CharToSeconds Function

Description

Converts a time string to a number of seconds.

Syntax

CharToSeconds(timestring)

Arguments

timestring is a string that represents the time of day, in one of the following formats:

 

Format	12 hour clock	24-hour clock	Military clock
h:mm tt	2:04 AM	2:04	204
h:mm:ss tt	2:04:58 AM	2:04:58	20458
h:mm:ss.000 tt	2:04:58.125 AM	2:04:58.125	20458.125
hh:mm tt	02:04 AM	02:04	0204
hh:mm:ss tt	02:04:58 AM	02:04:58	020458
hh:mm:ss.000 tt	02:04:58.125 AM	02:04:58.125	020458.125

 

If the format contains an AM or PM, the hour is based on the 12-hour clock, where "AM," "am," "A," or "a" indicates times from midnight until noon, and "PM," "pm," "P," or "p" indicates times from noon until midnight. Otherwise, the hour is based on the 24-hour clock.

Return value

This function returns a number representing the number of seconds since 12:00 AM. If the time string cannot be successfully parsed, a null value is returned.

Calculated field example

If the Start_time field contained the string 12:10:45AM, and the End_time field contained the string 12:30:00AM, the following calculated field expression would return the number 1155, representing a duration of 19 minutes and 15 seconds: CharToSeconds(End_time)-CharToSeconds(Start_time)

Filter/Find example

Records with a duration of less than 1 minute can be selected or found using the expression: CharToSeconds(End_time)-CharToSeconds(Start_time)<60