TimeSpan.FromHours() Method in C#

The TimeSpan.FromHours() method in C# is used to create a TimeSpan object that represents a specified number of hours. This static method is accurate to the nearest millisecond and provides a convenient way to create time spans based on hour values.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for the TimeSpan.FromHours() method −

public static TimeSpan FromHours(double value);

Parameters

• value − A double that represents the number of hours. The value can be positive or negative and is accurate to the nearest millisecond.

Return Value

This method returns a TimeSpan object that represents the specified number of hours.

Using TimeSpan.FromHours() with Integer Values

The most common usage is with whole hour values −

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        TimeSpan span1 = TimeSpan.FromHours(3);
        TimeSpan span2 = TimeSpan.FromHours(12);
        TimeSpan span3 = TimeSpan.FromHours(24);
        
        Console.WriteLine("3 hours: " + span1);
        Console.WriteLine("12 hours: " + span2);
        Console.WriteLine("24 hours: " + span3);
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

3 hours: 03:00:00
12 hours: 12:00:00
24 hours: 1.00:00:00

Using TimeSpan.FromHours() with Decimal Values

You can also use fractional hour values to create more precise time spans −

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        TimeSpan span1 = TimeSpan.FromHours(1.5);    // 1 hour 30 minutes
        TimeSpan span2 = TimeSpan.FromHours(2.25);   // 2 hours 15 minutes
        TimeSpan span3 = TimeSpan.FromHours(0.5);    // 30 minutes
        
        Console.WriteLine("1.5 hours: " + span1);
        Console.WriteLine("2.25 hours: " + span2);
        Console.WriteLine("0.5 hours: " + span3);
        
        Console.WriteLine("Total minutes in 1.5 hours: " + span1.TotalMinutes);
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

1.5 hours: 01:30:00
2.25 hours: 02:15:00
0.5 hours: 00:30:00
Total minutes in 1.5 hours: 90

Using TimeSpan.FromHours() with Negative Values

The method also accepts negative values to represent time spans in the past −

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main() {
        TimeSpan positiveSpan = TimeSpan.FromHours(5);
        TimeSpan negativeSpan = TimeSpan.FromHours(-3.5);
        
        Console.WriteLine("Positive 5 hours: " + positiveSpan);
        Console.WriteLine("Negative 3.5 hours: " + negativeSpan);
        
        TimeSpan result = positiveSpan + negativeSpan;
        Console.WriteLine("Sum of both: " + result);
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Positive 5 hours: 05:00:00
Negative 3.5 hours: -03:30:00
Sum of both: 01:30:00

Conclusion

The TimeSpan.FromHours() method provides a simple and efficient way to create TimeSpan objects from hour values. It accepts both positive and negative decimal values, making it versatile for various time calculation scenarios in C# applications.