everything a regular $500 Stand Alone Bridge Clock would do and much more.
Michael Angelo Ravera
New in version 1.6: Time periods in the Round directives may also be given in the format "mm:ss".
Bridge timer
A bridge session consists of a number of rounds with a short
break in between. The bridge timer counts down the time during such a round with
corresponding break, and sounds a number of signals in the process:
- Start signal of the round
- Alarm 1
- Alarm 2
- End signal of the round, also begin of the break.
All time intervals and the corresponding sounds are adjustable and may be preset per round.
For instance one may program a longer break after round 3 and choose a different
signal to indicate that break.
In the title bar one finds information about the status
of the program, such as the current round.
Below that the menu bar is shown
with menu's "Bestand (=File)", "KLOK", "Bewerk (=Edit).
The KLOK menu
Via "Selecteer Script" in the menu "Bestand" one selects a
script containing the commands to be processed.
Subsequently one may use the menu KLOK to start the session, and if desired,
to intervene in its course.
The commands of this menu may also be given by the keyboard,
as indicated in the menu KLOK.
The option "Vooruit" (function key F1) goes directly to the next
"event", such as an alarm or an end of round. This is a useful option in the
testing of a script.
Apart from menu KLOK and the keyboard there is third way to operate the clock:
The buttons
Start / Pause / Continue.
Green when the clock is running. Red when it is stopped.
increase the duration
decrease the duration.
The Script
The course of events is determined by a file containing a series of commands for program
bridgeklok. The commands are processed sequentially.
An example of such a script is:
Size auto
Font 10 Tahoma
Color FgdA 0 0 79
Color BkdA 255 255 215
Color FgdB 255 82 0
Color BkdB 0 82 0
Tune Start TUNES\win5.wav
Tune Alarm1 TUNES\Tower Clock.wav
Tune Alarm2 TUNES\CUCKOO3.mp3
Tune Break TUNES\Le_Piccadilly.mp3
Tune Extra TUNES\espoirs.mp3
END Prolog
Round 30 15 5 2
Round 30 15 5 2
Round 30 15 5 9 extra
Round 30 15 5 2
Round 30 15 5 2
Round 30 15 5 2 TUNES\JUNGLDRM.WAV
END
The line Size specifies the window size. Possible options:
- Size auto: the window size is automatically adjusted to the font. This is the initial state.
- Size maxi: the window size is maximalized.
- Size user [width] [height] : the user sets the window size. Specify the size in pixels.
The line Font specifies the font. The number is the point-size divided by 20.
Some font-style options, such as "Bold", are ignored.
The four lines Color specify the colors of text
(FgdA) and background (BkdA) during the round, and of
text (FgdB) and background (BkdB) during the break. The numbers are the
RGB (Red, Green, Blue) values.
The lines Tune specify the signals to be given at the start of the round, when reaching the alarm
times, and at the start of the break.
The signals themselves are specified as sound files.
The file name is either relative to the working directory, as in this example, or an absolute path name.
The files don't have to be "wav" or "mp3" files.
The only requirement is that the system may "open" them.
Maybe you don't want one of the signals at all. Then, omit the name of the sound file.
Or, let 2 or 3 of the points in time, Alarm1 Alarm2 and Break, coincide.
The line END Prolog marks the end of commands that should be processed before the start.
If this line is absent the session starts right after the script is selected.
The lines Round specify the time intervals of the session:
in this example 6 rounds, of 30 minutes each, with an alarm at 15 minuten before the end,
and a second alarm at 5 minutes before the end of the round.
The break after every round is 2 minutes, except for round 3 where the break lasts
9 minutes.
After these numbers one may specify an alternative for the Break signal,
that replaces the break tune, for this round only. It may be given in two different ways:
as done after round 3, by the word "extra", which refers to the file given by "Tune Extra",
or by giving the file name directly, as after round 6.
Time periods in the Round directives may also be given in the format "mm:ss".
See also the examples supplied.
Programming a session
The scripts, describing a session, are stored in the working directory that was
chosen at the time of installation. You may reach this directory using
"Bestand > Werkmap Verkennen". The scripts have extension ".clk".
To program a session:
- To make a new script, copy one of the existing ".clk" files. (e.g. by Ctrl-C Ctrl-V in Explorer)
and rename this new script to a name of your choice and extension ".clk".
- Select the script to be edited (Bestand > Selecteer Script, or, Bewerk > Selecteer Script).
- The options of menu "Bewerk" may be used to edit the script.
- Options Lettertype, Kleurenschema and Muziek replace
existing commands of type Font, Color en Tune.
If that fails, the new command is added at the bottom and you have to move it yourself
to the desired position.
- Option Edit is especially useful to add or edit "Round" lines.
- Empty lines, or comment lines, starting with #, may be added at will.
- Commands of a script are not case sensitive
- To test the script, start it up, and use function key F1
to step through the program.
Notes
default.clk
On startup the script "default.clk" is processed. Settings that should be the same
for every application, e.g. "size maxi", may be put in default.clk
Media Player
The music files are opened with the program that was specified in Windows for the file type.
Possibly the "music player" shows a pop-up window, which in this case is annoying.
Ususally it is sufficient to minimize this window only once, and chances are it will
stay minimized.
A suitable nice and unobstrusive
media player is @MAX Tray Player.
Also Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player work well.
default program for music
Possibly it is difficult after installation of Tray Player to set it as the default program for playing music.
When trying to "Associate file type with a program" @Mac TrayPlayer is not in the list.
In that case try the following
- open Explorer and go to a file of type ".mp3"
- right click on the file
- select "open with"
- If @Max Tray Player is not in the list there will be an option
to browse and choose another app on this PC (details depend on Windows version).
- Browse to the right program, probably C:\Program Files (x86)\TrayPlayer\TrayPlayer.exe
- click "open"
- Go again to "Associate file type with a program"
- and see, for .mp3 @Max TrayPlayer is now one of the possibilities.
- Follow the same procedure for ".wav" and ".mid" files.
Sleeping speakers
Some speakers go in "standby" mode after some time of inactivity. Fine
for saving energy, but what if they need a few seconds to wake up?
Possibly the progammed signal has just finished at that time.
If you have such speakers, copy or rename file
"TUNES\noise.wav.orig" to "TUNES\noise.wav". This file contains only noise and will
be played by the program 4 seconds before every signal.
Thus the speakers will be in active state when the real signal comes along.
Inverse video near the end of a round
The last interval of a round, from Alarm2 to the end, is emphasized by exchanging
the text and background colors.
De-installation
The bridgeklok program may be uninstalled in the usual way via the Configuration screen.
other applications
The "timer" may be used, not only as a bridge timer, but also for all kinds of
applications, even as a kitchen timer.
The programme even works as a normal wall clock when it has nothing else to do.