DateTime

Introduction

In NocoBase, the DateTime field stores a date and time with time-zone information.

It is suitable for event times, submission times, appointment times, and other time points that need consistent time-zone handling. Use DateTime (without time zone) when the value must remain a local time without conversion.

Use cases

DateTime fields are suitable for these business scenarios:

• Meeting and appointment times
• Order submission and payment times
• System event and operation times
• Time points shared across time zones

Create and configure

On the collection's Configure fields page, click Add field and select DateTime to create this field.

Setting	Description
Field interface	The field interface. DateTime uses datetime, which determines how the field is entered and displayed in pages.
Field display name	The name displayed for the field, such as Meeting time, Submission time, or Appointment time. Use a name that business users can recognize.
Field name	The field identifier used internally by APIs, relation fields, permissions, and workflows. It usually cannot be changed after creation. It supports only letters, numbers, and underscores, and must begin with a letter.
Field type	The data-layer type. DateTime uses datetimeTz by default.
Default value	The default value. When a new record has no value, NocoBase can fill this value automatically.
Validation rules	Validation rules. Supports date-range and required validation.
Description	A field description. Record the field meaning, entry requirements, data source, or maintainer.

:::warning Note

Field names are referenced by page blocks, permissions, workflows, and APIs after creation. Confirm the name before creating the field to avoid later configuration changes.

:::

Field behavior

The default behavior of a DateTime field is as follows:

Behavior	Description
Default Field interface	datetime.
Default Field type	datetimeTz.
Available Field types	datetimeTz, date.
Page component	Uses a date-time picker in edit mode.
Filtering	Supports date-time filters such as before, after, range, is empty, and is not empty.
Sorting	Supports chronological sorting in Table blocks.
Validation	Supports date-range and required validation.

Edit configuration

After creation, click Edit beside the field to edit its configuration. Edit fields to adjust how they are displayed and used in NocoBase, such as the display name, description, default value, validation rules, or field-specific settings.

When a field comes from a synchronized main-database table, editing usually maps the database field to a NocoBase Field type and Field interface.

Setting	Can be edited	Description
Field display name	Yes	Changes the name displayed in the interface without changing the field identifier.
Field name	No	The field identifier normally cannot be changed in the edit form after creation.
Field interface	Conditional	Main-database fields and synchronized fields can be adjusted during field mapping. Changes affect page input, display, and validation.
Field type	Conditional	Main-database fields and synchronized fields can be adjusted during field mapping. Confirm that existing values can be used by the new type first.
Default value	Yes	Adjusts the default value for new records.
Validation rules	Yes	Adjusts field validation rules.
Description	Yes	Adds the field meaning, entry requirements, data source, or maintainer.

:::warning Note

Changing a Field type or Field interface is more than changing a display name. It affects field storage, input components, validation rules, filters, and workflow-variable usage. When the field contains substantial existing data, confirm that its data format is compatible first.

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Delete field

Click Delete beside a DateTime field to delete it. You can also select multiple fields and delete them in the main data source.

Deleting a DateTime field created in the main database usually also deletes the actual database column and its values. For a synchronized or external-data-source field, the impact depends on the corresponding data source and field origin.

:::danger Warning

Deleting a field can affect page blocks, forms, filters, permissions, workflows, APIs, imports and exports, and existing data. Confirm that the field is no longer referenced by business configuration before deleting it.

:::

Use in pages

DateTime fields are suitable for event records, schedules, and time-based business conditions.

Scenario	Use
Form block	Select a date and time.
Table block	Display, sort, and filter date-time values.
Details block	Display the time of one record.
Workflows and permissions	Use the value in time-based conditions.

Related links

• Fields - Learn about field categories and mapping.
• General collection - Create and manage fields in a collection.