How to use a “date picker via dropdown” hack in HubSpot using Unix‑timestamp internal values

When you let users choose from a dropdown of friendly-looking dates (e.g., “8th September 2026”), it improves usability and avoids mis-typed dates. But a plain dropdown doesn’t behave like a date field - so you can’t leverage native date-based automation, segmentation, or reporting.

By using the dropdown’s internal value as a Unix timestamp - and a custom-coded workflow to copy that timestamp into a real HubSpot date field - you get the best of both worlds:

• Friendly, human-readable options for users.

• A “real” date in HubSpot for automation, segmentation, and reporting.

How it works (overview)

1. Create a dropdown property (Course Start Date (Friendly)) with labels like “8th September 2026” and internal values as Unix timestamps - HubSpot will require a 13-digit timestamp for this method to work:

   

2. Create a date property (Course Start Date (Date)) to store the actual date - I like to select the 'Show date with relative time' option for this property:

   

3. Use a custom-coded workflow to read the timestamp from the dropdown and populate the date property.

4. Once set, you can use the date field for:

   • Triggering follow-ups or reminders

   • Filtering/segmenting contacts or deals

   • Reporting on upcoming dates or forecasting

Example scenario: Course signup

Flow: User selects a date → workflow reads timestamp → sets the real date property → automation and reporting are now possible.

Pros & considerations

Pros:

• Great UX - users select a friendly date

• Enables robust automation and reporting

• Eliminates ambiguity in date entry

Considerations:

• Timestamps must be accurate (midnight UTC)

• Requires a custom-coded workflow

• New dropdown options must include proper timestamp values

Next step

Want the exact workflow code to make this work? Unlock it here: