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Manage the date and time in your feeds

Manage the date and time in your feeds in Productsup.

You may have DateTime values in your product attributes, which you might want to use to base rules on or to send as part of the export feeds.

This could be for example creating a discount for a limited time frame only. Whilst you can schedule boxes for a certain time period, you can also use boxes specifically made for this purpose. See Advanced rule box options

Creating a timestamp

You can create a timestamp that includes the current date and time.

  1. Add the timestamp box

  2. Define a format in which you want the timestamp

  3. Select a timezone

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Converting a date to a timestamp

Alternatively, if you already have a written date or date text you can convert this into a timestamp.

An example of values to convert could be:

  1. +1 week 2 days 4 hours 2 seconds

  2. next Thursday

  3. last Monday

  4. Add the convert to timestamp box

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Converting the format of a timestamp / DateTime input

If you have a timestamp or any other DateTime input and wish to convert the format of it, you can do so.

  1. Add the convert DateTime format box

  2. Define a source format for your current input

  3. Define a target format for your current input

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For the above example, you want to convert your date format to a text description of the date:

Before

After

20200519

Tuesday 19 May 2020

Setting a value dependent on a timestamp

If you want to change the data for a column based on another column’s timestamp, you can do so.

This may be useful if you want to make optimizations based on a sale. For example, you have a column with a sale start date, and if the item is on sale you wish to append another column containing special sale text to the description.

  1. Add the set column by time box

  2. Select the column containing your date value under the source column

  3. Define the time format for the source column

  4. Select whether this box should take effect if the source column time is in the future, in the past, or now in comparison to the current DateTime

  5. Select whether to assign, append, or prepend the column which you select from the dropdown menu

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Assigning/adding text or adding a discount for a limited time only

If you want to assign, prepend or append text, or discount your prices for a limited time, then you can do so using the limited time only box.

  1. Add the Limited Time Only rule box

  2. Select the column containing your start date, or pick a static start date

  3. Select the column containing your end date, or pick a static end date

  4. Either add text to prepend, append, or assign (overwrite), or select a discount level

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