How to set input type date's default value to today?

Question

The HTML5 input types are great, Opera\'s new built-in date picker is a breeze, and Chrome has at least supported the new input type with a spin-wheel implementation.

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Answer 1

The JavaScript Date object provides enough built-in support for the required format to avoid doing it manually:

Add this for correct timezone support:

Date.prototype.toDateInputValue = (function() {
    var local = new Date(this);
    local.setMinutes(this.getMinutes() - this.getTimezoneOffset());
    return local.toJSON().slice(0,10);
});

jQuery:

$(document).ready( function() {
    $('#datePicker').val(new Date().toDateInputValue());
});​

Pure JS:

document.getElementById('datePicker').value = new Date().toDateInputValue();