timestamp - How to calculate based on user's timezone?

ddumas

I have a scheduling application, that uses MeetingTimeStamp, which is a timestamp. That MeetingTimeStamp can get sent out in email to multiple users attending the event. Those users can cross timezones.

Does AwareIM have any concept of timezone?

I realize that I can create a home grown BO, and the user can pick a timezone, and then I can the timestamp, and sent out the calced value in the email.

Dave

aware_support

Aware IM should support timezones automatically. Every System User object has a special attribute TimeZone, which identifies timezone of this user. All timestamps are automatically converted into this timezone when a record with timestamps is displayed. Not sure about emails, though (can't remember) - you just need to try.

ddumas

I have queried all the user related SQL tables and Timezone is null. Can you elaborate on how this gets populated, and how it relates to a timestamp column?

Use case that I need to solve:

I schedule an event in an Event BO, at 12/19/2019 at 19:30 (this is the timestamp column of EventTimestamp), and send out an email to 3 members, that are in 3 different timezones (although this is not populated as I have stated above). I would like the email to convert the timestamp of 19:30 to the appropriate timezone if the member. Like outlook does.

Any ideas?

Dave

Jaymer

ddumas wrote
#1 -- I schedule an event in an Event BO, at 12/19/2019 at 19:30 (this is the timestamp column of EventTimestamp), and send out an email to 3 members, that are in 3 different timezones (although this is not populated as I have stated above).

#2 -- I would like the email to convert the timestamp of 19:30 to the appropriate timezone if the member. Like outlook does.

the 3rd field in the SQL table, the timestamp, matters not. the "event time" is StartTime. Thats the field the scheduler uses.
When I used to submit Google Calendar entries via REST, I believe they had to be converted to UTC time (12/19/2010T00:00:00 format) ... so it was starting at UTC and then it any client converts it to local timezone when viewed.

When you're logged in as a user, go to User Settings / "Change user setting" / whatever its called, and set the Timestamp combo box. If its not on the Form, go add it.

ddumas

I should have explained better. I am not using an awareim scheduler, but maybe I should?

I have a home grown BO called Event , which has a EventTimeStamp attribute of type timestamp. When I send that out in an email to a member in another timezone, I need to reflect that members timezone for EventTimeStamp .
Dave

ddumas

I added the timezone built-in attribute to the main form of the Member, but when the Event email was sent that Member, the Event.EventTimeStamp attribute was not changed in the email to reflect the timezone setting for that (or other) Members that the email was sent to. Forgive my ignorance in how to achieve this timezone stuff.

I am sure there may be a better way to do this.
Dave

aware_support

We have checked and the system should convert the time in emails automatically (unless there is a bug, of course). What exactly do you have in your email?

ddumas

I am not explaining correctly.

When I send Event emails to other Members, the Event.EventTimeStamp attribute does not adjust in the email to reflect the timezone setting for that (or other) Members that the email was sent to.

I embed Event.EventTimeStamp into the body of the email sent to each recipient. each recipoient is also a member, so I do know their timezones.

So here is the use case:

An event is scheduled for 12/19/2019 at 19:30, by an organizer who is a Member. Let's say that the Member who created the event is in US Eastern time. For that Member he/she is thinking 7:30p EST

The 12/19/2019 at 19:30 is stored in Event.EventTimeStamp
When I send the email, I embed Event.EventTimeStamp into the body of the email to each recipient who is also a member.

Let's say that one user to whom the email is boing sent is in US Mountain time. So, to that user, the embedded event timestamp should say 12/19/2019 at 17:30 (Eastern time - 2 hours) = 5:30p Mountain Time

Does that make sense? Is there a better way to do this - Ex with some awareim built-in event scheduler component?

I cannot say in the email: "The organizer of this event is using US Eastern time. Please adjust this time to your time zone"

If you tell me that there is no built-in functionality to achieve this, and that I must do the math to convert from the Event Organizer's timezone to the timezone of each recipient, then I can look into that.

Dave

aware_support

I see. It's a deficiency in the system. We will add a function in the next build that allows explicit conversion of the timestamp into a specified timezone, so that you can add something like this in your email body:

<<TO_TIMEZONE(Event.EventTimestamp, Member.TimeZone)>>

ddumas

That would be awesome.
Thanks,
Dave

bondicoffee

Hi,

Is TO_TIMEZONE() function implemented in awareIM?

Thanks!

aware_support

Yes

bondicoffee

Thank you for confirming. I could not find this function in documentation.

Is the time format field case insensitive ? For example, forNZST,GMT,Zulu could you describe what should be the format ? Does it also consider day light saving changes ?

Thanks.