Date Range Input Block – a period in one input¶
The date range input is one input for a span of days that writes two fields of the record: the first day into a start field, the last day into an end field. The user types the span, picks it in a calendar with two clicks, or takes a preset such as "next week".
This page is part of the form block reference.
1. At a glance¶
| Purpose | Edits a period stored in two date fields |
| Typical use | Absence from/until, a contract period, a planned rollout window, a maintenance window with times |
| Related | Input Block |
Use it instead of two date inputs wherever two dates belong together: the calendar shows the span, and the end can never be set before the start. The block is only offered in forms that belong to an entity.
2. Settings¶
| Setting | Meaning | Default / required |
|---|---|---|
| "Start Field" | Field that receives the first day of the span. Only date and date-and-time fields are offered. | Required |
| "End Field" | Field that receives the last day; the day itself belongs to the span. Has to be a different field. | Required |
| "End At End Of Day" | A date-and-time end field gets 23:59:59 of the end day instead of midnight, so that "up to the end" includes the whole day. No effect on a date field and with "Allow Times". | off |
| "Allow Times" | Both ends carry a time of day. Needs two date-and-time fields. A day picked without a time starts at 00:00 and ends at 23:59. | off |
| "Earliest Day" | The first day that can be chosen, as a date expression – for example today | no bound |
| "Latest Day" | The last day that can be chosen | no bound |
| "Min Days" | The fewest days a span may have, start and end day counted. Empty or below 2: a single day is allowed. | no bound |
| "Max Days" | The most days a span may have, start and end day counted. Empty or below 1: no limit. | no bound |
| "Disabled" | Condition under which the span cannot be changed | not disabled |
| "Label", "Show label" | Caption above the control and the condition under which it is shown | none, shown |
| "Placeholder" | Hint shown while no span is set | none |
| "No Presets" (Appearance) | Hides the one-click spans of the calendar | off |
| "No Required Marking" (Appearance) | Switches off the marking of an empty required start or end field | off |
| "No Words As Date" | Switches off reading words as a span | off |
| "Focus On Open", "Skip In Tab Order" | Places the cursor into the input when the form opens; lets the Tab key pass over it. See Cursor and tab key. | never, off |
In addition, the block has the settings every block has, including "Flush".
3. Behaviour¶
Entering a span¶
| Way | Example |
|---|---|
| Typing digits | 01.10. - 05.10., with "Allow Times" 01.10.2026 08:00 - 03.10.2026 17:30 |
| Typing words (English or German, in the language of the user) | nächste Woche, vom 3. bis 7. November, last 7 days, morgen bis Freitag, with "Allow Times" morgen 9 uhr bis freitag 17 uhr |
| Calendar | Two clicks: first and last day. With "Allow Times", two time fields below the calendar set the times. |
| Presets | Today, this week, next week, last week, next 7 days, last 7 days, this month, next month, last month, last 30 days |
Presets that do not fit into the bounds are left out. Days outside "Earliest Day" and "Latest Day" cannot be picked.
Bounds¶
"Min Days" and "Max Days" are number expressions and can depend on the record – for example the remaining leave days of the requester. If, for one record, the computed minimum is larger than the maximum, the minimum is dropped.
The bounds only guide the user. A rule that must hold on every save – also for actions and imports – belongs into a validation rule (see Business rules).
Required fields¶
While a Required For Save Rule applies to the start or the end field and that field is empty, the
control is drawn in the warning color of the theme. In the expressions of the block,
AssociatedFieldValue is the start day and AssociatedFieldRequired is true when either field is
required and still empty.
4. Examples¶
Leave request. "Start Field" = "From", "End Field" = "Until" (date fields), "Earliest Day" = today, "Max Days" = the field "Remaining Leave Days" of the requester. The user types "next week" and sees the span; a span longer than the remaining days cannot be picked.
Maintenance window. Two date-and-time fields "Window Start" and "Window End", "Allow Times"
on. The user types 01.10. 22:00 - 02.10. 04:00.
Reporting period with whole days. Two date-and-time fields, "End At End Of Day" on. A query "created <= end" then includes everything created on the last day.