Using the Coolest DHTML/Javascript Calendar in CakePHP

The helpers in CakePHP are great but some things aren't all that great. One of them is the form date helper. It is really annoying to have to click on 3 select box for every date you want to key in. So finally I tried looking around and found http://nik.chankov.net/2007/09/13/advanced-datepicker-helper-for-cakephp/. Followed the instruction on the page and it worked like a charm. Only problem is that apart from adding the helper in the controller, you also have to type in the lines to include the javascript in every view that uses it (that is at least the add and edit view). So I've changed the Helper a bit so that it would include the link automatically before it render.

<?php
/**
* Autocomplete Helper
*
* @author  Nik Chankov
* @website http://nik.chankov.net
* @version 1.0.0
*
* @updated   2008-02-13
* @author    Abdullah
* @website   http://abdullahsolutions.com
* @changes   Used helpers array. Also used beforeRender so that the javascripts and theme is automatically loaded
*/

class DatePickerHelper extends FormHelper {
   
    var $format = '%Y-%m-%d';
    var $helpers = array('Javascript','Html');
   
    /**
     *Setup the format if exist in Configure class
     */
    function _setup(){
        $format = Configure::read('DatePicker.format');
        if($format != null){
            $this->format = $format;
        }
    }

    function beforeRender(){
     echo $this->Javascript->link('jscalendar/calendar.js');
     echo $this->Javascript->link('jscalendar/lang/calendar-en.js');
     echo $this->Javascript->link('common.js');
     echo $this->Html->css('../js/jscalendar/skins/aqua/theme');
    }
   
    /**
    * The Main Function - picker
    *
    * @param string $field Name of the database field. Possible usage with Model.
    * @param array $options Optional Array. Options are the same as in the usual text input field.
    */   
    function picker($fieldName, $options = array()) {
        $this->_setup();
        $this->setFormTag($fieldName);
        $htmlAttributes = $this->domId($options);       
        $divOptions['class'] = 'date';
        $options['type'] = 'text';
        $options['div']['class'] = 'date';
        $options['after'] = $this->Html->link($this->Html->image('../js/jscalendar/img.gif'), '#', array('onClick'=>"return showCalendar('".$htmlAttributes['id']."', '".$this->format."'); return false;"), null, false);
       
        $output = $this->input($fieldName, $options);
       
        return $output;
    }
   
    function flat($fieldName, $options = array()){
        $this->_setup();
        $this->setFormTag($fieldName);
        $htmlAttributes = $this->domId($options);       
        $divOptions['class'] = 'date';
        $options['type'] = 'hidden';
        $options['div']['class'] = 'date';
        $hoder = '
';
        $output = $this->input($fieldName, $options).$hoder;
       
        return $output;
    }
}
?>