Stopwatch Gadgets
A stopwatch gadget is an interactive object you can insert into Envision documents to measure and display time that document users spent on events, operations, tasks, and so on.
To work with stopwatch gadgets, you should know:
Stopwatch gadget UI and behavior
A stopwatch gadget consists of the following interactive UI elements:
Title: a static label that displays the name of the stopwatch gadget.
Counter: a dynamic label that displays the time depending on the current state of the time count:
0:00 when a document user has not activated or has reset the stopwatch.
The running elapsed time when the document user activated the stopwatch.
The paused elapsed time when the document user paused the stopwatch.
Start: a button to activate the time count from the time displayed on the counter. When the user clicks this button:
The count of elapsed time is activated and running.
The counter displays the running elapsed time.
The Pause button replaces the Start button.
Pause: a button to pause the running time count. When the user clicks this button:
The count of elapsed time pauses.
The counter displays the paused elapsed time.
The Start button replaces the Pause button.
Reset: a button to stop the running or paused time count and reset it to 0:00. When the user clicks this button:
The count of elapsed time stops.
The counter displays 0:00.
The Start button replaces the Pause button.
The Reset button is optional. It is not visible by default, but you can show it when users should be allowed to reset the counted time.
Users should explicitly activate the stopwatch running. They can pause or reset it if allowed.
By default, stopwatch gadgets are synchronous in a document. Activating, pausing, or resetting one of them activates, pauses, or resets all of them. All the synchronous stopwatch gadgets are in the same state and display the same elapsed time when active or paused. If necessary, you can explicitly turn off synchronization for one or more stopwatch gadgets so that they will count time independently.
Configuring stopwatch gadgets
As a newly created stopwatch gadget has the default settings, you should specify the stopwatch name and other settings with the Stopwatch Configuration pop-up dialog. If multiple stopwatch gadgets are in the document, you should configure each separately. The dialog is for one stopwatch gadget only.
You can configure a stopwatch gadget as follows:
Once you are done with configuring the stopwatch gadget, you should test its behavior as an end user.
The Stopwatch Configuration dialog
The Stopwatch Configuration pop-up dialog provides the following settings of a stopwatch gadget selected in a document:
- Title displayed at the top of the stopwatch
A string field, the text label that the stopwatch gadget displays. The default value is Stopwatch.
- Set to true to share state of stopwatch with all instances in document
A checkbox, a switch to turn on or off the synchronization of the stopwatch gadget with other ones in the document:
Selected: to synchronize the time count of the stopwatch gadget with other stopwatch gadgets that have the same setting. This is the default value.
Cleared: to run the time count of the stopwatch gadget separately from other stopwatch gadgets.
The time count is synchronous with all stopwatch gadgets that have this checkbox selected, including newly created ones.
- Show the reset button
A checkbox, a switch to toggle the visibility of the Reset button inside the stopwatch gadget:
Selected: to show the Reset button. This is the default value.
Cleared: to hide the Reset button.
Clicking the Reset button stops and resets all synchronous stopwatches to 0:00.
Resetting stopwatches without the Reset button is not possible when viewing the document in the Canvas Envision Viewer. However, reloading the document resets all the stopwatch gadgets in the document.
Changing the stopwatch gadget title
To change the title of a stopwatch gadget:
Select the stopwatch gadget.
In the Title displayed at the top of the stopwatch field of the Stopwatch Configuration dialog, enter the new title that the stopwatch gadget will display in the document.
If necessary, continue configuring the stopwatch gadget as discussed in the following sections.
Once done with configuring, click the OK button to save the changes. The dialog disappears, and the stopwatch gadget has the new title.
Turning on or off stopwatch synchronization
To turn on or off the time count synchronization of a stopwatch gadget with other stopwatch gadgets in the document:
Select the stopwatch gadget.
In the Stopwatch Configuration dialog, click the Set to true to share state of stopwatch with all instances in document checkbox, either:
Select the checkbox to synchronize the time count of the stopwatch gadget with other stopwatch gadgets that have the same setting.
Clear the checkbox to count the time by the stopwatch gadget separately from other stopwatch gadgets.
If necessary, continue configuring the stopwatch gadget as discussed in other sections.
Once done with configuring, click the OK button to save the changes. The dialog disappears, and the stopwatch gadget has the synchronization on or off according to your settings of the Set to true to share state of stopwatch with all instances in document checkbox.
Showing or hiding the Reset button
To hide or show the Reset button inside a stopwatch gadget:
Select the stopwatch gadget.
In the Stopwatch Configuration dialog, click the Show the reset button checkbox, either:
Select the checkbox to show the Reset button inside the stopwatch gadget.
Clear the checkbox to hide the Reset button inside the stopwatch gadget.
If necessary, continue configuring the stopwatch gadget as discussed in the previous sections.
Once done with configuring, click the OK button to save the changes. The dialog disappears, and the stopwatch gadget includes or excludes the Reset button according to your settings of the Show the reset button checkbox.
Testing stopwatch gadgets
To verify stopwatch gadgets as an end-user:
Verify that the stopwatch gadget title is correct.
Depending on whether users are allowed to reset the elapsed time, verify the presence of the Reset button:
Not allowed: the button should be absent.
Allowed: the button should be present.
If multiple stopwatch gadgets are synchronous in the document, verify that they all have the same settings.
Click the Start button.
Verify that the time count is running and correct in each synchronous stopwatch gadget.
Click the Pause button.
Verify that the time count pauses and the elapsed time is the same in each synchronous stopwatch gadget.
If the stopwatch gadget has the Reset button, click it.
Verify that the time count stops and the elapsed time is reset to 0:00 in each synchronous stopwatch gadget.
Once done with testing, quit interactive viewing mode for gadgets.