This article covers what you need to know about how Knack handles time zones and date/time fields in Flows.
This article contains the following sections:
How Time Works in Flows
When you're using Flows to connect and automate your processes, understanding how date and time work can seem tricky. This article will break down what you need to know about how Knack handles time zones and date fields in Flows.
Configure the Timezone for Flows Across Your Entire Knack Account
First, be sure to configure your "Timezone" setting for the Flows feature in your knack account. This setting is located in your Account Dashboard > Account > Overview > "Flows Settings" area. For more details, check out this Help article
Sending Times From a Knack App
When you send a date and time from Knack as part of a Flow, something important happens behind the scenes:
- Your local time is automatically converted to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) before being processed. This ensures consistent timing across different locations and systems.
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Regardless of whether you enter the date and time using your local time zone, Knack automatically converts and transmits it in UTC to ensure uniformity and accuracy across different systems.
Example: If your Knack application displays a date and time as 2024-11-27 10:00:00 in your local time zone (UTC -5), the Flow will interpret this value as 2024-11-27 15:00:00 in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Processing Times in Flows
Flows take the UTC time and adapt it to the time zone that you have set for Flows across your entire knack account. This adjustment ensures that all actions and triggers operate in harmony with your chosen time zone preferences.
Example: If your Flow is set to UTC +2, the time will be displayed as 2024-11-27 17:00:00.
Receiving Times Back in Knack
When a Flow sends a time back to a specific Knack app:
- The time is sent in UTC.
- Your Knack app then converts that UTC time to the application's time zone
Example: The Flow sends the field back as 2024-11-27 15:00:00 (UTC). Knack adjusts it to match the timezone setting of the specific Knack app, which in this example makes it 2024-11-27 10:00:00 local time zone (UTC -5)
Important Things to Remember
- Consistency is Key: Using UTC ensures that your Flows run consistently, regardless of the local time zones of individual users or systems.
- Flexibility: You can configure your Flow's time zone settings to match your needs.
Tip: To learn how to adjust your Flow's time zone settings, see our article here.
FAQs
How can I ensure my Flows work with my local time zone?
Set the appropriate time zone in your Flow settings (accessible in your Account Dashboard > Account > Flows Settings). This ensures that Flows display and process times in your preferred time zone while preserving UTC integrity when sending data back to Knack.
Need Help?
If you have further questions about how date and time fields are handled in Flows, please reach out to our support team via this form: Create Support Ticket