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String Formatting

The string formatting utilities provide functions for converting numerical values into human-readable strings. This makes it easier to display results to users in an intuitive format.

For complete API details, see the String Formatting API Reference.

Time Duration Formatting

The primary formatting utility is format_time_string(), which converts a time duration in seconds into a human-readable string.

Long Format (Default)

The long format provides a full description with proper units and grammar:

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# Format various time durations in long format (default)
print("Long format (default):")
print(f"  30 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(30)}")
print(f"  90 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90)}")
print(f"  362 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(362)}")
print(f"  3665 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(3665)}")
print(f"  90000 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90000)}")

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    // Format various time durations in long format (default)
    println!("Long format (default):");
    println!("  30 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(30.0, false));
    println!("  90 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90.0, false));
    println!("  362 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(362.0, false));
    println!("  3665 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(3665.0, false));
    println!("  90000 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90000.0, false));

The long format uses proper grammar and includes fractional seconds:

  • 30.00 seconds
  • 1 minute and 30.00 seconds
  • 6 minutes and 2.00 seconds
  • 1 hour, 1 minute and 5.00 seconds
  • 1 day, 1 hour and 0.00 seconds

Short Format

The short format provides a more compact representation suitable for tables or limited space:

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# Format the same durations in short format
print("\nShort format:")
print(f"  30 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(30, short=True)}")
print(f"  90 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90, short=True)}")
print(f"  362 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(362, short=True)}")
print(f"  3665 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(3665, short=True)}")
print(f"  90000 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90000, short=True)}")

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    // Format the same durations in short format
    println!("\nShort format:");
    println!("  30 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(30.0, true));
    println!("  90 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90.0, true));
    println!("  362 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(362.0, true));
    println!("  3665 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(3665.0, true));
    println!("  90000 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90000.0, true));

The short format uses abbreviations without fractional seconds:

  • 30s
  • 1m 30s
  • 6m 2s
  • 1h 1m 5s
  • 1d 1h 0m

Practical Example

Here's a practical example formatting an orbital period:

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# Practical use case: format orbital period
orbital_period = bh.orbital_period(bh.R_EARTH + 500e3)
print(f"\nLEO orbital period: {bh.format_time_string(orbital_period)}")
print(

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    // Practical use case: format orbital period
    let orbital_period = bh::orbits::orbital_period(bh::constants::R_EARTH + 500e3);
    println!("\nLEO orbital period: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(orbital_period, false));
    println!("LEO orbital period (short): {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(orbital_period, true));

This produces:

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LEO orbital period: 1 hour, 34 minutes and 38.34 seconds
LEO orbital period (short): 1h 34m 38s

Supported Time Units

The function automatically selects the appropriate units based on the duration:

Duration Range Units Used
< 60 seconds seconds only
60s - 1 hour minutes and seconds
1 hour - 1 day hours, minutes, and seconds
> 1 day days, hours, minutes (short format) or days, hours, minutes, and seconds (long format)

Precision

  • Long format: Displays seconds with 2 decimal places
  • Short format: Displays only whole seconds (fractional part truncated)

Complete Example

Here's a complete example demonstrating both formats with various durations:

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import brahe as bh

bh.initialize_eop()

# Format various time durations in long format (default)
print("Long format (default):")
print(f"  30 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(30)}")
print(f"  90 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90)}")
print(f"  362 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(362)}")
print(f"  3665 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(3665)}")
print(f"  90000 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90000)}")

# Format the same durations in short format
print("\nShort format:")
print(f"  30 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(30, short=True)}")
print(f"  90 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90, short=True)}")
print(f"  362 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(362, short=True)}")
print(f"  3665 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(3665, short=True)}")
print(f"  90000 seconds: {bh.format_time_string(90000, short=True)}")

# Practical use case: format orbital period
orbital_period = bh.orbital_period(bh.R_EARTH + 500e3)
print(f"\nLEO orbital period: {bh.format_time_string(orbital_period)}")
print(
    f"LEO orbital period (short): {bh.format_time_string(orbital_period, short=True)}"
)

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use brahe as bh;

fn main() {
    bh::initialize_eop().unwrap();

    // Format various time durations in long format (default)
    println!("Long format (default):");
    println!("  30 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(30.0, false));
    println!("  90 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90.0, false));
    println!("  362 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(362.0, false));
    println!("  3665 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(3665.0, false));
    println!("  90000 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90000.0, false));

    // Format the same durations in short format
    println!("\nShort format:");
    println!("  30 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(30.0, true));
    println!("  90 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90.0, true));
    println!("  362 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(362.0, true));
    println!("  3665 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(3665.0, true));
    println!("  90000 seconds: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(90000.0, true));

    // Practical use case: format orbital period
    let orbital_period = bh::orbits::orbital_period(bh::constants::R_EARTH + 500e3);
    println!("\nLEO orbital period: {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(orbital_period, false));
    println!("LEO orbital period (short): {}", bh::utils::format_time_string(orbital_period, true));

}
Output 
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Long format (default):
  30 seconds: 30.00 seconds
  90 seconds: 1 minutes and 30.00 seconds
  362 seconds: 6 minutes and 2.00 seconds
  3665 seconds: 1 hours, 1 minutes, and 5.00 seconds
  90000 seconds: 1 days, 1 hours, 0 minutes, and 0.00 seconds

Short format:
  30 seconds: 30s
  90 seconds: 1m 30s
  362 seconds: 6m 2s
  3665 seconds: 1h 1m 5s
  90000 seconds: 1d 1h

LEO orbital period: 1 hours, 34 minutes, and 36.98 seconds
LEO orbital period (short): 1h 34m 36s

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Long format (default):
  30 seconds: 30.00 seconds
  90 seconds: 1 minutes and 30.00 seconds
  362 seconds: 6 minutes and 2.00 seconds
  3665 seconds: 1 hours, 1 minutes, and 5.00 seconds
  90000 seconds: 1 days, 1 hours, 0 minutes, and 0.00 seconds

Short format:
  30 seconds: 30s
  90 seconds: 1m 30s
  362 seconds: 6m 2s
  3665 seconds: 1h 1m 5s
  90000 seconds: 1d 1h

LEO orbital period: 1 hours, 34 minutes, and 36.98 seconds
LEO orbital period (short): 1h 34m 36s

Common Use Cases

Time formatting is useful for:

  • Access window durations: Display how long a satellite is visible from a ground station
  • Orbital periods: Show the time for one complete orbit in readable form
  • Propagation times: Display simulation duration or time steps
  • Reports and output: Present timing information to users

Choosing a Format

  • Use long format for reports, documentation, and user-facing output where clarity is important
  • Use short format for tables, logs, and situations where space is limited

See Also