Creating Time Variable

[leah rubin]

Hi,

I am trying to compute the duration in minutes between 2 times. I have 2
string variables (one corresponding to the start time and one for the end
time) in the format 10:30, 9:36 etc and a second variable that goes with
each string variable that designates 1 = am and 2 = pm. Does anyone know how
to do this via syntax?

Thanks in advance,

Leah

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[Maguin, Eugene]

Leah,

>>I am trying to compute the duration in minutes between 2 times. I have 2
string variables (one corresponding to the start time and one for the end
time) in the format 10:30, 9:36 etc and a second variable that goes with
each string variable that designates 1 = am and 2 = pm.

do repeat x=start stop/y=tstart tstop.
+  compute y=number(x,time5).
+  If (am_pm eq 2) y=datesum(y,12,"hours").
end repeat.
Compute diff=datediff(tstop,tstart,"hours").
execute.
format tstart tstop(time5).

Note. The difference returned is in hours. I'd expect (but do not know for
sure) that minutes are expressed in fractional hours. However, the
difference may be integer hours. If so, then this statement would be better
(but there are other statements also).

Compute diff=(tstop-tstart)/3600.


Gene Maguin

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[Maguin, Eugene]

Leah,

I apologize, I missed including am/pm element correctly.


>>Sorry to bother you but I am not sure I am understanding your code.
So I have a start and stop variable and then an am/pm variable for each.


do repeat x=start stop/y=tstart tstop/z=startam_pm stopam_pm.
+  compute y=number(x,time5).
+  If (z eq 2) y=datesum(y,12,"hours").
end repeat.
Compute diff=datediff(tstop,tstart,"hours").
execute.
format tstart tstop(time5).


>>I am trying to compute the duration in minutes between 2 times. I have 2
string variables (one corresponding to the start time and one for the end
time) in the format 10:30, 9:36 etc and a second variable that goes with
each string variable that designates 1 = am and 2 = pm.

Gene Maguin

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[Richard Ristow]

One correction - a subtle point that's often missed.

At 03:00 PM 10/21/2008, Gene Maguin wrote:

>I apologize, I missed including am/pm element correctly.
>[...]
>do repeat x=start      stop
>          /y=tstart     tstop
>          /z=startam_pm stopam_pm.
>+  compute     y=number(x,time5).
>+  If (z eq 2) y=datesum(y,12,"hours").
>end repeat.

Converting am/pm times to hours is a little more subtle, because of
the special status of times between 12 and 1: Times between 12:00 and
1:00 am  need to be adjusted; times between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. do not.

Without looking for archived, tested code, I think this is right. It
uses DO IF logic, and the older time functions.

DO IF   z EQ 1            /* Time in am       */.
.  IF   y GE TIME.HMS(12) /* 12:00-<1:00 a.m. */
         y  = y - TIME.HMS(12).
ELSE IF z EQ 2            /* Time in pm       */.
.  IF   y LT TIME.HMS(12) /* 1:00 pm or after */
         y  = y + TIME.HMS(12).
END IF.

(Aside: 'tstart' and 'tstop' may well be scratch variables: '#tstart'
and #tstop'. That avoids their being in the final file.)

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[Richard Ristow]

At 12:07 PM 10/21/2008, leah rubin wrote:

>I am trying to compute the duration in minutes between 2 times. I
>have 2 string variables, one corresponding to the start time and one
>for the end time, in the format 10:30, 9:36 etc; and a second
>variable that goes with each string variable that designates 1 = am and 2 = pm.

There've been several iterations of answers, and Leah just wrote
off-list that "I am having some problems getting it all to run
properly", so maybe it's time for a complete solution, with test data:

DATA LIST LIST /
     start startam_pm stop stopam_pm
    (A5,    F2,       A5,  F2).
<data omitted; see APPENDIX>

.  /**/  LIST /*-*/.

List
|-----------------------------|---------------------------|
|Output Created               |22-OCT-2008 21:20:14       |
|-----------------------------|---------------------------|
start startam_pm stop  stopam_pm

12:25      1     1:50       1
3:35       1     4:40       1
11:30      1     12:20      2
12:10      2     1:10       2
1:30       2     2:45       2

Number of cases read:  5    Number of cases listed:  5



NUMERIC  tstart tstop (TIME5).

do repeat x=start      stop
          /y=tstart     tstop
          /z=startam_pm stopam_pm.
+  compute y=number(x,time5).
+  IF    z EQ 1              /* 12:00 -<  1:00 a.m.  */
      AND y GE TIME.HMS(12)
               y = y - TIME.HMS(12).
+     If z eq 2
      AND y LT TIME.HMS(12)   /*  1:00 -  11:59 p.m.  */
               y = y + TIME.HMS(12).
end repeat.

NUMERIC Minutes (F7.2).
COMPUTE Minutes = CTIME.MINUTES(tstop-tstart).

LIST.
|-----------------------------|---------------------------|
|Output Created               |22-OCT-2008 21:20:14       |
|-----------------------------|---------------------------|
start startam_pm stop  stopam_pm tstart tstop Minutes

12:25      1     1:50       1      0:25  1:50   85.00
3:35       1     4:40       1      3:35  4:40   65.00
11:30      1     12:20      2     11:30 12:20   50.00
12:10      2     1:10       2     12:10 13:10   60.00
1:30       2     2:45       2     13:30 14:45   75.00

Number of cases read:  5    Number of cases listed:  5
=================================
APPENDIX: Test data, and all code
=================================
DATA LIST LIST /
     start startam_pm stop stopam_pm
    (A5,    F2,       A5,  F2).
BEGIN DATA
    12:25   1          1:50  1
     3:35   1          4:40  1
    11:30   1         12:20  2
    12:10   2          1:10  2
     1:30   2          2:45  2
END DATA.

.  /**/  LIST /*-*/.


NUMERIC  tstart tstop (TIME5).

do repeat x=start      stop
          /y=tstart     tstop
          /z=startam_pm stopam_pm.
+  compute y=number(x,time5).
+  IF    z EQ 1              /* 12:00 -<  1:00 a.m.  */
      AND y GE TIME.HMS(12)
               y = y - TIME.HMS(12).
+     If z eq 2
      AND y LT TIME.HMS(12)   /*  1:00 -  11:59 p.m.  */
               y = y + TIME.HMS(12).
end repeat.

NUMERIC Minutes (F7.2).
COMPUTE Minutes = CTIME.MINUTES(tstop-tstart).

LIST.

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