XTimer Help

Most help topics are also covered in the online help, available via the
Apple menu when XTimer is in front.

What is XTimer?

XTimer is a timer for calculating time based charges.
The idea began with a desire to keep track of expenses while using
extended service areas of CompuServe (CIS); I set off to make
an "ex" timer.  Later, I expanded the idea to include users of
different online services, such as  America Online (AOL), and Prodigy.
CompuServe no longer maintains areas called "extended service areas,"
it has adopted a format similar to  AOL these days, which is all the more
reason to have an XTimer!

Now all users can automatically track time & expenses!
See, "XTimer Auto-Tracking & XTimer Spy," for details.

I also thought a generic "X" timer might be useful to keep track of
long distance charges, for billing a client, or some other need.  To
make XTimer an  "X" timer,  I gave it the flexibility to be shaped
for many different kinds of usage.

For easiest access, XTimer fits well on the Apple menu, just place it in
the Apple Menu Items folder in your System folder. Note: Inserting a space
before its name will make it appear higher up in the menu list. You can
also create an alias of XTimer and place it on your desktop, if you really
want quick and easy access.

How XTimer is Different From Other Timers

The controls are like any standard timer, but the time shown is a little
different. The time shown is the time you've been charged for, each minute
or part of a minute counts as a full minute. This is the way most time based
charges are calculated. The seconds left in the current minute being charged
to you, before the next minute will be charged, are shown as an added help.

XTimer allows you to switch between a larger, maximized size timer, and
a smaller, minimized size timer. You can switch between the timers by
choosing Minimize or Maximize from the File menu, or by clicking in the
grow box of either timer's window. Hold the option key down while clicking
in the grow box to show or hide the "Current Rate Total."

The "Current Rate Total" is the total of the time on the timer added to the
time stored in the log for the current rate.

On the maximized timer, only, you can toggle the display to show the total
of the charges, instead, by clicking on the text that says "Current Rate
Total," or on the total itself.

The minimized "stoplight" version of the timer, lets you save desktop
space, while retaining most of the functionality of the timer. Use the green
light to start (G button in B&W), red to stop (S in B&W), and the
yellow button to reset (R in B&W).  The tiny button with the letter "P" on
it is the pause button.

Click on the black part of the stoplight (not on the buttons) to see a pop-up
window displaying the name of the currently selected rate.

Double-click on the Time Charged or the Current Rate Total, on the
mini-timer, to shrink it down to that total alone. Double-click again to
expand it back to normal.

Some preference settings affect what XTimer does when you Start, Stop, or
Reset the timer. (See "XTimer General Preferences"  for more information.)
The Pause button (the tiny square button with the letter "P," on the
mini-timer) was added to allow you to stop the timer from advancing, while
preventing the seconds from being rounded off by certain items you may have
checked in your preferences. This is handy when you are entering or leaving
free areas of an online service.  Since your session hasn't ended, you don't
want the seconds rounded yet, but you do want to be able to stop and start the
timer. (See"How Do I Total My Online Charges"  for more  information about
tracking online charges.) When Pause is on, XTimer will display a blinking
bullet indicator.

XTimer can log up to 100 hours, after that it will turn over to zero.

Using XTimer's Auto-Launcher

The Auto-Launcher is configured under the Settings menu.
After selecting "Auto-Launcher…" from the menu, follow the on screen
directions to choose up to 7 applications for XTimer to place on the
Launch menu. Select any application on the Launch menu, and XTimer
will automatically launch that application. XTimer also allows you to
select control panels, like Config PPP, or documents.

XTimer can launch any of those items automatically, whenever you
launch XTimer, if you choose. Holding down the <option> key when
launching XTimer, until you see the timer, will temporarily
disable that feature.

If you use FreePPP or MacPPP the last item on the Launch menu
allows you to Open/Close your PPP connection from XTimer.

Setting Charge Rates

The charge rates are pre-set to CIS, AOL, and Prodigy rates, current as
of the release date, in U.S. currency. The last rate is set to ISP for
Internet Service Provider.  The charge per hour is left blank.

(If you are using XTimer under a currency system that does not use the
dollar, the charge rates per hour will be set to zero, and you will need to
set them according to the rate used in your currency system.)

XTimer localizes its currency formatting according to your system
settings, unless you un-check the box to localize the currency format,
in your preferences.  XTimer defaults to the U.S. format if you choose
not to localize the currency format.

Whatever format you are using, you can easily set the charge rates to
whatever you like by selecting Charge Rates under the Settings menu.
For all rates, you may enter your own rate description, up to
25 characters.

The maximum charge allowed per hour is 100000, of any currency.

If you bill clients at a standard rate, and find that you are always
changing the names, but not the charge per hour, the "Set Default Charge..."
option, available where you set charge rates, allows you to create a default
rate charge, which you can assign as the charge per hour for any rate.
To assign the default charge per hour to a rate, type "D" or "d" where you
would normally enter the charge per hour. XTimer will fill in the default
charge rate for you. XTimer remembers which items are marked with
the default charge, so when you change the default charge rate, those items
are adjusted automatically.

Set rates you are not using to "Unused," automatically, by typing
<ctrl> + U (or small "u") in the space for the rate name. This will also set
the charge per hour to zero.  You may want to do this to prevent printing
or saving as text log information for rates, which you are not using.
See"Viewing the Log, Saving As Text, & Appending,"   for more on "Unused"
rates. 

Important Reminder: Logged charges are always calculated based on the
current setting of a rate's charge per hour.

Use Option-R to toggle the window title of the larger timer window between
"XTimer" and the name of the currently selected rate.

How Do I Total My Online Charges

Most online services calculate hourly charges by totaling all of the times
from a session (from log on, to log off) that you spent in areas where there
were hourly charges. The total time is then rounded. If a partial minute is
left, it is counted as a full minute, i.e., a charge for 10 minutes 34 seconds
is counted as 11 minutes.

You can round your time likewise, at the end of a session, by clicking the
"Round" button, on the timer.

Using XTimer with MacCIM™, AOL and Other Programs 

The best way to use XTimer with MacCIM, AOL and other communications
applications, is to click XTimer's Start button during the latter part of the
connection cycle.  XTimer activates on the first click, so you won't have to
click once to activate its window, and once more to start the timer. After
clicking Start, click back in one of CIM's or AOL's windows, or whatever
communications program you are using, to bring it back to the front; or
let the Auto-Return feature do it for you!  XTimer should Start as soon as
the connection is complete.

It may be a few seconds before XTimer gets processing time, to allow it to
update the time shown, but it should still record the time that lapsed
accurately.

Using MacCIM: Start the timer when you see the phrase "Waiting to
establish protocol" appear. Pause the timer when transferring to a free
area. Stop the timer immediately after selecting to disconnect.

Using AOL's online software:  Try starting the timer at Step 7, when
connecting, click Pause when transferring to a free area, click Stop
just after selecting Sign Off.

For information about Auto-Tracking and XTimer Spy,
See "XTimer Auto-Tracking & XTimer Spy."

Marking the Auto-Return feature, on the larger timer window, keeps the
windows from other programs active, available and ready to use, even
after you click on XTimer's controls.

XTimer Auto-Tracking & XTimer Spy

Now, all users have access to XTimer's powerful Auto-Tracking features.
Unregistered users will still have to put up with the shareware reminders
until registered.

SEND IN YOUR REGISTRATION TODAY!

Auto-Tracking is available for America Online, CompuServe and MacPPP,
or FreePPP, as the case may be.

XTimer Spy
XTimer Spy is an extension that tracks time spent on CIS (if you are
using the CIM program) and  AOL automatically*, with the exception
that CIS users still need to Pause and Start the timer manually when
entering or leaving Free service areas. XTimer Spy also tracks time
on America Online and CompuServe when you access using the Claris
Emailer program. More information about Emailer tracking can be
found in "The Rate Switcher" section of the XTimer Help - Part B.

* If you are using an older version of your online service's software,
you may need to upgrade in order to take advantage of this extension.

Installing XTimer Spy:
Place it in your Extensions folder, in your System folder.  It will not be
loaded until you restart. If you already have an older version of XTimer
Spy installed, trash it, before you install the new extension.

You must be using XTimer 1.6 or greater for XTimer Spy to
communicate with XTimer.

FreePPP/MacPPP Auto-Tracking
XTimer tracks FreePPP/MacPPP connection time automatically, starting
and stopping when your connection is Up or Down, unless you check the
box in your General Preferences, "Auto-Tracking Off."  XTimer will even
Open and Close your PPP connection for you via the Launch menu.

The XTimer Spy extension is not needed if you are only interested in
Auto-Tracking FreePPP/MacPPP time.

How Auto-Tracking Works:
You still have to launch XTimer and have it out when you log onto your
service, but now you don't have to press Start, Stop or Pause; XTimer will
do it automatically. You might find it quite convenient to check the boxes
for Round Before Add/Save, and Auto-Add Time To Log, in your General
Preferences. Let XTimer do all the work!

Be sure to un-check the "Auto-Tracking Off" box, in your General
Preferences to enable Auto-Tracking.

Limitations:
It isn't possible for me to be 100% accurate, to the second, recording time
online, without having a direct link to your particular service provider's
computers, signaling when they start and stop charging you.  XTimer
makes its best effort to be exact.  If XTimer is off by a large amount of
time in recording sessions, I'd like to hear about it.  If it is merely a
matter of seconds, there probably isn't much I can do to overcome it.

AOL users should note that XTimer Spy depends on information received
from the software to tell it when you enter and leave free areas.  There
are circumstances when AOL's software is not consistent, and it may not
display the dialog asking you if you wish to enter or leave a free area. In
those cases, XTimer Spy will not know that you have entered or left a free
area. This is an exception to the rule, however, in most circumstances
you should not experience this problem.  One example of this occurring is
when you close all open windows and then leave a free service area,
America Online's software fails to post the usual dialog.

Holding the mouse button down during startup will prevent XTimer Spy
from loading.

Setting, Saving, Restoring, and Adding Times

You can Set  the time on the timer to whatever you need, by choosing
"Set Time" from the File menu.

You may also:

     Save  the time on the timer as the total time charged for any rate.
     Restore  a time saved in the Log, from any rate, to the timer.
     Add  the time on the timer to charges already logged to any rate.

All of these options are available under the File menu.

If your preference settings do not allow multiple selections, the rate
currently chosen under the Rate menu comes up as the default selection
when Adding or Saving a time to the Log. You may choose a different rate
or the default. If you choose a rate different from the current rate, the
rate you choose becomes the new current rate.

If you check the preference setting to allow multiple selections when
Adding or Saving a time, no rate is pre-selected. You can choose any
or all of the Rates, as you like. The current rate will not be effected by
your choices.

The current rate is selected by default when you choose "Restore Time
From…"  from the File menu. If you choose a different rate to restore
the time from, that rate becomes the current rate.

Saving or Adding a time to the Log does not effect the time on the timer,
except for rounding, or resetting the time, if you check those settings in
your preferences or use keyboard commands to round or reset the time.
You must use the Restore command, on the File menu, to put a time
stored in the log back on the timer.

Modifying Logged Times

You may want to "tweak" times in the log, by adding to or subtracting time
from them.  To do this, first, set the current rate, via the Rate menu, to the
rate whose logged time is the one you want to modify. Select "Modify Logged
Time" from the File menu, to add or subtract from the time logged for the
current rate.  XTimer will not let you subtract more time than has been
logged, or exceed the maximum time the timer can log for a rate.

Clearing the times in the log is as simple as selecting "Clear Time Of..."
from the File menu, and choosing the Rates that you want to clear.

Automatic Log Clearing

Choose "Log Clearing…," under the Settings menu, to configure XTimer to
automatically clear the logged time for rates on a certain day each month.

Example:  Your billing cycle begins on the 10th, every month.

Check the box(es) next to the appropriate rate(s) associated with that
billing cycle. Set the day of the month to clear the log to day 10.

Some CompuServe users may need to have the log cleared following the last
Saturday of the month. Those users should set the day number to 100. This
will tell XTimer to clear that rate's total after the last Saturday of the
month.

Check the appropriate setting and XTimer will prompt you to save a copy of
the log before it clears times.

Viewing the Log, Saving As Text, & Appending

You can review your charges and times charged for by selecting "View Log,"
from under the File menu. Times saved are shown in the format HH:MM:SS.
Totals of your charges and times are shown for you at the bottom of the log
screen.

Choose  "Save Log As Text..." or "Append Log To…" from the File menu to
create a text copy of the log.  XTimer will ask you to save or append the log
as text in standard format  or as tab Delimited  text. Tab delimited text
may be exported to database files, for use with programs such as
FileMaker Pro®. See "Saving and Appending Log As Tab Delimited  Text,"
for more information.

Use a mono-spaced font, such as Monaco, to view and/or print text copies
of the Log. TeachText, by default uses the font Geneva, which is a
proportionally spaced font. The alignment of the log columns will be off,
if you use a font that isn't mono-spaced. You may want to select your own
text file creator in the General Preferences, under the Settings menu.

If you are still using TeachText, you should look for a copy of SimpleText.
SimpleText is Apple's replacement for TeachText, that allows many
different fonts to be used, as well as formatted text. SimpleText is
available publicly, on major online services, and local BBS's.
 
You can keep all your text copies of the log in a single file by choosing
"Append Log To…," from the File menu, and choosing a previously saved
text copy of the log to append your new copies of the log to.

You may want to save your text files without the log's usual header, when
you are appending files together. To do this, hold down the option key, while
you pull down the File menu, and select "Append Log To… ."

To prevent saving as text rates that are not in use, set the names of
those rates to "Unused" (without the quotes). They will be excluded when
the text is saved.

Note: In your General Preferences, you can mark a setting to have the log
cleared automatically after you save or append the log as text.

Saving and Appending Log As Tab Delimited Text

This feature will help you create monthly log reports, or create any other
kind of report from your log information, by allowing you to export it into
a database file, which you can set up using your own database utility
program, such as FileMaker Pro®. 

To export log information to a database file, create a tab delimited text copy
of the log. To do this, just check the button in the Save or Append dialog next
to where it says "Tab-delimited," when you save or append copies of the log.

With your database program create a new database file using this format:

Field                          Format 
Rate                            Text
Charges                      Number
Time Charged             Time
Date                            Date

Once you have created this new database file, you can import data from tab
delimited text files created by XTimer, using the appropriate options;
which should be available in your database program.

Consult your program's manual if you're not familiar with how to import
data from a tab delimited text file into your database file. 

The Notify Menu

It seemed practical to me, that it would be really nice to have a warning, or
a Notice, when a certain amount of (x) time has passed, without having to
keep an eagle eye on the timer. The Notify menu is set up for this purpose.

The times on the menu represent interval times. For instance, if you set a
Notice to come at 10 minutes,  your Notice will arrive at the next 10 minute
interval, i.e., at 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and so on. The
Notices will then continue to come at 10 minute intervals. If you un-check
the menu item, "Repeating Notices," on the Notify menu, you will receive
only one Notice at the first interval, then XTimer will stop.

You can choose, "Set Other Time...," to set your own interval length,
then choose "Other" as the interval to receive Notices at that interval.

When you select the interval, the interval time is calculated to
prevent the next notice from coming in the minute you are on, or the
next minute if it will start within a second or less. This prevents
you from getting a notice too soon when you select the interval time.   

If you check the box "Send Notices Early," your Notices will come at the
beginning of the minute, rather than at the end.

XTimer can calculate the correct interval based on different starting
times. You can choose to have the next interval time calculated based on
the time you first started the timer (from zero), from the time you last
started, or if the timer is running, from the current time on the timer.

When calculated from the last start time; if the timer has, for example,
5 minutes of charges already built up when started, and the interval is
10 minutes, the notices would be sent at 15 minutes, 25 minutes, 35
minutes, and so on.

If you wish to set the next interval from the current time while the
timer is running, and you don't want to stop the timer, select 
"From Last START," on the Notify menu, then choose "START NOW."
The "Last START" time will be set to the current minute.

Under "General Preferences" in the Settings menu, you can choose to
skip the dialog screen that appears when notices are sent. You may also
choose to have a cash register sound played instead of the system beep.

Technical concerns you should be aware of:

When sending Notices with a dialog that must be responded to, XTimer
uses a part of the operating system called, "The Notification Manager."
The System doesn't seem to provide a way to time-out Notices sent to
users via the Notification Manager.  When a Notice with a dialog is
posted, running applications must pause and wait for the user to
respond to the dialog. If you leave XTimer running unattended, be sure
and check the box in your preferences, "Skip Dialog With Notices," to
prevent Notices from interfering with the operation of running
applications.

Exception:  After Dark alters the way the System handles Notices sent
to the Notification Manager.  In order to keep itself running, it accepts
Notices in place of the user when it is in front, and creates a copy of the
Notice, which it sends when the user takes back control of the computer.
The result is,  XTimer is fooled into believing the user has seen and
responded to the Notice, so it keeps sending Notices.  This can result in
your receiving multiple Notices all at once, when you pull out of your
screensaver. I have yet to hear from Berkeley Systems about solving
this problem.  I cannot remove messages from the System queue in the
manner After Dark does, due to technical differences between control
panels and applications.

The Auto-Return Feature

Check this box on the maximized timer, to cause XTimer to automatically
return control to the program you were previously using, after you
click on XTimer, to Start, Stop, Pause, or Reset the timer. This way,
you can control XTimer without having to reactivate  other programs 
afterwards.  You can also use the minimized timer pop-up rate display,
and XTimer will still return you back to the program you were using,
afterwards. XTimer can be brought to the front with Auto-Return on by:
un-clicking Auto-Return, by clicking on the window title bar, by
clicking in the timer window where no controls are located, or by selecting
XTimer from the Application (Finder) menu.

More XTimer Help Follows…
In The Chapter, "XTimer Help - Part 2"
 
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