Date Entry Widget

You do a lot of date entry / date selection when choosing criteria or entering fields.

Here's a simple way to speed the process.

Currently you either type directly into a dateEntry field or click on a separate calendar iconbutton in order to invoke the Calendar popup. Each dateEntry field has its own calendar iconbutton.

Here’s another design approach that takes up less screenspace, is keyboard centric - and might also be simpler and more extensible.

When you click on or tab into the dateEntry field, the calendar popup immediately opens.

The calendar popup displays the current month and the next month, with today’s date highlighted. (An alternative Calendar style: a continuous calendar with scrollbar)

The default date in the dateEntry field is automatically pre-populated to an appropriate value, depending on the context.

The focus remains in the dateField. You can - without mousing around - type seamlessly and directly into the dateField. (The calendar popup might graphically reflect the date you've entered from the keyboard, as visual reinforcement)

Other "common sense" keyboard shortcuts allow you to adjust the date incrementally (s.a. right and left arrows move the date forward and backward in time).

By the same token; If you click on a datebox in the Calendar popup, that date is entered automatically in the dateEntry field. It's context-sensitive.

The point here is to make the "form entry" process as quick & seamless as possible - in this case, by integrating keyboard access.

This Idea Tool relates to the issues surrounding Keyboard vs Mouse. It also might be considered part of Best Practices.