---------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------- Visible Clock ------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------- --- Version 2 --- --- 22 October 1995 --- Copyright (c) 1995, 1996 by Eugene Dorr, All rights reserved. --- --- --- Introduction --- --- --- Visible Clock is an HP-200LX system-manager-compliant application which displays the time of day in characters large enough to see without squinting. It's handy for those times when you wish you had a clock, but all you have is your handy HP-200LX. Visible clock can also be an audible clock if you want: you can set it to chime on the hour or quarter-hour. In addition to displaying the current time of day in very big characters, you can also use it as a stopwatch or a timer, and see elapsed or remaining time in the same very big characters. Because VClock is "system-manager compliant" it can be started and used along with all other system-manager compliant applica- tions, including other add-in system-manager applications. You can switch between these applications without quitting any of them, and when you return to an application, you are returned right where you were when you left. VClock is shareware. If you continue to use it, please register your copy by following the registration instructions at the end of this file. The timer and stopwatch functions are available only in registered versions of VClock. --- --- --- Manifest --- --- --- The files included in this archive are: readme.1st Information on registering VClock vclock.txt This documentation file vclock.exm The VClock executable vclock.icn An Application Manager icon for VClock vclock.cfg VClock configuration file --- --- --- Installing VClock --- --- --- --- Step 1: Load the files --- Copy the following files to your HP 200 (They must both be copied to the same subdirectory): vclock.exm vclock.icn Copy the following file to your HP 200, into the C:\_DAT subdirectory: vclock.cfg This file is optional, and only needed if you want to define custom chime sounds. --- Step 2: Define VClock to Application Manager --- Open Application Manager by pressing the [&...] key. Press F2 (Add), and enter the following values: Name: Visible Clock Path: (drive):\(subdirectory)\vclock.exm Comments: In the Path field, (drive) and (subdirectory) should be replaced with the drive letter (a or c) and the subdirectory to which you copied the VClock files. Now tab to the Icon field, and the VClock icon should appear. If it does not, press the down-arrow key until you see the VClock icon. Press F10 (OK). Now press the key-combination you want to use as the hot-key for VClock (I use Alt+APPT; if you want to use something else, the dialog which is displayed at this point shows you what your options are). --- Step 3: Start VClock --- Back at the Application Manager screen, highlight the VClock icon and press Enter. To end VClock, press MENU, Q. --- Step 4: Registering VClock ---- VClock requires registration data before all of the functions are available: an unregistered copy of VClock does not allow selection of stopwatch or timer modes. In order to register a copy of VClock, you must have a registration ID. Instructions for obtaining a registration ID given at the end of this file. --- --- --- Using VClock --- --- --- To start VClock once it has been installed, hold down the ALT key and press the APPT key (or whatever key you made the hot-key during the installation process). To quit VClock, press MENU, [Q]uit. VClock uses the same basic user interface as the built in applications, so you should find operation of VClock to be straight-forward. The documentation which follows explains the operations and features unique to VClock. --- Function Selection --- VClock can function in three modes: as a clock, displaying the current time of day (and, if the smallest character size is selected, the date); stopwatch mode, in which an incrementing timer is displayed; and timer mode, in which a decrementing timer is displayed. To select a mode, you can use the "Display" menu, or you can use the [F9] and [F10] keys. [F9] and [F10] are always set to the two modes not currently active. Note that stopwatch and timer modes can be selected only when VClock has been registered. --- Clock Mode --- In clock mode, VClock shows a continuously updated time of day. If the smallest character size is selected, the current date will also be displayed. In clock mode [F6] through [F8] can be used to control the chime selection. The current chime selection is shown in the status area. --- Stopwatch Mode --- [NOTE: Stopwatch mode is only available when VClock has been registered.] In stopwatch mode, VClock shows an incrementing time display. The stopwatch function is started and stopped using the [F5] key. The value in the stopwatch can be reset to zero using the [F7] key. The reset function zeros the stopwatch regardless of whether it is running or stopped. When the largest character size is used, the display will show minutes and seconds for any value less than 1 hour; for values of one hour or greater, only hours and minutes are displayed. The stopwatch has a range of 24 hours. After 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds have elapsed, the time value is reset to zero, and the stopwatch continues to run. --- Timer Mode --- [NOTE: Timer mode is only available when VClock has been registered.] In timer mode, the computer shows a decrementing time display. The timer function can be started and stopped by pressing [F5]. To set a value to count down from, press [F7] to set an interval (such as 2 hours), or [F8] to set a target time (such as 7:30). [F7] and [F8] cause a "Set Timer" dialog to be displayed. The "Set Timer Interval" dialog allows you to set a specific inter- val of time to count down from. The default value is the current value of the timer. You can specify any interval from 1 second to 23 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds. The timer status (running or stopped) remains unchanged by the "Set Timer Interval" dialog. When you set a timer interval, you have three options for what action VClock will take when the timer reaches zero: it can simply stop, and remain at zero; it can start the stopwatch function, starting at zero; or it can restart the timer, using the originally specified interval. You can also indicate whether you want VClock to sound a beep when the interval has expired. The "Set Timer Target" dialog allows you to set a specific time of day at which the timer should reach zero. The default value is the time-of-day at which the timer would reach zero if it were currently running. If the current value is 0 hours and 0 minutes, then the default target will be the current time of day. When you set the timer using the "Set Timer Target" dialog, the timer is automatically started when you press OK. When the timer expires, a beep is sounded if the "Beep at zero" option was selected, the timer is stopped, and the mode is set to clock. The "Set Timer" dialogs can be entered regardless of whether the timer is running or stopped. If you press [F9] to cancel the dialog, then the current timer setting and state remain un- changed. If VClock is not the active application when the timer expires, it momentarily becomes the active application. If the computer is off when the timer expires, it is turned on. --- Format of Time Displays --- The format of time and date displays is controlled by the built in SETUP application. VClock always uses the same format as the rest of the system (unless, as described below, "Force Seconds" is selected). The prevailing system time format is used in all of VClock’s time displays, and is also the format expected when entering time values in the "Set Timer" dialogs. If the system time format includes seconds, then seconds will be included in the time-of-day displays (except when using the largest character size). If you do not want to set your system time format to include seconds, but want seconds to be displayed in the VClock time-of-day display, you can use the "Force seconds" option of the "Display" menu. --- Seconds Display --- For clock displays, seconds can be displayed when the medium or small character size is selected. If the currently selected time format does not include seconds, display of seconds can be forced by selecting the "Force seconds" selection of the "Display" menu. Note that for the clock function, seconds are never displayed when the largest character size is selected, even if "Force seconds" is selected. Seconds can only be displayed in the medium or small character sizes. In the largest character size, seconds are never displayed for the clock function; however, for the stopwatch and timer functions, if the time interval displayed is less than one hour, then the display will automatically switch to show only the minutes and seconds. The "Force Seconds" option has no effect on timer or stopwatch displays. --- Character Size --- VClock can display characters in three sizes. You switch between the three sizes by pressing [Fn]+[spacebar] (this combination is labeled "ZOOM" on the keyboard). The Zoom function cycles between the three sizes, just like it does in the built-in applications, such as Memo, except that the characters are much larger. When using the largest character size, only a few characters can be displayed. When the clock function is active, only hours and minutes are displayed. When the stopwatch or timer function is active, either hours and minutes, or minutes and seconds are displayed, depending on whether the time is less than one hour. If the time is less than one hour, then only minutes and seconds are displayed. The next smaller size, medium, allows display of hours, minutes and seconds. In clock mode, seconds will only be displayed in this size if the currently selected time format specifies seconds, or if the "Force seconds" option is selected. The smallest size allows two lines to be displayed, and when in clock mode the date is shown in addition to the time of day. --- Chimes Control --- VClock has a chime function, which causes your computer to beep at hourly or quarter-hourly intervals. You can control the chimes with the Chime menu, or with [F6], [F7] and [F8] when the clock function is active. If you select Quarter-hourly chimes, a chime is sounded on the hour and at 15, 30, and 45 minutes past the hour. If you select Hourly chimes, a chime is sounded on the hour only. Pressing the [ESC] key will disable chimes, and will also enable the normal timeout period. The "Chime Time Control" dialog gives you greater control over when chimes will be sounded by allowing you to specify whether to allow a chimes for each 15-minute period in the day. This dialog is activated by selecting the "Chime Time Control..." item on the Chime menu. The Chime Control dialog is only used to indicate when chimes are allowed - not to activate or deactivate the chimes. Chimes must still be activated using [F7] or [F8] (or the Chime Menu equivalents), or turned off entirely with [F6]. The default setting (when VClock is first installed) is to allow chimes all day. Finally, you can control the chime sound with the "Chime Sound" selection of the "Chime" menu. You can independently control the sound and volume level of the hourly and the quarter-hourly chimes. You can choose from four different built-in chime sounds, or define your own customized chime sounds. (To define your own custom chime sounds, see the accompanying vclock.cfg file.) The setting for hourly chimes controls the sound and volume for chimes sounded on the hour; that for quarter-hourly chimes controls the chimes sounded at 15, 30, and 45 minutes past the hour. (Chimes actually sound 1 second before the designated times, to avoid conflicts with alarms sounded by the appointment book application, and the "alarm clock" alarm in the stopwatch application.) Chimes are only sounded when VClock is open, though it need not be the "active" (i.e. visible) application. If you close VClock, then chimes will no longer be sounded, until you start VClock once again. --- System Timeout --- Under normal conditions, the computer will turn off after 3 minutes of no keypresses. (If the battery is low, this timeout period is reduced to 1 minute.) Since you may want to watch the time without otherwise using your computer, VClock provides a way to extend the timeout period. VClock will not disable the automatic timeout, but only extend it, to reduce the possibility of accidentally discharging your batteries. The extended timeout periods can be selected from the Timeout menu, or by using [F3] or [F4]. You can set the timeout to 30 minutes or to 60 minutes. When you extend the system timeout to one of these periods, the computer will wait for the new, longer period before "timing out" and turning itself off. You can postpone the time when the computer turns off by pressing any key - the spacebar, for example. The "timeout" interval is restarted any time a key is pressed. When the timeout period is set to "normal", by selecting the "Normal" item from the "Timeout" menu, or by pressing [F2], the system timeout period which was in effect when VClock was started is restored. Normally, this is 3 minutes, but if you have set the timeout period to a different value by using a utility program, then the timeout period set by that utility will be restored. You can also restore the "normal" timeout period by pressing the [ESC] key, but note that this also turns off the chimes. The extended system timeout value is observed only when VClock is the active application. When you switch to another applica- tion the system timeout value is reset to "normal" until you return to VClock. The "normal" timeout setting is also restored when you quit VClock. When the batteries become low, then the timeout period is set to 1 minute. This "low battery" timeout setting overrides any other timeout setting. If you request an extended timeout period when the batteries are low, the request is ignored. When the AC charger is plugged in the system never turns off, and the timeout period has no meaning. --- Status Area --- The status display area at the top of the screen, just below the title bar, always shows the currently active function -- clock, stopwatch, or timer -- and the current timeout period. For the clock function, it also indicates whether chimes are off, or set for hourly or quarter-hourly operation. For the stopwatch and timer functions, there is an indication of whether the stopwatch or timer is currently stopped or running. --- --- --- Additional Notes --- --- --- --- VClock and Alarms --- Any program which makes use of the alarm system on the HP 200LX must in some way interact with the alarms used by the other built-in applications. The chime and timer functions of VClock make use of the alarm system so that chimes and timer alarms can be sounded when VClock is not the active application. Because of the regularity and frequency of chimes, there is a side effect to using them: if you have chimes activated, it is possible that you may miss notifications of past-due alarms. Here is what happens: when an appointment book alarm comes due: the system puts an alarm dialog box in the foreground and beeps; then it waits for the alarm dialog to be acknowledged. Normally, the alarm dialog box stays open until it is acknowledged, and you are thus made aware of the past-due alarm. However, if another alarm comes due before the first alarm is acknowledged, the system closes the previous alarm dialog, unacknowledged, in order to give control to the application owning the second alarm. In the case of chimes, VClock is given control and it sounds the chime. Because the appointment alarm was not acknowledged, but the system had to close the alarm dialog box to process the new event, the alarm is simply marked "past due." You will not be notified of this "past due" alarm until another appointment book alarm comes due. Once you have acknowledged the new alarm, appointment book then shows you any "past due" alarms. This effect occurs with all types of alarms; however, you may notice this more frequently if you use chimes, especially quarter-hourly chimes, because they occur so frequently. --- Chimes and Timeout --- In general, it is not a good idea to set an extended timeout while chimes are active. This is because if you have a chime period that is shorter than the timeout period, the computer will never turn off -- every time a chime is sounded, that is considered "activity", and the system timeout counter is restarted -- and you could quickly run down the batteries. --- Sleep Status --- If a timer alarm or a chime is activated while VClock is not the active application, VClock momentarily becomes the active application in order to process the alarm or chime. It then relinquishes control to the application that had previously been active. After that, the status of VClock is "Asleep." If you close all other applications, you will see the topcard -- you will not be returned to VClock. Despite this, VClock is not closed, but merely "asleep", as you can see if you open the Application Manager, and set it to "list" mode. The difference between "Open" and "Asleep" is just that you will only be returned to VClock if you explicitly start it by pressing the "hot-key" assigned to VClock, or by using Application Manager. In other respects it still behaves as if it were "Open." --- --- --- Registering VClock --- --- --- VClock is shareware. If you continue using it, please register by sending a check or money order for US$15, payable in US funds to: Dorr Software Development 8778 Casa Grande Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15237-5340 USA (If this archive is more than a year old, you may want to verify the above address by sending email to dorre@well.com, or to 75156.3132 on CompuServe.) As an alternative, if you have access to CompuServe, you can use the Shareware Registration database (GO SWREG). The registration ID for VClock is 13461. By registering VClock, you will receive the following benefits: * The latest version of VClock. * A registration ID which will allow you use the stopwatch and timer functions of VClock. * A printed manual. * Notification of future versions of VClock * Plus, you will be supporting future development of VClock Please include the following information with your registration: Name _____________________________________________________ Address _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Country _____________________________________________________ E-Mail _____________________________________________________ =============================================================== ========== VClock - Visible Clock - Version 2 ========= ===============================================================