# Default value for DateTime Picker **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [April 7, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177 "2022-04-07T15:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dean\_Walsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@Dean\_Walsh](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Dean_Walsh)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/1 "2022-04-07T15:54:16Z")
I have a datetime parameter which i would like to default to the beginning of the current day, I have the idea to set that value using a startup script but I don’t know exactly how to write the code correctly or how to reference properties from the startup scripting page. Advice would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![josborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@josborn](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/josborn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/2 "2022-04-07T16:19:07Z")
Is this a vision or perspective question? ---
**Author:** ![Dean\_Walsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@Dean\_Walsh](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Dean_Walsh)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/3 "2022-04-07T16:19:19Z")
perspective ---
**Author:** ![cmallonee](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/cmallonee/32/6416_2.png) [@cmallonee](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/cmallonee)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/4 "2022-04-07T16:22:11Z")
What does “beginning of the current day” mean? 8am? Browser time or Gateway time? ---
**Author:** ![Dean\_Walsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@Dean\_Walsh](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Dean_Walsh)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/5 "2022-04-07T16:26:07Z")
As in starting from 00:00:00 of the date when the application has been opened ---
**Author:** ![josborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@josborn](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/josborn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/6 "2022-04-07T16:26:35Z")
I am no python export but a startup script like this should do. ```auto from datetime import date self.props.value = date.today() ``` ---
**Author:** ![Dean\_Walsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@Dean\_Walsh](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Dean_Walsh)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/7 "2022-04-07T16:28:05Z")
Thank you, but how can i link this to either my component or even a custom session property? ---
**Author:** ![cmallonee](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/cmallonee/32/6416_2.png) [@cmallonee](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/cmallonee)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/8 "2022-04-07T16:28:25Z")
Right-click your DateTime component. Select “Configure Events”. Select the onStartup option under System Events. Select a Script Action. Supply the following script: ```auto from datetime import date from datetime import datetime today = date.today() midnight = datetime.combine(today, datetime.min.time()) self.props.value = midnight ``` ---
**Author:** ![Dean\_Walsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@Dean\_Walsh](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Dean_Walsh)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/9 "2022-04-07T16:30:26Z")
> [@cmallonee](#): > > ```auto > from datetime import date > from datetime import datetime > today = date.today() > midnight = datetime.combine(today, datetime.min.time()) > self.props.value = midnight > > ``` Oh thank you so much sir that is exactly what i was looking for ---
**Author:** ![josborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@josborn](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/josborn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/10 "2022-04-07T16:32:17Z")
This is clearly my lack of knowledge, but what is the difference, something with time zones? My code sets the value to today 12AM, but your version is today 5AM, i know i am missing something simple. ---
**Author:** ![ayu](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/ayu/32/16635_2.png) [@ayu](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/ayu)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/11 "2022-04-07T16:58:50Z")
Hi @josborn, Seems likely it’s related to time zones. What is the time zone your session is running on and what time zone are you physically in? Any code snippets would be helpful as well. ---
**Author:** ![josborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@josborn](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/josborn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/12 "2022-04-07T17:00:00Z")
Everything should be in PST (GMT -8) This is the code i placed on the component startup. ```auto from datetime import date self.props.value = date.today() ``` And the code that produced a time of 5AM was @cmallonee’s posted above. ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 5:15pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/13 "2022-04-07T17:15:08Z")
For your future sanity, use `system.date` functions instead of Jython’s somewhat-janky implementation of `date` and `datetime`: `self.props.value = system.date.midnight(system.date.now())` The time discrepancy is probably because your script is executing _on the gateway_, which might have a different time zone than wherever you’re running your code. ---
**Author:** ![josborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@josborn](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/josborn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/14 "2022-04-07T17:18:11Z")
Good to know, but everything is in PST time at least to my knowledge. Physically everything is here on campus. ---
**Author:** ![josborn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@josborn](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/josborn)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2022, 8:04pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/default-value-for-datetime-picker/58177/15 "2022-04-07T20:04:27Z")
Ah, the on startup was not happening for some reason, this works perfectly. > [@paul-griffith](#): > > system.date.midnight(system.date.now())