How To Use The Calendar For Proper Times

orth · 03-25-07, 04:00 AM

Okay, I hope this is helpful for everyone. This is how to set up a calendar event so the time is displayed properly for every one of our community members.

Step 1. Set Your Correct Timezone

First off, make sure you yourself have the correct timezone set! Edit Your Options and set your timezone to the proper timezone, and select Automatically detect DST settings.

Figure 1. orth's Time Zone settings

Step 2. Add Your Event

Once you're done that, you're now ready to set up an event. Go to the Player Calendar. GMs can use GM Calendar, either way doesn't matter.

Now in the top right under the navigation bar click the Add New Event then select Ranged Event.

Okay now here's the tricky part.

If you are currently in Daylight Saving Time wherever you are, then put your start time at one hour before you want it started. For example if you plan on starting a quest at 10:00am, then put it for 9:00am. Once Daylight Saving Time is over you need not set it one hour before.

The Time Zone should be your Time Zone.

DO NOT CHECK THE MAINTAIN SAME TIME BY IGNORING DST. THIS IS IMPORTANT OR PLAYERS WHO DON'T HAVE DST WILL SEE WRONG TIMES.

The end time isn't very relevant as we all know how some quests you just don't know how long they will be, but putting an approximation of length does no harm.

In my example below I wanted the quest to start at 6:30am my time and since it's currently Daylight Saving Time here, I set it to start at 5:30am.

Figure 2. Example Event

Step 3. Verify The Time Is Correct

Okay, now make sure when you save the event, the start time appears correctly for you. This ensures it will display properly for everyone else. As long as they've set their time zone that is

If the time is not correct then please verify you've done all the correct actions in the first two steps. You can edit your calendar event by selecting :: Edit Event from the Event Options dropdown in the bottom right corner of your event.

Figure 3. Event time verification

Hope that helps, please comment for revisions or clarifications.

-orth

Blackguy · 03-25-07, 04:11 AM

Is there a reason why it cant figure out to just add the right time instead of the trouble of thinking one hour behind for a half year until daylight goes away?

Weeblie · 03-25-07, 04:15 AM

Oh... thanksish for this!

Noticed that my time was indeed one hour off.

orth · 03-25-07, 04:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackguy

Is there a reason why it cant figure out to just add the right time instead of the trouble of thinking one hour behind for a half year until daylight goes away?

Dunno, this is just how it works, I'm sure there could be some sort of option "Factor in my DST settings", but I'm not going to dig into.

Not sure I'm gonna comment on "the trouble of thinking one hour behind" :P Is that too advanced? It's only for people who post an event and it's only for half a year and as long as they verify their time after they post, which everyone should do naturally, they'll remember.

Blackguy · 03-25-07, 04:36 AM

But the young people want to be lazy, your old and worksome, give us some slack, duuude! :P

Kindo · 03-25-07, 07:04 AM

Thank you, this is very useful. As a side-note, we Europeans entered daylight savings early this morning. I am not certain how it works, but are there more zones we have to wait for?

Kindo · 03-26-07, 08:36 AM

I still notice inconsistencies with the times documented in events. Please make sure you make the effort to give the proper time for the most commonly used time zones (PST/PDT, EST/EDT, GMT).