating a date-of-birth datepicker, showing decades or centuries might be more suitable.

Update View

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Credit: pexels.com, Stylish calendar with December in Portuguese and elegant design for 2025.

The "Update View" behavior is controlled by a few key settings.

You can set autoclose to false to prevent the datepicker from closing immediately when a date is selected.

If immediateUpdates is true, selecting a year or month in the datepicker will update the input value immediately.

The updateViewDate option determines when the viewDate is updated. If it's set to false, the viewDate is updated only when a day in the last or next month is selected, or when dates are changed using certain methods.

In some cases, the last selected date or the last date in an array is used to update the viewDate.

Enable On Readonly

If you're not careful, a readonly datepicker field can be a real pain to work with. The good news is that you can disable the datepicker altogether by setting enableOnReadonly to false.

This means the datepicker will be completely hidden on readonly fields, making it a non-issue.

Days of Week Disabled

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You can disable specific days of the week by listing their numbers, ranging from 0 (Sunday) to 6 (Saturday).

To disable weekends, you can use the value '06' or list both Sunday and Saturday as '0,6'.

Days of the week can also be disabled using a list, such as [0,6].

Show Week Days

The showWeekDays option is a crucial setting in the datepicker's behavior. If set to false, the datepicker won't append the names of the weekdays to its view.

By default, the datepicker appends the weekdays, which can be a helpful feature for users. However, if you prefer a more minimalist approach, you can disable this feature.

In some cases, disabling the weekday names might make the datepicker's view feel less cluttered. But, it's worth noting that this setting is off by default, so you can easily switch it on if you change your mind.

Toggle Active

When you're working with a datepicker, you want to make sure you understand how to toggle the active date. The toggleActive option is a crucial setting to know.

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Credit: pexels.com, Minimalist 2025 desk calendar with a modern design, perfect for planning and organizing your year.

If you set toggleActive to true, selecting the currently active date in the datepicker will unset the respective date. This can be a bit counterintuitive, but it's essential to understand its behavior.

The toggleActive option is also linked to the multidate option, which allows you to select multiple dates. When multidate is used, toggleActive is always set to true by default.

Lamar Smitham

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Lamar Smitham is a seasoned writer with a passion for crafting informative and engaging content. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for simplifying complex topics, Lamar has established himself as a trusted voice in the industry. Lamar's areas of expertise include Microsoft Licensing, where he has written in-depth articles that provide valuable insights for businesses and individuals alike.

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