StopWatch is a free utility written using Think C 5.0.2. Its main purpose is to make it easier to time and compare applications, procedures and programs, but it can also be used as an event-logger. Under System 6, it is primarily intended for use with MultiFinder, though this is not mandatory.
********* Features **********
The main features are
1) It will count up or down from a specified time (between 0 and 99 hours);
2) It can count in 1/100 th of seconds;
3) You can set a pause period for the timer to wait before starting the main count, to give you time to switch over to your other application.
4) You can save the times at which events occur (by hitting cmd-H or choosing "Hold" from the File menu, or by pressing the Enter key). When you do this, the time appears in a separate window followed by the phrase "Event # n" if this is the n-th time you have saved a time, which you can then edit for a more informative description. The times at which events are held can also be timestamped, and the fields are separated by tabs. The saved times window can also be printed.
[Shortcut: Hitting the <tab> key when the stopwatch is the active window will select the other window.]
Other features:
5) If you have an application which can send high-level events, or if you are a programmer writing an application which can send high-level events, or (easiest of all), if you use QuicKeys 2.1 or later from CE Software, you can Start, Stop, or Reset the clock and Hold Times from within another application. To do this, you need only send a message of event type 'eNpB' with eventID 'strt', 'stop', 'rset', 'hold' respectively. This is straightforward to set up using QuicKeys 2.1, and I have included a keyset with this archive---see the other Readme for installation instructions.
6) You can grey the clock face out to reduce interference with the application being timed, you can reduce the size of the clock-face somewhat, there is a small on-line help file under the Apple menu, and you can change the creator of the saved times file using ResEdit to alter the 'STR ' resource with ID 400; [it is initially set to be TeachText].
********* Version History *********
This is version 1.31 of the application. Apart from some minor bug fixes, the main change from version 1.2 is in the timing mechanism which is now more accurate and will count in 1/100ths of seconds rather than 1/10ths (see however Warning 1 below); the change from version 1.3 to 1.31 facilitates the inter-application communication.
*********** Warnings *********
1) The timing mechanism still uses the Toolbox function TickCount() which counts close to 60 every second. Because of this, and because TickCount() is itself not completely accurate, StopWatch can only be regarded as accurate to plus or minus 1/100th of a second at best.
2) Using inter-application communication to start and stop the clock will probably introduce some inaccuracies also, since it takes some time for the messages to get through from one application to the other---the delay will depend on your system.
3) I have tested the application on an SE30 running System 7.0.1 and on a IIci running the same system and System 6.0.8. I have not tested the application under other systems, but it should work with any system software from 4.2 onwards at least.
4) If you run a screen saver like After Dark or Pyro! and you also run TrueType, then you should arrange that TrueType loads before the screen saver. This can be achieved with an init manager, or more simply by renaming one or other init so that the (renamed) TrueType alphabetically precedes the (renamed) screen saver. If you do not do this, the clock will "shine through" when the screen saver becomes active, a problem which will also occur with Apple's Alarm Clock desk accessory. Greying the clock out when it is running is another cure for the problem. (This problem only occcurs when using System 6.0.7; TrueType is automatically loaded first with System 7.)
5) Use the program at your own risk: I am not responsible for any damage to your soft- or hardware resulting from any crashes caused by StopWatch.
