Countdown Timer Console
Copyright © 2010 Graham Downs
Icon by René Thomsen
A simple .NET console application. When run, it asks how long the timer should
run for (any combination of hours, minutes, and seconds, up to a maximum of
23:59:59). When the timer hits zero, the PC speaker beeps continuously until
you stop it.
You can also run the application as part of an automated script or batch file.
Check out the /e and /l parameters, below.
You can download the full binaries, and source files, from
http://countdown-timer.sourceforge.net/
This application is licensed under the GNU General Public License. For details,
see the file COPYING.txt in the zip file you downloaded. For the latest version
online, see
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
Usage:
/? - Display this information (Cannot also specify /u)
/u - Check for upgrades (Cannot also specify /?)
/t [time] - Specifies the time that the program must wait before
beeping. If this is not specified, the program will
ask you for a time. If specified, it must be in the
format "HH:mm:ss". For example, to wait 10 seconds,
use "00:00:10". This time will only be used once. If
you elect to go again after the first time, you will be
asked for a time (Unless you specify /rt (see below))
/rt - You may specify /rt to re-use the time specified (Either with
/t, or by typing it into the application) if you elect to go
again
/b [number] - When the timer runs out, only beep for [number] of times
(or until you stop it). The default is -1, which means
the application will beep until you stop it. This number
will only be used once. If you elect to go again after
the first time, it will be revert to -1 again (Unless you
specify /rb (see below))
/rb - You may specify /rb to re-use the beep count specified with
/b, if you elect to go again. This only has any effect if you
specified a number greater than -1 with /b
/e - You can use /e to have the application automatically exit
after the timer has expired, and the beeping stops
/l - You can use /l to have the application constantly assume you
want to go again after the timer has expired, and the beeping
stops (incompatible with /e)
While waiting for the timer to expire, you can press "t" to see how much
longer you will have to wait
Using the Source
================
I wrote this program using Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, targeting
the Microsoft .NET Framework version 2.0. I am not sure if it will
work in any other development environment, targeting other frameworks
like Mono. If you are able to get it to work with any other IDE, on
any other framework, running on any operating system other than
Windows, please let the community know by posting in the
Open Discussion forum at
https://sourceforge.net/projects/countdown-timer/
I will gladly update the supported platforms and this document with your
findings. :)
