Checking if time has passed

I'm trying to put into my plugin to test of so many seconds have passed. I've found this,

Code:java

System.currentTimeMillis();

but am not sure entirely how to use it. If i could get an example of code in how to check if time is passed, that would be great.

Source:

Code:java

      @EventHandler
      public void onPlayerInteractBlock(PlayerInteractEvent event) {
          Player player = event.getPlayer();
          System.currentTimeMillis();
          if (player.getItemInHand().getType() == Material.FISHING_ROD) {
          // Creates a bolt of lightning at a given location. In this case, that location is where the player is looking.
          // Can only create lightning up to 200 blocks away.
          player.getWorld().strikeLightning(player.getTargetBlock(null, 10).getLocation());
          }
      }

 

You should use player.getWorld().getFullTime(), which will get the absolute time value. It's essentially the same thing as System.currentTimeMillis() but it's in ticks instead of milliseconds.
You could do something along the lines of this:

Code:java

long startTime = player.getWorld().getFullTime();
 
// whatever happens in between
 
long endTime = player.getWorld().getFullTime();
long timePassed = endTime - startTime;
 
// This will tell you how much time passed in ticks
 
long timePassedInSeconds = timePassed / 20;
 
// That'll convert it to seconds

 

You need to describe a little more what it is your trying to do. Appljuze gave a method of checking total time, but if you want something to happen if an amount of time has passed, you need a scheduler.

 

I want there to be a time limit so that player can only strike lightning every 10 seconds

 

Make a HashMap<String, Long> cooldown = new HashMap<String, Long>(), then, when a player strikes lightning, add the player to the cooldown hashmap. (the string being the player's name, and the long being the System.currentTimeMillis()). Then, when a player tries to strike lightning again, check the value of the player's name, and if 10,000 milliseconds have passed, then let the player strike lightning, but then you have to update the Long value in the hashmap.