Thread: Timer for C++ console reflex game

What's the most efficient way to implement a timer on a C++ console program? Any hope it would be portable to MFC Application? I need up to millisecond precision. This need is mainly for a reflex game I'll be coding, but it'll also be used for some other general purpose programs.

Thanks in advance,

Mariano Lopez-Gappa (20) from Argentina.

You may use the high resolution timer API functions:

::QueryPerformanceCounter(..)
::QueryPerformanceFrequency(..)

i'm not familiar with this functions, what library should I include? does it work both in console and MFC application? would you briefly describe how they work?

Thanks in advance,

Mariano Lopez-Gappa

I've run a little google search and found out some sort of explanation, but it seems that it would not work on lazy DOS PC's, like the 486dx2 I'm planning to code with...I should have said this earlier, shouldn't I? What do I do?

Thx in advance

Mariano Lopez-Gappa

http://www.cplusplus.com/ref/ctime/
http://www.cplusplus.com/ref/ctime/difftime.html

THX A LOT!!!! That's what I needed!!

Just one more thing: this solved most of the problem, but should I place this:

Code:

time (&end);
dif = difftime (end,start);

inside a while? (this because events must be triggered at regular intervals) This question aims at efficiency of processor usage...

Thx in advance!

Mariano Lopez-Gappa

shoot I just realized that this method won't go further than seconds, back to square 1...

Well that's pretty crazy. I mean, is there even a DOS API like the WinAPI? I don't think so, I haven't been around long enough but that's like goddamn real mode and interrupts and wierd stuff. Are you kidding when you said that? I mean most of these API functions are backwards compatible to ~95 but past then it's like, whoa? clock(..) will have several ticks per second, but it's certainly not the millisecond timing you wanted.

Look at all the functions and your can work it out.
But I did it for you anyway…
You can make it a class so it can be used easier, but this should give you the idea.

Code:

#include <iostream>
#include <ctime>
#include <string>

using namespace std;



int main ()
{

	clock_t start;
	clock_t end;
	double total;
	string garbage;

	

	cout << "Type in the word 'Switzerland': ";


	start = clock();
	cin >> garbage;
	end = clock();


	total = end-start;

	cout << "It took you " << total << " ticks which in\n";
	cout << "seconds is : " << total/CLOCKS_PER_SEC;

 
  return 0;
}

Well on this machine CLOCKS_PER_SEC is generously #define'd at 1000, but certainly other machines might be different?

oh ok, Enahs code seems portable to DOS, I didn't know time would work further than seconds.

PROBLEM SOLVED !!! THX TONTO AND ENAHS