Text Input Widget timestamp and date input formats

[colinl]

I suggest that we take the opportunity with D2 to fix some anomalies with date/time pickers in D1.

My time zone is GMT+1.
If I configure a D1 Text Input node in Time Picker mode and select a time of 12:00 it passes on the number 39600000 which is 11 hours in milliseconds. It is taking the timezone into account.
If I configure a D1 Time Picker Form field, however, and enter 12:00 it provides the string "1970-01-01T11:00:00.000Z".
Whether either of these is ideal I am not sure. Personally I think I would prefer 12 hours in milliseconds, whatever the timezone.
This flow might be useful if others want to see the behaviour

[{"id":"be4767c3598b35e1","type":"ui_date_picker","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"","label":"date","group":"903a6ab8.4f4ca8","order":2,"width":0,"height":0,"passthru":true,"topic":"topic","topicType":"msg","className":"","x":130,"y":2360,"wires":[["76337593160c67e4","b7e30851adb09f44"]]},{"id":"76337593160c67e4","type":"debug","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"debug 99","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"false","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":380,"y":2360,"wires":[]},{"id":"db3bd499cfd68178","type":"ui_form","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"","label":"","group":"903a6ab8.4f4ca8","order":2,"width":0,"height":0,"options":[{"label":"Date","value":"date","type":"date","required":false,"rows":null},{"label":"Time","value":"time","type":"time","required":false,"rows":null}],"formValue":{"date":"","time":""},"payload":"","submit":"submit","cancel":"cancel","topic":"topic","topicType":"msg","splitLayout":"","className":"","x":130,"y":2460,"wires":[["c4b4ac1b8e4653d6","888c9bfc16a3cdeb"]]},{"id":"c4b4ac1b8e4653d6","type":"function","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"types","func":"msg.payload = `typeof: date: ${typeof msg.payload.date}, time: ${typeof msg.payload.time}`\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"timeout":0,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":280,"y":2500,"wires":[["888c9bfc16a3cdeb"]]},{"id":"60f9232a0ca40af0","type":"ui_text_input","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"","label":"text input time","tooltip":"","group":"903a6ab8.4f4ca8","order":2,"width":0,"height":0,"passthru":true,"mode":"time","delay":300,"topic":"topic","sendOnBlur":true,"className":"","topicType":"msg","x":140,"y":2580,"wires":[["1f194237fbb35739","f2433b63be0d877a"]]},{"id":"888c9bfc16a3cdeb","type":"debug","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"debug 100","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"false","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":450,"y":2480,"wires":[]},{"id":"f2433b63be0d877a","type":"debug","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"debug 101","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"false","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":460,"y":2580,"wires":[]},{"id":"7160619699a70b73","type":"ui_text_input","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"","label":"text input datetime","tooltip":"","group":"903a6ab8.4f4ca8","order":2,"width":0,"height":0,"passthru":true,"mode":"datetime-local","delay":300,"topic":"topic","sendOnBlur":true,"className":"","topicType":"msg","x":140,"y":2660,"wires":[["f40ae0ea29ac190f","2d0a7b77613825c7"]]},{"id":"f40ae0ea29ac190f","type":"debug","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"debug 102","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"false","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":480,"y":2660,"wires":[]},{"id":"1f194237fbb35739","type":"function","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"type","func":"msg.payload = `typeof: ${typeof msg.payload}`\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"timeout":0,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":320,"y":2620,"wires":[["f2433b63be0d877a"]]},{"id":"2d0a7b77613825c7","type":"function","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"type","func":"msg.payload = `typeof: ${typeof msg.payload}`\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"timeout":0,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":320,"y":2700,"wires":[["f40ae0ea29ac190f"]]},{"id":"b7e30851adb09f44","type":"function","z":"bdd7be38.d3b55","name":"type","func":"msg.payload = `typeof: ${typeof msg.payload}`\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"timeout":0,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","libs":[],"x":250,"y":2400,"wires":[["76337593160c67e4"]]},{"id":"903a6ab8.4f4ca8","type":"ui_group","name":"Home","tab":"e2e6f4f5.56f91","order":1,"disp":false,"width":"6","collapse":false,"className":""},{"id":"e2e6f4f5.56f91","type":"ui_tab","name":"Homet","icon":"dashboard","order":3,"disabled":false,"hidden":false}]

I think there are also anomalies with the Date pickers in D1, but I have not fully analysed those yet.

[colinl]

Closing this as the date, time, and datetime pickers all generate text strings, so the issue described does not occur. In my opinion this is an improvement over the D1 technique.