convert date time to string

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Posted on by PeggyLang

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I need to convert a date time format in excel to a string so that I can pass this through to Smartsheet

However, I can't make out the syntax in this AI description

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Michael E. Gernaey 53,974 Moderator on at

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Hi @PeggyLang

Are you getting errors?

Have you made sure that the actions it creates are using ISO 8601 formats for any excel reading actions? (meaning that its turn on in the action when reading data from excel)

You said you cannot get a string, but we need to see the actual agent, the action its trying to do, the input/output and preferably including errors etc.

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PeggyLang 381 on at

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@Michael E. Gernaey

I need help writing that piece of my flow. Below is as far as I was able to get.

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Ellis Karim 12,024 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi PeggyLang,

@Michael E. Gernaey is referring to the following setting for the DateTime Format in the List rows present in a table action:

Ellis Karim
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Yasemin 59 on at

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Hi, try using 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:sszzz' as the format for Smartsheet requires ISO 8601 (Smartsheet documentation: Dates and times ) I assume this requires the target columns data type to be formatted to a date as well, maybe you can check that.

If you're trying to create a new row in Smartsheet for each row in the Excel file, add an action for creating a new row in Smartsheet inside the foreach loop, that iterates through the Excel column.

Use formatDateTime with the correct format that is required by Smartsheet either in the Compose action or use the formatDateTime() function directly in the Smartsheet new row action and the corresponding columns parameter field inside the apply to each loop.

If you're trying to convert something to a string, you can use the function string()

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PeggyLang 381 on at

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Hello Ellis,

I have created a manual test and the flow runs successfully.

Screenshot below of the flow with your guidance.

After I have run this flow I then invoke the Data Shuttle to write all the rows from the excel to my Smartsheet Worksheet.

I'm still only getting the date portion of the column.

Screenshot below is the excel file on Sharepoint site.

Screenshot below is the cell in my Smartsheet worksheet that is only receiving the date portion.

I really need the cell highlighted in Smartsheet worksheet to read;

2025-06-17 05:21:03

I'm not sure what I'm missing here.

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Ellis Karim 12,024 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi PeggyLang

I found this:

"Smartsheet currently doesn't allow timestamps except in the system Modified and Created columns. The only way to display the timestamp, as you have found, is as a text column. "

Read more here: How to put a date and time together in a column? — Smartsheet Community

Ellis Karim
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If this solved your issue, please mark it as ✅ Accepted Answer. If it helped, feel free to give it a 🩷 Like!

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PeggyLang 381 on at

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Correct, but I'm trying to pass a 'text string' from excel to a column in my Smartsheet worksheet.
I'm tring to convert the column in excel that contains the full date/time format to a text string, then write that to Smartsheet via Data Mesh. Text to text. That should work. But i'm having trouble converting the date/time format in excel through power automate to a text string.

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PeggyLang 381 on at

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While walking in the garden, the solution became so clear I can't believe I didn't see it earlier.
I have added a script;

- insert column next to column containing Date /Time

- New column contains =TEXT formula to convert the Date /Time to a text string

Runs perfectly now.

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Ellis Karim 12,024 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi

When you use "List Rows present in a table" with the ISO 8601 setting, the date columns are read as text.

Here is an extract of the runtime output of a "List Rows present in a table". Note the "Note Created Time" and "Note Created Date" are read as text:

So, you should be able to send the date time like "2025-06-17 05:21:03" from Excel as is to a Text/Plain Text column in Smartsheet.

What is the error message, or output you see in Smartsheet?

Ellis Karim
Blog | LinkedIn | Bluesky
If this solved your issue, please mark it as ✅ Accepted Answer. If it helped, feel free to give it a 🩷 Like!

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PeggyLang 381 on at

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@Ellis Karim
That is curious 'the date columns are read as text'. But when the data shuttle took the excel data and wrote it to my Smartsheet worksheet ONLY the date portion was written.

AFTER adding the script to insert new column and use the =TEXT formula the output to my smartsheet via Data Shuttle was then the entire Date/Time format.

Curious as well, what are screenshots from that you included in your response below? It appears to be my data somehow.

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