Timer up, Timer Down (w/ Interval control)

[Nick_Bruscia]

Greetings, and sorry for the simple question. After a bunch of searching, I couldn’t quite solve it and I’m still in the early phases of learning C# …

I’d like the attached C# script to have the added functionality of an Interval input, allowing the count speed to be adjusted in ms – as in, for example, the attached Python component found here:

Internalize Timer in C# - Simple Counter

I made a comment on line 15 where one can set the update interval (I just hardcoded it back then for simplicity). Attached a version that exposes this as an input parameter and also slightly changes the logic to have a Run state boolean toggle and an explicit Reset button: 191228_GHPython_Timer_00.gh (4.5 KB) That certainly sounds pretty convoluted. Between the if "foo" not in globals() approach to creating persistent variables and the updateComponent() function, you can probably solve most…

Currently, the script simply counts up to a max value, and counts back down to 0 when reached (and back again) - this is good, but I’d like to slow it down and speed it up without having to overshoot the max and divide the output.

This post has given me a clue as it relates to the above, but I’m a bit stumped on how to bring this into to attached C# component:

Refresh and Redraw without Timer Component (C#)

You certainly can use a timer, just be sure that from within the Tick event you expire your component (by calling ExpireSolution(true) usually) and trigger a new solution. Then, when that solution starts, your SolveInstance() method will be invoked and you can assign new outputs. Do be careful about expiring components, this must be done on the UI thread, whereas a lot of timers will raise events on some other thread. Another approach is to schedule a solution. You can tell the document that yo…

Timer_UpDown.gh (7.5 KB)
for reference: 191228_GHPython_Timer_01.gh (5.2 KB)

[Mahdiyar]

private void RunScript(bool Run, bool Reset, int Interval, ref object Counter)
{
    if (Reset)
        _myCounter = 0;
    else if(Run)
    {
        _myCounter++;
        UpdateComponent(Interval);
    }
    Counter = _myCounter;
}

// <Custom additional code> 
int _myCounter = 0;
void UpdateComponent(int interval)
{
    GrasshopperDocument.ScheduleSolution(interval, doc => Component.ExpireSolution(false));
}
// </Custom additional code> 

InternalTimer.gh (4.9 KB)

[Nick_Bruscia]

This is helpful, and I’m sorry for the confusion. I’m looking to keep the C# script as-is, but add the interval functionality. I only posted the Python version as a reference for what I’d like to add, but I don’t want it to replace the max value input and the counting down once it’s reached.

[Mahdiyar]

Sorry I didn’t check the attached file.

private void RunScript(bool reset, bool run, int max, int interval, ref object A)
{
    if(reset) n = 0;
    else if(run)
    {
        n += increase ? 1 : -1;
        if(n == max || n == 0) increase = !increase;
        UpdateComponent(interval);
    }
    A = n;
}

// <Custom additional code> 
bool increase = true;
int n = 0;
void UpdateComponent(int interval)
{
    GrasshopperDocument.ScheduleSolution(interval, doc => Component.ExpireSolution(false));
}
// </Custom additional code> 

InternalTimer.gh (6.6 KB)

[Nick_Bruscia]

Ah, very nice. Thanks!!

[Nick_Bruscia]

Here’s an example for a use for this - for quick animations within the GH environment.
Edit - instability is fixed: “increase” needed to be set back to true when the reset button is pressed to avoid the value going negative if the button is pressed during a decrement.

WavyHyperboloid_v2 animate.gh (23.7 KB)