Using synctime-field to include time/date modified information on synced objects

We are often asked if UnitySync automatically indicates when a synced object was last modified. We have not provided this functionality by default in order to make it more flexible to include for every directory type.

If you would like to add When Modified information to your synced objects, make the following changes to your configuration.

NOTE: The example below is for an Active Directory Destination. Clients have successfully implemented this configuration change for other directory types, but it has not been tested for ALL directory types. We recommend running a Simulation with the Log File level set to 3-Detailed once making the change to determine if it will work as desired in your environment.

UnitySync generates several internal variables at sync time. One of them is ~synctime~ which provides a time/date stamp value. You can use this internal variable to stamp modified objects with When Modified information.

Add the following line to your config.txt. You may access via the Raw Config button on the Custom tab or open the config.txt file in your connections folder:

synctime-field=extensionAttribute1

With this line added to config.txt, the existing mapping for extensionAttribute1 is simply ignored. Instead, the value of ~synctime~ will be applied to extensionAttribute1 automatically on Add or Modify.

NOTE: If extensionattribute1 is in use in your environment, you may use any of the unused extensionattribute’s or a different attribute. Simply adjust the line you added to the config.txt to reflect the attribute you’d like to record When Modified. Additionally, if your Destination directory is not Active Directory, simply replace with another attribute/field value.

Be aware, you should NOT map ~synctime~ directly to extensionattribute1, as is done with most internal variables. The additional functionality of synctime-field in your config.txt is needed for this to work properly. When you use the synctime-field configuration entry, extensionAttribute1 will be set only on Added or Modified objects. But if you actually MAP ~synctime~ to extensionAttribute1, rather than use the parameter in your config.txt as instructed, you will modify ALL objects on EVERY Sync run.

So do NOT simply do this:
extensionAttribute1=~synctime~

If you already have a custom object map file, you can change the mapping for the attribute in use as a reminder that synctime-field is applied to your config.txt, for example: #extensionAttribute1=See Config.txt for synctime-field setting

If the default map file is in use, there is no need to create a custom map file just for this. The default extensionAttribute1 (or your selected attribute) mapping is simply ignored.

Please contact support@dirwiz.com if you have any questions about this configuration option.