Thread: Using a timer in allegro

  1. #1
    Registered User Ion Blade's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    35

    Question Using a timer in allegro

    I have started trying to learn Allegro, so i'm quite new to it, and it is really my first experience with an API.

    What i want to do is similar to this (pseudo-code) :
    Code:
    while (!exit)
    {
       if (NextUpdate < CurrentTime)
       {
          UpdateScreen();
          UpdatePlayer();
          UpdateEnemies();
          GetInput();
          Blah();
    
          NextUpdate = CurrentTime + 33.333; //milliseconds
       }
    }
    I've read the allegro docs, and the stuff about using the timer, but i still have no clue as to how i would do this.

    Help/code examples would be great, thanks

  2. #2
    Rambling Man
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    1,050
    Well, I'm assuming you only want the code for using a timer so here goes...

    This program is going to show you how to draw to the screen and when to draw to the screen next by using a timer.

    Code:
    #include <allegro.h>
    
    void setup();
    void redraw();
    void update_counter();
    
    int counter = 0;
    
    int x, y;
    
    BITMAP *bmp;
    BITMAP *buffer;
    
    int main()
     {
     setup();
    
     redraw();
    
     counter = 0; //setting the counter to 0 because it has been running
     while(!keypressed())   /*this loop is SUPPOSED TO run until a key is pressed
                              however there is constant updating which is preventing
                              this from happening so the program won't terminate
                              until you a special windows key command, such as 
                              ctrl+alt+del or alt+tab*/
     { 
      if(counter == 180)  //this is going to happen every 3 seconds
      {
      redraw();
      counter = 0;
      }
     }
     
    // allegro_exit();
     return 0;
    }
    END_OF_MAIN();
    
    void setup()
     {
      allegro_init();
      install_timer();  //this must be called before any other timer functions are called
      install_int_ex( update_counter, BPS_TO_TIMER(60)); //this is the "actual" timer function
    
     set_color_depth(32);
     set_gfx_mode(GFX_AUTODETECT_FULLSCREEN, 800, 600, 0, 0);
    
     bmp = load_bitmap("name_of_bmp.bmp", NULL);
     buffer = create_bitmap(SCREEN_W, SCREEN_H);
    
     }
    
    void update_counter()
     {
      counter++;
     }
    
    void redraw()
     {
    
     clear_bitmap(buffer);  //clearing the buffer to not leave any trails
     blit(bmp, buffer, 0, 0, x, y, SCREEN_W, SCREEN_H);  //blitting the image to the buffer
     blit(buffer, screen, 0, 0, 0, 0, SCREEN_W, SCREEN_H);  //blitting the buffer to the screen
    
     if(x < SCREEN_W - 100)
      {
      x += 10;
      }
     if(y < SCREEN_H - 100)
      {
      y += 5;
      }
    
     }
    The program is going to draw your bitmap to the screen then every 3 seconds it is going to redraw the image to the screen and after every redraw it is going to move the image over 10 pixels to the right and 5 pixels down until each of them reach their limit

    Hope that helps you out and now I have another tutorial to add to my site.

    EDIT: had a few things wrong w/ the program so I fixed them
    Last edited by TechWins; 09-12-2002 at 04:56 PM.

  3. #3
    Rambling Man
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    1,050
    oh and this link will probably be able to help you out.

  4. #4
    declare counter as a volatile int, not just a regular int, and use LOCK_FUNCTION() and LOCK_VARIABLE() on the counter and the counter function

    Example:
    Code:
    // int counter = 0;  Replace this line with the next one
    volatile int counter = 0;
    and after you call install_timer(); put this in
    Code:
    LOCK_VARIABLE(counter);
    LOCK_FUNCTION(update_counter);
    This is just personal preference, but I like to use install_int() instead of install_int_ex() and pass 1000 as the second argument. But, like I said, just personal preference. You can use it any way you like.

  5. #5
    Rambling Man
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Posts
    1,050
    I can't remember why right now, but I know that I don't like to include the LOCK_FUNCTION and LOCK_VARIABLE for a certain reason.

    n/m I remember now

    If you do LOCK_VARIABLE then you can't ever redeclare the value of int. So if you were to LOCK_VARIABLE(counter) then my example program wouldn't work. So in some instances you don't want to LOCK_VARIABLE.

    Regardless, what exactly is the benefit of LOCK_VARIABLE, and the same goes with LOCK_FUNCTION?

  6. #6
    it's for cross platfrom stuff. On some sytems it could crash the computer if you don't lock em' and declare the counter volatile.

  7. #7
    oh, and you can change the value of int, because I do with my FPS counters.

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