AP Time Style

Format and validate AP-style clock time.

Description

Clock style rendering converts a supplied 24-hour time into a 12-hour string.

Clock style rendering converts a supplied 24-hour time into a 12-hour string. Zero minutes omit the colon and minute component.^[1]

Format and validate AP-style clock time.

When to use AP Time Style

Use this tool to format and validate AP-style clock time.

Prepare the text, recorded observations, aligned figures or editorial criteria requested. Confirm what each label, count, timestamp or supplied flag represents before interpreting the result.

How to use AP Time Style and understand its results

Prepare the text, recorded observations, aligned figures or editorial criteria requested. Confirm what each label, count, timestamp or supplied flag represents before interpreting the result.
Enter hour24, minute, renderedTime using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
Read expectedTime, matchesExpected. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.

Input field	Meaning	Value type; see rules below	Requirement
hour24	Hour in 24-hour time	integer; minimum: 0; maximum: 23	Required
minute	Minute	integer; minimum: 0; maximum: 59	Required
renderedTime	Rendered time	string	Required

Enter integer hour 0–23, minute 0–59 and rendering. Construct expected text and compare exactly after trimming the rendering. Midnight/noon are rendered as 12 a.m./12 p.m., rather than named words.

hour12=hour%12 or 12; period=hour<12 ? a.m. : p.m.

Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
expectedTime	Expected AP-style time	string
matchesExpected	Matches expected time	boolean

json

{
  "input": {
    "hour24": 13,
    "minute": 5,
    "renderedTime": "1:05 p.m."
  },
  "output": {
    "expectedTime": "1:05 p.m.",
    "matchesExpected": true
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

No date, time zone, daylight-saving conversion or broader style guide is applied.

Numeric inputs must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Extremely large text inputs are rejected. Missing required fields, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors. A successfully returned false flag is an evaluated outcome; its meaning is explained above.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use Temperature Style: Validate a rendered temperature against supplied unit and degree-symbol policy. For a complementary task, use Dollar Figure Style: Validate dollar-figure grouping and decimal precision.

References

AP Time Style — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Temperature Style
Validate a rendered temperature against supplied unit and degree-symbol policy.
Dollar Figure Style
Validate dollar-figure grouping and decimal precision.