Stopwatches & Alarms
Clockwork manages a collection of timers for you. To create a new timer:
- Choose the menu File > New.
- The new timer is created and you can now give the timer a name.
Each timer can be in either stopwatch or alarm mode. When a timer is in stopwatch mode it counts up from zero until you stop it. Stopwatch mode is useful for recording how long something takes. When a timer is in alarm mode it counts down until it reaches zero. When the time reaches zero the alarm will trigger an alarm action.
To change a timers mode:
- Make sure that the timer is stopped, otherwise mode changing is disabled.
- Choose the menu item Timer > Mode, or click on the mode button in Clockwork’s interface.
Setting Alarm Actions
Each alarm is associated with a list of actions that it will perform when it reaches zero. By default all new alarms have an action that will show an alert dialogue when the alarm reaches zero. The alarm actions for the selected timer are listed in the Info Drawer. To show the info drawer:
- Choose the menu View > Show Info Drawer.
Each alarm action in the list has a checkbox next to it, the actions that are checked will be run when the selected alarm counts down to zero. Note that the alarm action list will be disabled when a timer in stopwatch mode is selected, since only timers in alarm mode will trigger alarm actions.
By default there are only two alarm actions, but you can use applescript and plugins to create your own custom alarm actions. Visit the contribution section to find script and plugins that customize Clockwork.
Setting Alarm Repeat Rules
Alarms can also have a repeat rule. This rule is used to reschedule the alarm after it has reached zero. The current repeat rule for the selected alarm is displayed in the Info Drawer under the list of alarm actions. Here’s how you can create an alarm that will remind you to take a break and stretch every hour:
- Choose the menu File > New to create a new alarm.
- Give the alarm a name such as “Take a Break!!!”.
- Use the menu Timer > Mode to change the timer from stopwatch mode (default for new timers) to alarm mode.
- Use the menu View > Show Info Drawer to show the info drawer.
- At the bottom of the info drawer select the repeat rule “1 Hour”.
- Now start the alarm (Timer > Start).
After starting the alarm you will see an immediate alert, since you started the alarm with zero time on it. Then (because of the repeat rule) you will see the alarm restart itself with the time of 1 hour. It will continue restarting itself until you stop the timer.
Working with Clockwork
Clockwork tries to provide enough options to be fast and useful, but not overwhelming.
Setting the Time
Clockwork provides a number of ways to set a timers time from both the keyboard and with your mouse. To set the time with your mouse:
- Make sure that the timer is not running, if it is running stop it with the menu item Timer > Stop.
- Once the timer is stopped set the time by clicking on the timer face numbers. Click once to highlight the number, once highlighted each new click will make the number go up by one. Hold down the shift key to instead make the number go down by one.
To set the time with the keyboard:
- First make sure the timer is stopped, since you can’t change the time of a running timer.
- Next click on the timer face number that you wish to change so that it is highlighted.
- Once the number is highlighted you can use the keyboard to enter a new time. Or you can use the up and down arrow keys to make the number go up or down.
Note that you can use the Tab key to quickly move the keyboard focus so that you can edit a different number.
To set the time with keyboard shortcuts:
- First make sure the timer is stopped, since you can’t change the time of a running timer.
- Now use the keyboard shortcuts defined in the Timer menu to increase and decrease the time.
Changing the View
Clockwork comes with a number of different view options that can be set from the View menu:
- Multiple Timers This is the default view that shows a list of all timers and the info drawer.
- Mini Timer This view shows only the selected timer in a compact interface.
- Full Screen View This view shows the selected timer in a full screen view that can easily be read from across the room.
- Show Tenths of Seconds This option applies to all views. When checked the selected timer will show tenths of seconds as it runs, otherwise only seconds will be shown.
Note, you can quickly switch between Multiple Timers and Mini Timer views by clicking on the windows green “zoom” button.
Preferences
Clockwork has a number of preference panes. To open the preferences window:
- Choose the menu Clockwork > Preferences.
The “Wake & Startup” preference pane lets you tell Clockwork to wake your computer from sleep when an alarm goes off. Selecting this option requires you to first unlock the preference pane because Clockwork is not allowed to wake your computer from sleep without your permission.
The “Software Update” preference pane lets you check for new versions of Clockwork when you have an internet connection. By default Clockwork will check for updates when you start the application.
The “Plugin Config” option shows you what Clockwork plugins are currently installed.