═══ 1. What is Egg Timer/2? ═══

Egg Timer/2 does what it says. 

It counts down for a certain time, then completes one or more actions, eg beep, 
play a system sound in the background, execute a program, and/or pop up a 
reminder message. 

Set the minute and second spin buttons independently; maximum time is 60 
minutes and 60 seconds. 

The window is small enough to overlap the WarpCenter and therefore not 
interfere with running programs. 

Use the popup menu to select actions, or use command line parameters. 

The Go button starts countdown, and the Stop button stops countdown and resets 
initial time. 

This is not a replacement for a full chron program eg Egg Timer/2 does not 
allow you to start from a fixed time. 


═══ 2. Installation ═══

Requirements: 

   1. OS/2 PM Shell (tested only on Warp 4 with FixPak 12; should also work in 
      OS/2 2.x and Warp 3) 

   2. VROBJ v2.1d (available from many places including 
      http://www.powersoft.com/services/support/vxrexx/; you may already have 
      it) 

   3. REXX support (installed by default during OS/2 installation; just don't 
      delete it) 

   4. No real eggs necessary. :-) 

 How to install: 

   1. Unzip EGGTIMER.ZIP into an appropriate directory 

   2. There will be only 3 files: EGGTIMER.EXE, EGGTIMER.HLP, and README.TXT 

   3. You're ready to go! 

 Removing Egg Timer/2: :-( 

   1. Delete EGGTIMER.EXE, EGGTIMER.HLP and the README.TXT files 

   2. Remove the folder if you gave it one of its own 

   3. PLEASE send me an email to tell me why you don't like it any more! 


═══ 3. Copyright ═══

Copyright (C) January 2000 Christopher Angelico, Mount Waverley, Victoria, 
AUSTRALIA. All rights reserved. 

This program is released as emailware. Please send an email to 
talldad@pobox.com.au if you like it! 

This program comes only with this warranty: "If it breaks, you get to keep both 
pieces!" 

However, if you are having trouble, tell us and we may be able to fix it. 

Feel free to pass it on, spread it around, give it to anyone who needs an OS/2 
egg timer, but leave the ZIP file intact. 

If you think of an improvement, please let me know (talldad@pobox.com.au) and 
I'll try to include it. 

Successful suggestions win a prize - the next version is free! 

If you don't agree with this license, return the entire .ZIP file unopened for 
a full refund. :-) 


═══ 4. Using Egg Timer/2 ═══

Basic usage: 

   1. Start the program by double-clicking the executable to show a window in 
      the center of the screen. 

   2. Set the time to count down by adjusting the spin buttons for minutes and 
      seconds. 

   3. RMB click anywhere on the window to popup a menu 

   4. Select the actions to perform after countdown 

          Close program - for one time use 

          Beep - played through the internal speaker 

          Play .WAV - select a .WAV file from system sounds (requires MMOS2 
           and multimedia support) 

          Message - type a message in the box to be displayed as a reminder 
           when the time is up 

   5. Press Go to start the countdown (button changes to Stop) 

   6. Click Stop to reset the timer and cancel countdown 

 Advanced usage: 

   1. Create a program object for EggTimer.EXE, giving it a name appropriate to 
      your requirements, eg BBS Dialer, AntiVirus Scan, Children's Bedtime, or 
      Phone Home. 

   2. Set the Command Line Parameters. 

   3. Put the object in a handy place ready for use. Try Desktop, LaunchPad, or 
      WarpCenter. 

 Multiple objects can be created and used simultaneously without interfering 
 with each other. 

 However, responding to the actions is still up to you. 
 IF THIS DOESN'T SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS, DON'T BLAME ME! :-) 

 Example parameters for Advanced method: 

  20:0 GO MSG="Children's Bedtime!" QUIT

 will wait 20 minutes (20:0), starting immediately without showing the window 
 (GO), then will open a reminder box saying Children's Bedtime! (MSG="..."), 
 and close the program (QUIT). 

 Example 2: 

  OSACTION="START MYPROGRAM MYPARAMETERS" 0:50 QUIT GO

 Put this into the Startup folder to start a program which must wait for 
 everything else. 50 seconds after Egg Timer/2 starts, MYPROGRAM will be 
 STARTed; by then everything else will have completed initialisation. 


═══ 4.1. Command Line Parameters ═══

Any of these, in any order: 

 Parameter                          Meaning 
 min:sec                            Initial countdown time; if omitted, 
                                    defaults to 1 second (rarely useful). 
                                    Fixed format is required - 
                                    {min}{colon}{sec} 
 OSACTION="command string"          OS/2 command string or executable program 
                                    name; parameters can be passed. Prefix 
                                    batch file name with CALL. 
 RXACTION="REXX string"             REXX command string. Take care - you can do 
                                    a lot of damage here! 
 GO                                 Immediately begin counting down. When 
                                    selected, window is minimised. 
 MSG="string"                       Pop up text message as reminder. 
 QUIT                               Close after timer expires 

 Note:  "CALL PLAY FILE=wav_file_name" in either ACTION parameter plays a WAV 
 file. All actions are executed when the timer finishes its countdown. 

 If a program or file is not found when you call an OSACTION, check the 
 following: 

   1. Is it in the expected path? For executables, this includes directories in 
      the CONFIG.SYS PATH statement; for data files check the program's 
      documentation - it may use the DPATH. 

   2. For safety, use a fully qualified path. This is foolproof if you get it 
      right. 

   3. The working directory for programs started by Egg Timer is the same as 
      for Egg Timer itself. If you are working from a program object, set the 
      Working Directory to suit. 

  CAUTION:
 All parameters are CASE SENSITIVE. 


═══ 5. The Egg Timer display ═══

This is where you interact with Egg Timer. 

The window consists of the following: 

     Seconds spin button 

     Minutes spin button 

     Go button 

     Stop button 


═══ 5.1. Minutes spin button ═══

Select the number of minutes to time - 0 to 60. 

See also: 

     Seconds spin button 

     Go button 

     Command Line Parameters 


═══ 5.2. Seconds spin button ═══

Select the number of seconds to time - 0 to 60. 

See also: 

     Minutes spin button 

     Go button 

     Command Line Parameters 


═══ 5.3. Go button ═══

Pressing the Go button starts the timing, and replaces Go with Stop. 

Note:  Be sure to select an action (either with command line parameters, or 
with the popup menu) before the timer expires! Otherwise nothing will appear to 
have happened. 

See also: 

     Minutes spin button 

     Seconds spin button 

     Stop button 


═══ 5.4. Stop button ═══

Pressing the Stop button stops the timing, replaces Stop with Go, and restores 
the initial time. 

See also: 

     Minutes spin button 

     Seconds spin button 

     Go button