More Clocks
Version 2.5, december 1st, 2002.
© Luc Regnault 2002, luc.regnault@wanadoo.fr
http://regnault.luc.free.fr/

Introduction:
More Clocks came from my personal interest in Apple's new operating system, Mac OS X, and also my interest in the new tools provided by Apple to developers. I was able to learn about Cocoa while making this little freeware program. After ten years of experience with Macintosh software development, including commercial software (Photofix, ©Microspot Ltd.), and professional solutions (Monitor Expert Calibrator, ©Alwan Color Expertise), I hope to share with you my enthusiasm for an Apple renaissance.
By developing this small application, I have had as much fun as I had when I used a Mac for the first time in 1984, and when I had first started programming for the Mac in 1991. This app shows the abundance of features and the new graphics abilities in Apple's Mac OS X. This little app is written in pure Cocoa!

Features of Version 2.5:
More Clocks tells the time with different types of clocks. It has a multi-alarms feature, and a multi countdown clock. Alarms can be used with any clock. More Clocks contains also a perpetual calendar, and a time zones window list. Any of this functionalities are available through the status bar clock icon in the menubar. This icon shows you the time and the presence of alarms. Numerical clocks can be presented as 24 hours or 12 hours am/pm clocks. Analog clocks with or without seconds needle. In this version, it's possible to remove the dock's icon and the menubar.

New Features of Version 2.5:
- No menubar and no dock icon
An option in the preference dialog give you the possibility to remove the menubar and the dock icon. Once you have checked the checkbox, you must restart the application in order to make this option work (Not the system !!! Restart only the application....). In this case, you can use two new pop-menus in the calendar window to access all the functionalities of More Clocks. To access the calendar, click on the menubar icon.
- Adjustment of Time Zones Clocks
In the time zones window, it's possible now to adjust precisely time zone at your special need, with the small up and down arrows.
- Seconds Needle suppression
There is a new option in the clock options dialog to remove the seconds needle of the analog clocks.
- Countdown clocks.
This function works better, and can be adjust now up to 24 hours in the preference dialog. 

New Features of Version 2.1 :
- Countdown clock.
This clock could be run from the "Options" menu. You can run as many countdown clock as you want. The countdown setup can be done trought the preferences dialog. At the end of countdown, the clock beeps three times with the system sound. You can cancel at anytime the countdown by clicking on the gray cross icon.

New Features of Version 2.0 :
- Status (Menu) Bar Icon.
This new icon is very important because it is directly accessible all the time. This icon could be (de)activated in the preference dialog. Activated, it shows you the time. If an alarm is active, the icon is colorized in blue. Without alarm the icon is black and white. This icon gives you direct access to four important functions. One click on it shows you the calendar. One click on it + ctrl key down opens a new alarm dialog. One click + ctrl and alt keys opens the alarm list window. One click + uppercase key shows you the time zones window list. When one of these windows is opened, the same combination of click and keys closes the window. All this windows are also accessible through the "Option" menu or the Dock menu.
- Perpetual Calendar.
This calendar is accessible through the menu "Options" or by the status icon shortcut. It shows you the time, month by month, with detailed informations on a selected day, day of year, week of year. You can come back to today with the "Today" button.
- List of Alarms.
This window allow you to create, visualize, edit and erase alarms. Each alarm is presented with its text, its time, and its sound. (R) means repetitive. To edit one alarm, select it in the list and push the "Edit" button.
- Time Zones.
This window show you four time zones simultaneously. To change a time zone, simply select a zone inside the list and push one of the four buttons "Set".
- Numerical format 24h or 12h am/pm.
Each numerical clock can be set to show 24h or 12h am/pm format. Select this option in the "Options" clock dialog or into the contextual menu of each clock (ctrl click on the clock itself).

Clocks:
You can change a clock at any time by choosing another one in the "Clocks Style" menu. You can also choose a clock with the "Clocks Drawer," available in the same menu. Each clock can be personalized with the "Options" dialog in the same menu.
It is possible to personalize the size, the orientation, the color, the transparency, and the font of each clock. These settings are also available through contextual menus on the clock, or on the application icon in the Dock.
Each clock has its own defaults. The clocks can float or can be iconized in the Dock by changing the settings in the application preferences, available by selecting "Preferences" in the application menu.

The Alarms:
The settings for each alarm are available by selecting "Alarm" from the "Options" menu, and also through the contextual menu of the Dock icon. From here, you can set a time for the alarm to sound. When the alarm sounds, you'll see a floating color strip, with the text and sound effect you specified.
You set an alarm time by clicking on "At Time" field, or by clicking on one of the "Now+some time" buttons.
To deactivate an alarm, you must open the alarm list and delete it. To deactivate (delete) an alarm when it comes on the screen, you must click on the color strip while holding down the  key. If you click on the strip without the  key, the alarm will sound again one minute later.
You can choose any sound effect that is stored in the AIFF format. You must place your favorite alarm sound in one of the two following directories: /System/Library/Sounds or ~/Library/Sounds. Sound files must have an .aiff extension. Using iTunes you can import any CD track into the AIFF format, and put the file in one of the above directories, after changing the extension from .aif to .aiff.

Preferences:
Inside the preferences dialog, you can choose "Floating" to have the clock "float" over the Mac OS X desktop, or "In Dock" to display a clock in the Dock. If you selected "Floating," you can anchor it by checking the "Anchored Clock" box, which will keep the clock from moving if you click in it. If this is turned on, you can move it only by clicking on it with the  key held down simultaneously.
You can choose wich day start the week, sunday or monday.
You can hide the clock icon in the menu bar, but don't forget that this icon is very usefull to give you direct access to almost every important functionalities.

Misc.:
You can "Drag and Drop" clocks from the Clock's Drawer. Since you can change the size, font, and color of every clock this way, feel free to try it. By doing this, you can obtain more than one thousand different kinds of clocks.
I would be pleased to have some feedback.

Distribution:
This freeware is provided "as is" without any warranties. It is free to distribute and is the property of Luc Regnault, Valence, France, <luc.regnault@wanadoo.fr>.

Any free distribution of this software by a commercial company is permitted, but only with the permission of Luc Regnault <luc.regnault@wanadoo.fr>. The sale of this software is forbidden.

More Clocks
Horloges Plus
© 2002 Luc Regnault, <luc.regnault@wanadoo.fr>.

ps: This software is dedicated to my wife Joëlle, and my four children.