(GXT 3.0.3 GA) IE8 DateField Null Pointer Exception

[[email protected]]

Version of Ext GWT
This problem occurs in the recently released GA version of GXT (Ext GWT) 3.0.3.

Browser Versions
Internet Explorer 8

Operating System
Windows 7 64 bit

Hardware
Dell Precision M4500
8 CPUs – Intel Core i7
8 GB Memory

Virtual Machine
No

Description
After expanding a DateField calendar menu, if you do not select a date using the calendar menu and then give focus elsewhere, you will then get a null pointer exception when you return to the DateField and select a date using the calendar menu.

This problem appears to be related to IE8 only.

This problem does not occur using Firefox ESR 10.0.3.

Run Mode
Occurs in when deployed to Tomcat (web mode), and when running under Eclipse (dev mode).

Steps to Reproduce
The attached file (ColumnChartSeriesDateFieldNoSelectIssue.txt) can be used to demonstrate the problem. Be sure to launch chart using IE8.

There are two ways to encounter the null pointer exception.

Steps to reproduce #1:
Expand Start Date calendar menu, but do not select / change date.
Give focus to another area by clicking to the right of the Get Data button (for clarity do not click on the End Date field or Get Data button).
Expand the Start Date calendar menu again, and this time select a date using the Start Date calendar menu.
A null pointer exception will occur.
.
Steps to reproduce #2:
Expand Start Date calendar menu, but do not select / change date.
Expand the End Date calendar menu, and this time select a date using the End Date calendar menu.
A null pointer exception will occur.

I also observed an inconsistency on when the selected style is added and removed.

Steps to reproduce inconsistent selected style:
Expand Start Date calendar menu (but do not select / change date).
Expand End Date calendar menu (but do not select / change date).
Click to the right of the Get Data button to change focus away from both DateFields. Start Date will still have selected style, but End Date will not.

The attached screen shot (ColumnChartSeriesDateFieldNoSelectIssue .png) shows an example of the selected style inconsistency.

This entire discussion up to this point applies only to IE8.

What follows now is an observation of inconsistent style behavior between IE8 and Firefox ESR 10.0.3.

In IE8, if you expand Start Date calendar menu (but do not select / change date), and click to the right of the Get Data button to change focus, then Start Date still has the selected style applied.

In Firefox ESR 10.0.3, if you do the same thing, then Start Date does not have the selected style applied.

Please let me know if I am doing anything wrong in the code in the attached file or if there is a work around.

Thanks,
John L