Override scaffoldSearchFields w/ custom DatePicker field

gistfile1.txt

//Utility method for creating datePicker field w/ params for fieldName & optional $nice (readable vs sortable)
  public static function createDatePickerField($fieldName, $nice = true){
    $df = new DateField($fieldName);
    $df->setRightTitle('Click to choose');
    $df->setConfig('showcalendar',true);
    $format = $nice ? 'MM/dd/YYYY' : 'YYYY-mm-dd';
    $df->setConfig('dateformat', $format);
    return $df;
  }
    
//Model's scaffoldSearchFields override
  public function scaffoldSearchFields($_params = null){
    $fields = parent::scaffoldSearchFields($_params);
    $fields->replaceField('Date', Utility::createDatePickerField('Date', false));
    return $fields;
  }