Date field

Store a day, time, or RFC 3339 timestamp with an explicit picker contract.

Use field.Date for a calendar day, wall-clock time, or absolute timestamp. Date values remain strings on the wire so their format and timezone meaning stay explicit.

In the admin

A populated Publication date field beside its open September 2026 calendar in the Ridu admin.

Picker appearance also selects the wire format; this day-and-time value is stored as an RFC 3339 timestamp.

Choose the value shape

content/events.go

field.Date(
  "startsAt",
  field.Required(),
  field.PickerAppearance(field.DatePickerDayAndTime),
)

Appearance	Accepted value	Use it for
`DatePickerDayOnly`	`YYYY-MM-DD`	Birthdays, release days, and other calendar dates
`DatePickerDayAndTime`	RFC 3339 timestamp	An instant such as `2027-06-10T09:30:00Z`
`DatePickerTimeOnly`	`HH:mm` or `HH:mm:ss`	A local opening time without a date

The selected appearance controls both server validation and the admin control. Omitting it uses the default; set it when consumers depend on one shape.

Options, querying, and localization

Date supports Required, string defaults, localization, uniqueness/indexing, and common admin options. Filters and sorts compare normalized accepted date strings. Use RFC 3339 with an explicit offset for day-and-time values; convert for display in the consumer rather than removing timezone information before storage.

A localized date is appropriate only when the underlying content really differs by locale. A single event instant usually should not be localized merely because each audience formats it differently.

Common mistakes

Do not send a JavaScript Date object directly. Serialize a day/time string matching the chosen appearance.
A day-only value has no timezone. Do not convert it through midnight UTC and accidentally move it to another day.
Time-only values need an application-owned timezone and recurrence model if they represent store hours or schedules.

See field.Date, field.PickerAppearance, and querying.