KryptonTimer Developer Documentation

Overview

KryptonTimer is a Krypton-themed wrapper for the standard WinForms Timer component. It provides timer functionality with full Krypton palette integration for consistency with other Krypton components.

Key Features

• Timer Functionality: Full compatibility with standard Timer component
• Krypton Integration: PaletteMode and Palette properties for consistency
• Global Palette Support: Automatically responds to global palette changes
• Standard API: Maintains all standard Timer properties and methods
• Component Support: Can be added to component containers

Namespace

using Krypton.Toolkit;

Class Declaration

public class KryptonTimer : Component

Properties

Timer Properties

Enabled

[Category("Behavior")]
[Description("Indicates whether the timer is running.")]
[DefaultValue(false)]
public bool Enabled { get; set; }

Gets or sets a value indicating whether the timer is running. When true, the timer raises Tick events at the specified interval.

Interval

[Category("Behavior")]
[Description("The time, in milliseconds, between timer ticks.")]
[DefaultValue(100)]
public int Interval { get; set; }

Gets or sets the time, in milliseconds, between timer ticks. Default is 100ms. Minimum value is 1ms.

Palette Properties

PaletteMode

[Category("Visuals")]
[Description("Sets the palette mode.")]
[DefaultValue(PaletteMode.Global)]
[Browsable(false)]
[DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Hidden)]
public PaletteMode PaletteMode { get; set; }

Gets or sets the palette mode. This property is hidden from the designer as it's primarily for internal consistency. See KryptonToolStripContainer documentation for available palette modes.

Palette

[Category("Visuals")]
[Description("Sets the custom palette to be used.")]
[DefaultValue(null)]
[Browsable(false)]
[DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Hidden)]
public PaletteBase? Palette { get; set; }

Gets or sets a custom palette implementation. This property is hidden from the designer.

Access to Underlying Component

Timer

[Browsable(false)]
[DesignerSerializationVisibility(DesignerSerializationVisibility.Hidden)]
public Timer? Timer { get; }

Gets access to the underlying Timer component for advanced scenarios.

Methods

Start

public void Start()

Starts the timer. This is equivalent to setting Enabled = true.

Example:

timer.Start();

Stop

public void Stop()

Stops the timer. This is equivalent to setting Enabled = false.

Example:

timer.Stop();

Events

Tick

[Category("Behavior")]
[Description("Occurs when the specified timer interval has elapsed and the timer is enabled.")]
public event EventHandler? Tick;

Occurs when the specified timer interval has elapsed and the timer is enabled. This is the main event for timer functionality.

Example:

timer.Tick += (sender, e) =>
{
    // Timer tick logic here
    UpdateClock();
};

Usage Examples

Basic Timer

public partial class MyForm : KryptonForm
{
    private KryptonTimer timer;

    public MyForm()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        
        // Create timer
        timer = new KryptonTimer
        {
            Interval = 1000, // 1 second
            Enabled = true
        };
        
        timer.Tick += Timer_Tick;
    }

    private void Timer_Tick(object? sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        // Update UI every second
        labelTime.Text = DateTime.Now.ToString("HH:mm:ss");
    }
}

Periodic Updates

// Update status every 5 seconds
var statusTimer = new KryptonTimer
{
    Interval = 5000, // 5 seconds
    Enabled = true
};

statusTimer.Tick += (s, e) =>
{
    UpdateStatus();
};

Animation Timer

// Smooth animation at 60 FPS
var animationTimer = new KryptonTimer
{
    Interval = 16, // ~60 FPS (1000ms / 60 ≈ 16ms)
    Enabled = true
};

animationTimer.Tick += (s, e) =>
{
    AnimateProgress();
};

Polling Timer

// Poll for changes every 2 seconds
var pollTimer = new KryptonTimer
{
    Interval = 2000,
    Enabled = true
};

pollTimer.Tick += (s, e) =>
{
    CheckForUpdates();
};

Start/Stop Control

private void buttonStart_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    timer.Start();
    buttonStart.Enabled = false;
    buttonStop.Enabled = true;
}

private void buttonStop_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    timer.Stop();
    buttonStart.Enabled = true;
    buttonStop.Enabled = false;
}

Dynamic Interval

// Change interval based on conditions
timer.Interval = isFastMode ? 100 : 1000;

Best Practices

1. Interval Selection: Choose appropriate intervals:

   • UI updates: 16-33ms (30-60 FPS)
   • Status updates: 1000-5000ms (1-5 seconds)
   • Polling: 2000-10000ms (2-10 seconds)

2. Timer Disposal: Always dispose of timers when forms are closed to prevent memory leaks.

3. Performance: Keep Tick event handlers lightweight. For heavy operations, consider using background threads.

4. Multiple Timers: Use separate timers for different purposes rather than one timer with complex logic.

5. Start/Stop: Use Start() and Stop() methods for clarity, or set Enabled property directly.

6. Interval Changes: Changing Interval while the timer is running takes effect immediately.

7. Thread Safety: Timer Tick events are raised on the UI thread, so you can safely update UI controls.

Technical Details

Timer Thread

The KryptonTimer uses a System.Windows.Forms.Timer, which:

• Runs on the UI thread
• Is safe for updating UI controls
• Has lower precision than System.Timers.Timer or System.Threading.Timer
• Is suitable for UI-related timing operations

Palette Integration

While the timer itself doesn't have visual appearance, it integrates with the Krypton palette system for consistency. This allows for future enhancements and ensures the component follows Krypton patterns.

Global Palette Changes

The timer automatically responds to global palette changes when PaletteMode is set to Global (default).

See Also

• System.Windows.Forms.Timer - The underlying timer component
• System.Timers.Timer - For non-UI thread timing (not used by KryptonTimer)
• System.Threading.Timer - For background thread timing (not used by KryptonTimer)