Converting from Database time zone to User time zone in D365FO

Introduction

In Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (D365FO), handling date and time values according to the user's preferred time zone is crucial for ensuring that data is presented correctly. The DateTimeUtil class provides methods to manage and convert date and time values, making it easier to handle time zones and offsets.

This code snippet demonstrates how to retrieve the current system date and time, adjust it according to the user's preferred time zone, and store the result in a utcDateTime variable. This ensures that the date and time values are accurate and relevant to the user's locale.

X++ Code

...

static void main(Args _args)

{

    utcDateTime userLocalDateTime; 

    // Retrieve the current system date and time

    utcDateTime systemDateTime = DateTimeUtil::getSystemDateTime(); 

    // Apply the user's preferred time zone offset to the system date and time

    userLocalDateTime = DateTimeUtil::applyTimeZoneOffset(systemDateTime,                     DateTimeUtil::getUserPreferredTimeZone()); 

    // Display the adjusted date and time

    info(strFmt("User's Local Date and Time: %1", userLocalDateTime));

}

...

Explanation

static void main(Args _args): Defines the main method, which is the entry point for the execution of this X++ code. The Args parameter _args can be used to pass arguments to the method.

utcDateTime userLocalDateTime;: Declares a variable userLocalDateTime of type utcDateTime to store the date and time adjusted to the user's preferred time zone.

utcDateTime systemDateTime = DateTimeUtil::getSystemDateTime();:

• DateTimeUtil::getSystemDateTime(): Calls the getSystemDateTime method from the DateTimeUtil class to retrieve the current system date and time in UTC format.
• utcDateTime systemDateTime: Declares a variable systemDateTime and assigns it the current system date and time.

userLocalDateTime = DateTimeUtil::applyTimeZoneOffset(systemDateTime, DateTimeUtil::getUserPreferredTimeZone());:

• DateTimeUtil::applyTimeZoneOffset(...): Calls the applyTimeZoneOffset method to adjust the systemDateTime to the user's preferred time zone.
• systemDateTime: The current system date and time in UTC format that needs to be adjusted.
• DateTimeUtil::getUserPreferredTimeZone(): Calls the getUserPreferredTimeZone method to get the time zone offset preferred by the user.
• userLocalDateTime: Assigns the adjusted date and time value to the userLocalDateTime variable.

info(strFmt("User's Local Date and Time: %1", userLocalDateTime));:

• strFmt("User's Local Date and Time: %1", userLocalDateTime): Uses the strFmt function to format the message string, including the user's local date and time.
• info(...): Displays the formatted string in the Infolog, providing feedback on the adjusted date and time.

Use Case

This code is useful in scenarios where date and time values need to be displayed or processed according to the user's local time zone. It ensures that time-sensitive data is accurately represented for users in different time zones, improving the relevance and accuracy of the information presented in the system.