timer.h File Reference

Provides timing functionality for cooldowns, fire rates, animations, and other time-based features. More...

#include <SDL.h>
#include <stdbool.h>

Go to the source code of this file.

Classes
struct	Timer
	The Timer struct used to keep track of time. More...

Typedefs
typedef struct Timer	Timer
	The Timer struct used to keep track of time.

Functions
Timer *	Timer_Create (float duration)
	Creates a new timer with the specified duration.
void	Timer_Start (Timer *timer)
	Starts the timer.
bool	Timer_IsFinished (Timer *timer)
	Checks if the timer is finished.
float	Timer_GetTimeLeft (Timer *timer)
	Gets the time left on the timer.
bool	Timer_IsInProgress (Timer *timer)
	Checks if the timer is in progress.
void	Timer_Destroy (Timer *timer)
	Destroys the timer and frees its memory.

Detailed Description

Provides timing functionality for cooldowns, fire rates, animations, and other time-based features.

Timer has many different uses - for cooldowns, fire rates, animations, etc. Right now, it's just a simple timer that can only be started, but not paused or stopped.

The way you use the timer is by creating a Timer object, setting its duration, and starting it. You can check if the timer is finished or in progress by using Timer_IsFinished() and Timer_IsInProgress().

Cooldown System Example

Usage in a cooldown system

void foo() {
    static Timer* cooldown = NULL;          // Make sure this is static
 
    if (cooldown != NULL) {                 // Check there's a cooldown timer in progress
        if (Timer_IsFinished(cooldown)) {
            Timer_Destroy(cooldown);        // Destroy the cooldown timer if it's finished
                                            // This is important to prevent memory leaks    
            cooldown = NULL;
        } else {
            return;                         // Return if the cooldown is still in progress
        }
    }    
 
    // Do something that requires a cooldown
 
    cooldown = Timer_Create(1); // 1 second cooldown
    Timer_Start(cooldown); // Start the cooldown
}

Author

Mango

Date

2025-03-02

Typedef Documentation

Timer

typedef struct Timer Timer

The Timer struct used to keep track of time.

Used for cooldowns, delays, etc. It has a start time, an elapsed time, a duration, and flags to check if the timer is in progress or finished.

Function Documentation

Timer_Create()

Timer * Timer_Create

(

float

duration

)

Creates a new timer with the specified duration.

Parameters

duration

The duration of the timer in seconds.

Returns

A pointer to the newly created timer.

Creates a new timer with the specified duration.

Allocates and initializes a new timer with the given duration. The timer starts in a stopped state and must be started with Timer_Start().

Parameters

duration

The duration of the timer in seconds

Returns

Timer* Pointer to the newly created timer

Timer_Destroy()

void Timer_Destroy

(

Timer *

timer

)

Destroys the timer and frees its memory.

Parameters

timer

The timer to destroy.

Destroys the timer and frees its memory.

Parameters

timer

Pointer to the timer to destroy

Timer_GetTimeLeft()

float Timer_GetTimeLeft

(

Timer *

timer

)

Gets the time left on the timer.

Parameters

timer

The timer to check.

Returns

The time left in seconds.

Gets the time left on the timer.

Returns how many seconds are left before the timer completes. Returns 0 if the timer is not running or has already finished.

Parameters

timer

Pointer to the timer to check

Returns

float Time left in seconds, or 0 if the timer is not running

Timer_IsFinished()

bool Timer_IsFinished

(

Timer *

timer

)

Checks if the timer is finished.

Parameters

timer

The timer to check.

Returns

true if the timer is finished, false otherwise.

Checks if the timer is finished.

A timer is finished when Current Time - Timer start time > Timer duration. If the timer is not running, returns the cached finished state.

Parameters

timer

Pointer to the timer to check

Returns

bool True if the timer has finished, false otherwise

Timer_IsInProgress()

bool Timer_IsInProgress

(

Timer *

timer

)

Checks if the timer is in progress.

Parameters

timer

The timer to check.

Returns

true if the timer is in progress, false otherwise.

Checks if the timer is in progress.

Checks if the timer is in the "in progress" state.

Parameters

timer

Pointer to the timer to check

Returns

bool True if the timer is in progress, false otherwise

Timer_Start()

void Timer_Start

(

Timer *

timer

)

Starts the timer.

Parameters

timer

The timer to start.

Starts the timer.

Sets the start time to the current time and marks the timer as in progress. If the timer was already running, this will restart it.

Parameters

timer

Pointer to the timer to start