你问:

我想有一个函数，比较两个日期，如果(秒> 60)，那么它返回分钟，如果(分钟> 60)返回小时，如果(小时> 24)返回天，等等。

我假设您正在尝试构建两个日期之间经过时间的字符串表示。而不是自己写代码来做这件事，苹果已经有了一个专门设计来做这件事的类。也就是说，使用DateComponentsFormatter，将allowedUnits设置为对你的应用有意义的任何值，将unitsStyle设置为你想要的任何值(例如.full)，然后调用string(from:to:)。

例如，在Swift 3中:

let previousDate = ...
let now = Date()

let formatter = DateComponentsFormatter()
formatter.unitsStyle = .full
formatter.allowedUnits = [.month, .day, .hour, .minute, .second]
formatter.maximumUnitCount = 2   // often, you don't care about seconds if the elapsed time is in months, so you'll set max unit to whatever is appropriate in your case

let string = formatter.string(from: previousDate, to: now)

这也将本地化对应于相关设备的字符串。

或者，在Swift 2.3中:

let previousDate = ...
let now = NSDate()

let formatter = NSDateComponentsFormatter()
formatter.unitsStyle = .Full
formatter.allowedUnits = [.Month, .Day, .Hour, .Minute, .Second]
formatter.maximumUnitCount = 2

let string = formatter.stringFromDate(previousDate, toDate: now)

如果您正在寻找实际的数值，只需使用dateComponents。例如，在Swift 3中:

let components = Calendar.current.dateComponents([.month, .day, .hour, .minute, .second], from: previousDate, to: now)

或者，在Swift 2.3中:

let components = NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components([.Month, .Day, .Hour, .Minute, .Second], fromDate: previousDate, toDate: now, options: [])

如果有人需要显示所有的时间单位，如“小时分秒”，而不仅仅是“小时”。假设两个日期的时差是1小时59分20秒。该功能将显示“1h 59m 20s”。

下面是我的Objective-C代码:

extension NSDate {

    func offsetFrom(date: NSDate) -> String {

        let dayHourMinuteSecond: NSCalendarUnit = [.Day, .Hour, .Minute, .Second]
        let difference = NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components(dayHourMinuteSecond, fromDate: date, toDate: self, options: [])

        let seconds = "\(difference.second)s"
        let minutes = "\(difference.minute)m" + " " + seconds
        let hours = "\(difference.hour)h" + " " + minutes
        let days = "\(difference.day)d" + " " + hours

        if difference.day    > 0 { return days }
        if difference.hour   > 0 { return hours }
        if difference.minute > 0 { return minutes }
        if difference.second > 0 { return seconds }
        return ""
    }

}

在Swift 3+中:

extension Date {

    func offsetFrom(date: Date) -> String {

        let dayHourMinuteSecond: Set<Calendar.Component> = [.day, .hour, .minute, .second]
        let difference = NSCalendar.current.dateComponents(dayHourMinuteSecond, from: date, to: self)

        let seconds = "\(difference.second ?? 0)s"
        let minutes = "\(difference.minute ?? 0)m" + " " + seconds
        let hours = "\(difference.hour ?? 0)h" + " " + minutes
        let days = "\(difference.day ?? 0)d" + " " + hours

        if let day = difference.day, day          > 0 { return days }
        if let hour = difference.hour, hour       > 0 { return hours }
        if let minute = difference.minute, minute > 0 { return minutes }
        if let second = difference.second, second > 0 { return seconds }
        return ""
    }

}

Xcode 8.3•Swift 3.1或更高版本

您可以使用日历来帮助您创建一个扩展来进行日期计算，如下所示:

extension Date {
    /// Returns the amount of years from another date
    func years(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.year], from: date, to: self).year ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of months from another date
    func months(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.month], from: date, to: self).month ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of weeks from another date
    func weeks(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.weekOfMonth], from: date, to: self).weekOfMonth ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of days from another date
    func days(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.day], from: date, to: self).day ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of hours from another date
    func hours(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.hour], from: date, to: self).hour ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of minutes from another date
    func minutes(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.minute], from: date, to: self).minute ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of seconds from another date
    func seconds(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.second], from: date, to: self).second ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the a custom time interval description from another date
    func offset(from date: Date) -> String {
        if years(from: date)   > 0 { return "\(years(from: date))y"   }
        if months(from: date)  > 0 { return "\(months(from: date))M"  }
        if weeks(from: date)   > 0 { return "\(weeks(from: date))w"   }
        if days(from: date)    > 0 { return "\(days(from: date))d"    }
        if hours(from: date)   > 0 { return "\(hours(from: date))h"   }
        if minutes(from: date) > 0 { return "\(minutes(from: date))m" }
        if seconds(from: date) > 0 { return "\(seconds(from: date))s" }
        return ""
    }
}

使用日期组件格式化程序

let dateComponentsFormatter = DateComponentsFormatter()
dateComponentsFormatter.allowedUnits = [.second, .minute, .hour, .day, .weekOfMonth, .month, .year]
dateComponentsFormatter.maximumUnitCount = 1
dateComponentsFormatter.unitsStyle = .full
dateComponentsFormatter.string(from: Date(), to: Date(timeIntervalSinceNow: 4000000))  // "1 month"

let date1 = DateComponents(calendar: .current, year: 2014, month: 11, day: 28, hour: 5, minute: 9).date!
let date2 = DateComponents(calendar: .current, year: 2015, month: 8, day: 28, hour: 5, minute: 9).date!

let years = date2.years(from: date1)     // 0
let months = date2.months(from: date1)   // 9
let weeks = date2.weeks(from: date1)     // 39
let days = date2.days(from: date1)       // 273
let hours = date2.hours(from: date1)     // 6,553
let minutes = date2.minutes(from: date1) // 393,180
let seconds = date2.seconds(from: date1) // 23,590,800

let timeOffset = date2.offset(from: date1) // "9M"

let date3 = DateComponents(calendar: .current, year: 2014, month: 11, day: 28, hour: 5, minute: 9).date!
let date4 = DateComponents(calendar: .current, year: 2015, month: 11, day: 28, hour: 5, minute: 9).date!

let timeOffset2 = date4.offset(from: date3) // "1y"

let date5 = DateComponents(calendar: .current, year: 2017, month: 4, day: 28).date!
let now = Date()
let timeOffset3 = now.offset(from: date5) // "1w"

import Foundation

extension DateComponents {

    func dateComponentsToTimeString() -> String {

        var hour = "\(self.hour!)"
        var minute = "\(self.minute!)"
        var second = "\(self.second!)"

        if self.hour! < 10 { hour = "0" + hour }
        if self.minute! < 10 { minute = "0" + minute }
        if self.second! < 10 { second = "0" + second }

        let str = "\(hour):\(minute):\(second)"
        return str
    }

}

extension Date {

    func offset(from date: Date)-> DateComponents {
        let components = Set<Calendar.Component>([.second, .minute, .hour, .day, .month, .year])
        let differenceOfDate = Calendar.current.dateComponents(components, from: date, to: self)
        return differenceOfDate
    }
}

Use:

var durationString: String {
        return self.endTime.offset(from: self.startTime).dateComponentsToTimeString()
    }

在Swift 2.2中

    /// Returns the amount of years from another date
func years(fromdate: NSDate) -> Int {
    return NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components([.Year], fromDate: fromdate, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).year ?? 0
}
/// Returns the amount of months from another date
func months(fromdate: NSDate) -> Int {
    return NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components([.Month], fromDate: fromdate, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).month ?? 0
}
/// Returns the amount of weeks from another date
func weeks(fromdate: NSDate) -> Int {
    return NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components([.WeekOfYear], fromDate: fromdate, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).weekOfYear ?? 0
}
/// Returns the amount of days from another date
func days(fromdate: NSDate) -> Int {
    return NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components([.Day], fromDate: fromdate, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).day ?? 0
}
/// Returns the amount of hours from another date
func hours(fromdate: NSDate) -> Int {
    return NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components([.Hour], fromDate: fromdate, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).hour ?? 0
}
/// Returns the amount of minutes from another date
func minutes(fromdate: NSDate) -> Int {
    return NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components([.Minute], fromDate: fromdate, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).minute ?? 0
}
/// Returns the amount of seconds from another date
func seconds(fromdate: NSDate) -> Int {
    return NSCalendar.currentCalendar().components(.Second, fromDate: fromdate, toDate: NSDate(), options: []).second ?? 0
}

Leo Dabus回答的一个小补充，提供复数版本，更易于人类阅读。

斯威夫特3

extension Date {
    /// Returns the amount of years from another date
    func years(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.year], from: date, to: self).year ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of months from another date
    func months(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.month], from: date, to: self).month ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of weeks from another date
    func weeks(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.weekOfMonth], from: date, to: self).weekOfMonth ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of days from another date
    func days(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.day], from: date, to: self).day ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of hours from another date
    func hours(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.hour], from: date, to: self).hour ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of minutes from another date
    func minutes(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.minute], from: date, to: self).minute ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the amount of seconds from another date
    func seconds(from date: Date) -> Int {
        return Calendar.current.dateComponents([.second], from: date, to: self).second ?? 0
    }
    /// Returns the a custom time interval description from another date
    func offset(from date: Date) -> String {
        if years(from: date)   == 1 { return "\(years(from: date)) year"   } else if years(from: date)   > 1 { return "\(years(from: date)) years"   }
        if months(from: date)  == 1 { return "\(months(from: date)) month"  } else if months(from: date)  > 1 { return "\(months(from: date)) month"  }
        if weeks(from: date)   == 1 { return "\(weeks(from: date)) week"   } else if weeks(from: date)   > 1 { return "\(weeks(from: date)) weeks"   }
        if days(from: date)    == 1 { return "\(days(from: date)) day"    } else if days(from: date)    > 1 { return "\(days(from: date)) days"    }
        if hours(from: date)   == 1 { return "\(hours(from: date)) hour"   } else if hours(from: date)   > 1 { return "\(hours(from: date)) hours"   }
        if minutes(from: date) == 1 { return "\(minutes(from: date)) minute" } else if minutes(from: date) > 1 { return "\(minutes(from: date)) minutes" }
        return ""
    }
}