shortcut key for current date in textbox

[janetb99]

I've got multiple date fields on a form in asp.net. I've been asked if there's a way to have a shortcut key (e.g. Ctl+semicolon) to fill the field with the current date. But, I don't want the fields to default to the current date, because many times the fields are left empty. Anybody got an example of code without buying Beans or some other outside software? Thanks, JB

[Yusuf]

One way to implement is using jquery. check Javascript jQuery Hotkeys Plugin[^]

Yusuf May I help you?

[janetb99]

Thanks, Yusef, I'll take a look. The url supplied was a "not found" - maybe a typo? Could you redo, please? Thanks!

[Yusuf]

my bad, try this instead http://api.jquery.com/keypress/[^]

Yusuf May I help you?

[NeverHeardOfMe]

Does it have to be a shortcut key? That would be a little tricky to set up in a way that is truly cross-browser, cross-OS compatible, but it would be pretty easy to have a clickable image (or text) next to each box that would do this using JavaScript.

[janetb99]

Thanks Yusef - looks like it might be putting me on the right track. Appreciate your time.

[janetb99]

Interesting idea. Got an example anywhere? Might be a good idea.

[NeverHeardOfMe]

well, use a JS function such as: function setNow(txt) { var d = new Date(); var curr_date = d.getDate(); var curr_month = d.getMonth(); curr_month++; var curr_year = d.getFullYear(); document.getElementById(txt).value = curr_date + "-" + curr_month + "-" + curr_year; } and then call it from whatever textboxes you want like this: today

[janetb99]

Thanks, NeverHeardOfMe. Doesn't work for me to only use javascript and change my textboxes to non-asp.net textboxes. I'm going to have multiple date asp.net textboxes on the page, and within any of the textboxes, I need to be able to call the shortcut to render the current date, so if they could be asp.net textboxes, your code would work. But, I need the functionality of the asp.net textbox. I tried to get the text of the asp.net textbox to be a hyperlink, but it renders the text literally today. If I could get around that, it'd be wondermous. Any ideas?

[janetb99]

NeverHeardOfMe - found it! This works: Thanks so much for pointing me in the right direction.

[janetb99]

Well, posh. Almost there. The textboxes are actually in a gridview, footer and edit rows. So, I tried this in the textbox on the footer row as a test: onClick="setNow(this);" and it didn't work. So I tried putting name="textBoxName" as well as id="textBoxName" on the control. Didn't work. Know of a way around this so that the javascript can get the correct argument? Thanks.

[NeverHeardOfMe]

You need to do it all in the RowDataBound event - find the textbox and use its ClientID property as the argument for your function call - which you will also have to build dynamivally in the same place.