Comments on: “Time” columns and Rails http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/ Sun, 01 Aug 2010 08:41:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: Will Green http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-85 Will Green Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:57:05 +0000 http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-85 Seems like you should be using a DATETIME column type. That's what Rails uses for the magical created_at and updated_at fields. I don't think TIME is standard SQL, anyway. Seems like you should be using a DATETIME column type. That’s what Rails uses for the magical created_at and updated_at fields.

I don’t think TIME is standard SQL, anyway.

]]> By: Rebecca http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-86 Rebecca Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:08:52 +0000 http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-86 Firstly, TIME is definitely given as a data type in the SQL:2003 standard. Take a look at http://www.wiscorp.com/sql_2003_standard.zip for a draft if you don't have a copy yourself. Secondly, I'm using a TIME column because I specifically don't want date information associated with the time information. Why would you want date information along with your times if you were writing, say, a train timetable? You want the time the train leaves each station, and what days of the week it runs on. Firstly, TIME is definitely given as a data type in the SQL:2003 standard. Take a look at http://www.wiscorp.com/sql_2003_standard.zip for a draft if you don’t have a copy yourself.

Secondly, I’m using a TIME column because I specifically don’t want date information associated with the time information.

Why would you want date information along with your times if you were writing, say, a train timetable? You want the time the train leaves each station, and what days of the week it runs on.

]]> By: Anthony Green http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-87 Anthony Green Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:18:33 +0000 http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-87 Rebeccas right, schedules which contain offset start/end times and durations require you to deal with 'time' seperate from any concept of a date. I havaen't yet found a Ruby library that deals with these issues so in the Rails projects I roll my own special Duration class and use compsed_of to link it to the object attribute. Rebeccas right, schedules which contain offset start/end times and durations require you to deal with ‘time’ seperate from any concept of a date. I havaen’t yet found a Ruby library that deals with these issues so in the Rails projects I roll my own special Duration class and use compsed_of to link it to the object attribute.

]]> By: Uwe Kubosch http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-110 Uwe Kubosch Thu, 21 Feb 2008 09:08:15 +0000 http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-110 Hi! This is definately overdue. I am seriously thinking of starting a project on this, but I really don't want to duplicate other efforts. I am thinking of duplicating the design of the TimeAndMoney project on SourceForge ( http://sourceforge.net/projects/timeandmoney/ ). It covers TimePoint, CalendarDate, TimeOfDay, Duration, intervals, and a few others. TimePoint is equal to Time in Ruby. The project would implement the base classes, and separate mappers for ActiveRecord. I need help to research existing projects to avoid duplicate efforts, and testing with real-world usage. Any developers are of course welcome to join. Anyone interrested in participating? Hi!

This is definately overdue. I am seriously thinking of starting a project on this, but I really don’t want to duplicate other efforts.

I am thinking of duplicating the design of the TimeAndMoney project on SourceForge ( http://sourceforge.net/projects/timeandmoney/ ). It covers TimePoint, CalendarDate, TimeOfDay, Duration, intervals, and a few others. TimePoint is equal to Time in Ruby.

The project would implement the base classes, and separate mappers for ActiveRecord.

I need help to research existing projects to avoid duplicate efforts, and testing with real-world usage. Any developers are of course welcome to join.

Anyone interrested in participating?

]]> By: Rebecca http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-111 Rebecca Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:07:16 +0000 http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-111 I'd be interested in working with you on that, yes. I’d be interested in working with you on that, yes.

]]> By: Steve http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-141 Steve Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:55:48 +0000 http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-141 I am *so* pleased to have stumbled across this discussion. Newbie that I am in Rails, I thought I was missing something basic. I'm trying to develop a booking application for the photo studio I work for. Most of our assignments are only a few hours long. Few span multiple days. I am happy to use a datetime object for when an assignment starts, but I'm astonished that I can't find a way to set a time exclusive of a date for when it ends. For example - a hypothetical assignment might be "Monday, May 5, 2008 from 10AM - 3:45PM". Up until the 3:45PM part a standard datetime entry in the database is perfect. But I can't believe I can't use a form helper to just set an hour/minute end time. I didn't find the "dummy date" to be 2000-01-01 though - my experiments so far seem to indicate that the current date is tacked onto the time. That means that in the example I gave above what is really being stored in the database is basically this (given that I am writing this on March 28, 2008): "Monday, May 5, 2008 from 10AM - Friday, March 28, 2008 3:45PM" That's nuts! Anyway - if I'm missing something obvious maybe someone can point me in the right direction. And if in fact this is not currently implemented in Rails I sure hope Uwe and Rebecca come up with a solution pretty quickly! Steve I am *so* pleased to have stumbled across this discussion. Newbie that I am in Rails, I thought I was missing something basic. I’m trying to develop a booking application for the photo studio I work for. Most of our assignments are only a few hours long. Few span multiple days. I am happy to use a datetime object for when an assignment starts, but I’m astonished that I can’t find a way to set a time exclusive of a date for when it ends. For example - a hypothetical assignment might be “Monday, May 5, 2008 from 10AM - 3:45PM”. Up until the 3:45PM part a standard datetime entry in the database is perfect. But I can’t believe I can’t use a form helper to just set an hour/minute end time. I didn’t find the “dummy date” to be 2000-01-01 though - my experiments so far seem to indicate that the current date is tacked onto the time. That means that in the example I gave above what is really being stored in the database is basically this (given that I am writing this on March 28, 2008):
“Monday, May 5, 2008 from 10AM - Friday, March 28, 2008 3:45PM”
That’s nuts!
Anyway - if I’m missing something obvious maybe someone can point me in the right direction. And if in fact this is not currently implemented in Rails I sure hope Uwe and Rebecca come up with a solution pretty quickly!

Steve

]]> By: chris http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-142 chris Wed, 02 Apr 2008 04:05:46 +0000 http://www.rebeccablyth.co.uk/2008/01/03/time-columns-and-rails/#comment-142 Thank you for explaining this! Thank you for explaining this!

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