Timezone issue with PoolMath logs

[sbcpool]

When I view my PoolMath logs on the TPF web site the times of the log entries are shown in GMT instead of my local time.

 

[sbcpool]

 

[mknauss]

Correct. That is how the app is set up.

 

[sbcpool]

What's the utility in ignoring your local timezone setting?

 

[mknauss]

It’s not ignoring it. The data server stores in GMT. When viewing the logs in TFP, you get the raw data. On your app, it shows correctly.

 

[DrewLG]

On your app, it shows correctly.

I love the PoolMath app, too. And this is a small issue, and most of the rest of the app works great. But logged timestamps do not always show correctly in the app.

My pool's timezone never changes. But my phone's does, and the app uses my phone's current timezone to display logged timestamps. So when I travel, the logs are displayed in the app with incorrect times.

An app setting for the pool's timezone would fix this, as would storing the logs with local timestamps in addition to UTC timestamps.

 

[DrewLG]

What's the utility in ignoring your local timezone setting?

For display of your own logs to you? None. I've complained about this, too.

For display of your logs to everyone else, UTC is the most unambiguous way to represent a timestamp. But almost as good -- and a LOT more usable -- would be to display both the log owner's time and the viewer's time. For example:

Aug 7, 8:05 AM (LGDrew time)​

Aug 7, 6:05 PM (EuroGuy time)​

Added 8 oz CYA.​

So long as our timezones are set properly in our profiles (or if logs were stored with local timestamps as well as UTC), this arrangement would make it easy for me to tell whether something you logged happened 5 minutes ago or 12 hours ago, while also letting me see whether it happened in your early morning or your evening.

 

[mknauss]

Forward your ideas and concerns to [email protected]

 

[sbcpool]

For display of your logs to everyone else, UTC is the most unambiguous way to represent a timestamp.

I don't think pinpointing the log entry's absolute point in time is of any value in comparison to what time it was for the user making the log entry. If I'm trying to assist somebody and reviewing the log it doesn't help me to know they added chlorine at 6:00 pm my time. It would help me to know what time of day it was in their location.