# How to convert user input hours, minutes, seconds - both ways **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [September 15, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-convert-user-input-hours-minutes-seconds-both-ways/175518 "2009-09-15T05:17:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![metanoize](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@metanoize](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/metanoize)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 5:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-convert-user-input-hours-minutes-seconds-both-ways/175518/1 "2009-09-15T05:17:53Z")
In my model I have an attribute “duration” (seconds as an integer) But the views new/edit have input for: hours, minutes, seconds. Should I have in model (attr\_accessor :hours, :minutes, :seconds) then how do I convert these virtual attributes into my “duration” attribute, Coming from Java I’d have setter/getter on “duration”! ---
**Author:** ![metanoize](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@metanoize](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/metanoize)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 5:59am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-convert-user-input-hours-minutes-seconds-both-ways/175518/2 "2009-09-15T05:59:37Z")
Mohammad A. wrote: > In my model I have an attribute “duration” (seconds as an integer) But > the views new/edit have input for: hours, minutes, seconds. > > Should I have in model (attr\_accessor :hours, :minutes, :seconds) then > how do I convert these virtual attributes into my “duration” > attribute, Coming from Java I’d have setter/getter on “duration”! You can certainly do that in Ruby too. Also check out composed\_of. The Runt gem might be helpful for dealing with time expressions. ## Best, Marnen Laibow-Koser [http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org) removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid