SharePoint Update Item connector using UTC not local time when appending comments

[allan_t]

Minor irritant, curious if anyone has a work around for this.  

• Power Automate flow uses the Update Item connector for SharePoint
• When the flow runs, the Update Item connector adds a comment to a list item, the list item setting for this column is to append the information.  This displays the user name and time-stamp when the comment was appended
• The comment time-stamp is UTC, however our local time is Eastern Standard

I'm familiar with the Current Time connector and Convert Time connector, but I don't see a way to change the time-stamp for the Update item connector in the flow. 

Anyone know of a work around or setting for this?  

[creativeopinion]

@allan_t Have you checked the Regional settings of your SharePoint site? I was running into this exact same problem last week. Even converted the time to my local time using the Convert Time Zone action and it was still displaying incorrectly. 

I realized the timezone was incorrect on my SP site. Once I switched that the utcNow() function worked.

Hope this helps!

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[ManishSolanki]

Hi @allan_t 

You could use expression to convert UTC to Eastern Standard time as shown in the below example:

Expression needs to be added in the expression box as highlighted in the above screenshot:

convertFromUtc(utcNow(),'Eastern Standard Time','MM/dd/yy hh:mm tt')

If this helps & solves your problem, please remember to give a 👍 and accept my solution as it will help others in the future.

Thanks

[allan_t]

I had tried that, but it won't work when you're dealing with a SharePoint column where content is appended.  The appended comment applies a time-stamp that we can't insert as an expression.   The green highlight is from the system time-stamp, not an expression that I used in the Update Item connector.  Everything after the time-stamp is dynamic content I provided in the Update Item connector.  

[allan_t]

I just checked that and the site setting is already set to Eastern Time zone.  

I'm wondering if there is a similar regional setting for my Power Automate environment, perhaps that's causing it.  I can't find any similar setting for my Power Automate environment though.  

[creativeopinion]

@allan_t Can you try to use a Convert time zone action and a Compose action?

In the Convert time zone action:

Base Time: Insert utcNow()

Source Time Zone: Search and select (UTC) Coordinated Universal Time

Destination Time Zone: Search and select your local time zone

Format String: Search and select round-trip

In your compose action insert the dynamic content for your user name and use an expression to format the date and time if you'd like. I used this format:

yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm tt

If you don't format the date and time, it'll display as shown in the outputs of the Convert timezone action.

Confirm the date and time are correct. Use the output form this compose action in the Update Item action. 

Hope this helps!

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Consider giving me a 👍 if you liked my response!

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[allan_t]

Thank you for the suggestion. I have tried that, but the user name and time-stamp applied by the Update Item connector on this type of column, is not editable, nor can you provide it via dynamic content.  

[creativeopinion]

@allan_t Could you share a screenshot of your flow. It can help to provide more insight. 

[allan_t]

Here's the full flow overview.  The connector I've highlighted in green is where the SharePoint list item is updated, using the Update Item connector.  

In the Update Item connector, we're appending a comment to the list item.  

Column name is Comments, it's setting is to append the content.  

The Update Item connector will add a comment to the Comments field, it contains dynamic content.  Eg. Internal approval request sent.  Requestor: <display name of requestor>.  Sent to: <display name of approver>.  I do not put the time-stamp in the comment, because the Update Item connector will display the name and time-stamp when the comment was logged.   

Here's how the comment field is displayed after the item is updated.  The display name and time-stamp (in yellow) is not supplied by the connector, it's not dynamic content.  The text after the time-stamp is dynamic content.  

If I were to put a converted time-stamp into the dynamic content, 2 time-stamps will be displayed and just confuse the user.  

Let me know what you think.  thx

[allan_t]

I have checked the regional settings of my SharePoint site, there were indeed Eastern time zone so that didn't resolve it.   Thx