Learn About New Changes to AfterShip Tracking API, Webhook, and CSV

We are launching some key changes to AfterShip Tracking API, Webhook, and CSV that will take effect on March 30, 2023.

Below is a summary of all the upcoming changes:

1. Existing fields changes

We are changing the behavior of several existing fields listed below:

Behaviour changes to API and Webhook fields

Field name	Old Behavior	New Behavior
expected_delivery	expected_delivery combines the carrier EDD and AfterShip API EDD. Also, the time is filled in “00:00:00” format. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value is “2022-01-20T00:00:00”.	expected_delivery will consider the estimated delivery date provided by the carrier only. You can use the AfterShip API EDD field (aftership_estimated_delivery_date) if needed. And, the default time fill-in logic will be removed. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value will be “2022-01-20”.
order_date	The current format for the order date is YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss[Z], e.g. “2022-01-20T14:43:20Z”.	The new format for the order date will be YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ssZ, e.g. “2022-01-20T14:43:20+08:00”. It only impacts the GET response. For the POST and PUT requests, we don’t change the behavior and support both formats.
shipment_pickup_date	The time is filled in “00:00:00” format. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value is “2022-01-20T00:00:00”.	The default time fill-in logic will be removed. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value will be “2022-01-20”.
shipment_delivery_date	The time is filled in “00:00:00” format. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value is “2022-01-20T00:00:00”.	The default time fill-in logic will be removed. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value will be “2022-01-20”.
latest_estimated_delivery	The source of latest_estimated_delivery supports Courier EDD, AI predictive EDD, and Custom EDD.	The source of latest_estimated_delivery will support Courier EDD, AI predictive EDD, Custom EDD, and Order EDD.

Behavior changes to CSV export fields

Field Name	Old Behavior	New Behavior
created_at	The UTC offset is always UTC+0, e.g. “2022-01-20T15:00:00+00:00”	The UTC offset will be converted by your organization timezone setting and will remain consistent with the admin shipments page. e.g. “2022-01-20T10:00:00-05:00”.
updated_at	The UTC offset is always UTC+0, e.g. “2022-01-20T15:00:00+00:00”	The UTC offset will be converted by your organization timezone setting and will remain consistent with the admin shipments page. e.g. “2022-01-20T10:00:00-05:00”.
scheduled_delivery_date	The time is filled in “00:00:00” format. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value is “2022-01-20T00:00:00”.	The default time fill-in logic will be removed. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value will be “2022-01-20”.
shipment_pickup_date	The time is filled in “00:00:00” format. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value is “2022-01-20T00:00:00”.	The default time fill-in logic will be removed. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value will be “2022-01-20”.
shipment_delivery_date	The time is filled in “00:00:00” format. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value is “2022-01-20T00:00:00”.	The default time fill-in logic will be removed. For example, if the carrier provides the date only, the value will be “2022-01-20”.

2. New detailed address fields

We are adding new fields to help you input and receive detailed origin and destination addresses with API, Webhook, and CSV.

New fields for API and Webhook

Field Name	Type	Description
first_estimated_delivery	object	The first estimated delivery date.
custom_estimated_delivery_date	object	The estimated delivery date based on your custom settings.
origin_state	string	The state of the sender’s address.
origin_city	string	The city of the sender’s address.
origin_postal_code	string	The postal code of the sender’s address.
origin_raw_location	string	The sender’s full address.
destination_state	string	The state of the recipient’s address.
destination_city	string	The city of the recipient’s address.
destination_postal_code	string	The postal code of the recipient’s address.

New fields for CSV import

Field Name	Type	Description
origin_state	string	The state of the sender’s address.
origin_city	string	The city of the sender’s address.
origin_postal_code	string	The postal code of the sender’s address.
origin_address	string	The sender’s full address.
destination_state	string	The state of the recipient’s address.
destination_city	string	The city of the recipient’s address.
destination_postal_code	string	The postal code of the recipient’s address.
destination_address	string	The recipient’s full address

The existing fields, including tracking_origin_country, tracking_destination_country, tracking_postal_code, and tracking_state, will be marked as legacy fields and will be replaced by the new fields. However, the legacy fields will still be available. Check the details below.

Legacy Fields	New Fields
tracking_origin_country	origin_country_iso3
tracking_destination_country	destination_country_iso3
tracking_postal_code	destination_postal_code
tracking_state	destination_state

We are working on updating our API docs as well. It will be completed before the actual release. For more details, please refer to AfterShip Tracking model page.

3. Normalized date and time information

AfterShip Tracking will now automatically deduce the timezone of the tracking events using our AI-powered address parser service. It will add the timezone to your tracking events if the carrier doesn’t provide it.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our support team for quick assistance.

Updated on: 27/12/2023