bug#71572: [PATCH] seconds-to-string-approximate

[Ihor Radchenko <yantar92@posteo.net>]

JD Smith <jdtsmith@gmail.com> writes:

> The latter issue results simply from my truncation of the initial delay column to 1 decimal digit.  E.g. .45s * 2.3^3 = 5.47515s, so s2s has it right.
>
>> The second item sounds like a useful feature, so maybe an optional
>> behavior could provide it as well?
>
> I've expanded the call format to (delay &optional readable abbrev half) , with READABLE='expanded an option to get the "1 hour 11 min" expanded format, i.e. one larger and one smaller unit (if appropriate).  Patch below.

Have you seen `org-duration-from-minutes'?
In Org mode, we have a rather complex (but flexible) system to customize
the duration format:

(defcustom org-duration-format '(("d" . nil) (special . h:mm))
"Format definition for a duration.

The value can be set to, respectively, the symbols `h:mm:ss' or
`h:mm', which means a duration is expressed as, respectively,
a \"H:MM:SS\" or \"H:MM\" string.

Alternatively, the value can be a list of entries following the
pattern:

  (UNIT . REQUIRED?)

UNIT is a unit string, as defined in `org-duration-units'.  The
time duration is formatted using only the time components that
are specified here.

Units with a zero value are skipped, unless REQUIRED? is non-nil.
In that case, the unit is always used.

The list can also contain one of the following special entries:

  (special . h:mm)
  (special . h:mm:ss)

    Units shorter than an hour are ignored.  The hours and
    minutes part of the duration is expressed unconditionally
    with H:MM, or H:MM:SS, pattern.

  (special . PRECISION)

    A duration is expressed with a single unit, PRECISION being
    the number of decimal places to show.  The unit chosen is the
    first one required or with a non-zero integer part.  If there
    is no such unit, the smallest one is used.

Eventually, if the list contains the symbol `compact', the
duration is expressed in a compact form, without any white space
between units.

For example,

   ((\"d\" . nil) (\"h\" . t) (\"min\" . t))

means a duration longer than a day is expressed in days, hours
and minutes, whereas a duration shorter than a day is always
expressed in hours and minutes, even when shorter than an hour.

On the other hand, the value

  ((\"d\" . nil) (\"min\" . nil))

means a duration longer than a day is expressed in days and
minutes, whereas a duration shorter than a day is expressed
entirely in minutes, even when longer than an hour.

The following format

  ((\"d\" . nil) (special . h:mm))

means that any duration longer than a day is expressed with both
a \"d\" unit and a \"H:MM\" part, whereas a duration shorter than
a day is expressed only as a \"H:MM\" string.

Eventually,

  ((\"d\" . nil) (\"h\" . nil) (special . 2))

expresses a duration longer than a day as a decimal number, with
a 2-digits fractional part, of \"d\" unit.  A duration shorter
than a day uses \"h\" unit instead."

-- 
Ihor Radchenko // yantar92,
Org mode contributor,
Learn more about Org mode at <https://orgmode.org/>.
Support Org development at <https://liberapay.com/org-mode>,
or support my work at <https://liberapay.com/yantar92>