How to decrease a columns height smoothly with elapsed time

[glenn9]

Hi,

As part of a visual countdown timer project I'm trying to get my falling column to fall 'smoothly'. At the moment it decreases in height every second but in a very 'chunky' step like manner!

I've tried to experiment with subtracting milliseconds instead, but I'm tangling myself up in the logic and not getting anywhere!

Grateful for any help.

Code: Select all

repeat(field"Seconds")
      # Seconds is the countdown start time
      # tCol is the starting height of the column
      # tHt is the 'remaining' height of the column
      
      wait 1 second
      subtract 1/field"Seconds" * tHt from tCol
      set height of graphic"Col" to tCol
      set the bottom  of graphic "Col" to 50
      
   end repeat

(Not sure if I need to include all the code but will do if it helps)

[Klaus]

Hi glenn9,

well 1/whatever is always < 1, so that is surely not what you want!
And LC cannot handle "fractions" of pixels, but doesn't throw an error however if we use them!

The trick in these case is not to use a repeat loop, but use "send xxx in yyy" until the countdown ends.
To give an example, I need to know:
How long (in seconds) is your "countdown" supposed to be?
What is the height of your graphic before the countdown starts?


Best

Klaus

[dunbarx]

Hi.

Assuming you have a field "X", something like this?

Code: Select all

on mouseUp
   put the rect of fld "x" into tRect
   put  the bottom of fld "x" into tBot
   repeat until the height of fld "x" = 5
      set the height of fld "x" to height of fld "x" - 1
      set bottom of fld "x" to tBot
      wait 3
   end repeat
   set the rect of fld "x" to tRect
end mouseUp

Now this just runs. If you want to marry it to some other process, that is, when an element of that process goes in lockstep with the height of your control, you can just (pseudo):

Code: Select all

...
if one step occurs in yourProcess then set the height of fld "x" to height of fld "x" - 1
...

Craig

[Klaus]

HJi Craig,

"the rect" has no meaning in your script, this will work the same:

Code: Select all

on mouseUp
   ## put the rect of fld "x" into tRect
   put  the bottom of fld "x" into tBot
   repeat until the height of fld "x" = 5
      set the height of fld "x" to height of fld "x" - 1
      set bottom of fld "x" to tBot
      wait 3
   end repeat
   ## set the rect of fld "x" to tRect
end mouseUp

If we want to use the rect for this task, do like this:

Code: Select all

on mouseUp
   repeat
      if the height of fld "x" = 5 then
         exit repeat
      end if
      put the rect of fld "x" into tRect
      add 1 to item 2 of tRect
      set the rect of fld "x" to tRect
      wait 3 WITH MESSAGES
   end repeat
end mouseUp

Best

Klaus

[dunbarx]

Klaus.

Baby.

"the rect" has no meaning in your script,

What on earth can you mean? This isn't something from Humpty Dumpty, is it?

Craig

[dunbarx]

Oh, maybe I see what you had in mind.

I included that last line to restore the field to its original height. It does not have to be there, but surely has meaning.

Craig

[Klaus]

I included that last line to restore the field to its original height. It does not have to be there, but surely has meaning.

Oh, damn, so sorry, I must have missed that, not my day today...