What's a widget? Well, a widget is a tiny piece or component of functionality, say (for instance) a slider or a progress bar. Most applications are made up of forms, so it's no accident that Ext JS includes some form widgets that we can't get with straight HTML. TextFields and Checkboxes and Radio buttons are standard fare, but Ext JS sweetens the pot by going to the next level, providing us with components that we're used to seeing in most desktop applications.
The DateField is a perfect example. Handling dates within most HTML forms can be a chore, but Ext JS provides a very basic component for handling dates:
Example 1:ch14ex1.js
Ext.onReady(function(){
var formPanel = new Ext.form.FormPanel({
title:'DateField Example',
applyTo:'chap14_ex01',
layout:'form',
labelAlign:'top',
width:210,
autoHeight:true,
frame:true,
items:[{
xtype:'datefield',
fieldLabel:'Date of Birth',
name:'dob...