<CalendarLink>

The CalendarLink tag renders a hyperlink that opens a pop-up date-picker. When the user picks a date, it's written into the target control (typically a <TextBox>) — same behavior as <CalendarButton>, just rendered as an inline <a> element.

Validation is skipped

CalendarLink sets CausesValidation="False" automatically, so opening the calendar won't trigger client-side validation on the form.

Example

<AddForm>
  <SubmitCommand CommandText="INSERT INTO Events(EvtDate) VALUES(@EvtDate)" />
  <table>
    <tr>
      <td>
         <Label For="txtEventDate" Text="Event Date" />
         <TextBox Id="txtEventDate" DataField="EvtDate" DataType="datetime" />
         <CalendarLink Text="Select Date" Target="txtEventDate" Format="yyyy-MM-dd" />
       </td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td colspan="2"><AddButton Text="Add"/> <CancelButton Text="Cancel"/></td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</AddForm>

Properties

Property	Values	Default	Description
Target *	control ID		ID of the control (typically a <TextBox>) that will receive the selected date
Text	string		Caption displayed as the link text
AccessKey	string		Keyboard shortcut character (e.g. F for Alt+F)
CssClass	string		CSS class name(s) for styling the control
Enabled	True False	True	When False, the control is disabled (rendered as plain text, not a clickable link)
Format	date format string		Format string used when writing the selected date into the target. If omitted, the server's short date format is used
Height	size		Height of the control
ID	string		Unique identifier for the control within the form
Style	string		Inline CSS (e.g. color: red; border: solid 1px black;)
TabIndex	integer		Tab order for keyboard navigation
ToolTip	string		Text displayed on mouse hover
Visible	True False	True	Shows or hides the control
Width	size		Width of the control

* Required property

Deprecated Properties

These properties use ASP.NET inline styling and are no longer recommended for modern web development. Use the CssClass property to apply CSS classes or the Style property for inline CSS instead.

Property	Values	Description
BackColor	color name | #dddddd	Background color of the control
BorderColor	color name | #dddddd	Border color of the control
BorderStyle	NotSet None Dotted Dashed Solid Double Groove Ridge Inset Outset	Border style of the control
BorderWidth	size	Border width of the control
Font-Bold	True False	Bold text
Font-Italic	True False	Italic text
Font-Names	string	Font family name
Font-Overline	True False	Overline text decoration
Font-Size	XX-Small X-Small Small Medium Large X-Large XX-Large or size	Font size
Font-Strikeout	True False	Strikethrough text decoration
Font-Underline	True False	Underline text decoration
ForeColor	color name | #dddddd	Text color of the control

Property Details

• Target: The ID of the form control that will receive the selected date — typically a <TextBox>. The control must be in the same form as the calendar trigger.

• Format: A .NET date format string used to write the selected date into the target control. If omitted, the server's short date format is used. Common patterns: yyyy-MM-dd (ISO date), MM/dd/yyyy (US), dd/MM/yyyy (UK). If you need to enforce that format on submission, pair the target textbox with a <Validate Type="regex"> rule.