[c#] What is the best way to convert seconds into (Hour:Minutes:Seconds:Milliseconds) time?

What is the best way to convert seconds into (Hour:Minutes:Seconds:Milliseconds) time?

Let's say I have 80 seconds, are there any specialized classes/techniques in .NET that would allow me to convert those 80 seconds into (00h:00m:00s:00ms) format like to DateTime or something?

This will return in hh:mm:ss format

 public static string ConvertTime(long secs)
    {
        TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(secs);
        string displayTime = $"{ts.Hours}:{ts.Minutes}:{ts.Seconds}";
        return displayTime;
    }

In VB.NET, but it's the same in C#:

Dim x As New TimeSpan(0, 0, 80)
debug.print(x.ToString())
' Will print 00:01:20

to get total seconds

var i = TimeSpan.FromTicks(startDate.Ticks).TotalSeconds;

and to get datetime from seconds

var thatDateTime = new DateTime().AddSeconds(i)

If you know you have a number of seconds, you can create a TimeSpan value by calling TimeSpan.FromSeconds:

 TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

You can then obtain the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Or use one of the ToString overloads to output it in whatever manner you like.

The TimeSpan constructor allows you to pass in seconds. Simply declare a variable of type TimeSpan amount of seconds. Ex:

TimeSpan span = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 500);
span.ToString();

to get total seconds

var i = TimeSpan.FromTicks(startDate.Ticks).TotalSeconds;

and to get datetime from seconds

var thatDateTime = new DateTime().AddSeconds(i)

In VB.NET, but it's the same in C#:

Dim x As New TimeSpan(0, 0, 80)
debug.print(x.ToString())
' Will print 00:01:20

I did some benchmarks to see what's the fastest way and these are my results and conclusions. I ran each method 10M times and added a comment with the average time per run.

If your input milliseconds are not limited to one day (your result may be 143:59:59.999), these are the options, from faster to slower:

// 0.86 ms
static string Method1(int millisecs)
{
    int hours = millisecs / 3600000;
    int mins = (millisecs % 3600000) / 60000;
    // Make sure you use the appropriate decimal separator
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}.{3:D3}", hours, mins, millisecs % 60000 / 1000, millisecs % 1000);
}

// 0.89 ms
static string Method2(int millisecs)
{
    double s = millisecs % 60000 / 1000.0;
    millisecs /= 60000;
    int mins = millisecs % 60;
    int hours = millisecs / 60;
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:00.000}", hours, mins, s);
}

// 0.95 ms
static string Method3(int millisecs)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(millisecs);
    // Make sure you use the appropriate decimal separator
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}.{3:D3}",
        (int)t.TotalHours,
        t.Minutes,
        t.Seconds,
        t.Milliseconds);
}

If your input milliseconds are limited to one day (your result will never be greater then 23:59:59.999), these are the options, from faster to slower:

// 0.58 ms
static string Method5(int millisecs)
{
    // Fastest way to create a DateTime at midnight
    // Make sure you use the appropriate decimal separator
    return DateTime.FromBinary(599266080000000000).AddMilliseconds(millisecs).ToString("HH:mm:ss.fff");
}

// 0.59 ms
static string Method4(int millisecs)
{
    // Make sure you use the appropriate decimal separator
    return TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(millisecs).ToString(@"hh\:mm\:ss\.fff");
}

// 0.93 ms
static string Method6(int millisecs)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(millisecs);
    // Make sure you use the appropriate decimal separator
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}.{3:D3}",
        t.Hours,
        t.Minutes,
        t.Seconds,
        t.Milliseconds);
}

In case your input is just seconds, the methods are slightly faster. Again, if your input seconds are not limited to one day (your result may be 143:59:59):

// 0.63 ms
static string Method1(int secs)
{
    int hours = secs / 3600;
    int mins = (secs % 3600) / 60;
    secs = secs % 60;
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}", hours, mins, secs);
}

// 0.64 ms
static string Method2(int secs)
{
    int s = secs % 60;
    secs /= 60;
    int mins = secs % 60;
    int hours = secs / 60;
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}", hours, mins, s);
}

// 0.70 ms
static string Method3(int secs)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(secs);
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}",
        (int)t.TotalHours,
        t.Minutes,
        t.Seconds);
}

And if your input seconds are limited to one day (your result will never be greater then 23:59:59):

// 0.33 ms
static string Method5(int secs)
{
    // Fastest way to create a DateTime at midnight
    return DateTime.FromBinary(599266080000000000).AddSeconds(secs).ToString("HH:mm:ss");
}

// 0.34 ms
static string Method4(int secs)
{
    return TimeSpan.FromSeconds(secs).ToString(@"hh\:mm\:ss");
}

// 0.70 ms
static string Method6(int secs)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(secs);
    return string.Format("{0:D2}:{1:D2}:{2:D2}",
        t.Hours,
        t.Minutes,
        t.Seconds);
}

As a final comment, let me add that I noticed that string.Format is a bit faster if you use D2 instead of 00.

I'd suggest you use the TimeSpan class for this.

public static void Main(string[] args)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());

    t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(868693412);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());
}

Outputs:

00:01:20
10054.07:43:32

TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.timespan.fromseconds.aspx

If you know you have a number of seconds, you can create a TimeSpan value by calling TimeSpan.FromSeconds:

 TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

You can then obtain the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Or use one of the ToString overloads to output it in whatever manner you like.

For .NET < 4.0 (e.x: Unity) you can write an extension method to have the TimeSpan.ToString(string format) behavior like .NET > 4.0

public static class TimeSpanExtensions
{
    public static string ToString(this TimeSpan time, string format)
    {
        DateTime dateTime = DateTime.Today.Add(time);
        return dateTime.ToString(format);
    }
}

And from anywhere in your code you can use it like:

var time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(timeElapsed);

string formattedDate = time.ToString("hh:mm:ss:fff");

This way you can format any TimeSpanobject by simply calling ToString from anywhere of your code.

If you know you have a number of seconds, you can create a TimeSpan value by calling TimeSpan.FromSeconds:

 TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

You can then obtain the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Or use one of the ToString overloads to output it in whatever manner you like.

For .NET < 4.0 (e.x: Unity) you can write an extension method to have the TimeSpan.ToString(string format) behavior like .NET > 4.0

public static class TimeSpanExtensions
{
    public static string ToString(this TimeSpan time, string format)
    {
        DateTime dateTime = DateTime.Today.Add(time);
        return dateTime.ToString(format);
    }
}

And from anywhere in your code you can use it like:

var time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(timeElapsed);

string formattedDate = time.ToString("hh:mm:ss:fff");

This way you can format any TimeSpanobject by simply calling ToString from anywhere of your code.

For .NET > 4.0 you can use

TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(seconds);

//here backslash is must to tell that colon is
//not the part of format, it just a character that we want in output
string str = time .ToString(@"hh\:mm\:ss\:fff");

or if you want date time format then you can also do this

TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(seconds);
DateTime dateTime = DateTime.Today.Add(time);
string displayTime = dateTime.ToString("hh:mm:tt");

For more you can check Custom TimeSpan Format Strings

I'd suggest you use the TimeSpan class for this.

public static void Main(string[] args)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());

    t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(868693412);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());
}

Outputs:

00:01:20
10054.07:43:32

TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.timespan.fromseconds.aspx

This will return in hh:mm:ss format

 public static string ConvertTime(long secs)
    {
        TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(secs);
        string displayTime = $"{ts.Hours}:{ts.Minutes}:{ts.Seconds}";
        return displayTime;
    }

Why do people need TimeSpan AND DateTime if we have DateTime.AddSeconds()?

var dt = new DateTime(2015, 1, 1).AddSeconds(totalSeconds);

The date is arbitrary. totalSeconds can be greater than 59 and it is a double. Then you can format your time as you want using DateTime.ToString():

dt.ToString("H:mm:ss");

This does not work if totalSeconds < 0 or > 59:

new DateTime(2015, 1, 1, 0, 0, totalSeconds)

For .NET > 4.0 you can use

TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(seconds);

//here backslash is must to tell that colon is
//not the part of format, it just a character that we want in output
string str = time .ToString(@"hh\:mm\:ss\:fff");

or if you want date time format then you can also do this

TimeSpan time = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(seconds);
DateTime dateTime = DateTime.Today.Add(time);
string displayTime = dateTime.ToString("hh:mm:tt");

For more you can check Custom TimeSpan Format Strings

I'd suggest you use the TimeSpan class for this.

public static void Main(string[] args)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());

    t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(868693412);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());
}

Outputs:

00:01:20
10054.07:43:32

TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.timespan.fromseconds.aspx

The TimeSpan constructor allows you to pass in seconds. Simply declare a variable of type TimeSpan amount of seconds. Ex:

TimeSpan span = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 500);
span.ToString();

In VB.NET, but it's the same in C#:

Dim x As New TimeSpan(0, 0, 80)
debug.print(x.ToString())
' Will print 00:01:20

If you know you have a number of seconds, you can create a TimeSpan value by calling TimeSpan.FromSeconds:

 TimeSpan ts = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

You can then obtain the number of days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Or use one of the ToString overloads to output it in whatever manner you like.

In VB.NET, but it's the same in C#:

Dim x As New TimeSpan(0, 0, 80)
debug.print(x.ToString())
' Will print 00:01:20

I'd suggest you use the TimeSpan class for this.

public static void Main(string[] args)
{
    TimeSpan t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());

    t = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(868693412);
    Console.WriteLine(t.ToString());
}

Outputs:

00:01:20
10054.07:43:32

The TimeSpan constructor allows you to pass in seconds. Simply declare a variable of type TimeSpan amount of seconds. Ex:

TimeSpan span = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 500);
span.ToString();

TimeSpan.FromSeconds(80);

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.timespan.fromseconds.aspx

private string ConvertTime(double miliSeconds)
{
    var timeSpan = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(totalMiliSeconds);
    // Converts the total miliseconds to the human readable time format
    return timeSpan.ToString(@"hh\:mm\:ss\:fff");
}

//Test

    [TestCase(1002, "00:00:01:002")]
    [TestCase(700011, "00:11:40:011")]
    [TestCase(113879834, "07:37:59:834")]
    public void ConvertTime_ResturnsCorrectString(double totalMiliSeconds, string expectedMessage)
    {
        // Arrange
        var obj = new Class();;

        // Act
        var resultMessage = obj.ConvertTime(totalMiliSeconds);

        // Assert
        Assert.AreEqual(expectedMessage, resultMessage);
    }

Why do people need TimeSpan AND DateTime if we have DateTime.AddSeconds()?

var dt = new DateTime(2015, 1, 1).AddSeconds(totalSeconds);

The date is arbitrary. totalSeconds can be greater than 59 and it is a double. Then you can format your time as you want using DateTime.ToString():

dt.ToString("H:mm:ss");

This does not work if totalSeconds < 0 or > 59:

new DateTime(2015, 1, 1, 0, 0, totalSeconds)