Beginner: javascript date conversion from string to UTC date.js into SharePoint list

Question

I am trying to take a string'd date value from an element, and convert it to a js var in order to use SPServices to add to a SP 2010 list (date field).

I found the date.js resource, but I am not sure how to properly use it. Everything I do that manipulates the date changes it to a string... .format() whatever.

I think I need someway to change the value into : 2013-01-01T19:20:15 in order to pass through SPServices and update the list like below:

function CreateNewItem(subject, message) {
    $().SPServices({
        operation: "UpdateListItems",
        async: false,
        batchCmd: "New",
        listName: "Example",
        valuepairs: [["Title", subject], ["Message", message], ["DateField", date]],
        completefunc: function(xData, Status) {
          alert("completed");
        }
    });}

So I tried the Date.parse and it doesn't like the returned value, but I am not sure how to change the returned value without making it a string?

Appreciate help as always.

EDIT: more clarification....I am using XSLT to Grab values from XML file, and creating html page for viewing the values. So with xml

<div id="thisDateExample"><xsl:value of select="thisDateExampleDate"/></div>

So then I have been trying a couple things, like getting the string value from jquery selector:

var thisDateThatIsDrivingMeCrazy = $('#thisDateExample').text();

So again, I am just learning all these things but I am thinking that made it a string, and I found the date.js to get it back to a date format I guess?

var thisDateConverted = new Date(Date.parse(thisDateThatIsDrivingMeCrazy));

Then trying to pass into SPServices? This is one approach that I guess thought made sense, but I must be doing something wrong here? If I alert this is uses a different format from what I need I believe. but again per above, anything I do to format it (or what I can find on the subject to try out) seems to change it to a string (I am assuming) and doesn't work. help is always appreciated! Greatly!

Answer 1

figured this out, though I think with my original question I just lacked some content. I needed to get the date formatted to ISO 8601 format for SharePoint to except it. So all I really needed was something I found here :

function convertThisDate(thisDate){
  var myDate;
  if (thisDate!= null)  {
     myDate = thisDate;
  }
  else  {
     myDate = new Date();
  }
  var stringDate = "";
  stringDate  += thisDate.getYear() + "-";
  stringDate  += thisDate.getMonth() + 1 + "-";
  stringDate  += thisDate.getDate();
  stringDate  += "T" + thisDate.getHours() + ":";
  stringDate  += thisDate.getMinutes() + ":";
  stringDate += thisDate.getSeconds() + "Z";
  return stringDate;
}

something as simple as the above works perfect, as SharePoint seems to be very picky about the date.