---
alias: user-guide-automation-converter-totime
description: "This converter transforms a human-readable time expression into milliseconds"
---

# To Time (ms)

The **To Time (ms)** converter receives a human-readable time expression as a `String` (for example, `"2s"`, `"1.5h"`, `"2 days"`) and transforms it into the equivalent number of milliseconds as a `Long`. If the input is already a `Number`, the converter passes it through unchanged. Invalid or unrecognized expressions cause the converter to fail.

This is useful to feed time-based inputs (timeouts, delays, intervals) in a readable way while still passing a numeric value to the consuming task.

## Settings

This converter has no settings.

![To Time Converter Settings](./images/converter_totime.png)

## Examples

### `String` input

Human-readable time expressions are parsed into their millisecond equivalent.

| Input        | Output (ms) |
| ------------ | ----------- |
| `500ms`      | `500`       |
| `2s`         | `2000`      |
| `2 seconds`  | `2000`      |
| `1m`         | `60000`     |
| `1 minute`   | `60000`     |
| `1.5h`       | `5400000`   |
| `2d`         | `172800000` |
| `1w`         | `604800000` |
| `123456780`  | `123456780` |

Table 1: String Input Examples

### `Number` input

The converter treats numeric inputs as already in milliseconds and returns them unchanged.

| Input  | Output (ms) |
| ------ | ----------- |
| `3000` | `3000`      |
| `0`    | `0`         |

Table 2: Number Input Examples

### Invalid Input

This converter fails in any of the cases below. For what happens to the rest of the chain when a converter fails (the error is logged, reported for monitoring, and the next task does not run), see [[user-guide-automation-converters-index]].

| Input        | Result                                                       |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `not-a-time` | Fails with `invalid result for time expression "not-a-time"` |
| *(empty)*    | Fails with `invalid time expression ""`.                      |

Table 3: Invalid Input