How to Set a Placeholder in Input Type Date with React

Learn how to effectively manage date input fields in React by setting placeholders without errors.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68480474/ asked by the user '김정수' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/15560789/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/68484055/ provided by the user 'Ali Mohamadi' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/15336477/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to set placeholder in input type date [React]

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/licensing
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Setting a Placeholder in Input Type Date with React

When working with date inputs in React, many developers encounter the challenge of setting a placeholder. The native <input type="date"> doesn’t support the placeholder attribute like regular text inputs do. So, how can you implement a user-friendly way to guide users on what to input?

In this post, we will explore the problem, understand the limitations, and provide a solution for effectively managing date inputs with placeholders in React.

Understanding the Problem

The original question arises when a developer attempts to provide a placeholder for an input of type date. Here’s a snippet they used:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Issues Encountered

Type Handling: The developer wanted to toggle between type text and type date.

Error Messages: The approach threw an error indicating that the onFocus and onBlur attributes were expecting functions but received strings instead.

The Solution

To resolve these challenges, we’ll utilize React's ref to directly manipulate the input's type without running into the limitations seen in the initial code. Here’s how you can implement it:

Step-by-Step Implementation

Set Up a Component: Create a React component that hosts the date input.

Use useRef: Use React’s useRef to reference the input field.

Manage Type: Change the input type on focus and blur events with functions instead of string values.

Code Example:

Here’s a complete example based on the mentioned solution:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

Input Type: Initially set to text to allow the placeholder to be visible.

onFocus: When the input is focused, the type changes to date, allowing the calendar picker to appear.

onBlur: When the focus is lost, it reverts back to text, bringing back the placeholder.

Ref Usage: The useRef hook provides a way to directly manipulate the DOM node through ref.current.

Conclusion

Working with date inputs in React can lead to difficulties, especially when trying to add placeholders. By utilizing React's capabilities such as useRef, developers can seamlessly transition between input types while maintaining user guidance with placeholders.

Next time you face a problem where the native HTML doesn’t allow for elegant solutions, remember that React's flexibility provides workarounds that can enhance the user experience.

Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or if you'd like to share your experience with date inputs in React!

Видео How to Set a Placeholder in Input Type Date with React канала vlogize