Timezones

[BrookG]

There is always a problem with timezones, especially at the point matches need to be scheduled. A clock or a converter like this http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html could be useful.

[musketeer925]

What exactly would you want done with such a thing? As you linked, it obviously already exists, so it'd be silly to make our own and then put it on a page somewhere.

Do you want it integrated with a particular page / post / etc? Any ideas about what it might look like when it was done to make it useful?

[BrookG]

It's hard to say how to fit it on the site's current design. I don't want to believe people are incapable of calculating the time differences by their own. However, the least that can be done, is to post the link along with the scheduling threads.

[pecelot]

good idea lol, it happened unexpectedly too often

[urmom69]

What exactly would you want done with such a thing? As you linked, it obviously already exists, so it'd be silly to make our own and then put it on a page somewhere.

Do you want it integrated with a particular page / post / etc? Any ideas about what it might look like when it was done to make it useful?

How about detect dates in strings and add a converted time string based on the user's preference (it's in the user control panel)?

For example:

Let's play at 18:00 PM GMT (local time: 11:00 AM PST).

The 11:00 AM PST will get auto generated into the post.

[deleted_user0]

doesnt the usa have like 3 different time zones? there is also EST and probably some rockies standard time as well...

[musketeer925]

doesnt the usa have like 3 different time zones? there is also EST and probably some rockies standard time as well...

User selects their own timezone in profile / at signup, so it could display the user's selected time zone.

The in-post thing is a really good idea, might look into implementing it.

[Darwin_]

doesnt the usa have like 3 different time zones? there is also EST and probably some rockies standard time as well...

Yeah we have 4. Eastern standard, central, mountain, and pacific.

[zoom]

Just integrate a world clock graphic into the far right of the top banner. That should be retard proof.

[deleted_user0]

doesnt the usa have like 3 different time zones? there is also EST and probably some rockies standard time as well...

User selects their own timezone in profile / at signup, so it could display the user's selected time zone.

The in-post thing is a really good idea, might look into implementing it.

in that case its indeed a good idea.

[urmom69]

Should be done client-side.

Just loop through the posts text content and look for "<digit>:<digit><digit>" and try running date parse.

[momuuu]

Just use your brain.

Maybe we should put up a simple puzzle people that sign up for the tournament have to solve before they can sign up.

[deleted_user]

Just use your brain.

Maybe we should put up a simple puzzle people that sign up for the tournament have to solve before they can sign up.

Have people input their location, give them their GMT + or - relative time then have a series of simple addition and subtraction problems converting the two time zones.

[momuuu]

Isnt the daylight savingtime switch thing coming in soon? Thats going to confuse the fuck about people again.

[musketeer925]

Should be done client-side.

Just loop through the posts text content and look for "<digit>:<digit><digit>" and try running date parse.

Yeah I think that's going to be the best plan. Are you a developer?

[forgrin]

Isnt the daylight savingtime switch thing coming in soon? Thats going to confuse the fuck about people again.

Well technically for all the people scheduling for this tourney on GMT, GMT hasn't been in effect until I think yesterday (?) so... glad that worked in the end. We should be just using UTC to schedule stuff.

[momuuu]

Gmt and utc are basically the same thing. I guess people still dont know how gmt and daylight saving work.

[lemmings121]

doesnt the usa have like 3 different time zones? there is also EST and probably some rockies standard time as well...

User selects their own timezone in profile / at signup, so it could display the user's selected time zone.

The in-post thing is a really good idea, might look into implementing it.

tbh, imo thats to much useless work for the devs.
the people that are stupid enough to not know how to convert their times, wont know their correct timezones.

[musketeer925]

tbh, imo thats to much useless work for the devs.
the people that are stupid enough to not know how to convert their times, wont know their correct timezones.

Honestly converting timezones confuses the hell out of me (primarily due to daylight savings activating at different times in different countries and in some places not happening at all, I usually end up saying well that's plus or minus an hour from the time), I'd find it really useful.

But perhaps that makes me totally unqualified to do any development that has to do with it...

[momuuu]

When you are in summer time, you take your timezone and apply +1 to it. So if youre gmt -10 in wintertime you become gmt -9. Gmt -10 means that you subtract ten hours from the gmt time to get your time. This can easily be deduced by being aware that its later in the east.

Once you master this very basic knowledge it is not possible to mess up timezones.

[urmom69]

Should be done client-side.

Just loop through the posts text content and look for "<digit>:<digit><digit>" and try running date parse.

Yeah I think that's going to be the best plan. Are you a developer?

Something like this, can't work on it right now though.

// Timezones:
// ==========
// Most interactions involving a time happens within different timezones.
//
// Additionally, unless a GMT time is produced through a calculator (produced
// without a corresponding date), the local time a user has determined may be
// incorrect if their is a future time change (Daylight Savings).
//
// Design:
// -------
// - GMT only (explicit)
// - We don't want to try and determine the timezone context from a string
// - If it's local time, then both parties don't need a translation
// - Should be done client-side
// - Server-side timezone detection is a pain
// - Dates within posts should be stored and rendered in their original format
// - No date picker UI
// - A date picker is very safe, but too difficult to use
// - Fail-safe
// - Let date.parse() determine whether the time format is valid.
// Example: `Date.parse('10:00 pm gmt')`
// - Handling time changes
// - If a time change happens within the next 2 weeks, display an "or" time
// - Display format should be distinctive from the post's content
//
// Logic:
// ------
// 1. Get local time from preferences
// 2. Get post contents
// 3. Search for GMT times
// 4. If date.parse works, then add the local time.
// 5. If time for date + 14 (in 2 weeks) is different than time today, then a
// time change will occur, output the different time as well.
//
// Libraries:
// --------
// - moment.js (date.parse)

Code: Select all

// Determine time change
const timezoneOffset = Date.parse('today').getTimezoneOffset();

const days = [];

for (const day = 0, day < 14, day++) {
    if (date.add(day).getTimezoneOffset !== timezoneOffset) {
        days.push(date.add(day));
    }
}

const posts = document.querySelectorAll('.post .content');

posts.forEach((post) => {
    const date = post.match(/\b\d?\d:\d\d( (?: )?(PM|AM)) GMT\b/gi);

    date.filter();

    // change:
    // filter duplicate strings
    // string: date
    // parse to string: datestring
    // regex replace

    date.forEach((datePost) => {
        const parsed = date.parse(datePost);

        if (parsed) {
            post.append(datePost, parsed);

            if (days.length) {
                days.forEach((day) => {
                    post.append(day.parse(date));
                });
            }
        }
    });
});

It's not valid javascript, just putting down logic.

Yuck, code tag height is too small, gonna not wrap all of it in code.

[Gendarme]

I don't think searching for "D:DD" only will be accurate (they could be talking about something totally irrelevant). And people might not include "GMT" right after writing the time, but perhaps most people do, and searching for "D:DD GMT" (and similar syntaxes) is sufficient in most cases. But is it not weird to implement something that doesn't always work? Perhaps it will cause more confusion than clarity, even.

The clock on the corner of the page seems like a much better idea than inserting text in people's posts. The clock can even show both local time and GMT.

[urmom69]

I don't think searching for "D:DD" only will be accurate (they could be talking about something totally irrelevant)..

It's \d?\d:\d\d, then optionally am or pm, and finally gmt.

So the string must contain "gmt" after.

The following would get detected:
- 3:00pm gmt
- 3:00 PM GMT
- 3pm GMT
- 18 GMT

If there is no GMT, then it's assumed to be a local time, in which we don't do anything with that.
If the date isn't valid (in case of a mismatch), nothing would happen as well. Don't see anyone typing: "I'm gonna bet 3:00 gmt on this match."

And people might not include "GMT" right after writing the time, but perhaps most people do, and searching for "D:DD GMT" (and similar syntaxes) is sufficient in most cases. But is it not weird to implement something that doesn't always work? Perhaps it will cause more confusion than clarity, even.

I studied the habits used in scheduling threads, and they use gmt.

The clock on the corner of the page seems like a much better idea than inserting text in people's posts. The clock can even show both local time and GMT.

I think the problem with the clock is the problem people are having (miscalculations).
By looking at a clock and seeing that you're 7 hours behind GMT doesn't fix the main problem here.
Additionally, if you're thinking of a time in your head, and the timezone has a change in time, then that time will be off an hour.

Just my opinion. Obviously the feature would only be present in scheduling threads.

[Gendarme]

Yeah, you are probably right. It is totally worth trying out. I think it is a good idea to search for "GMT + time (+ am/pm)" too - not only "GMT" at the end.

[pecelot]

You shouldnt have such issues in the first place, if you do - your problem, search for an online converter, the maximum I think we could do would be to link such sites in scheduling threads, come on, thats too much hassle.