Time Zone Settings

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Time zones in TrueContext can be set at multiple levels: the team level, the user level, on particular documents, and on user devices. The TrueContext server converts Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to display the desired time zone.

Note:Always choose your time zones based on the city. If yours is not listed, try to find the one close to you. Certain countries, states, and provinces do not observe Daylight Savings Time, and therefore choosing solely based on time zone may cause an hour's difference while Daylight Savings Time is in effect.

Which time zone does TrueContext use?

TrueContext stores all dates and times in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and converts them for display. The time zone you see depends on where you view the date or time, as described in the following table.

Where you view the date or time

Time zone used

The Web Portal, including the Form Submissions list and form submission pages

Your Preferred Time Zone. This setting matches the Team Time Zone by default.

The Mobile App

The time zone on the device.

Output documents, such as PDF, Word, CSV, and XML/JSON

The Document Time Zone Source that you set on the document: Form Submission (the device time zone, and the default), Team Preference Setting, or Custom.

Data Reference Expression Language (DRELClosed Data Reference Expression Language (DREL) is used to get form data and metadata and add it to a string, such as dates, usernames, or answers to questions in forms.) in output documents

The Document Time Zone Source, unless the expression specifies a time zone.

DREL in data destinations, and the Test DREL tool, for a form that a user submitted

The first time zone available in this order: the time zone in the expression, the device time zone, the submitter’s Preferred Time Zone, the Team Time Zone, and then UTC.

DREL in data destinations, and the Test DREL tool, for a dispatched form that a user has not submitted

The Team Time Zone, if the team has one set. Otherwise, UTC.

System operations that a person does not perform, such as scheduled exports

The Team Time Zone. A scheduled export can use its own time zone setting instead.

Tip:To set the time zone for a single DREL expression, add a time zone property after the date or time format property, for example %d[yyyy-MM-dd z][America/Chicago], %d[yyyy-MM-dd z][TeamTZ], or %d[yyyy-MM-dd z][DataRecordTZ]. For details, see DREL Complete Reference List.

To learn when TrueContext captures each form submission timestamp, see Form Submission Timestamp Fields.

Team Settings

The Team Time Zone you set in Team Settings applies to:

  • Dates and times displayed in the Web Portal for your team, including Dispatch times. The Team Time Zone does not apply to times in Data Records sent from mobile devices.

  • Dates and times in your team’s output documents. The time zone only applies if you set your Document Time Zone Source to Team Preference Setting.

User Profile Settings

Not all users will be in the same time zone. TrueContext has a user Preferred Time Zone setting in the User Profile.

The user time zone overrides the team time zone for dates and times displayed in the Web Portal. It does not apply to output documents. This setting matches the team time zone by default.

This feature is useful if most of the team is in one place, like New York, but this particular user is in Colorado. While other users will still see a time of 10:00AM (EST) in the web portal, this user will see it as 8:00AM (MST).

Document Time Zone Source

Data records (form submissions) can be made available to download in the form of a document -- PDF/Word/HTML, CSV, XML/JSON, and more. Each document configuration has an option to choose a document time zone source. This sets what time zone any dates/times collected in the form will be translated to in this particular document. By default, documents are set to the Form Submission time zone.

  • Team Preference Setting: Shows dates and times using the Team Time Zone.
  • Form Submission: Shows dates and times in the device time zone, as submitted by the user.
  • Custom: Set a custom time zone to display dates and times.

Document Time Zone Source

Mobile Device Settings

Your mobile device will automatically detect what time zone you are in. Dates in mobile forms, in the sent tab, etc., will automatically be shown in the time zone your device is in.

There is a Time Zone setting in the Account Details pane of the Settings screen. This changes the logged in user's time zone in the web portal and does not change the time zone displayed on the device.