CTOT()

Scalar function that returns a Time value from a character expression.

Supported in SQL:	Yes
Supported in Navigational:	Yes

Syntax

CTOT(<cTime>) à tTime

Parameters

<cTime>

A character string consisting of numbers representing the hour, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds separated by : characters (or any non-numeric character). The hours can be from 0-23, or from 1-12 with an "am" or "pm" specified in <cTime>. If the hour is from 1-11 with no "am" or "pm" specified in <cTime>, the time returned is am. If the hour is 12 and no "am" or "pm" indicator is specified, it is assumed to be 12pm.

Return Value

CTOT() returns a time value. If <cTime> is not a valid time, CTOT() returns an empty time (0).

Remarks

CTOT() is a character conversion function that converts a character string to a time. CTOT() is used whenever you need a literal time value. Some examples include:

•	Comparing the result of a time expression to a literal time string.

•

Defining a filter that compares a literal time string with a timestamp or time field. For example, if a table has a time field named ‘time’, then the filter "CtoT( ’10:30am’) > time" could be used to find all records where the time field has a value earlier than 10:30am. If CTOT() is used to compare a value with a timestamp field, then only the time portion of the field is used in the comparison; the date portion is ignored.

Note Binary and image fields are not supported by this function. Memo fields are supported by the SQL version of the scalar.

Examples

CTOT( "" ) // returns an empty time

CTOT( "12:00:00am" ) // midnight - 12:00 am

CTOT( "12:00:00" ) // noon - 12:00 pm

CTOT( "1:21:12pm" ) // 1:21:12 pm

CTOT( "21:12" ) // 9:21 pm

CTOT( "2:00" ) // 2:00 am

CTOT( "1:25:15.234") // 234 milliseconds after 1:25:15 am