How to make to number return 0 instead of nil

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#1

hello i have this function where it tries to separate the time and put it into minutes and seconds, but the only problem is if i try to do any number that is less than 100 because it breaks because tonumber returns nil

local function convertTime(Time)
	local minutes = tonumber(string.sub(Time, 1,-3))
	local seconds = tonumber(string.sub(Time, -2))
	print(minutes,seconds)
	local TimeDisplay = string.format("%.2u:%.2u",minutes,seconds)
	return TimeDisplay
end

local Time = convertTime(1234)
print(Time) -- output 12:34

error invalid argument #2 to ‘format’ (number expected, got nil)

#2 
local function toTime(time)
    local str = tostring(time)
    local minutes = str:sub(str:len() - 1)
    local hours = str:sub(1, str:len() - 2)
    return string.format('%.2u:%.2u', hours, minutes)
end
toTime(1234) --> 12:34
toTime(123) --> 1:23
#3

You could check that minutes exists in your string format. Something like:
local TimeDisplay = string.format("%.2u:%.2u",minutes and minutes or 0,seconds and seconds or 0)
Effectively, “minutes and minutes or 0” is saying:

if minutes ~= nil then
    return minutes
else
    return 0
#4 
if TimeDisplay == nil then
TimeDisplay = 0
end
return TimeDisplay
#5

guys why you like if statements so much, i used to like them but they make code messier like this monstrosity

local function display()
    local textLabel = screen:FindFirstChildOfClass("SurfaceGui"):FindFirstChildOfClass("TextLabel")
    if Input.Value == 0 then
        textLabel.Text = "00:00"
    else
        if Input.Value < 10 then
            textLabel.Text = "00"..":".."0"..Input.Value
            minutes = 0
            seconds = Input.Value
        elseif Input.Value < 100 then
            textLabel.Text = "00"..":"..Input.Value
            minutes = 0
            seconds = Input.Value
        elseif Input.Value < 1000 then
            minutes = tonumber(string.sub(tostring(Input.Value), 0,1))
            seconds = tonumber(string.sub(tostring(Input.Value), 2))
            if seconds < 10 then
                textLabel.Text = "0"..minutes..":".."0"..seconds
                seconds = 0
            else
                textLabel.Text = "0"..minutes..":"..seconds
            end
        elseif Input.Value < 10000 then
            minutes = tonumber(string.sub(tostring(Input.Value), 0,2))
            seconds = tonumber(string.sub(tostring(Input.Value), 3))
            if seconds < 10 then
                textLabel.Text = minutes..":".."0"..seconds
                seconds = 0
            else
                textLabel.Text = minutes..":"..seconds
            end
        end
    end
end
#6

also it still breaks if i have it at 12

#7

When you say 12, are you trying to convert 12 to 12:00 or 00:12?

I would assume 00:12 since 0012 = 12 so you can just do tonumber(hours) or 0

local function toTime(time)
	local str = tostring(time)
	local minutes = str:sub(str:len() - 1)
	local hours = str:sub(1, str:len() - 2)
	return string.format('%.2u:%.2u', tonumber(hours) or 0, minutes)
end
print(toTime(12))
#8

uh its like a microwave timer, starting at seconds then minutes

#9

Oh, then you could just change the variable names (also just an fyi switched the order of seconds/hours to go from biggest to smallest which is generally what people prefer, this will work as normal)

local function toTime(time)
	local str = tostring(time)
    local minutes = str:sub(1, str:len() - 2)
	local seconds = str:sub(str:len() - 1)
	return string.format('%.2u:%.2u', tonumber(minutes) or 0, seconds)
end
print(toTime(12))