Time formatting noob question

[gorillaz09]

Hi, let's say I have the total seconds 150 and I want to display it as minutes and seconds, if I divide by 60 I get the minutes but how do I get the remaining seconds?

[Humbedooh]

Originally Posted by gorillaz09 Hi, let's say I have the total seconds 150 and I want to display it as minutes and seconds, if I divide by 60 I get the minutes but how do I get the remaining seconds?

One example:

local seconds = 150;
local m,s = math.floor(seconds/60), math.fmod(seconds, 60) 
print(m,s) -- prints 2, 30.

Another example:

local seconds = 150; -- for educational purposes
local duration =  date("%M:%S", seconds) -- %M:%S means "Minutes:Seconds"
print(duration) -- prints 02:30

[Dridzt]

And another one

print(string.format(SecondsToTime(150)))

prints '2 Min 30 Sec'

[gorillaz09]

Thanks a lot!

[Ketho]

And another one too. This code is very customizable, but very bulky though.
For example:

• show smaller significant time values like [days + hours + minutes]
• change strings to your liking: e.g. different language / L["minutes"], abbreviated, singular/plural grammar

-- Upvalues
local floor = floor -- math.floor
local mod = mod -- math.fmod

function MyAddon_TimetoString(time)
	local seconds = mod(floor(time),60)
	local minutes = mod(floor(time/60),60)
	local hours = mod(floor(time/3600),24)
	local days = floor(time/86400)
	if time >= 0 and time < 60 then
		if seconds == 1 then return seconds.." second"
		else return seconds.." seconds" end
	elseif time >= 60 and time < 3600 then
		if minutes >= 2 and seconds >= 2 then return minutes.." minutes, "..seconds.." seconds"
		elseif minutes == 1 and seconds >= 2 then return minutes.." minute, "..seconds.." seconds"
		elseif minutes >= 2 and seconds == 1 then return minutes.." minutes, "..seconds.." second"
		elseif minutes == 1 and seconds == 1 then return minutes.." minute, "..seconds.." second"
		elseif minutes == 1 and seconds == 0 then return minutes.." minute"
		elseif minutes >= 2 and seconds == 0 then return minutes.." minutes" end
	elseif time >= 3600 and time < 86400 then
		if hours >= 2 and minutes >= 2 then return hours.." hours, "..minutes.." minutes"
		elseif hours == 1 and minutes >= 2 then return hours.." hour, "..minutes.." minutes"
		elseif hours >= 2 and minutes == 1 then return hours.." hours, "..minutes.." minute"
		elseif hours == 1 and minutes == 1 then return hours.." hour, "..minutes.." minute"
		elseif hours == 1 and minutes == 0 then return hours.." hour"
		elseif hours >= 2 and minutes == 0 then return hours.." hours" end
	elseif time >= 86400 then
		if days >= 2 and hours >= 2 then return days.." days, "..hours.." hours"
		elseif days == 1 and hours >= 2 then return days.." day, "..hours.." hours"
		elseif days >= 2 and hours == 1 then return days.." days, "..hours.." hour"
		elseif days == 1 and hours == 1 then return days.." day, "..hours.." hour"
		elseif days == 1 and hours == 0 then return days.." day"
		elseif days >= 2 and hours == 0 then return days.." days" end
	end
end

[Dridzt]

That's a bit too much work for the singular / plural form Ketho

string.format("%d |4"..L["minute"]..":"..L["minutes"]..";",minutes)

will do the same without all those if-elseif chains

[SDPhantom]

Originally Posted by gorillaz09 Hi, let's say I have the total seconds 150 and I want to display it as minutes and seconds, if I divide by 60 I get the minutes but how do I get the remaining seconds?

To add another answer to the initial question and explain the function, you use a mathematical operator called Modulus. This returns the remainder left after a division. Lua allows access to this function through the math library as math.fmod(). More recently, Lua also registers this function for the operator '%'. The WoW API also has a link to it in the global scope, mod().

The following examples are 3 ways you can get the result of a Modulus operation, the first is preferred.

150%60
mod(150,60)
math.mod(150,60)

Originally Posted by Dridzt print(string.format(SecondsToTime(150)))

string.format() doesn't need to be called in this situation and is bad practice to do on a string as the sole argument. Errors are likely to occur when the string contains a formatting identifier. The function will expect additional arguments to insert in for each identifier and will throw a "Bad argument to function" error.

Originally Posted by Ketho change strings to your liking: e.g. different language / L["minutes"], abbreviated, singular/plural grammar

The global table L doesn't actually exist in the Lua core or in the WoW API, it has to be defined in an addon.

[Dridzt]

I was actually looking at the SecondsToTimeAbbrev() - which returns a format string and a number - function and I pasted the wrong one.

However string.format is just redundant in the example above, it will never cause an error in this specific case.

[SDPhantom]

Originally Posted by Dridzt That might be so if SecondsToTime() was returning just a string. I don't post examples on public forums without running them in-game. Maybe you should try it

My in-game dump function reports the following

Processing: SecondsToTime(150) Argument Length: 1 [1]=(string) 2 Min 30 Sec

Note: This dump function was written to support multiple returns



Also, here's the source code to SecondsToTime() as defined in UIParent.lua

function SecondsToTime(seconds, noSeconds, notAbbreviated, maxCount)
    local time = "";
    local count = 0;
    local tempTime;
    seconds = floor(seconds);
    maxCount = maxCount or 2;
    if ( seconds >= 86400  ) then
        tempTime = floor(seconds / 86400);
        if ( notAbbreviated ) then
            time = format(D_DAYS,tempTime);
        else
            time = format(DAYS_ABBR,tempTime);
        end
        seconds = mod(seconds, 86400);
        count = count + 1;
    end
    if ( seconds >= 3600  ) then
        if ( time ~= "" ) then
            time = time..TIME_UNIT_DELIMITER;
        end
        tempTime = floor(seconds / 3600);
        if ( notAbbreviated ) then
            time = time..format(D_HOURS, tempTime);
        else
            time = time..format(HOURS_ABBR, tempTime);
        end
        seconds = mod(seconds, 3600);
        count = count + 1;
    end
    if ( count < maxCount and seconds >= 60  ) then
        if ( time ~= "" ) then
            time = time..TIME_UNIT_DELIMITER;
        end
        tempTime = floor(seconds / 60);
        if ( notAbbreviated ) then
            time = time..format(D_MINUTES, tempTime);
        else
            time = time..format(MINUTES_ABBR, tempTime);
        end
        seconds = mod(seconds, 60);
        count = count + 1;
    end
    if ( count < maxCount and seconds > 0 and not noSeconds ) then
        if ( time ~= "" ) then
            time = time..TIME_UNIT_DELIMITER;
        end
        seconds = format("%d", seconds);
        if ( notAbbreviated ) then
            time = time..format(D_SECONDS, seconds);
        else
            time = time..format(SECONDS_ABBR, seconds);
        end
    end
    return time;
end

[Ketho]

Originally Posted by Dridzt string.format("%d |4"..L["minute"]..":"..L["minutes"]..";",minutes) will do the same without all those if-elseif chains

Wow! I will definitely try that out! O.o

D_MINUTES = "%d |4Minute:Minutes;";
MINUTES = "|4Minute:Minutes;";

Actually I tried using the global variables from GlobalStrings.lua before..
But it failed in a SendChatMessage(), I think, due to UI escape sequencing
I still have/had no clue what %d is or how it works, but I think your code will explain it now

Originally Posted by SDPhantom The global table L doesn't actually exist in the Lua core or in the WoW API, it has to be defined in an addon.

Sorry, I should've mentioned AceLocale with it too ><

Edit:
My "debugged" /dump returned:

"2 |4Min:Min; 30 |4Sec:Sec;"

[Dridzt]

I hate to edit my replies while another poster "might" reply to my original text,
but it inadvertently happens when you post at 6am local time.

It was a copy paste error maybe you'd like to post the SecondsToTimeAbbrev source function as well

[Dridzt]

@Ketho try it like this:

/run print(string.format("%d \1244minute:minutes;",3))

Also you are correct about SendChatMessage()
(didn't realize we were talking about sending it in a message)
but you can work around that like this:

/run local b=CreateFrame("Button");SendChatMessage(b:GetText(b:SetFormattedText("%d \1244minute:minutes;",3)),"SAY")

This is just a temporary frame you'll never show but re-use to get back the formatted text without the escape codes for sending safely as a message.

[SDPhantom]

Originally Posted by Ketho I still have/had no clue what %d is or how it works, but I think your code will explain it now

It's a format identifier for string.format() that places in an integer value.
It's practically the C function sprintf() run on the string and the output buffer is returned.

See sprintf - C++ Reference for format identifier reference.

Originally Posted by Ketho My "debugged" /dump

I wrote my own /dump function from scratch, avoiding recursive calling so it doesn't increase the call stack, and supports UI names, circular/repeat pointer references, multiple queries/return values, and return passthrough as an API call.

[Ketho]

@Dridzt: thanks for showing me this workaround
@SDPhantom: and thanks for telling and linking about the format identifier ..

Originally Posted by SDPhantom I wrote my own /dump function from scratch, avoiding recursive calling so it doesn't increase the call stack, and supports UI names, circular/repeat pointer references, multiple queries/return values, and return passthrough as an API call.

Actually my "/dump" is just the same as a normal ingame /dump, except for frame debugging... nvm that
But that is some crazy /dump function, I don't understand any part of that sentence ><

I guess trying to help others only make me end up getting helped xD