Major Change: Handling Time Zone Compatibility in Time Entry APIs

Dear Zoho Desk API users,

We recently identified a compatibility issue related to time zone conversion in our time entry APIs.

Here's a detailed breakdown of the issue and the change you need to make to resolve it.

The Issue

Our time entry APIs (GET

/api/v1/{tickets|accounts|contacts|agents|events|tasks|calls}/{id}/timeEntry) support two query parameters called createdTimeRange and modifiedTimeRange. As the names suggest, these parameters help define the period in which the time entries were created or modified. Both parameters take two values—starting time and ending time—that are passed in the yyyy-MM-ddThh:mm:ss.SSSZ format.

Currently, our time entry APIs consider the local time in the time zone of the user. This local time is converted to GMT on the server's end and the response is sent accordingly. The results are fine as long as the user accesses a data center within their time zone. If the user tries to retrieve data from a data center in a different time zone, the time zone mismatch leads to erroneous data.

The Solution

Going forward, the values of the createdTimeRange and modifiedTimeRange parameters must be converted into GMT at the client's end, i.e., your end, while making an API request. This step eliminates the possibility of a time zone mismatch and ensures that the data in the API response is accurate.

Therefore, we request you to tweak your API-based tools such that the time zone conversion happens at your end before the API request reaches the server.

The APIs in which this change must be implemented are:

/api/v1/{tickets}/{id}/timeEntry
/api/v1/{accounts}/{id}/timeEntry
/api/v1/{contacts}/{id}/timeEntry
/api/v1/{agents}/{id}/timeEntry
/api/v1/{events}/{id}/timeEntry
/api/v1/{tasks}/{id}/timeEntry
/api/v1/{calls}/{id}/timeEntry

This change will be in effect from July 1, 2021. Therefore, we request you to review your API-based tools and make necessary changes, where required.

For any questions and clarifications, contact us at support@zohodesk.com.

Thank you!