>> If we're not just looking for a neat workaround for some special cases >> anymore, but looking at making org-tables aware of time-like strings >> by default, a better strategy than to convert them into integers might >> be to translate them into Calc time format and back again. >> >> After all, Calc and hence the Org spreadsheet already handles time >> arithmetic perfectly well, it's just that it would be nice to have >> this functionality with the extra option to enter and display times as >> =12:45= rather than =12@ 45'= or =12h 45m=. >> > > I did not realize that calc (and hence Org) already supported operating > on time values. The =7@ 30'= format does indeed work well for time > table formulas (although the =12h 5m= format does not), e.g., > > | 1@ 20' | 2 | 0@ 40' 0." | > | 2@ 5' | 3 | 0@ 41' 40." | > #+TBLFM: $3=$1/$2 > > Maybe all that is needed is explicit mention of this syntax somewhere in > the table section of the Org-mode manual. > > The only remaining reason to support a %d:%d time format is that it is > what I (and I expect most users) would first think of to represent time, > and supporting such a format would allow time calculation in a table to > "just work" -- meaning users could likely manipulate time without having > to first look in the manual for the appropriate Calc format. > > However as Carsten mentioned such an automatic translation of e.g., > =7:20= to =7@ 20'= would be a bit bold, and (as mentioned elsewhere) it > would result in having to make some denomination decisions, namely does > =7:20= convert to =7@ 20'= or =7' 20"=. > > For now I've posted my `with-time' macro up to Worg. > > Cheers -- Eric
Hi all, just came back on this thread and was amazed what you guys did with it.. amazing.. havent tried the patch yet but the with-time macro is great. Now it is even easy to sum up a whole column of timevalues. I use it like the following now: | start | lunch | back | leave | sum | |-------+-------+-------+-------+-------| | 8:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 17:00 | 8:00 | | 8:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 17:00 | 8:00 | |-------+-------+-------+-------+-------| | | | | | 16:00 | #+TBLFM: @>$5='(with-time t (+ @2..@>>)) Thanks a lot (also for making it to org hacks : ) Martin
