---
title: "now"
description: "Returns the current time."
---

# now

> Returns the current time.

**This function is used by Ignition's Expression language.**
## Description
Returns the current time. The host computer's system clock is used, meaning that if this expression is being evaluated in a running client, the computer running the client's system clock is used. Note that this function is one of the few expression functions that will poll. If you do not specify a pollRate, it will **default** to 1,000ms. If you do not want this function to poll, use a poll rate of zero.

## Syntax
`now([pollRate])`

- Parameters
    - int **pollRate** - Optional. The poll rate in milliseconds to update the time at. Default is 1000 ms.

- Results
    - Date - The current time.

## Examples
```python title="Code Snippet"
now() //returns the current time, updates every second.
```
```python title="Code Snippet"
dateFormat(now(0), "MMM d, h:mm a") //returns a string representing the current time, formatted like "Feb 12, 9:54 AM". Does not update
```