---
name: "ftime"
section: "3"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ftime/3"
---

# ftime(3)

get date and time

## NAME

**ftime** – get date and time

## LIBRARY

System Utilities Library (libutil, -lutil)

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<sys/types.h\>**

**#include \<sys/timeb.h\>**

*int*\

**ftime**(*struct timeb \*tp*);

## DESCRIPTION

This interface is obsoleted by [gettimeofday(2)](/gettimeofday/2.md).

The **ftime**() routine fills in a structure pointed to by its argument, as defined by ⟨sys/timeb.h⟩:

```
/*
 * Structure returned by ftime system call
 */
struct timeb
{
	  time_t  time;
	  unsigned short millitm;
	  short   timezone;
	  short   dstflag;
};
```

The structure contains the time since the epoch in seconds, up to 1000 milliseconds of more-precise interval, The kernel no longer maintains the timezone and dstflag info, so 0 is always returned for these fields.

## SEE ALSO

[gettimeofday(2)](/gettimeofday/2.md), [settimeofday(2)](/settimeofday/2.md), [ctime(3)](/ctime/3.md), [time(3)](/time/3.md)

## HISTORY

The **ftime** function appeared in Version 7 AT&T UNIX.