How to use the MySQL TIME_TO_SEC() function

In this article, we will learn how to use the MySQL TIME_TO_SEC() function, which converts a time value to a number of seconds.

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In this article, we will learn how to use the MySQL TIME_TO_SEC() function, which converts a time value to a number of seconds. We will also see some examples of how to use this function in different situations, and explore some related functions that can be helpful for working with times and seconds.

Syntax

The syntax of the TIME_TO_SEC() function is as follows:

TIME_TO_SEC(time)

The time parameter can be any valid time expression, or a string that can be converted to a time value. If the time parameter is NULL, the function returns NULL. The TIME_TO_SEC() function returns an integer value that represents the number of seconds in the given time value. For example, TIME_TO_SEC('10:02:34') returns 36154, which is the number of seconds in the time value.

Examples

Let’s see some examples of how to use the TIME_TO_SEC() function in MySQL.

Example 1: Convert a time value to a number of seconds

We can use the TIME_TO_SEC() function to convert a time value to a number of seconds. For example:

SELECT TIME_TO_SEC('10:02:34') AS result;

This query will convert the time value ‘10:02:34’ to a number of seconds. The query will return 36154, which is the number of seconds in the time value.

Example 2: Convert a datetime value to a number of seconds

We can use the TIME_TO_SEC() function with the TIME() function, which returns the time part of a date or datetime value, to convert a datetime value to a number of seconds. For example:

SELECT TIME_TO_SEC(TIME('2023-01-15 10:02:34')) AS result;

This query will convert the datetime value ‘2023-01-15 10:02:34’ to a number of seconds. The query will use the TIME() function to get the time part of the datetime value, and then use the TIME_TO_SEC() function to convert it to a number of seconds. The query will return 36154, which is the number of seconds in the time value.

Example 3: Convert a fractional time value to a number of seconds

We can use the TIME_TO_SEC() function to convert a fractional time value to a number of seconds, such as a time value with milliseconds or microseconds. For example:

SELECT TIME_TO_SEC('10:02:34.123456') AS result;

This query will convert the fractional time value ‘10:02:34.123456’ to a number of seconds. The query will return 36154.123456, which is the number of seconds in the time value.

Example 4: Convert a negative time value to a number of seconds

We can use the TIME_TO_SEC() function to convert a negative time value to a number of seconds, which is equivalent to subtracting the positive time value from zero. For example:

SELECT TIME_TO_SEC('-10:02:34') AS result;

This query will convert the negative time value ‘-10:02:34’ to a number of seconds. The query will return -36154, which is the number of seconds in the time value.

Example 5: Convert a number of seconds to a time value

We can use the TIME_TO_SEC() function with the SEC_TO_TIME() function, which converts a number of seconds to a time value, to convert a number of seconds to a time value. For example:

SELECT SEC_TO_TIME(TIME_TO_SEC('10:02:34')) AS result;

This query will convert the number of seconds to a time value. The query will use the TIME_TO_SEC() function to convert the time value ‘10:02:34’ to a number of seconds, and then use the SEC_TO_TIME() function to convert it back to a time value. The query will return ‘10:02:34’, which is the same as the original time value.

There are some other functions that are related to the TIME_TO_SEC() function, and can be useful for working with times and seconds. Here are some of them:

  • TIME(): This function returns the time part of a date or datetime value, or a string that can be converted to a time value. For example, TIME('2023-01-15 10:02:34') returns ‘10:02:34’.
  • SEC_TO_TIME(): This function converts a number of seconds to a time value. For example, SEC_TO_TIME(36154) returns ‘10:02:34’.
  • TIME_FORMAT(): This function returns the time value formatted according to a specified format. For example, TIME_FORMAT('10:02:34', '%H:%i:%s') returns ‘10:02:34’.
  • TIME_DIFF(): This function returns the difference between two time values. For example, TIME_DIFF('10:02:34', '09:00:00') returns ‘01:02:34’.
  • TIME_ADD(): This function adds a time value to another time value. For example, TIME_ADD('10:02:34', '01:00:00') returns ‘11:02:34’.

Conclusion

In this article, we learned how to use the MySQL TIME_TO_SEC() function, which converts a time value to a number of seconds. We also saw some examples of how to use this function in different situations, and explored some related functions that can be helpful for working with times and seconds.