Docs/Sources/Current Time

Current Time

Get current time

OperationalCredits 2 per callp50 1127msData Lookup

Overview

A world clock and time zone API. World Time works by using the timezone database to determine the current time in any city. Based on the current time, it returns the current time, date, and more for any given city in the world

Live Test Current Time Source →

Formula

One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the rest are its inputs, and the "field" pair says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.

=VERVE("worldtime", A2, "field", "search")

A2 holds the city you are looking up. Drag the formula down and each row resolves on its own.

With literal values

Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.

=VERVE("worldtime", "San Francisco", "field", "search")

Inputs

Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.

InputTypeWhere it goesDescription
cityRequiredstringargument 2 (A2)The city name for which you want to get the current time (e.g., New York)

What lands in your sheet

The "field" pair is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.

Seeing everything at once

Drop the "field" pair and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.

=VERVE("worldtime", A2)
Good for exploring, not for filling down

The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the "field" pair accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.

Use as "field"TypeExample cell valueDescription
searchstringSan FranciscoThe city name that was searched for
foundCitiesarray[2]Array of cities matching the search query
foundCities.0.citystringSan FranciscoCity name as found in database
foundCities.0.city_asciistringSan FranciscoCity name in ASCII format
foundCities.0.countrystringArgentinaFull country name for the city
foundCities.0.iso2stringARISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code
foundCities.0.iso3stringARGISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code
foundCities.0.provincestringCórdobaProvince or state name for the city
foundCities.0.timezonestringAmerica/Argentina/CordobaIANA timezone identifier for the city
foundCities.0.timestring19:33Current time in short format (HH:MM)
foundCities.0.time24string19:33:04Current time in 24-hour format (HH:MM:SS)
foundCities.0.time12string07:33:04 PMCurrent time in 12-hour format with AM/PM
foundCities.0.datestring2025-12-16Current date in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)
foundCities.0.dayPremiumstringTuesdayDay of week name (e.g., Monday, Tuesday)
foundCities.0.monthPremiumstringDecemberMonth name (e.g., January, February)
foundCities.0.yearPremiumstring2025Current year as string
foundCities.0.unixPremiumstring1765924384Unix timestamp (seconds since epoch)
foundCities.0.dstPremiumbooleanfalseWhether daylight saving time is active
foundCities.0.dst_startPremiumstring2025-12-16 19:33:04DST start date and time (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
foundCities.0.dst_endPremiumstring2025-12-16 19:33:04DST end date and time (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
foundCities.0.dst_namePremiumstring-03DST timezone abbreviation or offset

Filling a whole column

Both platforms make one batched call for a column rather than one request per cell, and both cost the same — 2 credits per row looked up. How you write it differs, because the two runtimes batch at different points.

Rows 2–100 in one call
=VERVE("worldtime", A2:A100, "field", "search")

In Google Sheets, give the arguments ranges and the answers spill down from the cell you typed in. Custom functions there run synchronously and in isolation, so dragged cells cannot be coalesced — the range form is how a column becomes one call. The "field" pair is required here: a per-row two-column table has nowhere to spill. Use a full column per input (A2:A100, not A2) — a single-cell reference is read as row 1 only and the rest of the column comes back blank.

In Excel, type the formula once and fill down — no range form and none needed, because its runtime is asynchronous and the add-in coalesces the calls a fill produces into a single batched request. Do not hand VERVE.CALL a range: Excel flattens it into positional arguments, so A2:A100 arrives as a hundred separate arguments and the cell reads #ERR rather than filling.

Either way, column A holds your city values and the answers land beside them, one row each, blank rows skipped.

When a cell doesn't fill

A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.

Cell readsWhat happened
#ERR Not connectedNo API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account.
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or valueA preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference.
#ERR No "x" in worldtimeAn option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does.
#ERR No data point "…"The "field" path is not in the response. Check it against the table above.
#PREMIUM(field)The field exists but your plan does not include it.
#ERR Out of creditsThe cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date.

Before the formula works

The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.

  1. Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
  2. Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
  3. Type the formula above into any cell.

Use cases

Time Conversion
Convert time between different time zones by using the World Time API. Get the current time in any city and convert it to another time zone
Time Synchronization
Synchronize time across different devices and systems by using the World Time API. Get the current time in any city and use it to set the time on your devices
Scheduling Software
Integrate the World Time API into scheduling software to display the current time in different cities. Use the API to show the current time in various time zones
Travel Planning
Plan travel itineraries by using the World Time API to determine the current time in different cities. Use the API to schedule flights, meetings, and events across different time zones

Other ways to use Current Time

Set up Current Time on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.

Call it as a REST APIOne HTTPS endpoint and an x-api-key header, with SDKs for Node, Python and .NET.APIVerve →Reference →
Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.VerveKit →Reference →
Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.VerveContext →Reference →

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