User creation API: allow custom "created" timestamps

models/user/user.go

@@ -953,6 +953,18 @@ func UpdateUser(ctx context.Context, u *User, changePrimaryEmail bool, cols ...s
 	return err
 }
 
+// UpdateUserCreated stores the user's `CreatedUnix` field in the database.
+// This is intended to allow migration of users from another system while
+// maintaining the user's creation timestamp.
+func UpdateUserCreated(ctx context.Context, u *User) error {
+	if err := validateUser(u); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	_, err := db.Exec(ctx, "UPDATE `user` SET created_unix=? WHERE id=?", u.CreatedUnix, u.ID)
+	return err
+}
+
 // UpdateUserCols update user according special columns
 func UpdateUserCols(ctx context.Context, u *User, cols ...string) error {
 	if err := validateUser(u); err != nil {

modules/structs/admin_user.go

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 package structs
 
+import "time"
+
 // CreateUserOption create user options
 type CreateUserOption struct {
 	SourceID  int64  `json:"source_id"`
@@ -20,6 +22,11 @@ type CreateUserOption struct {
 	SendNotify         bool   `json:"send_notify"`
 	Restricted         *bool  `json:"restricted"`
 	Visibility         string `json:"visibility" binding:"In(,public,limited,private)"`
+
+	// For explicitly setting the user creation timestamp. Useful when users are
+	// migrated from other systems. When omitted, the user's creation timestamp
+	// will be set to "now".
+	Created *time.Time `json:"created_at"`
 }
 
 // EditUserOption edit user options

routers/api/v1/admin/user.go

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/password"
 	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/setting"
 	api "code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/structs"
+	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/timeutil"
 	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/util"
 	"code.gitea.io/gitea/modules/web"
 	"code.gitea.io/gitea/routers/api/v1/user"
@@ -136,6 +137,18 @@ func CreateUser(ctx *context.APIContext) {
 	}
 	log.Trace("Account created by admin (%s): %s", ctx.Doer.Name, u.Name)
 
+	// Update the user creation timestamp. This can only be done after the user
+	// record has been inserted into the database; the insert intself will always
+	// set the creation timestamp to "now".
+	if form.Created != nil {
+		u.CreatedUnix = timeutil.TimeStamp(form.Created.Unix())
+		if err := user_model.UpdateUserCreated(ctx, u); err != nil {
+			ctx.Error(http.StatusInternalServerError, "UpdateUserCreated", err)
+			return
+		}
+		log.Trace("Account profile back-dated by admin (%s): %s", ctx.Doer.Name, u.Name)
+	}
+
 	// Send email notification.
 	if form.SendNotify {
 		mailer.SendRegisterNotifyMail(u)

templates/swagger/v1_json.tmpl

@@ -15622,6 +15622,12 @@
         "password"
       ],
       "properties": {
+        "created_at": {
+          "description": "For explicitly setting the user creation timestamp. Useful when users are\nmigrated from other systems. When omitted, the user's creation timestamp\nwill be set to \"now\".",
+          "type": "string",
+          "format": "date-time",
+          "x-go-name": "Created"
+        },
         "email": {
           "type": "string",
           "format": "email",