Understanding Timestamps in Labfront: Unix Time

This article explains the timestamps in your downloaded Labfront data and shows how to convert data provided in Unix time to local time.

- 👨‍🔬 For Researchers -

• Overview of time data in Labfront
• Explanation of Unix time
• How to convert Unix time to local time (with an example)
• Timestamp FAQs

Time Data in Labfront

When viewing your data in Labfront, you'll see the following variables:

• timezone - The geographic region based on the device settings.
  
  • Ex: Asia/Taipei
• unixTimestampInMs - The timestamp of the corresponding data type in Unix time. It has 13 digits because it displays milliseconds.
  • Ex: 1676951478000
• isoDate -  The converted local time in the standard format used to express a numeric calendar date.
  • Ex: 2023-02-21 11:51:18.000 +08:00
    
    

Here we'll show how to manually convert the timestamp to a more readable format.

Ex: 1676951478000 → 2023/02/21 11:51:18

1. First, enter the following formula to covert from Unix timestamp to GMT+0: =unixTimestampInMs/1000/3600/24+offsetInHour/24+DATE(1970,1,1)
   
   
   In this example, you'd select B8 (unixTimestampinMs) and the offsetInHour is +8 (Asia/Taipei) so the formula is =B8/1000/3600/24+8/24+DATE(1970,1,1)
   
   
2. Next, select the correct date formatting of the cell after converting from Unix timestamp to GMT+0.
   
   In Excel:

1. 1. Select the cell 
   2. Select ‘Format Cells’ from the context menu
   3. In the ‘Format Cells’ dialog box, under the ‘Number’ tab, click ‘Date’ in the Category list
   4. Select the appropriate Date format you want (you can use YYYY/MM/DD h:mm:ss)
      
      

📽️ How-To Video

FAQs 

Why does Labfront use Unix time?

How do you handle daylight savings?

Our platform records data using both Unix time and local time. Unix time remains unchanged by daylight savings, providing a consistent reference point. For local time, our datetime converter automatically accounts for daylight savings adjustments (e.g., recognizing that March 10 has 23 hours instead of 24). While our system is designed to handle these transitions seamlessly, we recommend reviewing your data after daylight savings changes and reaching out if you notice any discrepancies.

Do you offer any services to help analyze the data?