TMWIN

Timers for Windows

Summary and Contents

Timers for Windows creates small clocks and timers both with and without alarms that you may position anywhere on the screen.  If you set an alarm, when the alarm goes off, the program will, at your option, display a message,  sound some beeping noises, or run a program.

This program is freeware - it costs you nothing to use.  It is not guaranteed to do anything but run on the author’s own computer.  It requires Microsoft Windows version 3.1 or later, and expects that you have a color monitor.  If you find problems or have suggestions for future versions, send e -mail to latshar @ firnvx.firn.edu.

TMWIN uses the following programs:

TabDlg2.dll Copyright (c) 1994 Edward McCreary

Freeman Installer Copyright (c) 1994 Ka lok Tong

For additional help, pick one of the topics below:

Selections Common to Clocks and Timers

The Main Screen Display

Main Display Menu

Save / Load Configuration


Selections Common to Clocks and Timers

The first window to appear after the program starts gives you to option to start a clock, a count up timer, or a count down timer.  Choosing cancel causes the program to exit.

The configuration screens for clocks and timers are similar.  Each consists of a series of tabbed dialogs.  You may choose a dialog by clicking with the mouse on the appropriate tab.  For reference only, the each tab displays the current time in the upper left of the screen.

The clock configuration screen consists of four tabs:

Display Tab

Clock Alarm Tab

Message Tab

Program Tab

The timer configuration screen consists of five tabs:

Display Tab

Timer End Time Tab

Timer Alarm Tab

Message Tab

Program Tab


Display Tab

In the display tab, you may choose whether the main display will show hours, minutes, and seconds, or just hours and minutes - a good choice if you find the constant movement of seconds ticking away distracting.

In the display tab, you also may choose whether or not the display stays on top of other windows.  If the stay on top box is unchecked, the main display behaves as a normal window - when another window is selected, the display may be covered and hidden.  However, if the box is checked (the default) the display will always remain visible - even on top of screen saver displays.  If the display is hidden and the program has a message to display, it will come to the front of other windows.


Clock Alarm Tab

A clock may be run with or without an alarm.  Without an alarm, a clock displays the current time on the screen and the no alarm button is marked in the alarm tab of the setup screen.

To enable an alarm, mark either silent or noisy by clicking with the mouse.  A noisy alarm sounds three beeps at alarm time.  You also may use an up or down arrow key to select a button and the tab key to move on to the next selection item.  Enter the time in hours, minutes, and seconds for the alarm to sound, and select AM or PM.  The alarm now is running and will sound at the selected time.


Message Tab

Turning on either a silent or noisy alarm enables user specified messages.

A silent alarm always displays a message.  If the display message box is unchecked, or if you leave the message input area blank, the program displays a default message.  If  you check the box and enter a message, the program will display that message.  The message input area is rather narrow.  If you enter a long message, it will continue on the next line of the input area, but will be displayed as one long line when the alarm sounds.  To display multi-line messages, press Return at the end of each line.  The maximum message size is 255 characters.

A noisy alarm sounds three beeps at alarm time.  In addition, if the display message box is checked, the program displays the message in the message input area.  If you leave the input area blank and check the box, the program displays the default message.


Program Tab

For any timer, and for a clock with an alarm enabled, you may check the run program box and enter the name, or path and name of a program to run when the  time expires.  If you check the box but do not enter a valid program (or leave the input area blank), the program displays an error message. Pressing the browse button displays a directory structure from which you may choose a program to run.


Timer End Time Tab

A timer displays elapsed time rather than clock time.  A count up timer displays the time that has expired since you started the timer.  A count down timer displays to time to go to reach the end time that you have entered.

You may enter the end time for a timer either in hours, minutes, and seconds (I want the timer to expire 30 minutes from the time I start it), or in clock time (I want the timer to expire at 11:15 AM).  If you enter the end time in hours, minutes, and seconds, the maximum end time is 99 hours, 5 9 minutes and 59 seconds.  For clock time, the maximum is 12 hours.  If you specify a clock end time that is earlier than the current time (You enter 11 AM and it is now 3 PM), the program adds 24 hours to the end time.


Timer Alarm Tab

A timer may be run either with or without an alarm.  If an alarm is enabled, the alarm sounds when the timer expires.

To enable an alarm, mark either silent or noisy by clicking with the mouse.  A noisy alarm sounds three beeps at alarm time.  You also may use an up or down arrow key to select a button.


The Main Screen Display

The main screen display has four components:

•	a small caption bar at the top of the display

•	a menu  Click here for more information.

•	a power button on the left

•	a time display on the right.

As with any window, you may use the caption bar to move the window about the screen.  Click and hold down the left mouse button on the caption bar and drag the display to a different location.

The power button on the left of the display permits you to choose a menu option quickly.  For clocks, and timers with clock end times, the button shows Exit.  For timers with hours, minutes, seconds end times the button shows Start if the timer is not running and the time has not expired.  If the timer is running and the time has not expired, the button shows Stop.  If the time has expired, the button shows Reset.

The time display for a clock shows the current clock time.  For a count up timer, the display shows the hours, minutes, and seconds that have elapsed since the timer started.  For a count down timer, the display shows the hours, minutes, and seconds to go until the end time.

See also:

Selections Common to Clocks and Timers


Main Display Menu

You may bring up the menu by clicking with the left mouse button anywhere on the face of the display, except, of course, on the caption bar or the power button.  The common menu for all clock and timers has four parts.  Choosing configure returns you to the setup screen for that clock or timer.  If you make a setup change to a timer that does not effect the end time, the timer continues to run.

The make another menu option returns you to the main selection screen, where you may choose to create another clock or timer.  Each clock or timer uses a Windows timer resource.  There are a maximum of 32 Windows timers available to all running programs.

Selecting the help menu option displays a submenu from which you may choose help contents, that takes you to the main screen of this help file, or about which shows current version information for this program.  Choosing exit closes the clock or timer.

Timers with end times specified in hours, minutes, and seconds have three additional menu options.  Choosing Start starts the timer.  Stop turns off the timer temporarily,  and Reset returns the timer to its original state.


Save / Load Configuration

The current configuration of a clock or timer may be saved for future use.  Choosing the save button in the save / load configuration window saves the current contents of the clock or timer selection window and the screen position of the main screen display.  Intermediate information, such as currently elapsed time, is not saved.  You must choose a name for the configuration to be saved.  The name may be any combination of characters, including spaces, that will fit in the name entry box.  Configuration names are not case sensitive - the program converts all letters to upper case.

Choosing the load button, after selecting a name from the name list box by clicking the name with the left mouse button, reloads a saved configuration.  It is as if you had typed the information into the clock or timer selection window.

Choosing delete,after selecting a name, removes the name from the configuration list.  You may exit the save / load window after deleting by choosing cancel - this choice does not cancel the deletion.


clock
A display that shows the current clock time.


timer
A display that shows time in hours, minutes, and seconds.


count up timer
A timer that shows the elapsed time since the timer was started.


count down timer
A timer that shows time to go until the end time is reached.