Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Solution Creators - Can add, modify, and manage duration fields. |
Related Reading |
What Is the Duration Field?
The duration field is designed to record time durations in increments of:
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Use it to log time, estimate work efforts, or set schedules. Values are stored as integers or decimals representing seconds.
Key Features:
Accepts natural language inputs, such as
1d 2h 30m,8 hours, or1hr 20mins.Supports basic arithmetic operations for calculations.
Integrates seamlessly with date/time formulas.
Tip: For longer durations measured in weeks or months, consider using a standard number field.
Adding a Duration field
From Grid View
Click the + menu icon after the last column header, or open the Column Menu by clicking a column header's dropdown icon.
Select Add Field to the Right.
Choose Duration, and configure the field in the pop-up window.
Use the search option to quickly locate the field type.
From Record View
Open a record.
Click the + sign next to an existing field.
Select Duration to add it.
Customizing the Duration Field
You can choose from three display formats:
Short: Compact display for quick viewing.
Standard (default): Balanced visibility of details.
Long: Includes all time increments.
Additionally, you can configure units (Days, Hours, Minutes, Seconds) and mark the field as required.
Tip: Check out SmartSuite’s articles on Setting Default Field Values and Adding Help Text to fields.
Using Durations in Formulas
Basic Arithmetic
Perform calculations directly with durations. Example:
Formula:
[End Time] - [Start Time]Output: Result in seconds.
Divide by 60 for minutes, 3600 for hours, etc.
Integrating with Date/Time Formulas
Use the DATEADD() function to adjust date/time values by durations. Always specify seconds as the unit.
Example:
DATEADD([Start Date], [Duration], 'seconds')
If [Start Date] is 1/1/2025 and [Duration] is 1d 2h, the result is 1/2/2025 02:00.
Formatting Date/Time Results
Customize the output format with DATETIME_FORMAT():
Example:
DATETIME_FORMAT([Date], "compact")
Outputs: 1/2/2025 at 2:00AM
Note: You can also check out our Formula Formatting, Functions, and Operators shared view for the full list of all functions, their descriptions, and examples on how they can be used.
Practical Scenarios and Use Cases
Comparing Estimated vs. Actual Time
Scenario: A team tracks actual time spent on tasks using a time tracking log but needs to estimate task durations for planning. Solution: Use the duration field to record estimated time, then compare it with the time tracking log to evaluate performance and budgeting accuracy.
Scheduling Activities
Scenario: A manager wants to record the length of meetings or activities for better time management. Solution: Use the duration field to represent activity lengths and adjust schedules accordingly.
Project Time Estimates
Scenario: A project manager needs to estimate the total duration of a project, broken down by individual tasks. Solution: Use duration fields to set task-level time estimates, helping to predict overall project timelines effectively.
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