Inconsistent Last Modified timestamps in ProcessWire admin interface
29K reputation · 06 Dec 2020, 21:29 UTC
Administrative Timestamp Discrepancy
ProcessWire stores page dates as Unix timestamps in the database, which provides a timezone-agnostic baseline. While the $page->date() method allows for regional formatting via PHP's date syntax, the administrative interface relies on server-level PHP configurations (date.timezone) to render modification times.
A discrepancy occurs when the server's system time differs from the administrator's local regional time zone. Because ProcessWire does not currently implement a per-user timezone mapping for the backend, the 'Last Modified' metadata may reflect the server's offset rather than the user's actual local time.
- Constraint: Reliance on
php.inisettings for global time resolution. - Uncertainty: The behavior of timestamp synchronization across distributed administrative teams in different regions.
Does ProcessWire provide a mechanism to override the server timezone for specific administrative users? How can the admin interface be configured to display timestamps relative to the user's local browser time instead of the server's PHP configuration?