# UNIX Timestamp parsing
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224
**Category:** General
**Tags:** function-node
**Created:** [26 September 2022 09:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224 "2022-09-26T09:10:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@jakobgabriel](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jakobgabriel)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/1 "2022-09-26T09:10:19Z")
Currently i have an issue by parsing a UNIX timestamp which has the following format and is from datatype `string`:
"7147610980292335270"
Example Message Payload:
`{ "id":"e34ea3ef-3896-4aaa-85e9-83e5fcf6f5e0", "sysTime":"7147610980292335270", "valueBool":true }`
Currently i tried to parse it with the nodes from the moments module. And there is also a possibility to use the BigInt Module ( [BigInt - JavaScript | MDN (mozilla.org)](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/BigInt)) which is used inside a function. The problem is that i need to set always the settings.js file within the NodeRED deployment.
So basically the question is: Is there any easier way to convert the UNIX timestamp from the string shown above?
---
### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/2 "2022-09-26T09:16:16Z")
Hi.
The first thing that has me _worried_.
`string`.
It should be a `number`.
(you could put it through a `function` node and make it a number.)
```auto
let x = parseInt(msg.payload);
msg.payload = x;
return msg;
```
---
### Author:  [@jakobgabriel](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jakobgabriel)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/3 "2022-09-26T09:18:51Z")
Yes thats true, i was just trying to give an overview about the input format.
So the first step would be the conversion from string to number, but then i got also stuck by converting the number to the timestamp.
---
### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:19 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/4 "2022-09-26T09:19:27Z")
_who_ is giving you the `timestamp` as a `string`?
(Poor example)
This is how you get "now" as a number/timestamp
`change` node set to output a `timestamp` as needed.
(Import to see what I mean)
```auto
[
{
"id": "c7ad4b3c.3a5368",
"type": "change",
"z": "5a81f3be.561bdc",
"name": "TimeStamp",
"rules": [
{
"t": "set",
"p": "payload",
"pt": "msg",
"to": "",
"tot": "date"
}
],
"action": "",
"property": "",
"from": "",
"to": "",
"reg": false,
"x": 200,
"y": 180,
"wires": [
[
"cf554e88.9fff18"
]
]
}
]
```
---
### Author:  [@jakobgabriel](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jakobgabriel)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:51 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/5 "2022-09-26T09:51:36Z")
Yes i tried that one as well, but the timestamp won't be the same since we have some processing time as well.
---
### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/6 "2022-09-26T09:52:32Z")
Ok, so again: _who_ (or _what_) is sending you this message?
---
### Author:  [@jakobgabriel](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/jakobgabriel)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:54 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/7 "2022-09-26T09:54:17Z")
It is an MQTT Broker, but i don't want to change that configuration.
---
### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 09:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/8 "2022-09-26T09:56:44Z")
I think there is an underlying problem that will cause you a lot of headache in the future.
But as a _hack_ you could try this (in a `function` node):
```auto
let msg.sysTime = parseInt(msg.sysTime);
return msg;
```
---
### Author:  [@E1cid](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/E1cid)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 10:00 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/9 "2022-09-26T10:00:38Z")
THat is not a string representation of a unix timestamp, if it was it would be the year 20000 ish. You need t find what format the sysTime is in.
---
### Author:  [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)
#### Post date: [26 September 2022 18:42 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/10 "2022-09-26T18:42:45Z")
> [@jakobgabriel](#):
>
> 7147610980292335270
Indeed, in 174 years. Thu Jun 30 2196 23:29:40 UTC
There is always an online tool for converting anything 🙂 [Unix Time Stamp - Epoch Converter](https://www.unixtimestamp.com/)
[date - Convert a Unix timestamp to time in JavaScript - Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/847185/convert-a-unix-timestamp-to-time-in-javascript)
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [25 November 2022 18:43 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/unix-timestamp-parsing/68224/11 "2022-11-25T18:43:18Z")
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