# Error: Expected numeric value for, timestamp
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586
**Category:** General
**Created:** [5 January 2021 12:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586 "2021-01-05T12:16:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@vikozo](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/vikozo)
#### Post date: [5 January 2021 12:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/1 "2021-01-05T12:16:16Z")
Hallo
a mqtt into Node-Red --\> into influx
i got a error like this
> 5.1.2021, 13:13:08node: 6d00231f.50158c
> msg : error
> "Error: Expected numeric value for, timestamp, but got '2021-01-05 12:13:10'!"
and the payload would be like this
> 5.1.2021, 13:13:08node: f5f2994b.a68ff8
> /iot12/433MHz : msg.payload : Object
> object
> time: "2021-01-05 12:13:10"
> brand: "OS"
> model: "Oregon-THGR122N"
> id: 126
> channel: 2
> battery\_ok: 1
> temperature\_C: 1.9
> humidity: 63
is there some magic to change the time on the fly?
have a nice day
vinc
---
### Author:  [@zenofmud](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/zenofmud)
#### Post date: [5 January 2021 13:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/2 "2021-01-05T13:10:30Z")
> [@vikozo](#):
>
> is there some magic to change the time on the fly?
Yes, it using a `function` node and writing the code to do it.
Have you done a google search with something like `javascrpt convert string date/time to timestamp` and looked how others have done this?
---
### Author:  [@E1cid](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/E1cid)
#### Post date: [5 January 2021 13:26 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/3 "2021-01-05T13:26:30Z")
Try something like this in a function node.
```auto
[{"id":"83c682b8.032bc","type":"inject","z":"8d22ae29.7df6d","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"2021-01-05 12:13:10","payloadType":"str","x":210,"y":2580,"wires":[["e9247477.223b28"]]},{"id":"e9247477.223b28","type":"function","z":"8d22ae29.7df6d","name":"","func":"msg.payload = new Date(msg.payload).valueOf();\nreturn msg;","outputs":1,"noerr":0,"initialize":"","finalize":"","x":390,"y":2580,"wires":[["6d57c0db.f2671"]]},{"id":"6d57c0db.f2671","type":"debug","z":"8d22ae29.7df6d","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"false","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":640,"y":2480,"wires":[]}]
```
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [5 January 2021 14:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/4 "2021-01-05T14:11:22Z")
If you are using the the influxdb node you can pass the time as a string, but I believe it should be in ISO 8601 format. so something like `yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ`
Edit: That is an alternative to providing a timestamp in ticks of course.
---
### Author:  [@vikozo](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/vikozo)
#### Post date: [5 January 2021 19:35 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/5 "2021-01-05T19:35:58Z")
@Colin @E1cid @zenofmud
thanks for your Feedback, i will have to dig to understand to only change this "time" part of the payload
The best would be just to remove the time stamp - because it make problem and i it is 1h behind 😉
have a nice day
vinc
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [5 January 2021 21:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/6 "2021-01-05T21:30:44Z")
> [@vikozo](#):
>
> The best would be just to remove the time stamp
If you are just adding data for the current time then you don't need a timestamp, influx will use the current time.
The one hour error was likely that you were providing a local time instead of UTC. Influx expects the timestamp in UTC.
---
### Author:  [@vikozo](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/vikozo)
#### Post date: [5 January 2021 21:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/7 "2021-01-05T21:33:22Z")
@Colin
yes it would be just the current time - mqtt - Node Red - InfluxDB - the couple of second it need is not important.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [6 March 2021 21:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/error-expected-numeric-value-for-timestamp/38586/8 "2021-03-06T21:33:35Z")
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