> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://filla.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Date fields

> Date and date-time pickers with auto-fill, past/future restrictions, and min/max date constraints.

## Overview

Filla supports two date field types:

| Airtable field type | Form input                           | Best for                                      |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Date**            | Date picker calendar                 | Birthdays, deadlines, event dates             |
| **Date Time**       | Date-time picker with time component | Appointments, meeting times, scheduled events |

Both types share the same settings.

## Settings reference

| Setting                    | Description                                                                                                                        |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Auto-fill today's date** | Automatically fills the field with today's date when the form loads. Respondents can change it unless the field is also read-only. |
| **Block past dates**       | Prevents selection of any date before today. Use this for future-only scheduling.                                                  |
| **Block future dates**     | Prevents selection of any date after today. Use this for past event recording or birth dates.                                      |
| **Minimum date**           | The earliest date a respondent can select. Uses an absolute date picker.                                                           |
| **Maximum date**           | The latest date a respondent can select. Uses an absolute date picker.                                                             |

**Universal settings that also apply:** Label, description, required, read-only, conditional visibility, conditional read-only, must be unique, custom validation rules.

<Warning>
  Do not enable both **Block past dates** and **Block future dates** at the same time. This would leave only today's date selectable, which is almost never useful. Use **Auto-fill today's date** with one direction blocked instead.
</Warning>

## Common date configurations

**Appointment scheduling:** Enable **Block past dates** so respondents can only select upcoming dates. Optionally combine with a **Maximum date** to limit bookings to the next 30 or 60 days.

**Recording past events:** Enable **Block future dates** so respondents can only select a date that has already passed.

**Date of birth:** Enable **Block future dates** to prevent future dates. You might also set a **Minimum date** far in the past to prevent obviously invalid birth years.

**Fixed event registration period:** Set both a **Minimum date** and **Maximum date** to constrain the selectable range to specific dates.

## Auto-fill today's date

When enabled, the field pre-fills with today's date the moment the form loads — no respondent action, no URL parameters, no default-value setup needed. This is the simplest way to prefill a date field with the current date.

Use it for fields where today is almost always the right answer:

* "Date of inspection", "Report date", "Submitted on"
* "Application date", "Date completed"
* Any timestamp the respondent shouldn't have to think about

### Editable vs read-only

**Default (editable):** The field pre-fills with today's date. The respondent can change it if they need to backdate or schedule.

**Read-only + Auto-fill today's date:** The field stamps today's date automatically and the respondent cannot edit it. This is the canonical pattern for "auto-stamp the submission date" fields where you want a guaranteed accurate timestamp.

<Tip>
  The auto-fill is baked into the form's initial values at session init, so the date appears immediately rather than as a flash of empty followed by a value.
</Tip>

### Comparison with other prefill methods

| Method                     | Best for                                    | Where                                           |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| **Auto-fill today's date** | Stamping the current date                   | Date / Date Time field settings → Date options  |
| **URL parameter**          | Passing a specific date from your CRM / app | `?prefill_FieldName=2026-04-25` in the form URL |

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How does the date format display to respondents?">
    The date format follows your Airtable field's configured format. If you set the field to show dates as "January 1, 2026" in Airtable, that is how it appears in the picker.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I restrict to only certain days of the week?">
    Not currently. You can restrict by date range (min/max) and direction (past/future), but not by day of the week.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the time component respect time zones?">
    The time is stored in the respondent's local time. Airtable stores date-time values in UTC. Check your Airtable field's time zone settings to control how the time is interpreted.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>