Thread: Setting a Timer

Hello, I've been wondering if their was a way to put a time limit in a console app. I know that you can do it using the SetTimer() function, but that is only for windows applications. I dont want to use Sleep() because that freezes the whole program. I just want to set a time limit. Like after 5 min, exit the program, no matter what.Is this possible in a console app?

I wanted to set a time limit in a console app, not windows.

I assumed you were on Windows since you mentioned windows specific functions liek Sleep and SetTimer...if it was a mal-assumption, sorry. You could probably do a very similar thing with time.h's clock() function. But just for kicks, try compiling this:

Code:

#include <windows.h>
#include <iostream>
#define ever ;;


void dostuff() { std::cout << "haw haw: << std::endl; }
int main()
{
	DWORD dwStart = GetTickCount();

	for (ever) // haw haw...
	{
		if( GetTickCount() - dwStart >= 1000 )
			return 0;

		else dostuff();
	}
}

Edit: Oh right, C++, iostream, bleh.

Like after 5 min, exit the program

That could definitely be done with clock(), which is ANSI standard.

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include <ctime>

using std::cout;

int main(void) {
    time_t t;

    cout << "Starting . . .\n";

    t = clock();
    while((clock()-t)/CLOCKS_PER_SEC < 10) {  /* for 10 seconds */
        /* ... */
    }
    return 0;
}

To continue the while loop for 5 minutes, change the 10 to 60*5.