Wait() Command in C? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Marburg · 11-23-2003, 07:36 PM

(if this isn't an apropriate place to post this I appologise)

Ok here's the thing.
I'm one of those extreamly dorky kids who didn't have any computer related class in public school but learnt a few programming languages anyway.
So now that I'm finally in university (csci) first year has been a breeze.

Anyway, enough stupid background info.

I'm making a program that creates a silly little ascii graphic, but it's supposed to be animated and change (using clrscr() in the non-standard conio.h)

Here's my problem though. I want there to be a short delay in between each update of the picture. (so it doesn't flicker as an unconprehensibale speed)

What I'm looking for is a function something like

Code:

void wait(int time);

where time is the amout of time you want the program to wait untill it executes the next statement.

So far I'm just lagging the program with a horrible, horrible recursive function. It works rather well but it's an awful hack.

Any suggestions would please me to no end.

ps. please forgive the large amount of personal pronouns!

sprocket · 11-23-2003, 09:18 PM

This looks like what your looking for (if you are on unix or linux):

Quote:

SLEEP(3) Linux
Programmer's Manual SLEEP(3)

NAME

sleep - Sleep for the specified number of seconds

SYNOPSIS

#include <unistd.h>

unsigned int sleep(unsigned int seconds);

DESCRIPTION

sleep() makes the current process sleep until seconds seconds have elapsed or a signal arrives which is not ignored.

RETURN VALUE

Zero if the requested time has elapsed, or the number of seconds left
to sleep.

CONFORMING TO POSIX.1

BUGS

sleep() may be implemented using SIGALRM; mixing calls to alarm() and
sleep() is a bad idea.

Using longjmp() from a signal handler or modifying the handling of SIGALRM while sleeping will cause undefined results.

SEE ALSO

signal(2), alarm(2)

GNU 1993-04-07 SLEEP(3)

Im not much of a C programmer but i dont think windows would have unistd.h.

If your on windows check out MSDN:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...base/sleep.asp

charliex · 11-23-2003, 09:22 PM

windows has Sleep which is in millliseconds time.h iirc

also if you can't find a sleep you can nearly always find a clock
so all youd have to do is

start = clock();
{
diff = clock()-start;
}while(diff<1000);

while its pretty horrible in a multitasking os , if its all you have it'll work fine

clrscr and conio.h sounds like dos maybe ?

Marburg · 11-24-2003, 08:34 PM

Thanks for the the great info people!

I couldn't use the first tip since i'm coding in windows (for now)

But the second worked perfectly!
It was simple to make into a little function.
Wee!
/me is pleased

KnifeMissile · 11-25-2003, 12:21 AM

Umm, Sleep() is an MS Windows function. You can't use it?

I'd recommend Sleep() over a self-made busy wating routine, unless you're unconcerned about bogging down your processor...

Marburg · 11-25-2003, 01:47 PM

i'm attempting to avoid OS specific code though.

charliex · 11-25-2003, 02:14 PM

yeah as i said the testing loop is pretty bad in a multitasking os, but if you only use it in short bursts it'll be ok ( given that you can't use a thread dormant method)

in windows, the clock method would put you around 80% cpu usage, the Sleep method would put you in the < 15% which is normal system idle.

kel · 11-25-2003, 05:06 PM

There is a sleep function in the C standard library.
[EDIT] Oops... I'm wrong[/EDIT]

charliex · 11-25-2003, 07:31 PM

if you mean the ansi C stdlib then there isn't, theres no sleep, or delay.

N794 so its a little older but its not in newer versions either.
http://www.vmunix.com/~gabor/c/draft.html

you might be mistaking an add on sleep function added by an os or a compiler suite.

MS's version of sleep does pretty much the same as what i posted, last time i checked it.
[edit]
I rechecked MS's version of sleep which is _sleep, its basically a wrapper that calls Sleep, first checking to see if its a zero argument and then incrementing it.

often with MS's VC functions since they are quite often just ever so slightly different they add an _ but just as often theres a #define to set sleep to _sleep

11-23-2003, 07:36 PM	#1 (permalink)
Marburg Crazy Location: Nova Scotia, Canada	Wait() Command in C? (if this isn't an apropriate place to post this I appologise) Ok here's the thing. I'm one of those extreamly dorky kids who didn't have any computer related class in public school but learnt a few programming languages anyway. So now that I'm finally in university (csci) first year has been a breeze. Anyway, enough stupid background info. I'm making a program that creates a silly little ascii graphic, but it's supposed to be animated and change (using clrscr() in the non-standard conio.h) Here's my problem though. I want there to be a short delay in between each update of the picture. (so it doesn't flicker as an unconprehensibale speed) What I'm looking for is a function something like Code: void wait(int time); where time is the amout of time you want the program to wait untill it executes the next statement. So far I'm just lagging the program with a horrible, horrible recursive function. It works rather well but it's an awful hack. Any suggestions would please me to no end. ps. please forgive the large amount of personal pronouns! __________________ Ask a simple question... get pain.

11-24-2003, 08:34 PM	#4 (permalink)
Marburg Crazy Location: Nova Scotia, Canada	Thanks for the the great info people! I couldn't use the first tip since i'm coding in windows (for now) But the second worked perfectly! It was simple to make into a little function. Wee! /me is pleased __________________ Ask a simple question... get pain.

11-25-2003, 01:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
Marburg Crazy Location: Nova Scotia, Canada	i'm attempting to avoid OS specific code though. __________________ Ask a simple question... get pain.

11-25-2003, 05:06 PM	#8 (permalink)
kel WARNING: FLAMMABLE Location: Ask Acetylene	There is a sleep function in the C standard library. [EDIT] Oops... I'm wrong[/EDIT] __________________ "It better be funny" Last edited by kel; 11-25-2003 at 07:34 PM..

11-25-2003, 07:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
charliex Junkie Location: North Hollywood	if you mean the ansi C stdlib then there isn't, theres no sleep, or delay. N794 so its a little older but its not in newer versions either. http://www.vmunix.com/~gabor/c/draft.html you might be mistaking an add on sleep function added by an os or a compiler suite. MS's version of sleep does pretty much the same as what i posted, last time i checked it. [edit] I rechecked MS's version of sleep which is _sleep, its basically a wrapper that calls Sleep, first checking to see if its a zero argument and then incrementing it. often with MS's VC functions since they are quite often just ever so slightly different they add an _ but just as often theres a #define to set sleep to _sleep Last edited by charliex; 11-25-2003 at 09:08 PM..

11-23-2003, 09:22 PM	#3 (permalink)
charliex Junkie Location: North Hollywood	windows has Sleep which is in millliseconds time.h iirc also if you can't find a sleep you can nearly always find a clock so all youd have to do is start = clock(); { diff = clock()-start; }while(diff<1000); while its pretty horrible in a multitasking os , if its all you have it'll work fine clrscr and conio.h sounds like dos maybe ?

11-25-2003, 12:21 AM	#5 (permalink)
KnifeMissile Location: Waterloo, Ontario	Umm, Sleep() is an MS Windows function. You can't use it? I'd recommend Sleep() over a self-made busy wating routine, unless you're unconcerned about bogging down your processor...

11-25-2003, 02:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
charliex Junkie Location: North Hollywood	yeah as i said the testing loop is pretty bad in a multitasking os, but if you only use it in short bursts it'll be ok ( given that you can't use a thread dormant method) in windows, the clock method would put you around 80% cpu usage, the Sleep method would put you in the < 15% which is normal system idle.