Action Tag Spotlight: @TODAY & @NOW

If you're using a date-validated field in REDCap, you may have noticed the handy "Today" or "Now" button located next to your field. This button can be incredibly useful for survey respondents, as they can click the button to populate the current date and/or time on the survey. But did you know there's an even easier way to auto-populate date fields?

For a standard date field without time, you'll use the @TODAY action tag. Type @TODAY in the Action Tags/Field Annotation box (remember to use all caps - action tags are case sensitive!)

Any field that contains the time, including fields with datetime validation, will use the @NOW action tag.

But wait, what if my survey respondents are in a different time zone?

The @TODAY and @NOW action tags will always pull the respondent's date and time from their device or computer. This can skew survey response data if you are collecting data across multiple time zones. Luckily, there are additional versions of the @TODAY and @NOW tags that can help standardize your data. The chart below can help you decide which version of @TODAY or @NOW will work best for your needs.

Bonus Tip: Use the @TODAY or @NOW action tags with the @READONLY tag, to create a standardized time field that cannot be edited by respondents.