Learn how to create a custom datepicker using Tailwind CSS and HTML in this step-by-step tutorial. Perfect for web development beginners.
Table of Contents
Creating a datepicker for your website can significantly enhance the user experience. With Tailwind CSS, you can build a stylish and functional datepicker with ease. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a datepicker using HTML and Tailwind CSS. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, this step-by-step guide will help you implement a custom datepicker in no time.
Prerequisites
Before we start, make sure you have the following:
- Basic knowledge of HTML and CSS.
- Familiarity with Tailwind CSS.
- A code editor (like VS Code).
- Node.js and npm installed on your machine (Production).
Source Code
Step 1 (HTML Code):
Let’s create the basic HTML structure for our datepicker. Create an index.html file in your project directory and add the below code.
Here's a detailed explanation of each part of the code:
1. DOCTYPE and HTML Tag:
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en">
- Declares the document type and sets the language to English.
2. Head Section:
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Tailwind Simple Datepicker</title>
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin="">
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Inter:wght@300;400;500;600;700;800&display=swap" rel="stylesheet">
<script src="https://cdn.tailwindcss.com"></script>
</head>
- Meta tags for character encoding, compatibility mode, and viewport settings.
- Title of the page.
- Preconnect to Google Fonts for better performance.
- Link to the Inter font family from Google Fonts.
- Link to Tailwind CSS from a CDN.
3. Body Section:
<body style="font-family: Inter" class="p-5 bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 antialiased">
- Sets the font family to Inter.
- Adds padding (p-5), a white background (bg-white), and dark mode background (dark).
- Enables antialiased text rendering.
4. Datepicker Container:
<div class="relative max-w-sm">
- Creates a container with relative positioning and a maximum width (max-w-sm).
5. Icon Inside the Container:
<div class="absolute inset-y-0 start-0 flex items-center ps-3.5 pointer-events-none">
<svg class="w-4 h-4 text-gray-500 dark:text-gray-400" aria-hidden="true" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="currentColor" viewBox="0 0 20 20">
<path d="M20 4a2 2 0 0 0-2-2h-2V1a1 1 0 0 0-2 0v1h-3V1a1 1 0 0 0-2 0v1H6V1a1 1 0 0 0-2 0v1H2a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v2h20V4ZM0 18a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h16a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V8H0v10Zm5-8h10a1 1 0 0 1 0 2H5a1 1 0 0 1 0-2Z"/>
</svg>
</div>
- An absolutely positioned div inside the container.
- The div contains an SVG icon representing a calendar, which is used as the datepicker icon.
- The icon is styled with Tailwind CSS classes for size and color.
6. Input Field:
<input datepicker type="text" class="bg-gray-50 border border-gray-300 text-gray-900 text-sm rounded-lg focus:ring-blue-500 focus:border-blue-500 block w-full ps-10 p-2.5 dark:bg-gray-700 dark:border-gray-600 dark:placeholder-gray-400 dark:text-white dark:focus:ring-blue-500 dark:focus:border-blue-500" placeholder="Select date">
- An input field of type text with a datepicker attribute, making it ready for datepicker functionality.
- The input field has various Tailwind CSS classes for styling:
bg-gray-50for a light gray background.border border-gray-300for a gray border.text-gray-900for dark text color.text-smfor small text size.rounded-lgfor rounded corners.focus:ring-blue-500 focus:border-blue-500for blue focus ring and border.block w-fullfor full width.ps-10 p-2.5for padding.- Dark mode styles:
dark:bg-gray-700 dark:border-gray-600 dark:placeholder-gray-400 dark:text-white dark:focus:ring-blue-500 dark:focus:border-blue-500.
- A placeholder text "Select date".
7. Flowbite Datepicker Script:
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/flowbite/2.3.0/datepicker.min.js"></script>
- Includes the Flowbite datepicker JavaScript file from a CDN, enabling the datepicker functionality for the input field.
Step 2 (CSS Code):
No custom CSS thanks to Tailwind!
/*
No custom CSS thanks to Tailwind!
tailwindcss.com
*/ Final Output:
Conclusion:
Creating a datepicker with Tailwind CSS and HTML is a straightforward process. By following this tutorial, you’ve learned how to set up a project, structure your HTML, style your datepicker with Tailwind CSS, and add interactivity with JavaScript. This custom datepicker can be easily integrated into any web project, enhancing the user experience with a stylish and functional component. Feel free to customize and expand upon this example to suit your specific needs.
Credit: Flowbite
That’s a wrap!
I hope you enjoyed this post. Now, with these examples, you can create your own amazing page.
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Thanks!
Faraz 😊
