Tag Archives: date

Using TimePicker and DatePicker for entering time and date information

The TimePicker and DatePicker User Interface Controls

Entering the date and time are common features of business applications. We could use a text edit box and let the user type in times (like 10:30) or dates (12 January 2015) but both methods require the user to enter the time or date in the proper format – and the app needs to test the entered data to ensure it was entered correctly.

A better solution is to use App Inventors TimePicker and DatePicker controls. Both provide a graphical method of selecting input values. For example, the TimePicker displays the following:

TimeDate_TimePickerUIThe time is set by pressing the + or – buttons above and below the hours and minutes. The AM/PM indicator is a toggle – when it shows PM, a press changes it to AM, and when it shows AM, a press changes it to PM. With this input system, the user can never entered an invalid time (the user could, of course, enter the wrong time, but that is a different problem!)

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