Clockz pretends to be one of those clocks you get on the walls of international companies which tell you the time in different cities around the world. The cute thing about it is that the window is shaped like a clock! It also chimes and has a daily alarm.
What it is:
Its just another clock, but this one's really cool! The face and hands are 3D too.
Some cute features you probably don't expect it to do:
You can have lots of clocks open at once.
You can see through the clock dial (if the design allows) and its name.
You can copy the picture used for the clock face, change it in your favourite editor and paste it back. All this on a per-clock basis.
You can paste a sound into a particular clock to replace one of the three sounds used (tick, chime or alarm).
You can get a friendly techie to personalise it for you. The design is almost totally controlled by resources. I hope to make this easier for a later release.
Multiple clocks chiming the hour sound like multiple clocks chiming the hour.
Checkout the about box. I love it.!
The history:
I wanted to write an alarm clock to go off when it was time to go and pick up the kids from school. I think I went a bit over the top but I like the result so I thought you might like it too.
Interface:
The items in the file menu are obvious. If you don't understand them you probably shouldn't even be using this Mac. The clockz menu allows you to select a particular clock by name.
You can drag a clock around by its name or by its center.
See Changing it for information on changing the clock settings and looks.
Changing it:
Double click on the dial of a clock and you get to change the clock setup. You can change the text, font, style and size of the title, whether to tick every minute and chime every hour and when, if ever, to sound the alarm. You can also change the time difference. Note that the alarm time is 24 hour.
You can also pick a new design for the clock. There are currently only two (unless some kind person has added more for you), one that looks like this:
 
and one that looks like this:
 
Changing it (no technical knowledge required).
Taking a copy of a clock does not, as in finder, copy the name of the item, it copies the picture used for the background of the clock. You can then edit it in your favourite graphics package and paste it back in with instant results.
Pasting sounds into a clock allows you to replace one of the three sounds used (tick, chime and alarm). You are asked which to replace.
Don't forget to save the clock afterwards.
Changing it (for techies only please).
The 'dsgn' resources define the possible clock designs. The ID should be the ID of the resource - 128. The rest are obvious and combine a 'sizs' resource, a 'PICT' resource for the face and a file containing the hands picts to completely define the clock.
The 'sizs' resource defines the basic shape of the clock. The clock size is the diameter of the clock in pixels (all clocks are circular for this version). The ring width is the width of the outer ring of the clock. The center width is the width of the center of the clock. Please keep the center width big enough to click on, some users might not want a title and this would then be the only part you can drag the window by.
The hands are PICTS in a separate file, if you can't work out which file then forget the whole project.
The resource IDs for the minute hands are the number of degrees from 12:00 (six degrees per position). The hour hand IDs are the same plus three.
Dropping a PICT file whose name is the ID of the hand you wish to change onto Clockz will crop it and paste it into the hands file and automagically make a mask for it (ID plus one). Note that it will always update a file called 'Handz', if that doesn't exist it will do nothing. Please make the PICTS the same size as the clock they are designed for and are just the hand in the right position on a white background. In this way I can crop it correctly while ansuring that its position is preserved.
I chose a base clock size of 288 because its 2*12^2 which makes for almost no rounding jaggies when dividing by 2,3,4 etc., you can pick any size you like. My second, smaller design uses a base size of 144 for similar reasons.
You can change the default sounds by replacing the 'snd ' resources.
Plans for the future.
The ability to select from predefined sound sets on a per-clock basis. Different chimes from each country would be fun for a while.
Boost the robustness a decade into the future so we can gracefully retreat if I am about to blow away another app because you've made too many clocks. I believe this is currently impossible but I've done as much as I know.
When I get a Power PC I hope to put a shadow in that moves with the time of day and, perhaps, render the hands on the fly with highlights where the sun should currently be in the city you are in.
Different shaped clocks (other than circular).
An alignment tool to align all clocks to each other or a grid or something.
Replace the boring time-difference entry with city selection like the Map control panel.
But first … some shareware fees please.
How to contact me
My address is:
41 Bramwoods Road,
Chelmsford,
Essex CM2 7LS
UK.
The shareware fee for Clockz is £5. If you use it regularly but don't think its worth that much, just send me how much you think its worth (even if its nothing) and tell me how you think it should be improved. Send me a new design and not only do you not need to send any money but your design may be included in the next release. New ideas will be treated similarly.
I would welcome site-licence requests. Just tell me approximately how many Macs you think it might be run on and we'll agree a reasonable fee between us.
Cheques should be made payable to me (Paul Caswell). Registered users will get my 'phone number for support questions and general discussions on improvements and other utilities.
I currently do not have Email or Internet access so the old SnailMail is your only option at the moment.
I would welcome any suggestions for other utilities to develop.
Copying Restrictions
Copying, distribution and use of Clockz is expressly encouraged! Clockz should always be copied with the program, 'Handz' files, Welcome files, documentation and release notes files kept together.
Legal Statement
This software and accompanying instructions are provided ‘as is’ without warranty of any kind. The author, Paul Caswell, does not warrant, guarantee, or make any representations regarding the use, or the results of the use of the software or accompanying instructions in terms of correctness, accuracy, reliability, currentness, or otherwise. The entire risk as to the results and performance of the software is assumed by you. If the software or instructions are defective, you, and not Paul Caswell, assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction.
Thanks
Thanks are due to Gary Larson for such brilliant cartoons, Metrowerks for a superb development environment, my kids for their patience and sometimes constructive criticism and whoever suggested static C++ objects for allowing plug-and-play modules as a result. Also thanks to Macromedia for Extreme 3D, a great help with the hands.
And, of course, Apple for inventing the Mac and WDEFs.
