HTML5 Event Calendar/Scheduler

Dan Letecky

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18 Jan 2021Apache

Weekly HTML5 event calendar with CSS themes, drag and drop support, date navigator. PHP and ASP.NET MVC REST API backends.

In this article, we will build a simple HTML5 event calendar web application. The client-side (HTML5/JavaScript) part is universal. We will use sample PHP and ASP.NET Core backends. This article will look at: changing the calendar date using a date picker (on the left side), drag and drop event creating, moving and resizing, changing the look in a single click using a CSS theme, PHP backend, and ASP.NET Core backend (REST API).

Download sample project for PHP
(HTML5, JavaScript, CSS + PHP) [code.daypilot.org]
Download sample project for ASP.NET Core
(HTML5, JavaScript, CSS + ASP.NET MVC Core, .NET 5) [code.daypilot.org]
Download DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 2021.1 Event Calendar
(Open-Source) [javascript.daypilot.org]
Online demo
[javascript.daypilot.org]

In this article, we will build a simple HTML5 event calendar web application. The client-side (HTML5/JavaScript) part is universal. We will use sample PHP and ASP.NET MVC backends.

Features:

Weekly HTML5 event calendar/scheduler
Changing the calendar using a date navigator (on the left side)
Drag and drop event creating, moving and resizing
Changing the look in a single click using a CSS theme
PHP REST backend
ASP.NET Core REST backend

We will use DayPilot Lite for JavaScript [javascript.daypilot.org] to build the event calendar. DayPilot Lite for JavaScript is open-source - available under Apache License 2.0.

Scheduler CSS Themes

DayPilot Lite for JavaScript comes with several pre-built CSS themes.

You can create your own theme using the online CSS theme designer [themes.daypilot.org].

Default CSS Theme

Green CSS Theme

Google-Like CSS Theme

Traditional CSS Theme

Transparent CSS Theme

White CSS Theme

Step 1: Event Calendar JavaScript Library

Include daypilot-all.min.js. No other dependencies are required for the basic look (the default CSS theme is embedded).

<script src="js/daypilot/daypilot-all.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

Step 2: Event Calendar Placeholder

Add a placeholder <div> to the HTML5 page:

<div id="dp"></div>

Step 3: Initialize the Scheduler

Initialize the scheduler using Daypilot.Calendar class:

<script type="text/javascript">
  var dp = new DayPilot.Calendar("dp");
  dp.viewType = "Week";
  dp.init();
</script>

These simple steps will render an empty scheduler:

Step 4: Load Data

We will load the data to the event calendar using a simple AJAX call:

function loadEvents() {
  DayPilot.Http.ajax({
    url: "backend_events.php?start=" + dp.visibleStart() + 
         "&end=" + dp.visibleEnd(),   // in .NET, use "/api/CalendarEvents"
    success: function(data) {
        dp.events.list = data;
        dp.update();
    }
  });
}

Since version 2018.2.232, you can also use a built-in shortcut method to load events:

function loadEvents() {
  dp.events.load("backend_events.php"); // in .NET, use "api/CalendarEvents"
}

We will detect the currently-visible date range using visibleStart() and visibleEnd() methods and send it to backend_events.php as parameters.

The backend_event.php endpoint returns the calendar event data in the following format:

[
  {
    "id":"1",
    "text":"Calendar Event 1",
    "start":"2021-02-25T10:30:00",
    "end":"2021-02-25T16:30:00"
  },
  {
    "id":"2",
    "text":"Calendar Event 2",
    "start":"2021-02-24T09:00:00",
    "end":"2021-02-24T14:30:00"
  },
  {
    "id":"3",
    "text":"Calendar Event 3",
    "start":"2021-02-27T12:00:00",
    "end":"2021-02-27T16:00:00"
  }
]

PHP backend (backend_events.php):

<?php
require_once '_db.php';
    
$stmt = $db->prepare('SELECT * FROM events WHERE NOT ((end <= :start) OR (start >= :end))');

$stmt->bindParam(':start', $_GET['start']);
$stmt->bindParam(':end', $_GET['end']);

$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->fetchAll();

class Event {}
$events = array();

foreach($result as $row) {
  $e = new Event();
  $e->id = $row['id'];
  $e->text = $row['name'];
  $e->start = $row['start'];
  $e->end = $row['end'];
  $events[] = $e;
}

echo json_encode($events);

?>

ASP.NET Core backend (CalendarEventsController.cs):

// GET: api/CalendarEvents
[HttpGet]
public async Task<ActionResult<IEnumerable<CalendarEvent>>> 
       GetEvents([FromQuery] DateTime start, [FromQuery] DateTime end)
{
    return await _context.Events
        .Where(e => !((e.End <= start) || (e.Start >= end)))
        .ToListAsync();
}

Read more about loading the calendar event data [doc.daypilot.org].

Step 5: Event Moving

The drag and drop user actions (selecting a time range, event moving, event resizing) are enabled by default in the scheduler.

We just need to add custom handler to submit the changes to the server side using an AJAX call.

JavaScript event handler (for PHP):

dp.onEventMoved = function (args) {
  DayPilot.Http.ajax({
    url: "backend_move.php",
    data: {
      id: args.e.data.id,
      newStart: args.newStart,
      newEnd: args.newEnd
    },
    success: function () {
      console.log("Event was moved.");
    }
  });
};

PHP backend (backend_move.php):

<?php

require_once '_db.php';

$json = file_get_contents('php://input');
$params = json_decode($json);

$insert = "UPDATE events SET start = :start, end = :end WHERE id = :id";

$stmt = $db->prepare($insert);

$stmt->bindParam(':start', $params->newStart);
$stmt->bindParam(':end', $params->newEnd);
$stmt->bindParam(':id', $params->id);

$stmt->execute();

class Result {}

$response = new Result();
$response->result = 'OK';
$response->message = 'Update was successful';

header('Content-Type: application/json');
echo json_encode($response);

JavaScript event handler (for ASP.NET Core):

dp.onEventMoved = function (args) {
    DayPilot.Http.ajax({
        url: "/api/CalendarEvents/" + args.e.id(),
        method: "PUT",
        data: {
            id: args.e.data.id,
            start: args.newStart,
            end: args.newEnd,
            text: args.e.data.text
        },
        success: function () {
            console.log("Event was Resized.");
        }
    });
};

ASP.NET Core backend (CalendarEventsController.cs):

// PUT: api/CalendarEvents/5
[HttpPut("{id}")]
public async Task<IActionResult> PutCalendarEvent(int id, CalendarEvent calendarEvent)
{
    if (id != calendarEvent.Id)
    {
        return BadRequest();
    }

    _context.Entry(calendarEvent).State = EntityState.Modified;

    try
    {
        await _context.SaveChangesAsync();
    }
    catch (DbUpdateConcurrencyException)
    {
        if (!CalendarEventExists(id))
        {
            return NotFound();
        }
        else
        {
            throw;
        }
    }

    return NoContent();
}

Read more about drag and drop event moving [doc.daypilot.org].

Step 6: Apply the CSS Theme

If you want to use a custom CSS theme, you need to include the stylesheet:

<link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="themes/calendar_transparent.css" />

And set the theme property during initialization:

<script type="text/javascript">
  var dp = new DayPilot.Calendar("dp");
  dp.viewType = "Week";
  dp.theme = "calendar_transparent";
  dp.init();
</script>

You can choose one of the included CSS themes or you can create your own using the online CSS theme designer.

Monthly Event Calendar

DayPilot also includes a monthly event calendar view. The API of the monthly view control uses the same design as the daily/weekly calendar:

<div id="dp"></div>

<script type="text/javascript">
  var dp = new DayPilot.Month("dp");
  dp.startDate = "2021-01-01";
  dp.init();
</script>

Event Calendar Localization

You can switch the event calendar locale easily using .locale property:

<script type="text/javascript">
  var dp = new DayPilot.Calendar("dp");
  dp.locale = "de-de";
  dp.init();
</script>

The calendar includes built-in support for the following locales:

ca-es
cs-cz
da-dk
de-at
de-ch
de-de
de-lu
en-au
en-ca
en-gb
en-us
es-es
es-mx
eu-es
fi-fi
fr-be
fr-ch
fr-fr
fr-lu
gl-es
it-it
it-ch
ja-jp
nb-no
nl-nl
nl-be
nn-no
pt-br
pl-pl
pt-pt
ru-ru
sk-sk
sv-se
zh-cn

You can also create and register your own locale:

DayPilot.Locale.register(
  new DayPilot.Locale('en-us', 
  {
    'dayNames':['Sunday','Monday','Tuesday','Wednesday','Thursday','Friday','Saturday'],
    'dayNamesShort':['Su','Mo','Tu','We','Th','Fr','Sa'],
    'monthNames':['January','February','March','April','May',
                  'June','July','August','September','October','November','December'],
    'monthNamesShort':['Jan','Feb','Mar','Apr','May','Jun',
                       'Jul','Aug','Sep','Oct','Nov','Dec'],
    'timePattern':'h:mm tt',
    'datePattern':'M/d/yyyy',
    'dateTimePattern':'M/d/yyyy h:mm tt',
    'timeFormat':'Clock12Hours',
    'weekStarts':0
  }
));

Changing the Scheduler Date

You can use the DayPilot.Navigator control (on the left side in the screenshot above) to change the scheduler dates (the visible week):

<div id="nav"></div>

<script type="text/javascript">
  var nav = new DayPilot.Navigator("nav");
  nav.showMonths = 3;
  nav.skipMonths = 3;
  nav.selectMode = "week";
  nav.onTimeRangeSelected = function(args) {
      dp.startDate = args.day;
      dp.update();
      loadEvents();
  };
  nav.init();
</script>

Duration Bar

Version 1.1 of the DayPilot Lite HTML5 event calendar supports a duration bar (an indicator of real calendar event duration on the left side of the event). It is enabled by default and you can style it using the CSS theme.

Event Customization (HTML, CSS)

Since version 1.3 SP3, DayPilot Lite supports event customization using onBeforeEventRender event handler:

<div id="dp"></div>

<script type="text/javascript">

    var dp = new DayPilot.Calendar("dp");

    // view
    dp.startDate = "2016-06-06";
    dp.viewType = "Week";
    dp.durationBarVisible = false;

    dp.events.list = [
        {
            "start": "2016-06-07T10:00:00",
            "end": "2016-06-07T13:00:00",
            "id": "29b7a553-d44f-8f2c-11e1-a7d5f62eb123",
            "text": "Event 3",
            "backColor": "#B6D7A8",
            "borderColor": "#6AA84F"
        },
        {
            "start": "2016-06-07T14:00:00",
            "end": "2016-06-07T17:00:00",
            "id": "ff968cfb-eba1-8dc1-7396-7f0d4f465c8a",
            "text": "Event 4",
            "backColor": "#EA9999",
            "borderColor": "#CC0000",
            "tags": {
                "type": "important"
            }
        }
    ];

    dp.onBeforeEventRender = function(args) {
        if (args.data.tags && args.data.tags.type === "important"){
            args.data.html = "<b>Important Event</b><br>" + args.data.text;
            args.data.fontColor = "#fff";
            args.data.backColor = "#E06666";
        }
    };

    dp.init();


</script>

You can use it to customize the following properties:

backColor
barBackColor
barColor
barHidden
borderColor
cssClass
fontColor
html
toolTip

Demo:

Event Customization Demo [javascript.daypilot.org]

Monthly Calendar Event Customization

Event customization support was added to the monthly calendar control in DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.3 SP4.

DayPilot Month supports customization of the following event properties:

backColor
borderColor
cssClass
fontColor
html
toolTip

Demo:

Monthly Calendar Event Customization Demo [javascript.daypilot.org]

Example:

<div id="dp"></div>

<script type="text/javascript">
    var dp = new DayPilot.Month("dp");

    // ...
    
    dp.events.list = [
        {
            "start": "2021-03-03T00:00:00",
            "end": "2021-03-03T12:00:00",
            "id": "5a8376d2-8e3d-9739-d5d9-c1fba6ec02f9",
            "text": "Event 3"
        },
        {
            "start": "2021-02-25T00:00:00",
            "end": "2021-02-27T12:00:00",
            "id": "1fa34626-113a-ccb7-6a38-308e6cbe571e",
            "text": "Event 4",
            "tags": {
                "type": "important"
            }
        },
        // ...
    ];

    dp.onBeforeEventRender = function(args) {
        var type = args.data.tags && args.data.tags.type;
        switch (type) {
            case "important":
                args.data.fontColor = "#fff";
                args.data.backColor = "#E06666";
                args.data.borderColor = "#E06666";
                break;
            // ...
        }
    };

    dp.init();

</script>

AngularJS Plugin

Since version 1.2, DayPilot Lite includes an AngularJS Event Calendar plugin that allows using the event calendar in AngularJS. The calendar can be initialized using a special directive (<daypilot-calendar> element). It supports AngularJS two-way automatic data binding.

Quick example:

<script src="scripts/angular.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="scripts/daypilot-all.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

<div ng-app="main" ng-controller="CalendarCtrl" >
  <daypilot-calendar id="dp" config="config" ></daypilot-calendar>
</div>

<script type="text/javascript">
  var app = angular.module('main', ['daypilot']).controller('CalendarCtrl', function($scope) {
      // ...
      $scope.config = {
          startDate: "2016-09-01",
          viewType: "Week"
      };
  });
</script>

See also AngularJS Event Calendar Tutorial [code.daypilot.org].

jQuery Plugin

DayPilot includes a jQuery event calendar plugin that allows initialization of the calendar using jQuery API.

Quick example:

<script src="scripts/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="scripts/daypilot-all.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>

<div id="dp"></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
    var dp = $("dp").daypilotCalendar({
      startDate: new DayPilot.Date("2021-03-25").firstDayOfMonth(),
      viewType: "Week"
    });
</script>

History

January 18, 2021: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 2021.1.248 released; ASP.NET Core backend (.NET 5, Entity Framework); jQuery dependency removed
June 18, 2018: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 2018.1.232 released (API improvements, event deleting added to the project source code)
February 27, 2018: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 2018.1.228 released (introduces event deleting)
December 12, 2016: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.3 SP5 released; Navigator CSS styling improved
August 24, 2016: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.3 SP4 released; includes support for monthly calendar event customization
June 6, 2016: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.3 SP3 released; event customization example added
April 26, 2016: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.3 SP2 released; AngularJS "controller as" syntax example added.
January 3, 2016: Switching the CSS theme fixed. DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.3 SP1 released. The sample project uses the latest DayPilot Lite version. The sample ASP.NET MVC project uses Visual Studio 2015. jQuery section added. Monthly calendar view section added.
November 2, 2015: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.3 released.
June 3, 2015: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.2 SP2 released.
March 23, 2015: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.2 SP1 released. Sample projects updated and fixed (drag and drop event resizing).
January 12, 2015: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.2 released, includes AngularJS event calendar plugin, AngularJS monthly calendar plugin
November 10, 2014: Doc links added.
July 17, 2014: Navigator code for switching the visible week added
May 15, 2014: backend_events.php code listing fixed ($_POST instead of $_GET)
April 1, 2014: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.1 SP1 released, localization example added
March 17, 2014: Sample ASP.NET MVC5 backend added (download and code listing)
March 13, 2014: DayPilot Lite for JavaScript 1.1 released
February 24, 2014: Initial version