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(mysql.info)TIME

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The `TIME' Type
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MySQL retrieves and displays `TIME' values in `'HH:MM:SS'' format (or
`'HHH:MM:SS'' format for large hours values).  `TIME' values may range
from `'-838:59:59'' to `'838:59:59''.  The reason the hours part may be
so large is that the `TIME' type may be used not only to represent a
time of day (which must be less than 24 hours), but also elapsed time
or a time interval between two events (which may be much greater than
24 hours, or even negative).

You can specify `TIME' values in a variety of formats:

   * As a string in `'D HH:MM:SS.fraction'' format.  (Note that MySQL
     doesn't yet store the fraction for the time column).  One can also
     use one of the following "relaxed" syntax:

     `HH:MM:SS.fraction', `HH:MM:SS', `HH:MM', `D HH:MM:SS', `D HH:MM',
     `D HH' or `SS'.  Here `D' is days between 0-33.

   * As a string with no delimiters in `'HHMMSS'' format, provided that
     it makes sense as a time.  For example, `'101112'' is understood as
     `'10:11:12'', but `'109712'' is illegal (it has a nonsensical
     minute part) and becomes `'00:00:00''.

   * As a number in `HHMMSS' format, provided that it makes sense as a
     time.  For example, `101112' is understood as `'10:11:12''.  The
     following alternative formats are also understood: `SS',
     `MMSS',`HHMMSS', `HHMMSS.fraction'.  Note that MySQL doesn't yet
     store the fraction part.

   * As the result of a function that returns a value that is acceptable
     in a `TIME' context, such as `CURRENT_TIME'.

For `TIME' values specified as strings that include a time part
delimiter, it is not necessary to specify two digits for hours,
minutes, or seconds values that are less than `10'.  `'8:3:2'' is the
same as `'08:03:02''.

Be careful about assigning "short" `TIME' values to a `TIME' column.
Without semicolon, MySQL interprets values using the assumption that
the rightmost digits represent seconds. (MySQL interprets `TIME' values
as elapsed time rather than as time of day.) For example, you might
think of `'1112'' and `1112' as meaning `'11:12:00'' (12 minutes after
11 o'clock), but MySQL interprets them as `'00:11:12'' (11 minutes, 12
seconds).  Similarly, `'12'' and `12' are interpreted as `'00:00:12''.
`TIME' values with semicolon, instead, are always treated as time of
the day. That is `'11:12'' will mean `'11:12:00'', not `'00:11:12''.

Values that lie outside the `TIME' range but are otherwise legal are
clipped to the appropriate endpoint of the range.  For example,
`'-850:00:00'' and `'850:00:00'' are converted to `'-838:59:59'' and
`'838:59:59''.

Illegal `TIME' values are converted to `'00:00:00''.  Note that because
`'00:00:00'' is itself a legal `TIME' value, there is no way to tell,
from a value of `'00:00:00'' stored in a table, whether the original
value was specified as `'00:00:00'' or whether it was illegal.