How the TO_SECONDS() function works in Mariadb?

The TO_SECONDS() function in MariaDB is used to convert a date or datetime value into the corresponding number of seconds. It returns an integer representing the total number of seconds contained in the input date or datetime expression.

Syntax

The syntax of the MariaDB TO_SECONDS() function is as follows:

TO_SECONDS(expr)

• expr: This is the date or datetime expression to be converted into seconds.

The function returns an integer representing the number of seconds from year 0 contained in the input expression, or NULL if expr is not a valid date or datetime.

Examples

Example 1: Converting a time value into seconds

This example demonstrates how to use the TO_SECONDS() function to convert a date value into seconds.

SELECT TO_SECONDS('2023-05-01');

The following is the output:

+--------------------------+
| TO_SECONDS('2023-05-01') |
+--------------------------+
|              63850118400 |
+--------------------------+

In this example, the TO_SECONDS() function converts the time value ‘2023-05-01’ into 63850118400 seconds.

Example 2: Converting a datetime value into seconds

This example shows how to convert a datetime value into seconds using the TO_SECONDS() function.

SELECT TO_SECONDS('2023-05-01 10:30:00');

The following is the output:

+-----------------------------------+
| TO_SECONDS('2023-05-01 10:30:00') |
+-----------------------------------+
|                       63850156200 |
+-----------------------------------+

In this example, the TO_SECONDS() function converts the datetime value ‘2023-05-01 10:30:00’ into the corresponding number of seconds since the Unix epoch (1682950200).

Example 3: Using TO_SECONDS() with date arithmetic

This example shows how to use the TO_SECONDS() function in combination with date arithmetic.

SELECT TO_SECONDS('2023-05-01 10:30:00') - TO_SECONDS('2023-05-01 08:00:00') AS seconds_difference;

The following is the output:

+--------------------+
| seconds_difference |
+--------------------+
|               9000 |
+--------------------+

In this example, the TO_SECONDS() function is used to convert the datetime values ‘2023-05-01 10:30:00’ and ‘2023-05-01 08:00:00’ into seconds. Then, the difference between these two values is calculated, which gives the number of seconds between the two times (9000).

Related Functions

The following are some functions related to the MariaDB TO_SECONDS() function:

• MariaDB SEC_TO_TIME() function is used to convert a number of seconds into a time value.
• MariaDB TIME_TO_SEC() function is used to convert a time value into the corresponding number of seconds.
• MariaDB UNIX_TIMESTAMP() function is used to convert a datetime value into the corresponding Unix timestamp (seconds since the Unix epoch).

Conclusion

The TO_SECONDS() function in MariaDB is a versatile tool for converting time and datetime values into the corresponding number of seconds. It can be used in various scenarios, such as time calculations, date arithmetic, and data processing. By understanding the usage and capabilities of this function, along with related functions, developers can effectively manipulate and work with time-related data in their MariaDB applications.