React date picker component with calendar popup and keyboard navigation. Built with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS for Next.js using Popover and Calendar.
Ever watched users type "31/02/2024" into a date field and wonder why your form broke? Or built a booking system where people kept selecting dates in the past? Yeah, plain text inputs for dates are a disaster waiting to happen. This shadcn/ui date picker brings sanity to date selection in your React apps.
Calendar popups that actually prevent invalid dates:
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"use client"import { format } from "date-fns"import { Calendar as CalendarIcon } from "lucide-react"import * as React from "react"import { Button } from "~/components/ui/button"import { Calendar } from "~/components/ui/calendar"import { Popover, PopoverContent, PopoverTrigger } from "~/components/ui/popover"export default function DatePickerDemo() { const [date, setDate] = React.useState<Date>() return ( <div className="w-full p-6 flex justify-center"> <Popover> <PopoverTrigger asChild> <Button className="data-[empty=true]:text-muted-foreground w-[280px] justify-start text-left font-normal" data-empty={!date} variant="outline" > <CalendarIcon /> {date ? format(date, "PPP") : <span>Pick a date</span>} </Button> </PopoverTrigger> <PopoverContent className="w-auto p-0"> <Calendar mode="single" onSelect={setDate} selected={date} /> </PopoverContent> </Popover> </div> )}
Built by combining shadcn's Popover and Calendar components with date-fns for formatting. Styled with Tailwind CSS so it matches your design system instead of looking like a jQuery plugin from 2010.
Here's the thing—dates are complicated. Different countries use different formats. February has 28 days, except when it has 29. Users make typos, pick impossible dates, or get confused by ambiguous formats like 01/02/03. A text input hopes users get it right. A smart date picker makes it impossible to get wrong.
Think about how Airbnb handles check-in dates or how Google Calendar schedules events. You click a date, you see a calendar, you pick visually. No typing "MM/DD/YYYY" and hoping users understand what that means. No parsing "next Tuesday" and guessing which Tuesday they meant.
This free shadcn date picker handles the complex parts—date validation, calendar math, keyboard navigation, locale formatting—while you focus on your app's logic. Whether you're building booking forms, scheduling tools, or analytics dashboards in your Next.js applications, date pickers that prevent errors save everyone time in your JavaScript projects.
Disable impossible dates. This free shadcn/ui date picker lets you block past dates for bookings or future dates for birthdays. Use the disabled prop with date matchers. Your React component handles the logic—you define what makes sense for your use case.
Format dates consistently. Different countries expect different formats—MM/DD/YYYY vs DD/MM/YYYY can cause confusion. This TypeScript component works with date-fns for formatting. Pick one format and use it everywhere in your Next.js application.
Handle timezone issues explicitly. A date picked in New York might be yesterday in Los Angeles. This open source shadcn component gives you Date objects—you handle timezone conversion based on your app's needs. Don't let date boundaries surprise users.
Consider mobile carefully. Native date inputs on phones are often better than custom calendars. Test on real devices. Maybe use native inputs on mobile and this JavaScript date picker on desktop. Your users care about usability, not consistency.
Add helpful placeholders. Show users what format you expect with placeholder text like "MM/DD/YYYY" or "Select date". The Tailwind CSS styled button can show helpful hints before selection. Guide users before they need to think.
Date pickers naturally work with Form components for validation and error handling in your React applications. Use Button components as custom triggers when you need more control over appearance.
For date ranges, combine with Input components to show selected range as text. Label components ensure accessibility for screen readers. This open source pattern keeps your forms consistent and usable.
When building booking interfaces, pair date pickers with Select components for time slots or Dialog components for confirmation. The date picker handles date selection—other shadcn components handle the surrounding workflow.
For complex scheduling, use date pickers with Calendar components for different views (month, week, day). Your JavaScript application can coordinate between components while each handles its specific responsibility.