How QCLF Handles Live Topic Time Zones, Start Times, and Duration
QCLF accepts scheduled live date/time input in the current Joomla user timezone, converts the value to UTC for storage, and converts stored times back for display.
For every live Topic, scheduled start, scheduled end, effective end, actual start/end, and lobby/live state represent different parts of the lifecycle and should not be treated as the same timestamp.
Timezone Used for Entry
QCLF reads the signed-in Joomla user’s timezone preference and falls back to the site/application offset; invalid timezone names fall back to UTC. The scheduler accepts the browser datetime-local value in that timezone and converts it to UTC.
The Topic settings also retain the creation timezone for context.
Key Time Fields
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Scheduled start | The planned UTC start calculated from the entered local date/time, or now for Start Now. |
| Scheduled end | Scheduled start plus the chosen duration. |
| Effective end | Initially the same as scheduled end; extensions can move it later. |
| Actual start | When QCLF actually moved the session into Live. |
| Actual end | When the live session authoritatively ended. |
Lobby Before Live
A scheduled Topic can enter Lobby while its scheduled start is still in the future. The lobby shows Starts, Planned end, Host, and presence count while keeping the live message stream closed.
The frontend polls the canonical session state; once QCLF reports Live, the page changes into the active experience without requiring the visitor to guess from a client-only countdown.
Automatic and Manual Start
Pre-live reconciliation moves a due Scheduled/Lobby session into Live and records actual start. The exact Topic Host can also start the scheduled lobby early using the Host control.
Displayed times are formatted from stored UTC using Joomla’s current timezone handling, so two users in different configured timezones can see the same event represented in their own local time.
Duration Does Not Equal a Hard Browser Timer
The chosen duration establishes the initial scheduled/effective end. Later lifecycle rules can extend the effective end or apply the configured end-decision/grace behavior. The server’s live state remains authoritative; a stale browser countdown is never permission to continue after the server has ended the session.
Community Discussion
Want to compare forum workflows, share practical QCLF tips, or discuss how other Joomla site owners use this feature? Visit the QC Live Forum Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific entitlement problems, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.