Timeline: support for ISO Date strings

[mrmoosehead]

JSON dates are broken. Everyone knows this.

It would be nice(!) if the handler for loading JSON data would handle the formats that are produced by .NET Json serialiser and other server side stuff without having to preprocess the data.
e.g.

A generic data format (UTC String)

{"items":[
{
"start":"2012-12-20T00:00:00+00:00",
"end":"2012-12-28T00:00:00+00:00",
"content":"Content",
"group":"Group1",
"className":"itemclass"
}
]}

Or the .NET default representation of number of milliseconds since January 1st 1970 UTC

{"items":[
{"start":"/Date(1355961600000)/",
"end":"/Date(1356652800000)/",
"content":"Content",
"group":"Group1",
"className":"itemclass"
}
]}

[mrmoosehead]

For what it's worth, I can see where to put the change, so if you want a patch for it, I'll have a go

In here I think:
line 3725 (ish)

links.Timeline.prototype.createItem = function(itemData) {
var item = {
'start': itemData.start,
'end': itemData.end,
'content': itemData.content,
'type': itemData.end ? 'range' : this.options.style,
'group': this.getGroup(itemData.group),
'className': itemData.className,
'top': 0,
'left': 0,
'width': 0,
'height': 0,
'lineWidth' : 0,
'dotWidth': 0,
'dotHeight': 0
};
return item;
};

I'd propose a method to parse a non-date itemData.start and itemData.end

[josdejong]

I would be very handy indeed when the Timeline can handle string ISO Dates.

See also: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/chap-links-library/pNXY7P2Bq7g

[josdejong]

I have updated the title of your issue, I hope you don't mind.