gpyyl (gpyyl) asked a question.
Hi Team,
I have a flow that didn't work as expected because Date Now gave me UTC time (which I now see is the only value this card returns)
My main issue is the inconsistency between the datetimes within workflows - i.e. This was in a scheduled flow that runs at the local time I've specified but Date Now returns UTC. This feels like bad UX.
Suggested Solution: Allow a timezone selection on the Date Now card
Hello,
UTC (and specifically ISO 8601) is the standard for date/time outputs for any mature application. Operating systems and some applications allow you to set your preferred date/time display and it converts this to the selected time on the fly.
Workflows also has the ability to convert date/time into different formats or timezones.
Here is a quick Example: (Note the conversion on the "Custom" output)
You can find a full list of Time Zones (TZ) here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tz_database_time_zones
Hi @TimL.58332 (Workflows)
Thanks for your response. I understand the complexity of working with Datetime in web systems so my issue is less that Date Now returns UTC time but the inconsistency between Datetimes within workflows - e.g. I scheduled the Flow using the my local timezone in the schedule but Date Now is UTC (perhaps this card could check the timezone set on the schedule -if there is one).
I was also thrown by the inconsistency with standard Javascript Date.now() (which I understand is probably not exactly what these cards use - but there's a lot of similarities). The return value of new Date(Date.now()) being based on your browser's location/timezone - which is irrelevant here as the flow is running on a cloud server in one of the OKTA cells.
I have resolved this issue by using a Date Add card to adjust for our timezone (we never have DST).
All of this is just to say, I feel that the ability to select a timezone on the Date Now card would be a useful addition.
@gpyyl (gpyyl) - Our Engineering teams are definitely open to suggestions for improvements to the product. We maintain (and recently updated) the https://ideas.okta.com site as a tool for customers to provide ideas/changes they would like to see in Okta. These ideas are reviewed by the PM/Dev teams and many of them over the years have made it into a variety of our offerings.
Thanks for that @TimL.58332 (Workflows)! I was going to ask if there was some channel for this. I'll submit this.
I appreciate your time and responses 🙂
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We use cookies to provide the best website experience and to help understand marketing efforts. We may also share data with ad partners to reach potential customers across the web. To learn more, visit our Privacy Policy. Click here for Your Privacy Choices. You may also opt out of this sharing by signaling your preference via GPC, applicable only to the browser signaling the opt-out.
More information
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
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@gpyyl (gpyyl) - Our Engineering teams are definitely open to suggestions for improvements to the product. We maintain (and recently updated) the https://ideas.okta.com site as a tool for customers to provide ideas/changes they would like to see in Okta. These ideas are reviewed by the PM/Dev teams and many of them over the years have made it into a variety of our offerings.