CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javascriptparsingtimegoogle-apps-scriptgoogle-forms
Chris Cirefice
Chris Cirefice

Reputation: 5805

Parsing String Time Format (NOT Time Zones)

Assuming that time formats (not timezone data, just plain-text Strings representing time in 12-hour clock), what is the best way to parse that data (examples below)?

I feel like this is a pretty simple question, but I've though about it a lot and can't figure out a fool-proof process for parsing out hour and minute values from any one of many time "formats".

I'm using a simple form that allows for entering a time (e.g., the time of a reservation), but there is no way to make the form field (Google Forms, limited customizability) anything other than plain-text which allows for any time format a person wishes to put in there a viable piece of data to work with. Here are some examples of times that can be entered:

1 P        // hours would be 13, minutes would be 0
3:15 P.M.  // hours would be 15, minutes would be 15
4 P.M      // hours would be 16, minutes would be 0
8:30 a     // hours would be 8, minutes would be 30
10:45 aM.  // hours would be 10, minutes would be 45
12:00 Pm   // hours would be 12, minutes would be 0

Those are just some examples. Feel free to fix tags if I'm not in the right topic(s) - I am however using Google Apps Script/Javascript to accomplish this.

I thought about building a couple regex strings to look for certain formats (which I'm sure will take me a while to write since I've never written one before).

I also thought about looking for a ':' character, and an 'a'/'A' character or 'p'/'P' for determing whether or not the +12 hours needs to be added. After that kind of information is retrieved the problem could be solved by truncating the 'p.m.'-type sections, then split(":") to get the correct numbers.

I feel like the first approach is much more stable, but the second solution might be easier. I'm not sure if there is a better way though, those are the two methods my n00b programmer mind could come up with.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 165

Answers (1)

Mogsdad
Mogsdad

Reputation: 45750

I'm glad to hear you have an answer that you think will help you out. But before you write too much code, revisit this assertion you made:

...there is no way to make the form field (Google Forms, limited customizability) anything other than plain-text

Here's how you define a question to present a Date & Time picker, using the Forms UI.

Screen shot: form date/time picker

The spreadsheet that is receiving your form responses will end up with a Date object - no need to mess around with strings at all.

Upvotes: 1

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