Duration fields display a length of time. You determine how the duration field measures and displays time. To do so, edit the duration field's Properties page:
Access this page in one of the following ways:
If you're in a form, right-click the field label and select Edit this field's properties.
If you're in a report, left-click or right-click the column heading and select Edit this field's properties.
In the table bar on any application page, click the table containing the field you want to change. Within the menu that appears, select Customize --tablename-- table > Fields.
In the menu bar on any application page, select Customize > Tables. Within the list on the left side of the page, click the table that contains the field you want to change and click the Fields tab.
Once you access the properties page, you can set your preferences in that screen's Duration Options section.
The Format section lets you tell QuickBase what unit of time you want the duration to display as. For example, show an expanse of time in days or hours. Choose whichever of the following units that's most appropriate:
Select this option... |
To display the duration in... |
|---|---|
HH:MM |
Hours and minutes. For example: 03:45 |
HH:MM:SS |
Hours, minutes, and seconds. For example: 03:45:22 |
:MM |
Minutes only. For example, if you enter "45 min," it displays as :45. If you enter more than 59 minutes, this format will display as HH:MM instead of just :MM. |
:MM:SS |
Minutes and seconds. For example, if you enter ":45.25 min," it displays as :45:15. |
Smart Units |
The most appropriate format for the entered value. For example, "120 min" displays as 2 hours. "84 hrs" displays as 3.5 days. How smart is that? |
Weeks |
Number of weeks. For example, if you enter "84 hrs," it displays as .5. |
Days |
Number of days. For example, if you enter "84 hrs," it displays as 3.5. |
Hours |
Number of hours. For example, if you enter "3.5 days," it displays as: 84. |
Minutes |
Number of minutes. For example, if you enter "3.5 days," it displays as 5040. |
Seconds |
Number of seconds. For example, if you enter "3.5 days," it displays as 302400. |
Tip: It's always a good idea to label a duration field to include the format you set. Doing so lets your users know exactly how to enter the time. But your users do have some leeway and can enter the duration in a different unit of time than the one you set, if they specify what that unit is by typing text after the number. Quickbase recognizes the following terms: sec, seconds, min, minutes, hours, days, weeks.
If you want, you can add decimals into the mix. Just go to the Field Property page's Decimal Places option and enter the number of digits you want to display after the decimal point. Leave it blank for a floating point. If a user enters more digits after the decimal point than you've entered here, QuickBase rounds the number and extends it only to the number of decimal places you specified. Usually, decimals are most appropriate when the format calls for less exact time measurements, like Days for example (as opposed to a more precise measurement like HH:MM:SS).
Tell QuickBase how to wrap up the numbers when the duration field appears
in a table. The program either totals or averages all the durations. The
result appears at the bottom of the column. To set this option, open the
field's properties page and turn on either the Totals or Averages checkbox.
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