Saving date and time in Parse backend

Question

I searched the Analysis blog to find out if I could get a solution to this question, but I didn't get a satisfactory answer. Therefore, although I will clearly ask the question here with all the details so that anyone else is stuck in a similar situation, it will work easily.

Need: I have a send and return text box that is updated using a single UIDatePicker. I want to save the selected dates in my Parse.com database. What can I request and filter data on. I also want to keep the local time zone in parsing, if possible. I work with checking the number of days, but this does not apply to this issue, therefore, not including a code for this.

Success and problem: I can save the correct date and time in String format, but when I try to save in NSDate format using the code below, I get the wrong time.

For example: my date picker and saved result in parsing are as follows:

Departure Date: Selection Date Selection: 01 / May / 2015 01:00 +0530
Saved date at Parse: April 30, 2015 7:30 p.m.

Return Date: Selection Date Selection: 02 / May / 2015 01:00 +0530
Saved date at Parse: May 01, 2015 7:30 p.m.

// My code is as follows:

@IBOutlet var dOfTravelText: UITextField! @IBOutlet var returnDateText: UITextField! lazy var dateFormatter: NSDateFormatter = { let dateFormatter = NSDateFormatter() dateFormatter.dateFormat = "dd/MMM/yyyy hh:mm a Z" // dateFormatter.dateStyle = .MediumStyle // dateFormatter.timeStyle = .ShortStyle return dateFormatter }() @IBAction func travelDatePicker(sender: UITextField) { datePickerView.minimumDate = NSDate() datePickerView.datePickerMode = UIDatePickerMode.DateAndTime sender.inputView = datePickerView timeSelected = sender datePickerView.addTarget(self, action: "handleDatePicker:", forControlEvents: UIControlEvents.AllEvents) } // Date Picker target - Displaying date in textfield func handleDatePicker(sender: UIDatePicker) { //var dateFormatter = NSDateFormatter() //dateFormatter.dateFormat = "mm/dd/yyyy" timeSelected.text = dateFormatter.stringFromDate(sender.date) println("From Date \(dOfTravelText.text!)") println("To Date \(returnDateText.text!)") } // Submitting the dates to parse backend @IBAction func postBtn(sender: AnyObject) { let date = NSDate() let calendar = NSCalendar.currentCalendar() let components = calendar.components(.CalendarUnitHour | .CalendarUnitMinute, fromDate: date) let dateMakerFormatter = NSDateFormatter() dateMakerFormatter.dateFormat = "dd/MMM/yyyy hh:mm a Z" let dD = dateMakerFormatter.dateFromString("\(dOfTravelText.text!)")! let departureD = NSDateFormatter.localizedStringFromDate(dD, dateStyle: .MediumStyle, timeStyle: .ShortStyle) println("From-------...\(departureD)") let rD = dateMakerFormatter.dateFromString("\(returnDateText.text!)")! let returnD = NSDateFormatter.localizedStringFromDate(rD, dateStyle: .MediumStyle, timeStyle: .ShortStyle) println("To-------\(returnD)") var userPost = PFObject(className:"UserPost") userPost["departureDate"] = dD // Works but has Wrong time userPost["rDate"] = rD // Works but Wrong time userPost["travelDate"] = dOfTravelText.text // Works but it is stored in String format userPost["returnDate"] = returnDateText.text // Works but it is stored in string format userPost.saveInBackgroundWithBlock { (success, error: NSError?) -> Void in if (success) { // The object has been saved. println("Saved") } else { // There was a problem, check error.description println("Error") } } } } 

// Database parsing and column type travelDate and returnDate are defined as type "String"

departureDate and rDate are defined as a Date Type

For information only: I am using Platform - iOS Swift (xcode 6.3, swift 1.2) Database backend = Parse.com

Answer 1

Since Parse stores GMT-related dates when you check them for parsing or retrieving them, you can find this difference in your local time zone. General dates are stored in GMT.

You can add an additional field to your analysis database and save the local time zone there. When retrieving data, you can use this information to interpret the date in the zone to which it is indicated.

Depending on the type of data that you store, it may always be possible to always interpret the date in the local time zone of users, even if this has changed. You can also ask the user for permission if the user's saved time zone and time zone are different (therefore the user has moved).