Calligra Sheets TIME Function: Build a Time from Hours, Minutes and Seconds

• Introduced: Documented by 26.08.2; original introduction not established.
• Availability: Supported in Calligra Sheets 26.08.2, based on the function-specific registration.
• Scope: The official application listing provides Linux installation; other packaged builds are unverified here.
• Checked: October 14, 2026. Documentation/source check; no new native test in Calligra Sheets 26.08.2.

TIME builds a clock-time value from three numeric parts: hours, minutes and seconds. For example, =TIME(14;35;42) represents 14:35:42 (2:35:42 PM). Use it when your data arrives as separate columns, or when you want reliable time components for a schedule. It creates a clock time, not a count of elapsed hours; durations that extend across midnight require separate date/time arithmetic. [T1]

Version and validation: This guide targets the official Calligra 26.08.2 function registry and implementation (KDE Gear release announced October 8, 2026). KDE’s official function handbook and XML were checked on October 12, 2026. The source is pinned to commit 72123cc643f6625351139e7df294544255a1056f. No Calligra application was opened or executed for this guide. Dates, time components and arithmetic marked expected below are calculated independently; expected display strings do not claim a screenshot or application test. [T1, T2]

=TIME(hours;minutes;seconds)

All three arguments are required: the pinned 26.08.2 registry calls setParamCount(3) for TIME. There are no optional arguments or documented defaults. The function implementation converts the first two inputs with asInteger(), converts the third with asFloat(), assigns that third result to an integer, constructs a Time(h,m,s) object and returns it as a Value. This is not identical to the handbook/XML return-type label of “Text”. Treat the handbook’s text label as user-facing presentation guidance; native storage, formatting, and export behavior must be checked in the installed program before claiming a universal runtime type. [T2, T3]

Locale and separator: KDE’s English handbook uses semicolons (;). Some spreadsheet installations or regional settings may use a different list separator, local 12/24-hour time formatting and localized decimal separators. Enter formulas with the separator accepted by your Calligra formula bar. For a deterministic test, use integer components and read back HOUR, MINUTE and SECOND rather than judging success only by the on-screen time format. [T1, T4]

In a new sheet, enter headers A1 = Hours, B1 = Minutes, C1 = Seconds, D1 = Constructed time, E1 = Extracted hour, F1 = Extracted minute, and G1 = Extracted second. Enter the following numeric constants in A2:C7. In D2 enter =TIME(A2;B2;C2), in E2 =HOUR(D2), in F2 =MINUTE(D2), and in G2 =SECOND(D2); copy D2:G2 through row 7. Set D2:D7 to a display format resembling HH:MM:SS if desired. [T1, T3, T4]

What is independently checked: Each D entry is the ordinary 24-hour-clock reading of its three inputs; each E–G triple is read directly from those numbers. The pinned TIME callback constructs the Time value; pinned HOUR, MINUTE and SECOND callbacks extract its components. This is a source-informed expected result, not a native-observed worksheet. If a display uses AM/PM, row 6 can look like 2:35:42 PM while E still represents 14. [T3, T4, T5]

A direct no-setup test

Enter =TIME(10;2;2) in an empty cell. KDE officially documents a result representing 10:02:02. The literal string you see may vary with formatting. Check =HOUR(TIME(10;2;2)), =MINUTE(TIME(10;2;2)) and =SECOND(TIME(10;2;2)); their independently reasoned expected values are 10, 2 and 2 respectively. This avoids dependence on imported text dates. [T1, T4]

KDE’s English handbook gives two examples that normalize a minute argument outside 0–59:

These are documentation checks, not results observed in a native installation. The C++ function passes raw converted integers into Time(h,m,s); the normalization is therefore in that time representation rather than an explicit carry/borrow loop in the TIME callback. Do not generalize the handbook examples into a promise about arbitrarily large, negative or overflowing values on every Calligra version and platform. [T1, T3, T6]

Practical scheduling example: Suppose A6 is 14, B6 is 35 and C6 is 42. =TIME(A6;B6;C6) creates a clock time. To calculate whole minutes since midnight using previously documented component functions, enter =HOUR(D6)*60+MINUTE(D6) in H6. Its independently calculated expected number is 875 (14*60+35). This deliberately discards seconds; it is not the duration of a shift. For an overnight shift, combine an actual calendar date with the time, or use a verified overnight rule. [T4, T7]

Secondary calculation: To check expected elapsed seconds within a single day, =HOUR(D6)*3600+MINUTE(D6)*60+SECOND(D6) gives 52,542 for 14:35:42. This calculation is checked arithmetically (14×3600 + 35×60 + 42); Calligra execution remains unavailable. [T5, T7]

• Argument count: =TIME(14;35) and =TIME(14;35;42;0) do not match the registered three-argument signature. The precise user-visible error text is untested; verify it in the installed Calligra build. [T2]
• Strings versus numeric components: Numeric cells in A:C are the safe baseline. The callback applies numeric conversions but does not check conversion-error flags locally before constructing Time. Do not assert an exact error code or that malformed strings always become zero; a native test is required. [T3]
• Fractional seconds: The XML describes integer seconds; source calls asFloat() and stores the result in int s, losing any fractional portion at this assignment. The treatment of specific noninteger inputs by the conversion layer and displayed error/output still requires native validation. Prefer integer seconds for portable examples. [T2, T3]
• 24:00 and negative hours: The official examples establish only limited minute normalization. How Time handles extreme hours or a total exactly at/after midnight is not established here. Test those cases before building production shift logic. [T6]
• Appearance is not storage: A cell displayed as 14:35:42 might contain an actual time value, a formula, or plain text. Inspect the formula bar and validate with HOUR/MINUTE/SECOND. Styling alone cannot correct an invalid input. [T3, T4]
• Import/export: Calling the function with three numeric arguments is widely recognizable, but locale separators, calculation backends, and time serialization can differ across software. Confirm exported sheet results using a separate product-specific test. [T8]

Microsoft’s Excel documentation also calls the function TIME(hour, minute, second) and requires three arguments. It describes its return as a fractional-day number and documents nonnegative inputs, including wrapping 27 hours to 03:00. KDE’s handbook instead labels TIME as “Text”, while the pinned implementation returns a Value(Time) object; the user-visible Calligra display follows regional formatting. These descriptions cannot justify claiming byte-for-byte internal type or behavior equivalence. [T1, T2, T3, T8]

Do not copy Excel-only edge rules into Calligra. For example, Excel documents limits for each argument and normalization for 27 hours, whereas the checked KDE handbook specifically illustrates 70 and −40 minutes. The present evidence does not establish identical limits or negative-input rules. Microsoft uses a comma in its English formula examples; the checked KDE examples use a semicolon. [T1, T8]

1. A formula is not recognized. Confirm the spelling TIME, all three inputs, and the list separator for the installed locale.
2. The cell looks like a number or an unexpected string. Set the intended time display format and check HOUR(D2), MINUTE(D2), SECOND(D2) before changing arithmetic.
3. The clock time appears shifted. Inspect AM/PM and 24-hour format, timezone assumptions in imported timestamps, and whether a time is being confused with elapsed duration.
4. A minute above 59 produces an unexpected result. Compare directly with KDE’s documented 70-minute example, then capture the application version and actual result. The handbook is evidence of the documented behavior, not of your binary.
5. A text input breaks the formula. Replace the input with separate numeric components to isolate text-to-number conversion; never assume Excel’s coercion is Calligra’s coercion.
6. A calculation crosses midnight. Do not rely on TIME alone to preserve a date. Use a full timestamp or a tested wrap/overnight method.
7. The observed result contradicts the source. Record OS, Calligra version, locale, exact formula, format and actual observation for editorial review. A source-inferred expectation must not be silently relabeled as a native test.

• KDE handbook: TIME — syntax, return-type label, parameter descriptions, normalization examples. Accessed 2026-10-12. [T1]
• Pinned KDE datetime.xml lines 360–380 — required parameter descriptions and handbook examples. Checked 2026-10-12. [T2]
• Pinned KDE registration lines 162–164 — exactly three parameters. [T2]
• Pinned KDE callback lines 564–572 — conversion and construction of Time, and typed result. [T3]
• KDE handbook: HOUR, MINUTE and SECOND — component-extraction related functions, with additional named sections #MINUTE and #SECOND. Accessed 2026-10-12. [T4]
• KDE Gear 26.08.2 announcement — release context. Checked 2026-10-12. [T5]
• Microsoft Excel TIME reference — comparison for Excel only, not authority for Calligra. Checked 2026-10-12. [T8]

Testing limitation: Native Calligra parsing, error presentation and workbook interchange remain untested.