Apex execution context and DateTime class

Question

I have a code which does this,

Datetime dt = Datetime.NOW();
String   starttime = dt.hour();

Now from the apex documentation, now() returns the current datetime based on GMT and hour() returns the hour component of the datetime in the local timezone of the context user.

Given this, I know that all the apex code always runs in the system context. SO I wanted to understand what is the context user here whose timezone will be considered to return the hour value. Also, does with sharing or without sharing have any effect on the hour() value ?

In my case this code is part of a web service code and is called in the context of an integration user. But I am not getting the expected values for hour() component.

Answer 1

Salesforce Stores the date and DateTime format in GMT/UTC. When you call DateTime.now it returns dateTime in the format of the running user's Timezone.

1. Its TimeZone will be of the context user who executed the batch/trigger/scheduler/every apex.
2. Sharing /Without Sharing is only for record level access. It has nothing to do with timezone.

Check the timezone of the Integration User, All code if run in his context then his timezone will be applied.