human_readable_duration( string $duration = '' ): string|false
- Since
- 5.1.0
- Source
wp-includes/functions.php:508
Compatibility
- WordPress
- since 5.1.0
- PHP
- 7.4–8.6-dev
- 6.7.7
- 6.8.8
- 6.9.7
- 7.0.4
- 7.1.0
Present in every tracked release (6.7.7 to 7.1.0), and compiles on PHP 7.4 through 8.6-dev.
Parameters
$durationstringoptional- Duration will be in string format (HH:ii:ss) OR (ii:ss), with a possible prepended negative sign (-).Default:
''
Return value
string|false- A human readable duration string, false on failure.
Performance profile
How much work a call to human_readable_duration() does, and what it touches: the algorithmic scaling, the Zend instruction count per call across PHP versions, the hooks it hands control to, and the core code that calls it. Measured from the compiled opcodes, not a stopwatch, so every number is identical on any machine running the same PHP version, and every function in core is ranked by cost.
- Cost class
- Trivial
- Scaling
- Constant
- Instructions
- 4–77
- Plugin surface
- None
- Called by
- 2
Touches nothing outside its own arguments.
No loop in the body: the same number of instructions runs whatever you pass in.
Executed per call on PHP 8.5, depending on the branch taken. The body compiles to 89.
Nothing here hands control to plugin code.
2 places in core call this, so the cost is paid more often than your own code shows.
What it touches
- hookthird-party callbacks
apply_filters()one call below human_readable_duration()
Further down the call graph this can also reach query, option, cache, serialize and transient. Those are the worst case, several calls deep and usually down an error path, not what a normal call pays.
What one call costs · 5 distinct outcomes
One number would be a lie: the work depends on which branch runs. These are every distinct cost human_readable_duration() can have, taken from its control-flow graph on PHP 8.5.
| When | Instructions | Calls it makes |
|---|---|---|
| always | 4–6 | none |
!empty($duration) && is_string($duration) | 24–41 | explode(), array_reverse() |
!empty($duration) && is_string($duration) && $duration | 50–53 | explode(), array_reverse(), _n(), sprintf() |
!empty($duration) && is_string($duration) && $duration | 62–65 | explode(), array_reverse(), _n(), sprintf(), _n(), sprintf() |
!empty($duration) && is_string($duration) && $duration && $hour && $minute && $second | 74–77 | explode(), array_reverse(), _n(), sprintf(), _n(), sprintf(), _n(), sprintf() |
Across PHP versions
| PHP | Compiled | Executed | Branches | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.6-dev | 89 | 4–77 | 10 | |
| 8.5 | 89 | 4–77 | 10 | |
| 8.4 | 89 | 4–77 | 10 | 23 fewer instructions than PHP 8.3 |
| 8.3 | 112 | 4–97 | 10 | |
| 8.2 | 112 | 4–97 | 10 | 5 fewer instructions than PHP 8.1 |
| 8.1 | 117 | 4–99 | 10 | |
| 7.4 | 117 | 4–99 | 10 |
An instruction is not a fixed amount of time, so a matching count is not necessarily the same speed; what it rules out is a difference in the work itself.
Uses · 2
- str_starts_with()Polyfill for `str_starts_with()` function added in PHP 8.0.
- _n()Translates and retrieves the singular or plural form based on the supplied number.
Used by · 2
- attachment_submitbox_metadata()Displays non-editable attachment metadata in the publish meta box.
- wp_prepare_attachment_for_js()Prepares an attachment post object for JS, where it is expected to be JSON-encoded and fit into an Attachment model.
Source code
function human_readable_duration( $duration = '' ) { if ( ( empty( $duration ) || ! is_string( $duration ) ) ) { return false; } $duration = trim( $duration ); // Remove prepended negative sign. if ( str_starts_with( $duration, '-' ) ) { $duration = substr( $duration, 1 ); } // Extract duration parts. $duration_parts = array_reverse( explode( ':', $duration ) ); $duration_count = count( $duration_parts ); $hour = null; $minute = null; $second = null; if ( 3 === $duration_count ) { // Validate HH:ii:ss duration format. if ( ! ( (bool) preg_match( '/^([0-9]+):([0-5]?[0-9]):([0-5]?[0-9])$/', $duration ) ) ) { return false; } // Three parts: hours, minutes & seconds. list( $second, $minute, $hour ) = $duration_parts; } elseif ( 2 === $duration_count ) { // Validate ii:ss duration format. if ( ! ( (bool) preg_match( '/^([0-5]?[0-9]):([0-5]?[0-9])$/', $duration ) ) ) { return false; } // Two parts: minutes & seconds. list( $second, $minute ) = $duration_parts; } else { return false; } $human_readable_duration = array(); // Add the hour part to the string. if ( is_numeric( $hour ) ) { /* translators: %s: Time duration in hour or hours. */ $human_readable_duration[] = sprintf( _n( '%s hour', '%s hours', $hour ), (int) $hour ); } // Add the minute part to the string. if ( is_numeric( $minute ) ) { /* translators: %s: Time duration in minute or minutes. */ $human_readable_duration[] = sprintf( _n( '%s minute', '%s minutes', $minute ), (int) $minute ); } // Add the second part to the string. if ( is_numeric( $second ) ) { /* translators: %s: Time duration in second or seconds. */ $human_readable_duration[] = sprintf( _n( '%s second', '%s seconds', $second ), (int) $second ); } return implode( ', ', $human_readable_duration );}Changelog
Introduced in 5.1.0. Unchanged from 6.7.7 through 7.1.0.
Signature, return type and hooks compared across 5 parsed releases.
About this page
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