I have google calendar sync setup and it's working but having an issue with timezones between backend and front end. When a busy event is created in Google Calendar Amelia doesn't appear to be handling time zone conversion properly and creating busy time at the wrong Wordpress time. Below are my steps:
Wordpress time is set for Los Angeles and set time zone to client option is set
I marked 2 hours as busy on my google calendar tomorrow from 12:30 - 2:30 CST (google appointment.png attachment)
In the backend if I try and manually create an appointment, the correct time is not available - (backend.png attachment)
Front end is appointment booking is showing the unavailable time, but it is showing as the wrong time. The blocked time is off by two hours, showing as if the appointment was 12:30-2:30pm PST then adding 2 hours to show it in my current time zone of CST.
This is a major blocker and issue in using calendar sync.
Amelia timezone is the one you choose in your WordPress -> Settings -> General. The mismatch in the timezone on the front-end and the back-end can be only if the front-end (customers) are not in the same timezone and the option Show booking slots in client time zone is enabled in Amelia -> Settings -> General. Could you please disable this setting and check if the issue is still there? If the issue is not there it means that the browser or the local machine is set to another timezone.
If this didn't solve the issue please provide me a temporary WP-admin login for your site where this happens, so we could log in and take a look. We do not interfere with any data or anything else except for the plugin (in case that’s a production version of the site), and of course we do not provide login data to third party. You can write credentials here just check Private Reply so nobody can see them except us.
disabling it shows the blocked time according to the time zone set in Wordpress, which is Los Angeles.
That doesn’t fix the fact that a busy event in google are being translated to the client time zone incorrectly with the the setting enabled. It renders the setting not only useless but adds confusion and increases the possibility of double booking substantially.
If your Google calendar and your WordPress are in the same timezone and they have the same time for the appointments booked (when they are created in Amelia they have the same time in Google) and for the time slots of Busy events in Google blocked in Amelia (the busy events in Google and the blocked time in Amelia), the behavior that you have is correct.
The reason why when this is enabled is seen in another time is that the customer is in another timezone (there is a difference of 2 hours) and they see this transferred to their timezone. When the option Show booking slots in client time zone is enabled customers see the available time slots in their own timezone (the available time slots from the back-end are changed to their timezone)- so, if they are in another timezone from your WordPress timezone it is correct that they see the time slots differently than what you see in the back-end.
but why if Wordpress is on Los Angeles and an appointment set in central time is marked busy and synced, if I’m a client and in central time I see the blocked time as two hours later than the central time.
Example, 2-3cst is busy in google. I’m a client in central time and see 4-5pm being blocked when viewing in client time zone is enabled. I should see 2-3 being blocked since my Current time zone is cst and that’s the time marked busy.
If the central time is set in the employee's Google calendar it will be calculated to the WordPress timezone for the back-end time slots and for the front-end it will be calculated to the customers' timezone if the option Show booking slots in client time zone is enabled, so if the customer is in the same timezone as the employee (central time) they will see that same time slot blocked for booking. You can test this if you change the timezone of your Google calendar to be the same as the customer's timezone.
Is the client (browser/local machine) in the same timezone as the Google calendar?
Please send me a page where you have your Amelia booking form and let me know what is your employee's Google calendar timezone so I could check it out on my end?
Thank you, Cory. I don't see any blocked time slots on Friday.
Please provide me a temporary WP-admin login for your site where this happens, so we could log in and take a look . I will create one test employee and connect it to my calendar to see the behavior.
We do not interfere with any data or anything else except for the plugin (in case that’s a production version of the site), and of course we do not provide login data to third party. You can write credentials here just check Private Reply so nobody can see them except us.
One more thing, I just saw this client time and providers appointment both in central time in your previous answer - does this mean that the Employee's Google calendar and the client (their local machine/browser) are in the same timezone, different than your WordPress?
I have google calendar sync setup and it's working but having an issue with timezones between backend and front end. When a busy event is created in Google Calendar Amelia doesn't appear to be handling time zone conversion properly and creating busy time at the wrong Wordpress time. Below are my steps:
This is a major blocker and issue in using calendar sync.
Hello Cory,
Amelia timezone is the one you choose in your WordPress -> Settings -> General. The mismatch in the timezone on the front-end and the back-end can be only if the front-end (customers) are not in the same timezone and the option Show booking slots in client time zone is enabled in Amelia -> Settings -> General. Could you please disable this setting and check if the issue is still there? If the issue is not there it means that the browser or the local machine is set to another timezone.
If this didn't solve the issue please provide me a temporary WP-admin login for your site where this happens, so we could log in and take a look. We do not interfere with any data or anything else except for the plugin (in case that’s a production version of the site), and of course we do not provide login data to third party. You can write credentials here just check Private Reply so nobody can see them except us.
disabling it shows the blocked time according to the time zone set in Wordpress, which is Los Angeles.
That doesn’t fix the fact that a busy event in google are being translated to the client time zone incorrectly with the the setting enabled. It renders the setting not only useless but adds confusion and increases the possibility of double booking substantially.
Hello Cory,
If your Google calendar and your WordPress are in the same timezone and they have the same time for the appointments booked (when they are created in Amelia they have the same time in Google) and for the time slots of Busy events in Google blocked in Amelia (the busy events in Google and the blocked time in Amelia), the behavior that you have is correct.
The reason why when this is enabled is seen in another time is that the customer is in another timezone (there is a difference of 2 hours) and they see this transferred to their timezone. When the option Show booking slots in client time zone is enabled customers see the available time slots in their own timezone (the available time slots from the back-end are changed to their timezone)- so, if they are in another timezone from your WordPress timezone it is correct that they see the time slots differently than what you see in the back-end.
but why if Wordpress is on Los Angeles and an appointment set in central time is marked busy and synced, if I’m a client and in central time I see the blocked time as two hours later than the central time.
Example, 2-3cst is busy in google. I’m a client in central time and see 4-5pm being blocked when viewing in client time zone is enabled. I should see 2-3 being blocked since my Current time zone is cst and that’s the time marked busy.
If the central time is set in the employee's Google calendar it will be calculated to the WordPress timezone for the back-end time slots and for the front-end it will be calculated to the customers' timezone if the option Show booking slots in client time zone is enabled, so if the customer is in the same timezone as the employee (central time) they will see that same time slot blocked for booking. You can test this if you change the timezone of your Google calendar to be the same as the customer's timezone.
Hello Cory,
Is the client (browser/local machine) in the same timezone as the Google calendar?
Please send me a page where you have your Amelia booking form and let me know what is your employee's Google calendar timezone so I could check it out on my end?
Sorry, I didn't get any URL for your website?
Thank you, Cory. I don't see any blocked time slots on Friday.
Please provide me a temporary WP-admin login for your site where this happens, so we could log in and take a look . I will create one test employee and connect it to my calendar to see the behavior.
We do not interfere with any data or anything else except for the plugin (in case that’s a production version of the site), and of course we do not provide login data to third party. You can write credentials here just check Private Reply so nobody can see them except us.
One more thing, I just saw this client time and providers appointment both in central time in your previous answer - does this mean that the Employee's Google calendar and the client (their local machine/browser) are in the same timezone, different than your WordPress?