Thread: Timers

  1. #1
    Registered User Ajsan's Avatar
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    Timers

    i want to define a 5 secound period where the user will input numerical data from the keypad.while that it happening i want the timer on the screen to count down in tenths of secounds and when it reched an incorrect key stroke or the end of time or the max input it stops and calls functions bases on the numberical enterd data

    how can i get the timer to count down?

    i know kbhit and getch so that isn't a problem?

    how do i structer that that for/while loop to accomplish the above?

    any suggestion and answers are apreciated.
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  2. #2
    Been here, done that.
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    The answer is system and compiler dependant. Whatcha using?
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  3. #3
    Registered User Ajsan's Avatar
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    i'm using VC++ 6.0 Pro and if it matters Windows 9X.
    Style is overrated.

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  4. #4
    and the hat of int overfl Salem's Avatar
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    Q&D hackery
    Code:
    for ( timer = 50 ; timer >= 0 ; timer-- ) {
      // print decreasing amount of time
      if ( kbhit() ) {
        // read one key
        // check for completion
        // break on completion
      }
      sleep for 1/10th second
    }
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  5. #5
    Hardware Engineer
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    Just make a fast loop that doesn't "do anything" until an "important event" happens.

    Every time through the loop, check to see how much time has elapsed. It it time to update the tenths-of-a-second display? And, check to see if the user entered anything. Did the user make the correct entry?

    I'd probably use the timer as my main end-loop condition:
    i.e. while(Time < 5 sec)
    Then "break;" depending on the user's input.

    When you get it working, you should probably experiment with some delay/pause in the loop... maybe a few milliseconds... to free-up some CPU cycles and allow your multitasking operating system to do something else. (Actually, your program can get interrupted by the OS even if you don't pause.) Short-duration timing is always tricky with a multitasking OS.

  6. #6
    Registered User manofsteel972's Avatar
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    if you writing a windows application you can use the win32 api function GetTickCount() function it returns the number of milliseconds

    Code:
    double timer=5;
    
       DWORD starttime=GetTickCount();
       
       //do code or whatever
    
       if((GetTickCount()-starttime<100)   //difference in milliseconds
         {
           timer-=.1;
          }
    if you are using a winproc to handle timer messages you can use
    SetTimer();
    Code:
    in WM_CREATE maybe do this
    
    SetTimer(hwnd,TIMER_ID_1TENTH,100,NULL);
    
    and in WIN_PROC
    case WM_TIMER:
            {
                switch(wparam)
                 {
                       case TIMER_ID_1TENTH:
                                //do processing here
                          break;
                   }
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  7. #7
    Registered User Ajsan's Avatar
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    Thank you all for the help. i have realized that i'm an idiot and could have figuired it out if i had taken about another minute to think about it.
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