Skip to main content

NowUTC

Function NowUTC: TDateTime

Example​

procedure ScriptEvent(var Value: variant);
begin
  Value := NowUTC; // current UTC fields from the executing Velox host
end;

Usage​

NowUTC returns the Windows system clock's current UTC date and time as an untagged millisecond-resolution TDateTime.

Behaviour

  • Results are based on the machine that executes the script.
  • UTC fields are read directly; the function does not take a local value and apply a timezone offset.
  • A single operating-system snapshot supplies all fields, so date and time cannot come from opposite sides of a midnight boundary.
  • Every call reads the system clock again.

Errors

Under normal Windows operation, the returned fields are valid. Unexpected EncodeDate or EncodeTime failures propagate because Velox does not catch them.

Additional Technical Info​

NowUTC reads the executing Windows host's current UTC calendar and clock fields and encodes them as a TDateTime. The numeric result represents UTC by convention only; TDateTime does not store a timezone or UTC marker.

The example is source-reviewed and intentionally environment-dependent. It was not executed by the documentation workflow.

Implementation

Velox's date-tools import binds to the Velox NowUTC wrapper. It calls the Windows GetSystemTime API once to obtain one UTC SYSTEMTIME snapshot, then adds the results of Delphi EncodeDate(year, month, day) and EncodeTime(hour, minute, second, milliseconds).

Edge cases and quirks

  • The returned TDateTime is untagged. Passing it to a routine that assumes local time can cause a double conversion or an incorrect offset.
  • The millisecond field is encoded, but actual clock accuracy and resolution depend on Windows and the host's time source.
  • UTC avoids daylight-saving discontinuities, but the system clock can still be adjusted by synchronisation or administration. It is not a monotonic timer.
  • This is a Velox wrapper, not Delphi's Now converted to UTC. The official encoding references document the core field conversion; no same-name Delphi or Free Pascal terminal is called.

Side effects

Reads the Windows system clock. It does not change clock or process state.

Performance and concurrency

Constant-time operating-system clock access and date/time encoding. Concurrent callers may observe different instants or a system-clock adjustment.

Remarks

Capture the value once when one processing decision needs a stable reference instant. Maintain an explicit contract that the untagged result is UTC throughout subsequent storage, formatting and conversion.

Related entries

  • Now returns current host-local fields.
  • LocalToUTC applies Velox's legacy local-to-UTC conversion to an existing encoded value and has different caveats.

External references

Created 2026-07-15