Definition

This action allows you to seamlessly convert a given DateTime value from one time zone to another. This action ensures accurate time zone adjustments while considering cultural formatting and custom date-time formats. Key capabilities include:

• Converting DateTime values across global time zones.
• Supporting culture-specific interpretations for accurate parsing and formatting.
• Providing multiple output formats, such as Unix time (in seconds and milliseconds) and custom date-time strings.

This action is essential for workflows requiring precise time zone management and culturally aware date-time processing.

Important Notes

When using the "Convert Time Zone" action or similar actions, such as "Format Date Time", it's crucial to be mindful of potential issues caused by time zone differences. For instance:

• Converting between time zones can sometimes result in unexpected outcomes, such as calculating a date as one day earlier or one day later.
• The default time zone for most systems, including Zenphi, is typically set to UTC+0. If other time zones are involved in the workflow, it may lead to miscalculations or discrepancies.

To avoid such issues, always ensure that the time zones in your input and output fields are consistent and clearly defined. This will help maintain accuracy and prevent errors in date and time calculations.

Example Use Cases for "Convert Time Zone" Action

1. Scheduling International Meetings
   Convert a meeting's scheduled time from one time zone to another to ensure participants in different regions receive accurate timings.

2. Generating Localized Reports
   Adjust timestamps in reports to match the local time zones of stakeholders for better clarity and relevance.

3. Flight or Travel Itinerary Adjustments
   Convert departure and arrival times to the traveler's local time zone for easier trip management.

4. Event Management Across Time Zones
   Automatically convert event start and end times to the local time zone of attendees for seamless coordination.

5. Data Synchronization in Global Systems
   Ensure that timestamps in distributed systems remain consistent by converting them to a unified time zone or adjusting them for regional variations.

6. E-commerce Transaction Processing
   Adjust order timestamps to match the customer's time zone for accurate invoicing and delivery schedules.

Inputs

1. Base Date
   The starting date and time value you want to convert to another time zone.

   • Example: If you have a timestamp like 2025-01-19T15:00:00Z, this is the value that will be transformed to a new time zone.

2. Culture
   Specifies how the date and time are interpreted and formatted based on cultural standards.

   • Details: The culture code (e.g., en-US for English - United States or fr-FR for French - France) determines the format of months, days, and other elements in the date. You can either select a predefined culture or write your own custom culture code.
   • Example: Using en-US will display the date as "January 19, 2025," while fr-FR will show it as "19 janvier 2025."

3. New Time Zone
   The time zone you want to convert the Base Date into.

   • Details: Specify the time zone using standard identifiers (e.g., America/New_York for New York, Asia/Tokyo for Tokyo).
   • Example: Converting a timestamp from UTC to America/New_York adjusts the time based on the New York time zone.

4. Select Format
   Defines the output format for the converted date and time.

   • Options: Choose from predefined formats or create a custom format using standard date-time format strings.
   • Example:
     • Predefined: yyyy-MM-dd for "2025-01-19."
     • Custom: MMMM dd, yyyy hh:mm:ss tt for "January 19, 2025 03:00:00 PM."

By filling in these input fields, you can customize the conversion process to meet specific requirements for time zone adjustments and date-time formatting.

Outputs

1. Result
   The converted date and time in the specified new time zone.

   • Example: If the Base Date is 2025-01-19T15:00:00Z and the New Time Zone is America/New_York, the Result might be 2025-01-19T10:00:00-05:00.

2. Formatted Result
   The converted date and time presented in the selected format.

   • Example: If the selected format is MMMM dd, yyyy hh:mm tt, the Formatted Result could be January 19, 2025 10:00 AM.

3. Unix Time (Milliseconds)
   The converted date and time represented as the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970 (Unix epoch).

   • Example: 1737280800000 represents the exact date and time in milliseconds.

4. Unix Time (Seconds)
   The converted date and time represented as the number of seconds since January 1, 1970 (Unix epoch).

   • Example: 1737280800 represents the same date and time as Unix Time in seconds.

Example

A global company schedules a virtual meeting for team members in different time zones.

Use Case: The meeting is scheduled in UTC, but attendees in New York, London, and Tokyo need the time converted to their respective time zones.

Solution:

• Use the "Convert Time Zone" action to convert the Base Date (UTC meeting time) to the New Time Zone for each location (America/New_York, Europe/London, and Asia/Tokyo).
• Select the desired format (e.g., MMMM dd, yyyy hh:mm tt) to present the time in a clear and localized format for each attendee.

Outcome: Each team member receives the meeting time in their local time zone, ensuring accurate scheduling and avoiding confusion.