Troubleshooting Common Advanced Custom Fields Date and Time Picker Issues

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is a powerful tool for managing custom data in WordPress. However, users often encounter specific challenges with the Date and Time Picker fields. Based on common community reports, this guide covers the most frequent issues and their solutions.

Common Date and Time Picker Problems

1. The Picker Interface Doesn't Appear or Work

The Problem: You click on a Time Picker field, but the interactive dropdown doesn't appear. This issue is less common with the Date Picker but frequently reported for the Time Picker.

Why it Happens: This is typically a JavaScript conflict. Another plugin or your theme may be loading a script that interferes with the ACF picker's functionality.

How to Fix It:

1. Conflict Test: Temporarily deactivate all other plugins and switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four). If the picker starts working, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit.
2. Check Browser Console: Open your browser's developer tools (F12) and look for any red error messages in the "Console" tab when you click the field. These errors can point to the conflicting script.

2. Dates Decrement by One Day When Saved

The Problem: You select a date, save the post, and upon reloading the editor, the date has shifted back by one day (e.g., May 29th becomes May 28th).

Why it Happens: This is almost always a timezone conversion issue. The date is often stored in the database in UTC format but is being interpreted and displayed by your local timezone, causing an off-by-one error.

How to Fix It: Ensure consistency in how you retrieve and display the date. When using the date in code, it's best to get the raw value from the database before any formatting is applied.

// Get the raw date value (Ymd format) without formatting.
$raw_date = get_field('your_date_field', false, false);

// Create a DateTime object.
$date = new DateTime($raw_date);

// Format and output the date correctly.
echo $date->format('F j, Y');

3. Uncaught Exception: DateTime::__construct() Failed to Parse Time String

The Problem: Your code throws a fatal PHP error when trying to create a DateTime object from an ACF date field.

Why it Happens: The get_field() function by default returns the date in the display format you've set (e.g., 'm/d/Y'). The PHP DateTime class expects a standard format (like 'Y-m-d') to parse it correctly. A format like '23/07/2020' is ambiguous and will fail.

How to Fix It: Use the get_field() function with its $format_value parameter set to false to retrieve the raw database value, which is in a predictable 'Ymd' format.

// INCORRECT: This may return a formatted string that DateTime can't parse.
$eventDate = new DateTime(get_field('event_date'));

// CORRECT: Get the raw value for reliable parsing.
$raw_date = get_field('event_date', false, false); // Returns '20200723'
$eventDate = new DateTime($raw_date);

echo $eventDate->format('M'); // Outputs 'Jul'

4. Needing a Custom Date or Time Format

The Problem: The date and time are saved and displayed in a format you don't want (e.g., 2022-05-28T10:00), but you need a more readable format like 'May 28, 2022, 10:00 AM'.

Why it Happens: ACF stores the data in a standardized format for consistency. Display formatting must be handled on the front end of your website.

How to Fix It: You should not change how the data is saved. Instead, convert it to your desired format when outputting it in your theme template file.

// Get the raw date and time values.
$raw_date = get_field('your_date_field', false, false);
$raw_time = get_field('your_time_field', false, false);

// Combine them if necessary and create a DateTime object.
$datetime = new DateTime($raw_date . ' ' . $raw_time);

// Format it exactly how you want to display it.
echo $datetime->format('F j, Y, g:i A'); // Outputs: May 28, 2022, 10:00 AM

5. The Field Doesn't Save or Update

The Problem: After a plugin or WordPress update, you can no longer save or update values in your date picker fields.

Why it Happens: An update can sometimes introduce a bug or cause a new conflict with your environment.

How to Fix It:

1. Clear Caches: Clear any site, browser, or object caches that might be serving an old version of the page.
2. Re-save Permalinks: Go to Settings > Permalinks and simply click "Save Changes" without making any modifications. This can resolve odd saving behavior.
3. Rollback: If the issue started immediately after an update, consider temporarily rolling back to the previous version of ACF that was working.

By following these troubleshooting steps, you can resolve the majority of issues encountered with the ACF Date and Time Picker fields. The key is often understanding the difference between how the data is stored and how it is displayed.