MySQL TIMEDIFF() Function

 The TIMEDIFF() function in MySQL is used to calculate the difference between two time or datetime expressions. It returns the difference as a TIME value.

Syntax:

TIMEDIFF(time1, time2)

• time1: The first time/datetime value.
• time2: The second time/datetime value.

Return Value:

The return value is the difference between time1 and time2 in the format HH:MM:SS. If time1 is greater than time2, the result will be positive; otherwise, it will be negative.

Example Usage:

1. Simple Time Difference:

SELECT TIMEDIFF('2024-12-23 14:30:00', '2024-12-23 13:15:00');

Output: 01:15:00 (1 hour and 15 minutes)

2. Time Difference with Only Time:

SELECT TIMEDIFF('14:30:00', '13:15:00');

Output: 01:15:00 (1 hour and 15 minutes)

3. Negative Time Difference:

SELECT TIMEDIFF('12:00:00', '14:00:00');

Output: -02:00:00 (2 hours negative)

4. Using TIMEDIFF() in a Query:

SELECT name, TIMEDIFF(end_time, start_time) AS duration
FROM events;

This will calculate the time difference between end_time and start_time for each event and display it as duration.

Notes:

• If you use DATETIME or TIMESTAMP values, the TIMEDIFF() function only considers the time part and ignores the date portion.
• TIMEDIFF() only works with values of the TIME, DATETIME, or TIMESTAMP data types.

Let me know if you'd like more specific examples or explanations!