Convert Activity CallDurationInSeconds (Decimal) to Hours:Minutes:Seconds (Time) Format

This article answers a common question about the Task object in Salesforce: how do you convert the CallDurationInSeconds field, which stores call length as a raw number of seconds, into a readable HH:MM:SS time format? You do this by creating a custom formula text field on the Task object using the formula provided below.

Open the Activity Object in Object Manager

1. Navigate to Setup.

   

2. Click on Object Manager and then Activity.

   

3. Click on Fields & Relationships and New to create the field.

   

Define the Formula Field Type and Label

4. Select Formula and click on the Next button.

   

5. Type any label in the Field Label field. The Field Name is filled in automatically.

   

6. Select Text as Formula Return Type and click on the Next button.

   

Enter the HH:MM:SS Conversion Formula

7. Use the formula below and click on the Check Syntax button available at the bottom left of the editor to validate the entered formula.

   IF
   (ISBLANK( CallDurationinSeconds),NULL,
             LPAD(TEXT( FLOOR(CallDurationinSeconds /60 / 60)),2,"0") + ":" +
             LPAD(TEXT(FLOOR( (CallDurationinSeconds)/60) - FLOOR(CallDurationinSeconds /60 / 60)*60),2,"0") + ":" +
             LPAD(TEXT( FLOOR(MOD((CallDurationinSeconds)/60,1)*60)),2,"0")
   )

   This formula works by dividing the total seconds into hours, minutes, and seconds. It first calculates the whole number of hours by dividing seconds by 3600, then finds the remaining minutes and seconds. It pads each value with a leading zero using the LPAD function so the result always displays in a consistent HH:MM:SS format. For example, a call of 95 seconds displays as 00:01:35.

   

Set Blank Field Handling, Field-Level Security, and Page Layouts

8. In the Blank Field Handling section, select Treat blank fields as blanks and click on the Next button.

   

9. Select the appropriate Profiles for the Field Level Security and click on the Next button.

   

10. Select the appropriate Page Layouts and click on the Save button.