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Question

Error in Start Date & Time: the data is in AM but the program read it as PM, vice versa

A

This post has been edited by a moderator to remove personal information. Please remember that this is a public forum and to remove any sensitive information prior to posting.

I am working on a zap to create a Google Calendar from Google Sheet.

The problem is, the time that is read by zap (and shows on the Calender) always changes from AM to PM and vice versa. You can see from the screenshots (ss), my data is 8:00 AM (start time), the program read it as 8:00AM at first but after a few seconds it changes to 8:00PM?! super confused

I’ve tried updating the timezone on my zapier account, but it didn’t change anything

 

Can anyone help me find what is wrong and how to solve this?

Thank you so much

 

Note:
1. The first ss shows the data read by the program when I first clicked "Retest & review"
2. The second ss shows the data that automatically changes after a few seconds
3. The third ss shows how the data is read from the "Set up action"

Did this topic help you find an answer to your question?

2 replies

Troy Tessalone
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Hi @ardifa

Good question.

My events are being created for the wrong date and/or time

There are a few reasons why events might be created for the wrong time or date by a Zap.

Are your timezone settings correct?

Check the timezone setting of both the trigger and action apps, and in Zapier.
When the timezones don't match between apps, this can cause the event to not be created on the expected date and time.
To fix this:

  • Change the Timezone settings for your Zapier account.
  • Check your Google Calendar timezone settings.
  • Refer to the help documentation of any other app in your Zap, to check the timezone on that app. You may also want to check that app's help pages on Zapier to see if there are any known limitations or restrictions for date/time fields.

None of these describes my problem

If none of these steps addresses your problem, try to use Formatter by Zapier or date/time modifications to correct any date differences between apps.

Are you creating an all-day event?

All-day events in Google Calendar end at midnight on the last day, so they're exclusive of the end date. For example, an event created via Zapier for August 10 - August 15 will appear to span August 10 - August 14 in Google Calendar, because the event will end at 12:00:00 on August 15.

To fix this:

  • Update your trigger data so that it lasts for an extra day.
  • Or, modify the end date in your Zap directly by adjusting the date/time to include +1d. This will cause the event to last for an extra day.

Is the event created on the wrong date, specifically with the month and day switched?

Regardless of the settings in your Google Calendar, data sent through their API (as Zapier does) must be in MM/DD/YYYY format. So, if you try to send an event for April 7, 2021 as 07/04/2021, Google Calendar will interpret that as July 4, 2021. The dates need to be in MM/DD/YYYY format to ensure Google Calendar adds the event to the correct date(s). If your trigger is sending the data in DD/MM format, you can use a Formatter step to reformat the date.

Are you using the "Quick Add Event" action?

If you're using the Quick Add Event action instead of the Create Detailed Event action, there are some specific guidelines that must be followed to make sure that Google Calendar can interpret the date and time correctly.

Is your detailed event appearing in the calendar for the same time the Zap ran?

This may happen if the start and end time/date are invalid. Events created with an invalid start or end date will be created for the time your Zap runs.

 

⚡ Troy Tessalone - AutomationAce.com | Premier Certified Zapier Expert | #1 Zapier Community Contributor
jesse
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  • jesseArchitect
  • Architect
  • 1348 replies
  • July 22, 2022

Hey @ardifa are you able to post a screenshot of how the data is being read after testing the action? Looks like that one may not have come across. That might help us narrow down which of the approaches Troy mentioned are most applicable here. Just be sure to not include any PII in your screenshots, please! 😉

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