Automatic Time Zone Plugin (WordPress)
On Sunday morning, some parts of the world had to set their clocks back to adjust for Daylight Savings Time. For many, few steps (other than setting clocks back) had to be done, but for bloggers, there may be a small task that you have to do if you want all your posts to be scheduled and posted properly.
By default, and in its current version, WordPress doesn’t support automatic (or manual) settings for your time zone (i.e. setting your nearest city for accurate time zone representation).
There is a simple work-around solution to this: a plugin. The plugin, titled Automatic Timezone performs the task of discovering whether your time is correct or not – a somewhat crucial step if you want a post to go out today or the next day (midnight or 11, in this case).
How it Works
The plugin will use the zoneinfo database, which is built into PHP 5 and many Linux systems, to allow you to select a timezone (based on nearby cities). You won’t have to change the clock on your blog twice a year (and when you install a new version or use the time setting on a new blog, you’ll simply need to select the city).
Installation
Simply upload the installation files to your blog/server, then activate it and configure the one main setting through Settings > Timezone.
Other Information
If you are using PHP 5.2 or higher, additional information, such as the time of the next daylight savings switch will be added. It will not work on versions prior to 5.2.
The plugin is compatible with versions of WordPress 2.5 to 2.7 (and higher).
Although the plugin is quite simple, it’ll save you time when it comes to updating/configuring your blog’s time and potential problems when advance-publishing posts.
I believe that many “managed” blog systems would be able to adjust properly whether or not you are in Daylight Savings Time, but correct me if I am wrong.
Hmmm… Not sure on this one – is it really worth it to keep plugin that does something twice a year? Less plugins = less things that can go wrong.
I noticed that WordPress hadn’t switched time properly but since I set time in Windows Live Writer before posting that was not an issue for me.
@Rarst – I thought the same thing. But, I noticed that the time in the sidebar (auto save date) was wrong, I wanted to make suer that everything was being posted at the time I wanted it to be.
Preferably, there should be a way in the back-end to automatically do this (an “Idea” ticket was posted here but it was ranked pretty low), so I don’t know whether it will ever be added as a default “feature.”