ChronoUnit (Java SE 26 & JDK 26)
Description: declaration: module: java.base, package: java.time.temporal, enum: ChronoUnit
Keywords: java.time.temporal.ChronoUnit class

# Enum Class ChronoUnit

java.lang.Object
java.lang.Enum<ChronoUnit>
java.time.temporal.ChronoUnit

All Implemented Interfaces:
  `Serializable, Comparable<ChronoUnit>, Constable, TemporalUnit`

public enum ChronoUnit extends Enum<ChronoUnit> implements TemporalUnit
A standard set of date periods units.

This set of units provide unit-based access to manipulate a date, time or date-time. The standard set of units can be extended by implementing `TemporalUnit`.

These units are intended to be applicable in multiple calendar systems. For example, most non-ISO calendar systems define units of years, months and days, just with slightly different rules. The documentation of each unit explains how it operates.

Implementation Requirements:
  This is a final, immutable and thread-safe enum.
Since:
  1.8

- ## Nested Class Summary

  ### Nested classes/interfaces declared in class Enum

  `Enum.EnumDesc<E>`
  Modifier and Type
  Class
  Description
  `static final class`
  `Enum.EnumDesc<E extends Enum<E>>`
  A nominal descriptor for an `enum` constant.

- ## Enum Constant Summary

  Enum Constants
  Enum Constant
  Description
  `CENTURIES`
  Unit that represents the concept of a century.
  `DAYS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a day.
  `DECADES`
  Unit that represents the concept of a decade.
  `ERAS`
  Unit that represents the concept of an era.
  `FOREVER`
  Artificial unit that represents the concept of forever.
  `HALF_DAYS`
  Unit that represents the concept of half a day, as used in AM/PM.
  `HOURS`
  Unit that represents the concept of an hour.
  `MICROS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a microsecond.
  `MILLENNIA`
  Unit that represents the concept of a millennium.
  `MILLIS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a millisecond.
  `MINUTES`
  Unit that represents the concept of a minute.
  `MONTHS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a month.
  `NANOS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a nanosecond, the smallest supported unit of time.
  `SECONDS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a second.
  `WEEKS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a week.
  `YEARS`
  Unit that represents the concept of a year.

- ## Method Summary

  Modifier and Type
  Method
  Description
  `<R extends Temporal>
  R`
  `addTo(R temporal, long amount)`
  Returns a copy of the specified temporal object with the specified period added.
  `long`
  `between(Temporal temporal1Inclusive, Temporal temporal2Exclusive)`
  Calculates the amount of time between two temporal objects.
  `Duration`
  `getDuration()`
  Gets the estimated duration of this unit in the ISO calendar system.
  `boolean`
  `isDateBased()`
  Checks if this unit is a date unit.
  `boolean`
  `isDurationEstimated()`
  Checks if the duration of the unit is an estimate.
  `boolean`
  `isTimeBased()`
  Checks if this unit is a time unit.
  `String`
  `toString()`
  Returns the name of this enum constant, as contained in the declaration.
  `static ChronoUnit`
  `valueOf(String name)`
  Returns the enum constant of this class with the specified name.
  `static ChronoUnit[]`
  `values()`
  Returns an array containing the constants of this enum class, in the order they are declared.

  ### Methods declared in class Enum

  `clone, compareTo, describeConstable, equals, finalize, getDeclaringClass, hashCode, name, ordinal, toString, valueOf`
  Modifier and Type
  Method
  Description
  `protected final Object`
  `clone()`
  Throws CloneNotSupportedException.
  `final int`
  `compareTo(ChronoUnit o)`
  Compares this enum with the specified object for order.
  `final Optional<Enum.EnumDesc<ChronoUnit>>`
  `describeConstable()`
  Returns an enum descriptor `EnumDesc` for this instance, if one can be constructed, or an empty `Optional` if one cannot be.
  `final boolean`
  `equals(Object other)`
  Returns true if the specified object is equal to this enum constant.
  `protected final void`
  `finalize()`
  Deprecated, for removal: This API element is subject to removal in a future version.
  Finalization has been deprecated for removal.
  `final Class<ChronoUnit>`
  `getDeclaringClass()`
  Returns the Class object corresponding to this enum constant's enum type.
  `final int`
  `hashCode()`
  Returns a hash code for this enum constant.
  `final String`
  `name()`
  Returns the name of this enum constant, exactly as declared in its enum declaration.
  `final int`
  `ordinal()`
  Returns the ordinal of this enumeration constant (its position in its enum declaration, where the initial constant is assigned an ordinal of zero).
  `String`
  `toString()`
  Returns the name of this enum constant, as contained in the declaration.
  `static <T extends Enum<T>>
  T`
  `valueOf(Class<T> enumClass, String name)`
  Returns the enum constant of the specified enum class with the specified name.

  ### Methods declared in class Object

  `getClass, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait`
  Modifier and Type
  Method
  Description
  `final Class<?>`
  `getClass()`
  Returns the runtime class of this `Object`.
  `final void`
  `notify()`
  Wakes up a single thread that is waiting on this object's monitor.
  `final void`
  `notifyAll()`
  Wakes up all threads that are waiting on this object's monitor.
  `final void`
  `wait()`
  Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted.
  `final void`
  `wait(long timeoutMillis)`
  Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.
  `final void`
  `wait(long timeoutMillis, int nanos)`
  Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.

  ### Methods declared in interface TemporalUnit

  `isSupportedBy`
  Modifier and Type
  Method
  Description
  `default boolean`
  `isSupportedBy(Temporal temporal)`
  Checks if this unit is supported by the specified temporal object.

- ## Enum Constant Details

  - ### NANOS

    public static final ChronoUnit NANOS
    Unit that represents the concept of a nanosecond, the smallest supported unit of time. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to the 1,000,000,000th part of the second unit.

  - ### MICROS

    public static final ChronoUnit MICROS
    Unit that represents the concept of a microsecond. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to the 1,000,000th part of the second unit.

  - ### MILLIS

    public static final ChronoUnit MILLIS
    Unit that represents the concept of a millisecond. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to the 1000th part of the second unit.

  - ### SECONDS

    public static final ChronoUnit SECONDS
    Unit that represents the concept of a second. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to the second in the SI system of units, except around a leap-second.

  - ### MINUTES

    public static final ChronoUnit MINUTES
    Unit that represents the concept of a minute. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 60 seconds.

  - ### HOURS

    public static final ChronoUnit HOURS
    Unit that represents the concept of an hour. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 60 minutes.

  - ### HALF_DAYS

    public static final ChronoUnit HALF_DAYS
    Unit that represents the concept of half a day, as used in AM/PM. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 12 hours.

  - ### DAYS

    public static final ChronoUnit DAYS
    Unit that represents the concept of a day. For the ISO calendar system, it is the standard day from midnight to midnight. The estimated duration of a day is `24 Hours`.

    When used with other calendar systems it must correspond to the day defined by the rising and setting of the Sun on Earth. It is not required that days begin at midnight - when converting between calendar systems, the date should be equivalent at midday.

  - ### WEEKS

    public static final ChronoUnit WEEKS
    Unit that represents the concept of a week. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 7 days.

    When used with other calendar systems it must correspond to an integral number of days.

  - ### MONTHS

    public static final ChronoUnit MONTHS
    Unit that represents the concept of a month. For the ISO calendar system, the length of the month varies by month-of-year. The estimated duration of a month is one twelfth of `365.2425 Days`.

    When used with other calendar systems it must correspond to an integral number of days.

  - ### YEARS

    public static final ChronoUnit YEARS
    Unit that represents the concept of a year. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 12 months. The estimated duration of a year is `365.2425 Days`.

    When used with other calendar systems it must correspond to an integral number of days or months roughly equal to a year defined by the passage of the Earth around the Sun.

  - ### DECADES

    public static final ChronoUnit DECADES
    Unit that represents the concept of a decade. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 10 years.

    When used with other calendar systems it must correspond to an integral number of days and is normally an integral number of years.

  - ### CENTURIES

    public static final ChronoUnit CENTURIES
    Unit that represents the concept of a century. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 100 years.

    When used with other calendar systems it must correspond to an integral number of days and is normally an integral number of years.

  - ### MILLENNIA

    public static final ChronoUnit MILLENNIA
    Unit that represents the concept of a millennium. For the ISO calendar system, it is equal to 1000 years.

    When used with other calendar systems it must correspond to an integral number of days and is normally an integral number of years.

  - ### ERAS

    public static final ChronoUnit ERAS
    Unit that represents the concept of an era. The ISO calendar system doesn't have eras thus it is impossible to add an era to a date or date-time. The estimated duration of the era is artificially defined as `1,000,000,000 Years`.

    When used with other calendar systems there are no restrictions on the unit.

  - ### FOREVER

    public static final ChronoUnit FOREVER
    Artificial unit that represents the concept of forever. This is primarily used with `TemporalField` to represent unbounded fields such as the year or era. The estimated duration of this unit is artificially defined as `Duration.MAX`.

- ## Method Details

  - ### values

    public static ChronoUnit[] values()
    Returns an array containing the constants of this enum class, in the order they are declared.
    Returns:
      an array containing the constants of this enum class, in the order they are declared

  - ### valueOf

    public static ChronoUnit valueOf(String name)
    Returns the enum constant of this class with the specified name. The string must match exactly an identifier used to declare an enum constant in this class. (Extraneous whitespace characters are not permitted.)
    Parameters:
      `name` - the name of the enum constant to be returned.
    Returns:
      the enum constant with the specified name
    Throws:
      `IllegalArgumentException` - if this enum class has no constant with the specified name
      `NullPointerException` - if the argument is null

  - ### getDuration

    public Duration getDuration()
    Gets the estimated duration of this unit in the ISO calendar system.

    All of the units in this class have an estimated duration. Days vary due to daylight saving time, while months have different lengths.

    Specified by:
      `getDuration` in interface `TemporalUnit`
    Returns:
      the estimated duration of this unit, not null

  - ### isDurationEstimated

    public boolean isDurationEstimated()
    Checks if the duration of the unit is an estimate.

    All time units in this class are considered to be accurate, while all date units in this class are considered to be estimated.

    This definition ignores leap seconds, but considers that Days vary due to daylight saving time and months have different lengths.

    Specified by:
      `isDurationEstimated` in interface `TemporalUnit`
    Returns:
      true if the duration is estimated, false if accurate

  - ### isDateBased

    public boolean isDateBased()
    Checks if this unit is a date unit.

    All units from days to eras inclusive are date-based. Time-based units and `FOREVER` return false.

    Specified by:
      `isDateBased` in interface `TemporalUnit`
    Returns:
      true if a date unit, false if a time unit

  - ### isTimeBased

    public boolean isTimeBased()
    Checks if this unit is a time unit.

    All units from nanos to half-days inclusive are time-based. Date-based units and `FOREVER` return false.

    Specified by:
      `isTimeBased` in interface `TemporalUnit`
    Returns:
      true if a time unit, false if a date unit

  - ### addTo

    public <R extends Temporal> R addTo(R temporal, long amount)
    Description copied from interface: `TemporalUnit`
    Returns a copy of the specified temporal object with the specified period added.

    The period added is a multiple of this unit. For example, this method could be used to add "3 days" to a date by calling this method on the instance representing "days", passing the date and the period "3". The period to be added may be negative, which is equivalent to subtraction.

    There are two equivalent ways of using this method. The first is to invoke this method directly. The second is to use `Temporal.plus(long, TemporalUnit)`:

          // these two lines are equivalent, but the second approach is recommended
          temporal = thisUnit.addTo(temporal);
          temporal = temporal.plus(thisUnit);

    It is recommended to use the second approach, `plus(TemporalUnit)`, as it is a lot clearer to read in code.

    Implementations should perform any queries or calculations using the units available in `ChronoUnit` or the fields available in `ChronoField`. If the unit is not supported an `UnsupportedTemporalTypeException` must be thrown.

    Implementations must not alter the specified temporal object. Instead, an adjusted copy of the original must be returned. This provides equivalent, safe behavior for immutable and mutable implementations.

    Specified by:
      `addTo` in interface `TemporalUnit`
    Type Parameters:
      `R` - the type of the Temporal object
    Parameters:
      `temporal` - the temporal object to adjust, not null
      `amount` - the amount of this unit to add, positive or negative
    Returns:
      the adjusted temporal object, not null

  - ### between

    public long between(Temporal temporal1Inclusive, Temporal temporal2Exclusive)
    Description copied from interface: `TemporalUnit`
    Calculates the amount of time between two temporal objects.

    This calculates the amount in terms of this unit. The start and end points are supplied as temporal objects and must be of compatible types. The implementation will convert the second type to be an instance of the first type before the calculating the amount. The result will be negative if the end is before the start. For example, the amount in hours between two temporal objects can be calculated using `HOURS.between(startTime, endTime)`.

    The calculation returns a whole number, representing the number of complete units between the two temporals. If there are smaller unit fields, their values are considered when determining the final whole number. For example, the amount in hours between the times 11:30 and 13:29 will only be one hour as it is one minute short of two hours, or the amount in months between the dates 2024-09-29 and 2025-02-28 (the last day in February) will be 4 months as it is one day short of 5 months.

    There are two equivalent ways of using this method. The first is to invoke this method directly. The second is to use `Temporal.until(Temporal, TemporalUnit)`:

          // these two lines are equivalent
          between = thisUnit.between(start, end);
          between = start.until(end, thisUnit);

    The choice should be made based on which makes the code more readable.

    For example, this method allows the number of days between two dates to be calculated:

         long daysBetween = DAYS.between(start, end);
         // or alternatively
         long daysBetween = start.until(end, DAYS);

    Implementations should perform any queries or calculations using the units available in `ChronoUnit` or the fields available in `ChronoField`. If the unit is not supported an `UnsupportedTemporalTypeException` must be thrown. Implementations must not alter the specified temporal objects.

    Specified by:
      `between` in interface `TemporalUnit`
    Parameters:
      `temporal1Inclusive` - the base temporal object, not null
      `temporal2Exclusive` - the other temporal object, exclusive, not null
    Returns:
      the amount of time between temporal1Inclusive and temporal2Exclusive in terms of this unit; positive if temporal2Exclusive is later than temporal1Inclusive, negative if earlier

  - ### toString

    public String toString()
    Description copied from class: `Enum`
    Returns the name of this enum constant, as contained in the declaration. This method may be overridden, though it typically isn't necessary or desirable. An enum class should override this method when a more "programmer-friendly" string form exists.
    Specified by:
      `toString` in interface `TemporalUnit`
    Overrides:
      `toString` in class `Enum<ChronoUnit>`
    Returns:
      the name of this enum constant