Question 1

How do I handle zero seconds in Chronic Duration?

Accepted Answer

Use the keep_zero option in parse or output methods to return 0 instead of nil, as shown in the README examples like ChronicDuration.parse('0 seconds', :keep_zero => true).

Question 2

Chronic Duration vs Chronic: which is better for time parsing in Ruby?

Accepted Answer

Chronic Duration focuses on elapsed time durations (e.g., '4 hours'), while Chronic parses absolute dates and times (e.g., 'next Tuesday'). Choose based on whether you need duration parsing or datetime parsing.

Question 3

How to format seconds to show only hours and minutes in Chronic Duration?

Accepted Answer

Use the output method with options like limit_to_hours or customize units, as demonstrated with ChronicDuration.output(45*24*60*60 + 15*60, :limit_to_hours => true) to get '1080 hrs 15 mins'.

Question 4

Does Chronic Duration support parsing mixed formats like '1:20.51'?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it can parse various mixed formats including numeric notations like '1:20.51' and abbreviated forms like '2h20min', as listed in the README examples.

Question 5

How to install Chronic Duration in a Rails project?

Accepted Answer

Add it to your Gemfile with gem 'chronic_duration' and run bundle install, then require it in your code. It has no complex dependencies, making integration straightforward.

Question 6

What are common parse errors in Chronic Duration, and how to handle them?

Accepted Answer

Errors occur with unparsable strings like '4 elephants'; enable raise_exceptions to get ChronicDuration::DurationParseError, or check for nil returns by default, as described in the README.

chronic_duration

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