How to add Date Picker Bootstrap 3 on MVC 5 project using the Razor engine?

I need some guide lines on how to install a Date Picker Bootstrap 3 on a MVC 5 project using the Razor engine. I found this link here but couldn't make it work in VS2013.

Copying from the example in the later link above I've already done the following:

            bundles.Add(new ScriptBundle("~/bundles/bootstrap").Include(
                  "~/Scripts/bootstrap.js",
                  "~/Scripts/bootstrap-datepicker.js",    // ** NEW for Bootstrap Datepicker
                  "~/Scripts/respond.js"));

        bundles.Add(new StyleBundle("~/Content/css").Include(
                  "~/Content/bootstrap.css",
                  "~/Content/bootstrap-datepicker.css",  // ** NEW for Bootstrap Datepicker
                  "~/Content/site.css"));

Then I've added the script to the index view as follow

@section Scripts {
@Scripts.Render("~/bundles/jqueryval")

<script type="text/javascript">
    $('.datepicker').datepicker(); //Initialise any date pickers
</script>
}

Now, how to call the date picker here?

   <div class="form-group input-group-sm">
    @Html.LabelFor(model => model.DropOffDate)
    @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.DropOffDate, new { @class = "form-control", placeholder = "Enter Drop-off date here..." })
    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.DropOffDate)
</div>

This answer uses the jQuery UI Datepicker, which is a separate include. There are other ways to do this without including jQuery UI.

First, you simply need to add the datepicker class to the textbox, in addition to form-control:

<div class="form-group input-group-sm">
    @Html.LabelFor(model => model.DropOffDate)
    @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.DropOffDate, new { @class = "form-control datepicker", placeholder = "Enter Drop-off date here..." })
    @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.DropOffDate)
</div>

Then, to be sure the javascript is triggered after the textbox is rendered, you have to put the datepicker call in the jQuery ready function:

<script type="text/javascript">
    $(function () { // will trigger when the document is ready
       $('.datepicker').datepicker(); //Initialise any date pickers
    });
</script>

This answer simply applies the type=date attribute to the HTML input element and relies on the browser to supply a date picker. Note that even in 2017, not all browsers provide their own date picker, so you may want to provide a fall back.

All you have to do is add attributes to the property in the view model. Example for variable Ldate:

[DataType(DataType.Date)]
[DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "{0:yyyy-MM-dd}", ApplyFormatInEditMode = true)]
Public DateTime Ldate {get;set;}

Assuming you're using MVC 5 and Visual Studio 2013.

Add just these two lines before the datetime property in your model

[DataType(DataType.Date)] 
[DisplayFormat(DataFormatString = "{0:yyyy-MM-dd}", ApplyFormatInEditMode = true)]

and result will be :

I hope this can help someone who was faced with my same problem.

This answer uses the Bootstrap DatePicker Plugin, which is not native to bootstrap.

Make sure you install Bootstrap DatePicker through NuGet

Create a small piece of JavaScript and name it DatePickerReady.js save it in Scripts dir. This will make sure it works even in non HTML5 browsers although those are few nowadays.

if (!Modernizr.inputtypes.date) {
    $(function () {

       $(".datecontrol").datepicker();

    });
}

Set the bundles

bundles.Add(New ScriptBundle("~/bundles/bootstrap").Include(
              "~/Scripts/bootstrap.js",
              "~/Scripts/bootstrap-datepicker.js",
              "~/Scripts/DatePickerReady.js",
              "~/Scripts/respond.js"))

bundles.Add(New StyleBundle("~/Content/css").Include(
              "~/Content/bootstrap.css",
              "~/Content/bootstrap-datepicker3.css",
              "~/Content/site.css"))

Now set the Datatype so that when EditorFor is used MVC will identify what is to be used.

<Required>
<DataType(DataType.Date)>
Public Property DOB As DateTime? = Nothing

Your view code should be

@Html.EditorFor(Function(model) model.DOB, New With {.htmlAttributes = New With {.class = "form-control datecontrol", .PlaceHolder = "Enter Date of Birth"}})

and voila

Attempting to provide a concise update, based on Enzero's answer.

• Install the Bootstrap.Datepicker package.

    PM> install-package Bootstrap.Datepicker
    ...
    Successfully installed 'Bootstrap.Datepicker 1.7.1' to ...
  

• In AppStart/BundleConfig.cs, add the related scripts and styles in the bundles.

    bundles.Add(new ScriptBundle("~/bundles/bootstrap").Include(
          //...,
          "~/Scripts/bootstrap-datepicker.js",
          "~/Scripts/locales/bootstrap-datepicker.YOUR-LOCALE-CODE-HERE.min.js"));
  
    bundles.Add(new StyleBundle("~/Content/css").Include(
          ...,
          "~/Content/bootstrap-datepicker3.css"));
  

• In the related view, in the scripts' section, enable and customize datepicker.

    @section scripts{
        <script type="text/javascript">
            //...
            $('.datepicker').datepicker({
                format: 'dd/mm/yyyy', //choose the date format you prefer
                language: "YOUR-LOCALE-CODE-HERE",
                orientation: 'left bottom'
            });
        </script>
  

• Eventually add the datepicker class in the related control. For instance, in a TextBox and for a date format in the like of "31/12/2018" this would be:

    @Html.TextBox("YOUR-STRING-FOR-THE-DATE", "{0:dd/MM/yyyy}", new { @class = "datepicker" })
  

[DataType(DataType.Date)]
public DateTime BirthDate { get; set; }

decorate your model like this. can use a bootstrap date time picker I used this one. https://github.com/Eonasdan/bootstrap-datetimepicker/

I suppose you already have bundles for bootstrap css and js

Your date picker bundle entries

 bundles.Add(new ScriptBundle("~/bundles/datePicker").Include(
           "~/Scripts/moment.min.js",
           "~/Scripts/bootstrap-datetimepicker.min.js"));

        bundles.Add(new StyleBundle("~/Content/datepicker").Include(
                 "~/Content/bootstrap-datetimepicker.min.css"));

Render bundles on your Layout View

@Styles.Render("~/Content/datepicker")
@Scripts.Render("~/bundles/datePicker")

Your HTML in view

<div class="form-group">
        @Html.LabelFor(model => model.BirthDate, htmlAttributes: new { @class = "lead col-md-2" })
        <div class="col-md-10">
            @Html.TextBoxFor(model => model.BirthDate, new { @class = "datetimepicker form-control" })
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.BirthDate, "", new { @class = "text-danger" })
        </div>
</div>

At the end of your view add this.

<script>
    $(document).ready(function () {
        $('.datetimepicker').datetimepicker({
            format: 'lll'
        });
    });
</script>

1.make sure you ref jquery.js at first
2.check layout,make sure you call "/bundles/bootstrap"
3.check layout,see render section Scripts position,it must be after "/bundles/bootstrap"
4.add class "datepicker" to textbox
5.put $('.datepicker').datepicker(); in $(function(){...});

Add @type = "date" on your code :

{ @class = "form-control", placeholder = "Enter Drop-off date here...", @type = "date" }

Checkout Shield UI's Date Picker for MVC. A powerful component that you can integrate with a few lines like:

@(Html.ShieldDatePicker()
    .Name("datepicker"))

Simple:

[DataType(DataType.Date)]
Public DateTime Ldate {get;set;}