Create a Simple Datepicker with Tailwind CSS and HTML

By Faraz - May 29, 2024

Learn how to create a custom datepicker using Tailwind CSS and HTML in this step-by-step tutorial. Perfect for web development beginners.

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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-50 for a light gray background.
- border border-gray-300 for a gray border.
- text-gray-900 for dark text color.
- text-sm for small text size.
- rounded-lg for rounded corners.
- focus:ring-blue-500 focus:border-blue-500 for blue focus ring and border.
- block w-full for full width.
- ps-10 p-2.5 for 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.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<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>
<body style="font-family: Inter" class="p-5 bg-white dark:bg-gray-900 antialiased">
<div class="relative max-w-sm">
  <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>
  <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">
</div>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/flowbite/2.3.0/datepicker.min.js"></script>
  </body>
</html>

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Step 2 (CSS Code):

No custom CSS thanks to Tailwind!

/*

 No custom CSS thanks to Tailwind!
 tailwindcss.com

*/

Final Output:

create-a-simple-datepicker-with-tailwind-css-and-html.gif

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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.

Did you like it? Let me know in the comments below 🔥 and you can support me by buying me a coffee

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Thanks!
Faraz 😊