Temporal.Duration.prototype.toLocaleString()

The toLocaleString() method of {{jsxref("Temporal.Duration")}} instances returns a string with a language-sensitive representation of this duration. In implementations with Intl.DurationFormat API support, this method delegates to Intl.DurationFormat.

Every time toLocaleString is called, it has to perform a search in a big database of localization strings, which is potentially inefficient. When the method is called many times with the same arguments, it is better to create an {{jsxref("Intl.DurationFormat")}} object and use its {{jsxref("Intl/DurationFormat/format", "format()")}} method, because a DurationFormat object remembers the arguments passed to it and may decide to cache a slice of the database, so future format calls can search for localization strings within a more constrained context.

Syntax#

toLocaleString()
toLocaleString(locales)
toLocaleString(locales, options)

Parameters#

The locales and options parameters customize the behavior of the function and let applications specify the language whose formatting conventions should be used.

In implementations that support the Intl.DurationFormat API, these parameters correspond exactly to the Intl.DurationFormat() constructor's parameters. Implementations without Intl.DurationFormat support return the exact same string as {{jsxref("Temporal/Duration/toString", "toString()")}}, ignoring both parameters.

• locales {{optional_inline}}
• : A string with a {{glossary("BCP 47 language tag")}}, or an array of such strings. Corresponds to the locales parameter of the Intl.DurationFormat() constructor.
• options {{optional_inline}}
• : An object adjusting the output format. Corresponds to the options parameter of the Intl.DurationFormat() constructor.

See the Intl.DurationFormat() constructor for details on these parameters and how to use them.

Return value#

A string representing the given duration according to language-specific conventions.

In implementations with Intl.DurationFormat, this is equivalent to new Intl.DurationFormat(locales, options).format(duration).

[!NOTE] Most of the time, the formatting returned by toLocaleString() is consistent. However, the output may vary between implementations, even within the same locale — output variations are by design and allowed by the specification. It may also not be what you expect. For example, the string may use non-breaking spaces or be surrounded by bidirectional control characters. You should not compare the results of toLocaleString() to hardcoded constants.

Examples#

Using toLocaleString()#

Basic use of this method without specifying a locale returns a formatted string in the default locale and with default options.

const duration = Temporal.Duration.from({ hours: 1, minutes: 30, seconds: 15 });

console.log(duration.toLocaleString()); // 1 hr, 30 min, 15 sec

Specifications#

{{Specifications}}

Browser compatibility#

{{Compat}}

See also#

• {{jsxref("Temporal.Duration")}}
• {{jsxref("Intl.DurationFormat")}}
• {{jsxref("Temporal/Duration/toJSON", "Temporal.Duration.prototype.toJSON()")}}
• {{jsxref("Temporal/Duration/toString", "Temporal.Duration.prototype.toString()")}}