Events: client and server event's dates are not saved with the same timezone.

[eri-trabiccolo]

Reproduction Steps

• Set WP timezone to something different than php local time.
• Produce a server side event, like sign-in/sign-out -> check the db entry date: set in the wp timezone
• Now produce a client side event - e.g. start a video (with the advanced-videos add-on) - and persist it in the db (e.g. exit the page).

Expected Behavior

• Both client and server side dates should be saved using the same time zone.

Actual Behavior

• Client side events date is saved using php local time (php date() to which we pass a GMT timestamp) while server side events are saved using wp local time The difference can be quite important as the first is usually a server setting the users are not going to change.

At the moment this impacts on the idle sessions (that need to be closed) only - as far as I can see.

I think we should definitely avoid storing the date using php local time, we need to decide whether we want to store it in GMT (gmdate()) or using local wp timezone. Historically we save dates using wp timezone, but I'd rather prefer storing dates in GMT. We should probably build a db update routine too to fix server side stored event dates...(?)

Error Messages / Logs

n/a

System and Environment Information

LifterLMS 4.19.0
WordPress 5.7.0

This issue has been recreated:

• [x] Locally
• [ ] On a staging site
• [x] On a production website
• [x] With only LifterLMS and a default theme

Browser, Device, and Operating System Information

n/a

Related User Information

HS-158540