Timers in C++

**RoD** · 11-18-2002

Ok i know this has been adressed before, and i even knew the answer not long ago, but when i went to the FAQ for a reference it wasn't in there, and since i need an answer and its an often asked question, i figured why not post, ask, then submit it into the FAQ for future readers, so here it is:

In C++ i want to set a time limit on my game. Not with decrements in for loops or anything, but with a timer, i think the functions i am looking for are in ctime.h or something like that. Thanks!

say int timer = 600(seconds)

while (timer >=1 || do_this != 'Q')
{

.....

}

**Magos** · 11-18-2002

In windows.h, there is GetTickCount(), returning the number of milliseconds since windows started. You could use that.

Code:

DWORD StartTime = GetTickCount()
DWORD TimeFrame = 1000 * 60;

while((GetTickCount() - StartTime) < TimeFrame)
{
   ...
}

**RoD** · 11-18-2002

Thanks, that did it.

**FillYourBrain** · 11-18-2002

of course if you're app is a windows app you don't want to do that. Hard loops are not nice for windows apps. SetTimer, KillTimer, WM_TIMER is the stuff you want to look at if that is the case. Of course if you're using a dos app I think there is a non-windowsAPI way of doing what GetTickCount does so that you don't have to include windows.h

**Magos** · 11-18-2002

You could probably use time(NULL) too, though it's accuracy is seconds rather than milliseconds.

CALVIN · 11-18-2002

gettimeofday() gives you the time in microseconds on UNIX or Linux.

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