SMS:Time Settings

Example of a Time Settings dialog

Transient dataset time values are displayed in the Time Steps window using either a relative time format (e.g., 100.0) or an absolute date/time format (e.g., 1/12/2006 3:23:48).

Changing Time Settings

To change the time settings, select the Menu command Edit | Time Settings or right-click on the Time Steps window and select Time Settings to open the Time Setting dialog.

Time Settings Dialog

The following options are available in this dialog.

• Zero Time

The zero time represents the date/time corresponding to time t=0. If a dataset does not have an assigned reference time, it will use the global zero time as its reference time.

• Display as

  Option to use either absolute or relative time.

  • Absolute Date/Time

    When the display format is set to Absolute Date/Time, a date/time is shown in the Time Steps window. The date and time format can also be specified.

  • Relative Time

    When the display format is set to Relative Time, the days, hours, minutes, and seconds from the dataset reference time is shown in the Time Steps window. The display format for days, hours, minutes, and seconds can be specified. If a decimal format is chosen, the precision can also be specified.

• Format

Time can be displayed in a number of formats. After selecting an option, the dialog will display an example of the format. The following format options are available:

Absolute Date Format	Example	Additional Options
mm/dd/yy	05/25/00
dd/mm/yy	25/05/00
mm/dd/yyyy	05/25/2000
dd/mm/yyyy	25/05/2000
dd-mmm-yy	25-May-00
dd-mmm-yyyy	25-May-2000
mmm dd, yyyy	May 25, 2000
Absolute Time Format	Example	Additional Options
hh:mm am/pm	3:22 PM
HH:mm	15:22
hh:mm:ss am/pm	3:22:30 PM
HH:mm:ss	15:22:30
Relative Time Format	Example	Additional Options
days hh:mm:ss	10 20:30:40
hours:mm:ss	260:30:40
days hh:mm	10 20:30
hours:mm	260:30
days (decimal)	10.854296	Specify Precision
hours (decimal)	260.51111	Specify Precision
minutes (decimal)	15630.66667	Specify Precision
seconds	937840.0	Specify Precision

• Time Step Window – This section contains options for adjusting how values are displayed in the Time Step Window.
  • Determination of available times – Determines which time steps will be available for display in the Time Step Window.
    • "All available times (any module)"
    • "Active datasets (current module)"
  • Dataset time step rounding
    • "Interpolate to exact time"
    • "Nearest time step"

Related Topics

• Layout of the Graphical Interface