Count Down Timer

#1

I used to have a simple countdown timer and now I can't duplicate it in
FMP8... A function of my failing mind not a failing of FMP!

Can anyone help me? I just want to start at 2:00:00 and count backwards 1
second at a time.

Thanks
Whit Patrick

#2

In article <BF7ECEB0.74F%wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com>, "Patrick, Whit"
<wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com> wrote:

Quote:

I used to have a simple countdown timer and now I can't duplicate it in
FMP8... A function of my failing mind not a failing of FMP!

Can anyone help me? I just want to start at 2:00:00 and count backwards 1
second at a time.

You can't have a countdown timer AND have a useable database at the
same time.

The only way to do a countdown timer in FileMaker would be to have a
Time field (eg. Timer) on-screen and a script running that is
bascially:

Loop
Set Field [Timer, Timer - 1]
Pause/Resume Script [0:00:01]
Exit Loop If [Timer = 0]
End Loop

Type the time into the Timer field and then run the script. Trying to
actually do anything else (especially enter data) while the script is
running is near impossible though.

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

#3

There is another way.

Display an animated GIF which has the appropriate number of frames and 1
second delay per frame.

Bill

"Helpful Harry" <helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com> wrote

Quote:

In article <BF7ECEB0.74F%wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com>, "Patrick, Whit"
wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com> wrote:

I used to have a simple countdown timer and now I can't duplicate it in
FMP8... A function of my failing mind not a failing of FMP!

Can anyone help me? I just want to start at 2:00:00 and count backwards 1
second at a time.

You can't have a countdown timer AND have a useable database at the
same time.

The only way to do a countdown timer in FileMaker would be to have a
Time field (eg. Timer) on-screen and a script running that is
bascially:

Loop
Set Field [Timer, Timer - 1]
Pause/Resume Script [0:00:01]
Exit Loop If [Timer = 0]
End Loop

Type the time into the Timer field and then run the script. Trying to
actually do anything else (especially enter data) while the script is
running is near impossible though.

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

#4

Ooops. I guess animated GIFs only animate on the web with IWP.

So much for that idea.

Bill

"Bill Marriott" <wjm (AT) wjm (DOT) org> wrote

Quote:

There is another way.

Display an animated GIF which has the appropriate number of frames and 1
second delay per frame.

Bill

"Helpful Harry" <helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com> wrote in message
news:221020051424592596%helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com...
In article <BF7ECEB0.74F%wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com>, "Patrick, Whit"
wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com> wrote:

I used to have a simple countdown timer and now I can't duplicate it in
FMP8... A function of my failing mind not a failing of FMP!

Can anyone help me? I just want to start at 2:00:00 and count backwards
1
second at a time.

You can't have a countdown timer AND have a useable database at the
same time.

The only way to do a countdown timer in FileMaker would be to have a
Time field (eg. Timer) on-screen and a script running that is
bascially:

Loop
Set Field [Timer, Timer - 1]
Pause/Resume Script [0:00:01]
Exit Loop If [Timer = 0]
End Loop

Type the time into the Timer field and then run the script. Trying to
actually do anything else (especially enter data) while the script is
running is near impossible though.

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

#5

If he's doing this for some kind of exam/testing application I found this
method wasn't too bad for clicking radio buttons and check boxes. I also
found that if you used two windows... one for the timer field and one for
data entry, that the dropped characters were reduced dramatically, though
not eliminated.

Bill

"Helpful Harry" <helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com> wrote

Quote:

In article <BF7ECEB0.74F%wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com>, "Patrick, Whit"
wcpatrick (AT) cencoast (DOT) com> wrote:

I used to have a simple countdown timer and now I can't duplicate it in
FMP8... A function of my failing mind not a failing of FMP!

Can anyone help me? I just want to start at 2:00:00 and count backwards 1
second at a time.

You can't have a countdown timer AND have a useable database at the
same time.

The only way to do a countdown timer in FileMaker would be to have a
Time field (eg. Timer) on-screen and a script running that is
bascially:

Loop
Set Field [Timer, Timer - 1]
Pause/Resume Script [0:00:01]
Exit Loop If [Timer = 0]
End Loop

Type the time into the Timer field and then run the script. Trying to
actually do anything else (especially enter data) while the script is
running is near impossible though.

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

#6

In article <luudnfMcoJ58lMfeRVn-tA (AT) comcast (DOT) com>, "Bill Marriott"
<wjm (AT) wjm (DOT) org> wrote:

Quote:

There is another way.

Display an animated GIF which has the appropriate number of frames and 1
second delay per frame.

That does give me another idea. You could use a QuickTime movie stored
in a Container field and use the "Select / Perform" option of the Go To
Field script command, but again the database will be unusable while the
movie is playing.

I'm not sure if an animated GIF can be made to run using this command
or not.

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

#7

In article <iOednR2tj7jJi8feRVn-1Q (AT) comcast (DOT) com>, wjm (AT) wjm (DOT) org says...

Quote:

If he's doing this for some kind of exam/testing application I found this
method wasn't too bad for clicking radio buttons and check boxes. I also
found that if you used two windows... one for the timer field and one for
data entry, that the dropped characters were reduced dramatically, though
not eliminated.

Yeah, if the test is "multiple choice" this actually works pretty good.

But if want anything more complex, I think filemaker just isn't the
right tool for the job.

#8

I tried that and the case of movie playback is even worse. You can't do
anything or the movie stops playing. And FileMaker can't be coaxed in any
way to "play" an animated GIF within any of its windows. You would only be
able to open an external window with a web page or other timer mechanism.

[I was well on my way to writing a Runtime Revolution stack to output the
7200 clock frames for use in Jasc Animation Shop, too!

]

Bill

"Helpful Harry" <helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com> wrote

Quote:

In article <luudnfMcoJ58lMfeRVn-tA (AT) comcast (DOT) com>, "Bill Marriott"
wjm (AT) wjm (DOT) org> wrote:

There is another way.

Display an animated GIF which has the appropriate number of frames and 1
second delay per frame.

That does give me another idea. You could use a QuickTime movie stored
in a Container field and use the "Select / Perform" option of the Go To
Field script command, but again the database will be unusable while the
movie is playing.

I'm not sure if an animated GIF can be made to run using this command
or not.

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

#9

In article <vIqdnX7TG47zLMfeRVn-pg (AT) comcast (DOT) com>, "Bill Marriott"
<wjm (AT) wjm (DOT) org> wrote:

Quote:

I tried that and the case of movie playback is even worse. You can't do
anything or the movie stops playing. And FileMaker can't be coaxed in any
way to "play" an animated GIF within any of its windows. You would only be
able to open an external window with a web page or other timer mechanism.

[I was well on my way to writing a Runtime Revolution stack to output the
7200 clock frames for use in Jasc Animation Shop, too!

]

You could always use a Container field and the same Pause 1sec script
to replace the image with the next frame (storing frames in Global
Container field(s), but that would only be worth it if you wanted a
fancy graphic timer or a font that may not be on another computer.

)

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)

#10

Yes... but why oh why can't FileMaker just animate a silly little GIF file?

Bill

"Helpful Harry" <helpful_harry (AT) nom (DOT) de.plume.com> wrote

Quote:

In article <vIqdnX7TG47zLMfeRVn-pg (AT) comcast (DOT) com>, "Bill Marriott"
wjm (AT) wjm (DOT) org> wrote:

I tried that and the case of movie playback is even worse. You can't do
anything or the movie stops playing. And FileMaker can't be coaxed in any
way to "play" an animated GIF within any of its windows. You would only
be
able to open an external window with a web page or other timer
mechanism.

[I was well on my way to writing a Runtime Revolution stack to output the
7200 clock frames for use in Jasc Animation Shop, too!

]

You could always use a Container field and the same Pause 1sec script
to replace the image with the next frame (storing frames in Global
Container field(s), but that would only be worth it if you wanted a
fancy graphic timer or a font that may not be on another computer.

)

Helpful Harry
Hopefully helping harassed humans happily handle handiwork hardships ;o)