GlideSystem.nowDateTime() — ServiceNow API

gs.nowDateTime()→ string

beginnerTested on Xanadu

What It Does

The nowDateTime() method returns the current date and time as a string formatted as yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss. The timestamp reflects the exact moment when the method executes, using the ServiceNow instance's configured timezone.

Internally, ServiceNow calls the Java System.currentTimeMillis() method to get the current time in UTC, then converts it to the instance timezone and formats it as a string. This conversion happens every time you call the method, so multiple calls within the same transaction will show slightly different timestamps.

The method always returns a valid string and never returns null or an empty value. The timestamp precision goes down to the second level – milliseconds are truncated, not rounded. If you need millisecond precision, use gs.now() which returns a GlideDateTime object.

During daylight saving time transitions, the method respects the instance timezone rules. When clocks "fall back" and create an ambiguous hour, ServiceNow uses the standard time interpretation. When clocks "spring forward" and skip an hour, the method returns the adjusted time without the skipped hour.

This method is closely related to gs.now() and gs.nowNoTZ(). While gs.now() returns a GlideDateTime object and gs.nowNoTZ() returns UTC time, nowDateTime() provides the middle ground of a simple string in instance timezone.

When to Use This

Use nowDateTime() when you need a human-readable timestamp for logging, debugging messages, or simple date comparisons where timezone conversion isn't critical. It's perfect for adding timestamps to custom log entries, creating simple audit trails, or generating basic date-based identifiers.

Avoid this method when working with datetime fields in records, performing date arithmetic, or handling user-specific timezones. For those scenarios, use gs.now() which returns a GlideDateTime object with full timezone awareness and date manipulation methods. Don't use it for storing in the database – ServiceNow expects GlideDateTime objects for datetime fields.

⚠️

Never use nowDateTime() to populate datetime fields on records. The string format doesn't include timezone information, leading to incorrect values in the database.

Return Value

Returns a string in the exact format yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss, where months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds are zero-padded to two digits. The year is always four digits. The format never varies regardless of user preferences or locale settings – it uses the ISO-style format consistently.

The method never fails and always returns a valid timestamp string. You can safely use the return value in string operations, comparisons, or logging without null checks. The string is directly comparable with other timestamps from the same method using standard string comparison, as long as they're in the same timezone.

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Platform Behavior & Side Effects

No Business Rules, ACLs, or notifications are triggered – this is a pure read operation
Nothing is written to the database – the method only reads system time
Extremely fast execution with no caching needed since time is always current
Behaves identically in before/after Business Rules, Script Includes, and Scheduled Jobs
Each call returns a slightly different timestamp due to execution time differences
Uses the instance timezone setting, not the user's personal timezone preference
No impact on transaction rollback behavior since no database changes occur

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Code Examples

Basic logging and timestamp generationbasic

// Add timestamp to custom log messages
var currentTime = gs.nowDateTime();
gs.log('Processing started at: ' + currentTime, 'CustomScript');

// Create time-based reference number
var incidentGr = new GlideRecord('incident');
incidentGr.initialize();
incidentGr.short_description = 'Auto-generated incident';
incidentGr.description = 'Created by scheduled job at ' + currentTime;
incidentGr.caller_id = gs.getUserID();
incidentGr.insert();

// Compare with simple string comparison (same timezone only)
var startTime = gs.nowDateTime();
// ... do some processing ...
var endTime = gs.nowDateTime();
if (endTime > startTime) {
    gs.log('Processing completed. End: ' + endTime, 'CustomScript');
}

Demonstrates the most common use cases: logging with timestamps, adding human-readable timestamps to descriptions, and basic chronological comparisons. The string format makes it perfect for embedding in log messages.

Building custom audit trail with batch processingintermediate

// Process records in batches with timestamps
var auditLog = [];
var batchStart = gs.nowDateTime();

var userGr = new GlideRecord('sys_user');
userGr.addActiveQuery();
userGr.setLimit(100);
userGr.query();

while (userGr.next()) {
    // Simulate processing each user
    if (!userGr.email.nil()) {
        auditLog.push({
            user: userGr.user_name.toString(),
            processed_at: gs.nowDateTime(),
            batch_id: batchStart
        });
    }
}

var batchEnd = gs.nowDateTime();
gs.log('Batch ' + batchStart + ' completed at ' + batchEnd + 
       '. Processed ' + auditLog.length + ' users', 'UserProcessor');

Shows how to create audit trails and batch processing logs where you need both individual timestamps and batch identifiers. The consistent string format makes grouping and sorting straightforward.

The classic mistake: Don't use for datetime fieldsadvanced

// WRONG: This breaks timezone handling
var incidentGr = new GlideRecord('incident');
incidentGr.initialize();
incidentGr.opened_at = gs.nowDateTime(); // String goes into datetime field
incidentGr.insert();

// RIGHT: Use gs.now() for datetime fields  
var taskGr = new GlideRecord('task');
taskGr.initialize();
taskGr.opened_at = gs.now(); // GlideDateTime object handles timezone
taskGr.insert();

// RIGHT: Use nowDateTime() for string fields and logging
var customGr = new GlideRecord('u_custom_table');
customGr.initialize();
customGr.u_process_timestamp = gs.nowDateTime(); // String field
customGr.u_notes = 'Record created at ' + gs.nowDateTime();
customGr.insert();

The most common mistake is using nowDateTime() for datetime fields, which causes timezone conversion issues. Always use gs.now() for datetime fields and nowDateTime() only for strings and logging.

Gotchas

Multiple calls within the same script return slightly different timestamps due to execution time, so cache the value if you need consistency.

The method uses instance timezone, not user timezone, which can confuse users seeing logs in their local timezone.

Daylight saving time transitions can create duplicate or missing hours in the timestamp sequence when viewed chronologically.

String comparison with timestamps only works reliably when both timestamps are from the same timezone and method.

The format never includes milliseconds, so rapid operations might appear to happen at the same time when they don't.

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