I like the fact that we have the option of using time fields in 7/8/8.5,
but I am still trying to resolve a conceptual question that troubles me.

To me, 8:45 could mean two different things. A time of day, or a
quantity of time.

Time of day: The class begins at 8:30

Quantity of time: Bob logged in 8 hours and 30 minutes of work today.


I know that filemaker time fields are meant to be used in the first
sense.

But are they meant EQUALLY to be used in the second (quantity) sense?
Or should they NOT be used to indicate quantities of time.

Is there any problem with indicating 8 hours and 30 minutes of logged
work in a time field as "8:30" rather than indicating it in a number
field as "8.5"? So far, I have been hesitant to do so, but I'm not
sure if there is a good reason for that, other than that extra steps
would be required in calculations involving both time fields and number
fields.

Any thoughts or observations?

Thanks,
Greg

Why didn't you check the Help file for information on time fields? You'd
have read:

"When entering data in time fields, type the date in the system format used
when the file was created. Type the time of day (or time duration) as one of
the following [...]"

So, yes it's official: time fields can represent "quantity."

Also, if you create a time field and try to enter "123:45:56" you'll see
that any way you try to work with the field results in the correct
assessment of 123 hours. Even more convenient, if you entered "0:0:90"
FileMaker realizes this means 1min 30sec. You can also add, subtract,
multiple, and divide time fields and obtain the correct values.

You are right, Bill. It does say "duration" in the Help file. I
actually did read it prior to my question, and that word slipped past
me. Sorry for not reading more carefully prior to posting. Either
way, though, you gave some helpful information that was not in the help
file, and I still would have been unsure about whether you can really,
practically, use time fields to record duration. And I guess it still
feels a bit sketchy to me, but I will take your word (and filemaker's)
for it.

Thanks,
Greg


In article <HqGdnXmgYJCIaabYnZ2dnUVZ_tGdnZ2d (AT) comcast (DOT) com>,
"Bill Marriott" <wjm (AT) wjm (DOT) org> wrote: