# Timer

VTKExamples/Cxx/Utilities/Timer

### Description

This example demonstrates how to use a timer with an interactor. It outputs a count every specified interval.

### Code

Timer.cxx

    #include <vtkSmartPointer.h>
    #include <vtkCommand.h>
    #include <vtkRenderer.h>
    #include <vtkRendererCollection.h>
    #include <vtkRenderWindow.h>
    #include <vtkRenderWindowInteractor.h>

    class vtkTimerCallback : public vtkCommand
    {
      public:
        static vtkTimerCallback *New()
        {
          vtkTimerCallback *cb = new vtkTimerCallback;
          cb->TimerCount = 0;
          return cb;
        }

        virtual void Execute(vtkObject *vtkNotUsed(caller), unsigned long eventId,
                             void *vtkNotUsed(callData))
        {
          if (vtkCommand::TimerEvent == eventId)
          {
            ++this->TimerCount;
          }
            cout << this->TimerCount << endl;
        }

      private:
        int TimerCount;

    };

    int main(int, char *[])
    {
      // Setup renderer, render window, and interactor
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer> renderer =
        vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderer>::New();
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow> renderWindow =
        vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindow>::New();
      renderWindow->AddRenderer(renderer);
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindowInteractor> interactor =
          vtkSmartPointer<vtkRenderWindowInteractor>::New();
      interactor->SetRenderWindow(renderWindow);

      // Initialize must be called prior to creating timer events.
      interactor->Initialize();

      // Sign up to receive TimerEvent
      vtkSmartPointer<vtkTimerCallback> cb =
        vtkSmartPointer<vtkTimerCallback>::New();
      interactor->AddObserver(vtkCommand::TimerEvent, cb);

      int timerId = interactor->CreateRepeatingTimer(100);
      std::cout << "timerId: " << timerId << std::endl;

      // Start the interaction and timer
      interactor->Start();

      return EXIT_SUCCESS;
    }

### CMakeLists.txt

    cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8)

    PROJECT(Timer)

    find_package(VTK REQUIRED)
    include(${VTK_USE_FILE})

    add_executable(Timer MACOSX_BUNDLE Timer.cxx )

    target_link_libraries(Timer ${VTK_LIBRARIES})

### Download and Build Timer

Click here to download Timer and its CMakeLists.txt file. Once the tarball Timer.tar has been downloaded and extracted,

    cd Timer/build

If VTK is installed:

    cmake ..

If VTK is not installed but compiled on your system, you will need to specify the path to your VTK build:

    cmake -DVTK_DIR:PATH=/home/me/vtk_build ..

Build the project:

    make

and run it:

    ./Timer

WINDOWS USERS

Be sure to add the VTK bin directory to your path. This will resolve the VTK dll's at run time.