MacPPP Timer is a utility application to be used with MacPPP that allows you to keep track of how much time you spend on your PPP account. MacPPP must be properly installed on your computer for it to work. MacPPP Timer requires System 7.0 or later.
What it does
When you launch by double-clicking, a small, draggable timer window appears under the Trash. When the timer window is dragged to a new position, the new position is saved and becomes the default position the next time the timer is launched. The blue numbers, on top, display the time for the current session, while the red numbers, below, record cumulative time. The cumulative time can display cumulative time for the current day, cumulative time for the month beginning on a day you select, or cumulative time since you last manually cleared the register. By default, the cumulative time keeps incrementing until you manually clear it. By clicking on the cumulative time in the timer window, the display will toggle between cumulative for the day ( displayed like this: 00:00:05 ) or cumulative total/month (displayed like this: 00:00:05 ). Cumulative times and other settings are automatically saved once per minute to provide some protection against loss of data should the computer crash during a timed session.
The Menus
You can initiate your MacPPP session either by selecting "Begin Session" from the MacPPP Timer file menu or by connecting using the MacPPP control panel. MacPPP Timer waits patiently until MacPPP signals that the connection is established, then begins to time your session. You can use the start of the timer to confirm that your connection is established. Selecting "End Session" from the File menu, breaks your PPP connection and turns the timer off. Selecting "Clear Monthly" will terminate your session and set monthly cumulative time to zero. Selecting "Clear Daily" will terminate your session and set daily cumulative time to zero. Selecting Preferences... will open the Preferences dialog (see below). Selecting "Quit," terminates your PPP session and quits the program. By default, MacPPP Timer always ends a session with hard close. However, a soft close option is provided in the Preferences Dialog.
The Preferences Dialog
If you check Auto Clear in the Preferences dialog, the cumulative time will automatically clear on the day of the month that you choose (first day of the month is the default). The Preferences dialog allows the day for Auto Clear to be changed and also displays the previous month's total usage. This is handy if you are billed by your provider by monthly usage and you want to know how much you have used. If "Auto Launch" is checked, MacPPP Timer will automatically signal MacPPP to connect to your currently configured host the next time you launch MacPPP Timer. If "Display Daily" is checked, the timer window will display the daily cumulative time by default each time you launch. Cumulative times can be cleared from the Preferences dialog. If "Close Window when Idle" is checked, the timer window will only appear when your PPP connection is active. If "Hide Hot Spots" is checked, the hot spots will not appear on the timer window. This is purely a cosmetic change and the hot spots will continue to function. I've found that new users prefer to have an indication of the hot spots on the window, while experienced users like the plain window. Now it's your choice. Finally, if "'End Session' with Soft Close" is checked, soft close will be used to terminate your session when "End Session" is chosen from the menu or when the lower left hot spot is clicked. "Quit" is always a hard close whether this option is checked or not. While soft close offers the convenience of opening and closing your PPP connection from a variety of other applications, it is also seems to be the source of spontaneous unintended connections to your internet provider. This could be an expensive problem if you aren't paying attention. So I recommend that you use this option with caution. Don't leave your computer running unattended for long periods if you use soft close. It may net surf without you!
The Preferences dialog has options that allow you to configure MacPPP Timer to suit your own style of use. Two styles are common:
Active:
MacPPP Timer is used as the primary means for establishing and terminating PPP sessions. The timer is opened and closed with each session. "Auto Launch" is often handy for this style of use since double-clicking on the timer also connects you to your internet provider automagically.
Passive:
MacPPP Timer is run passively in the background continuously to time sessions whenever they occur, but the PPP connection is usually made by another application (Mosaic, for example ). In this case, "Hide Window when Idle", and "'End Session' with Soft Close" make the application inconspicuous but there when you need it.
Shortcuts
There are four shortcuts to save trips to the menu bar. The timer window has four "Hot Spots" in the corners. The upper left Hot Spot, when clicked, will Begin a session. The lower left will End the session. The lower right will Quit. The upper right spot will open the Preferences dialog.
The Deal
MacPPP Timer is shareware. If you find that you use it a lot and feel that it is worth $5, by all means send it. If you feel like sending a nice letter or postcard, do that. If you want to send a shareware product of your own, please do! If you don't feel like sending anything, don't send anything. There are no annoying registration dialog boxes full of accusatory language getting in your face or anything like that.
Send your cash (best method outside the US), checks (US$ drawn on a US bank), postal money orders, postcards, letters, disks, bug reports, etc., to:
Eric Preston
23547 Clark Dr.
Philomath, OR 97370
USA
Internet email: ericpresto@aol.com
America Online: EricPRESTO
If you let me know your email address, I will acknowledge receipt of your shareware contribution.
Just for Fun
Have you ever wondered what night life is like in rural Oregon? This is your chance to find out. All users who register and provide an email address will receive a PICT file entitled, "Philomath at Night" by return email.
Also, Can you find the undocumented feature? There is an undocumented feature in v. 1.3. It is functional and not purely cosmetic. You do not need to open the program with ResEdit to find it. In fact, opening the program won't help at all. Let me know, if you think you've discovered it. Users who register get the answer.
Acknowledgements
Richard Buckle generously provided the code for the MacPPP interface and helped catch several bugs in earlier versions. If you have questions about the MacPPP interface, please contact Richard directly at: richardb@cocytus.demon.co.uk. Matt Train and Ryan Walker tested version .1ß. Frank Garcia found and reported the window bug in version 1.1. The window hot spots are courtesy of Florian. Richard Lesnick caught the preferences dialog bug in version 1.2. Randal Petersen provided icons that were the starting point for the icons in 1.3. Thanks to all for your help
Limitations on Distribution
MacPPP Timer is copyrighted to Eric Preston, 1995, and may not be sold or distributed for profit in any form, either with other products (commercial, shareware, or freeware), or in shareware/freeware collections sold for profit, without my prior written consent. MacPPP Timer may be distributed freely provided it is distributed in a non-profit manner, and is provided in its original unmodified form. However, please notify me if it is to be included in non-profit collection on disk, CD ROM, or other media.
Disclaimer
The author makes no warranties, either express or implied, regarding MacPPP Timer. Use of MacPPP Timer is at your own risk. The author claims no liability for data loss or other problems caused directly or indirectly by MacPPP Timer.
YetAnother Timer and InterSLIP Timer
If you do not use MacPPP, but otherwise have use for the features in MacPPP Timer, download YetAnother Timer from the Applications directory at info-mac or any of its mirrors. It has all of MacPPP Timer's features except the MacPPP interface. InterSLIP Timer has all of the features of MacPPP Timer, but with an InterSLIP interface. It can be found in the Communications/MacTCP directory.
Known Bugs and Incompatibilities
I've been alerted that a bug in MacPPP will cause MacPPP Timer to crash if you use the
MacTCP control panel to switch out of PPP while MacPPP Timer is running. A couple users have reported intermittent trouble closing the connection from MacPPP Timer. I'm not yet sure if this is a problem with the timer or with MacPPP. Two users have reported spontaneous auto-initiation of the connection and felt that MacPPP Timer might have been the culprit. I haven't been able to reproduce this and have put nothing in the code that should cause this to happen. In those cases where a cause could be identified, using soft close caused the problem. Trashing and then re-installing MacPPP sovled the problem. Use soft close with caution! MacPPP does seem to be full of tricks. Bug reports are welcome.
Version History
Version 1.0 ß- January 31, 1995.
Version 1.1 - February 5, 1995. First Public Release.
Version 1.1.1 - February 12, 1995. Fixed bug which caused window position not to be
saved after "Quit" from the File menu.
Version 1.1.2 - March 5, 1995. Fixed a bug which caused incorrect tally of cumulative
time on some systems.
Version 1.2 - April 20, 1995. Added daily cumulative timer. Enlarged "Hot Spots".
Cumulative time is now saved once per minute to minimize data loss if
a computer crash occurs during a session. Additional checking at startup
to make sure timer window is correctly placed on the current device.
Menu conforms with Apple Guidelines.
Version 1.2.1 - April 21, 1995. Fixed a bug in the preferences dialog which caused the
screen to be redrawn incorrectly when cumulative time was cleared.
Version 1.3 - June 2, 1995. Added Apple Event Support. Made Hot Spots responsive.
Added "Close Window When Idle,"Hide Hot Spots," and "'End Session' with
Soft Close" options. Made the event loop ~ 20 times more efficient.
