Time_t
time_t is an implementation-defined C arithmetic type used to represent calendar time or elapsed-time values.
Modern C, Third Edition
time_t is an implementation-defined C type used to represent calendar time values.
- How it is used
- Represents calendar timestamps and supports elapsed-time calculations through difftime.
- How deep it goes
- Defines its semantic role and portability limits, but stops short of describing its underlying representation.
- Examples
- Uses time(0), difftime(t1, t0), and a comparison with clock_t as concrete type examples.
- What you can do after
- Apply it via time() and difftime() when obtaining timestamps or calculating calendar-time differences.
Rust in Action: Systems programming concepts and techniques
time_t is a libc type alias representing elapsed whole seconds since the Unix epoch.
- How it is used
- Represents whole elapsed seconds when Rust code interacts with libc timekeeping and operating-system clock interfaces.
- How deep it goes
- Defines the alias and its clock-structure role, then stops short of prescribing one integer representation across platforms.
- Examples
- Uses timeval.tv_sec, timeval.tv_usec, timestamp conversion, and settimeofday to demonstrate a clock-setting operation.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure system time through libc while preserving the platform’s expected seconds and fractional-seconds types.
Read how Rust in Action: Systems programming concepts and techniques explains time_t →
Related concepts
- arithmetic typekind of · An arithmetic type is a C type representing integer, floating-point, or complex numeric values.
- mktimeproduced by · mktime is a C standard-library function that converts a local broken-down calendar time to time_t while normalizing its fields.
- Unix epochmeasures · The Unix epoch is the reference instant at 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970, from which Unix time is measured.
- struct timespecpart of · struct timespec is a C structure type representing a time value with integral seconds and a fractional nanosecond component.
- type aliaskind of · A type alias is a declaration that gives an existing type an alternative name without creating a distinct type or representation.
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