tstamp

This function was added to the API in version 0.80.

tstamp() -> timestamp

Returns

• timestamp : the current Unix timestamp in seconds

Description

This function returns the number of seconds elapsed since January 1st, 1970. This can be quite useful for creating persistent games which evolve over time between plays.

Example

-- title: timestamp demo

elapsed = -1

function TIC()
  cls(15)

  -- Display the current time stamp
  current = tstamp()
  print('Timestamp: ' .. current, 10, 10, 1)

  -- Calculate how long ago they last played
  last = pmem(0)
  if last <= 0 then
    last = current
  end
  if elapsed == -1 then
    elapsed = current - last
  end
  pmem(0, current)

  -- Display the elapsed time away
  print('Time away: ' .. elapsed, 10, 24, 1)
end