Time Zone Settings

About

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.

Team Settings

The time zone set in Team SettingsClosed The Team Settings page is the page where an admin can manage their team's account and edit certain information, such as assigning a Problem Contact Email Address, toggling push notifications, and viewing the account's billing information. determines what time zone times will be shown to users in the portal. Times collected in forms are correctly translated to the team time zone. For example, a time of 10:00AM EST collected in New York (EST) will show as 9:00AM CST in the portal if the team is set Wisconsin's time zone (CST).

This impacts times shown in the Data tab (for example, server receive date and data sent on device):

Submission Results list

Times within data records (metadata, or answers) will also be translated into this time zone:

Form Submission detail page


If forms are dispatched from the portal dispatch interface, those times are also shown in the team time zone:

Date-Time selector menu in web portal form

User Profile Settings

Not all users will be in the same time zone. TrueContext has a user-specific time zone setting in the User Profile.

The time zone chosen here defines what time zone all data is displayed in for the user in the web portal. Essentially, it overrides the time zone on all the settings discussed above for this particular user. This setting will match the team time zone by default, unless changed.

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, this simply uses the Team-level setting. Changing it to anything else will override the team setting.

  • Team Preference Setting: The team time zone might be in New York, so the data tab shows a time selected in the form submission as 11:00AM (EST). If you use the Team Preference Setting, the document will also show the time as 11:00AM (EST). 
  • Data Record: If the user submitting the form is in Minnesota and submits the form at 10:00AM (CST), then the document will also show the time as 10:00AM (CST).
  • Custom: However, maybe the customers who receive this document are in Colorado. Use "Custom" and set the time zone to a city in Colorado, so the document will show the time as 9:00AM (MST).

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.