---
title: "Javascript Timeline Custom Range Picker View Example | Mobiscroll"
component: "Timeline"
framework: "JavaScript"
library_version: "6.1.5"
url: "https://demo.mobiscroll.com/javascript/timeline/custom-range-view"
---
# Custom Range Picker View - JavaScript Timeline demo
Replace the Javascript Timeline's default header navigation with a range picker — let users set any custom date range, synced two-way with the timeline. Plain JavaScript API.
- [Live demo](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/javascript/timeline/custom-range-view)
- [View code on GitHub](https://github.com/acidb/mobiscroll-demos-javascript/tree/main/src/demos/eventcalendar/timeline/custom-range-view)
- This demo in other frameworks: [jQuery](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/jquery/timeline/custom-range-view.md), [Angular](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/angular/timeline/custom-range-view.md), [React](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/react/timeline/custom-range-view.md), [Vue](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/vue/timeline/custom-range-view.md)
## Description
The timeline comes with [built-in support for day, week, month and year views](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/javascript/timeline/multiple-days-weeks-months-quarters-years-variable-resolution). For those situations where a custom range makes more sense, it is possible to override the calendar navigation component with a [range picker](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/javascript/range/date-filtering-with-predefined-ranges).
The calendar header can be easily customized and a two-way synchronization needs to be kept between the timeline and range picker.
## What this demo shows
- A desktop timeline layout with a custom date range arranged horizontally and resources arranged vertically on the left.
- **Header** The header shows the selected custom date range on the left. Clicking the displayed range opens an anchored range picker for choosing a custom range instead of relying only on fixed day, week, month, or year views.
- **Header navigation** The previous and next controls and the Today button move the timeline range backward, forward, or back to the current day.
- **Custom range view** The fixed strip below the header displays the days in the selected range, with the current date highlighted.
- **Resources** Multiple resources are shown vertically on the left side of the timeline as individual rows.
- **Event labels** Events are rendered as colored labels inside the day cells, with the event title shown in bold.
- **Date positioning** Events are positioned according to both their assigned resource and their exact date range.
- **Event interaction** Events are highlighted on hover and show drag and resize handles for repositioning or changing duration.
- **Event selection** Clicking an event selects and highlights it.
- **Event creation** Users can create a new event by double-clicking the timeline or by clicking and dragging across it.
- **Scrolling** The timeline supports horizontal and vertical scrolling for navigating through time and resources.
## Best for
- **Conference and event planning** Coordinate multi-day conferences, trade shows, workshops, festivals, corporate events, meetings, and sessions.
- **Project and program management** Track project phases, milestones, launches, deadlines, and team activities across several weeks in one timeline view.
- **Business travel and itineraries** Plan business trips, tours, client visits, training programs, and travel schedules while keeping appointments visible.
- **Marketing and campaign planning** Manage campaigns, content schedules, product launches, promotional events, and key milestones over extended periods.
## API used in this demo
- [`theme`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-theme) - option
- [`themeVariant`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-themeVariant) - option
- [`clickToCreate`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-clickToCreate) - option
- [`dragToCreate`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-dragToCreate) - option
- [`dragToMove`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-dragToMove) - option
- [`dragToResize`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-dragToResize) - option
- [`eventDelete`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-eventDelete) - option
- [`resources`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-resources) - option
- [`view`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-view) - option
- [`renderHeader`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#renderer-renderHeader) - renderer
- [`onPageLoaded`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#event-onPageLoaded) - event
- [`select`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/datepicker/api#opt-select) - option
- [`display`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/datepicker/api#opt-display) - option
- [`showOverlay`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/datepicker/api#opt-showOverlay) - option
- [`touchUi`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/datepicker/api#opt-touchUi) - option
- [`buttons`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/datepicker/api#opt-buttons) - option
- [`onClose`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/datepicker/api#event-onClose) - event
- [`navigate`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#method-navigate) - method
- [`setOptions`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#method-setOptions) - method
- [`refDate`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#opt-refDate) - option
- [`setEvents`](https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/eventcalendar/api#method-setEvents) - method
## Code
### JS
```js
mobiscroll.setOptions({
theme: 'ios',
themeVariant: 'light'
});
var formatDate = mobiscroll.formatDate;
var startDate;
var endDate;
var end;
var myCalendar = mobiscroll.eventcalendar('#demo-custom-range-view', {
clickToCreate: true,
dragToCreate: true,
dragToMove: true,
dragToResize: true,
eventDelete: true,
resources: [
{ id: 1, name: 'Resource A', color: '#e20000' },
{ id: 2, name: 'Resource B', color: '#76e083' },
{ id: 3, name: 'Resource C', color: '#4981d6' },
{ id: 4, name: 'Resource D', color: '#e25dd2' },
{ id: 5, name: 'Resource E', color: '#1dab2f' },
{ id: 6, name: 'Resource F', color: '#d6d145' },
],
view: {
timeline: {
type: 'day',
size: 14,
eventDisplay: 'fill',
},
},
renderHeader: function () {
return (
'' +
'
' +
'' +
'' +
'' +
'
'
);
},
onPageLoaded: function (args) {
startDate = args.firstDay;
end = args.lastDay;
endDate = new Date(end.getFullYear(), end.getMonth(), end.getDate() - 1, 0);
// Set button text
rangeButton.innerText = getFormattedRange(startDate, endDate);
// Set range value
myRange.setVal([startDate, endDate]);
},
});
var myRange = mobiscroll.datepicker('#custom-date-range', {
select: 'range',
display: 'anchored',
showOverlay: false,
touchUi: true,
buttons: [],
onClose: function (args, inst) {
var date = inst.getVal();
if (date[0] && date[1]) {
if (date[0].getTime() !== startDate.getTime()) {
// Navigate the calendar
setTimeout(function () {
myCalendar.navigate(date[0]);
});
}
startDate = date[0];
endDate = date[1];
// Set calendar view
myCalendar.setOptions({
refDate: startDate,
view: {
timeline: {
type: 'day',
size: getNrDays(startDate, endDate),
eventDisplay: 'fill',
},
},
});
} else {
myRange.setVal([startDate, endDate]);
}
},
});
var rangeButton = document.getElementById('custom-date-range-text');
// Returns the formatted date
function getFormattedRange(start, end) {
return (
formatDate('MMM D, YYYY', new Date(start)) +
(end && getNrDays(start, end) > 1 ? ' - ' + formatDate('MMM D, YYYY', new Date(end)) : '')
);
}
// Returns the number of days between two dates
function getNrDays(start, end) {
return Math.round(Math.abs((end.setHours(0) - start.setHours(0)) / (24 * 60 * 60 * 1000))) + 1;
}
mobiscroll.getJson(
'https://trial.mobiscroll.com/timeline-events/?vers=5',
function (events) {
myCalendar.setEvents(events);
},
'jsonp',
);
```
### HTML
```html
```
### CSS
```css
.md-custom-range-view-controls {
display: flex;
flex: 1 0 auto;
justify-content: end;
align-items: center;
}
```
## Implementation notes
- Start with `timeline: { type: 'day', size: 14, eventDisplay: 'fill' }` as the default view - a 14-day rolling window with events filling their cells. Store the view config in state so it can be replaced when the user picks a new range.
- Use `renderHeader` (Angular: `headerTemplate`, Vue: `#header` slot) to replace the default navigation with two elements: a `Button` that shows the current date range label and opens the range picker, and a group of `CalendarPrev`, `CalendarToday`, `CalendarNext` controls aligned to the right.
- Render a `Datepicker` in `select: 'range'`, `display: 'anchored'`, `showOverlay: false`, `touchUi: true`, `buttons: []` mode as the range picker. In React, pass it directly as `inputComponent={Button}` with `inputProps` containing the label text as children. In Vue/Angular, keep the picker hidden (hidden input or no visible input) and call `.open()` on the instance from the button's click handler, passing the button element as the anchor.
- In the Datepicker `onChange` handler, store the selected `[start, end]` pair in a ref/variable (not yet applied to the calendar - wait for close).
- In the Datepicker `onClose` handler, compute `size = getNrDays(start, end)` and update the timeline view to `{ timeline: { type: 'day', size, eventDisplay: 'fill' } }`. Also set `refDate` to the start date and update `selectedDate` to navigate the calendar to the start.
- In the `onPageLoaded` event, read `args.firstDay` as the range start. The `args.lastDay` is exclusive (one day past the last visible day), so compute the actual end as `new Date(lastDay.getFullYear(), lastDay.getMonth(), lastDay.getDate() - 1)`. Use both to update the button label text and the range picker's value - this keeps the picker in sync when the user navigates with the prev/next buttons.
- Implement a `getNrDays(start, end)` helper: `Math.round(Math.abs((end.setHours(0) - start.setHours(0)) / 86400000)) + 1`. Use `formatDate('MMM D, YYYY', date)` from Mobiscroll to build the label string; show a single date when the range spans one day, or "Start - End" for multiple days.
- Define 6 generic resources with `id`, `name`, and `color`. Load events from a remote endpoint using `getJson` and pass them to `data`.
## Run it in your project
1. If not signed up yet, or don't own a license, you can [start a free trial](https://mobiscroll.com/starttrial).
2. Clone the repository:
```
git clone https://github.com/acidb/mobiscroll-demos-javascript.git
```
3. If not installed yet, install the Mobiscroll CLI from NPM:
```
npm install -g @mobiscroll/cli
```
4. Config Mobiscroll - open a terminal window in the root directory and run:
```
mobiscroll config javascript
```
5. Install dependencies - open a terminal window in the root directory and run:
```
npm install
```
6. Run the project:
```
npm run dev
```
On a trial, add `--trial` to the config command: `mobiscroll config javascript --trial`.
Running a demo locally requires a Mobiscroll trial or a license; setup is per framework at https://mobiscroll.com/docs/javascript/getting-started/installation
## Related demos
- Previous: [Event Buffer Time](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/javascript/timeline/event-buffer.md) - Visualize buffer time on a Javascript Timeline — show travel time, check-in/out, loading/unloading time, or preparation windows around scheduled events.
- Next: [Custom Event Ordering](https://demo.mobiscroll.com/javascript/timeline/custom-event-sort.md) - Set event order in Javascript Timeline rows via per-event order value or a custom ordering function — useful for priority-based and dense weekly schedules.