DONE: simple tool needed: start x.exe in y seconds

[brotherS]

Hi,

I need a simple tool to let me start up a certain .exe file in a definable number of minutes. It would be perfect if a tiny window would pop up when I start this tool where I would just have to enter the minute value (if I like a different one from the one before) and hit Enter. Then maybe there would be a countdown displayed where I can change the minute value to restart the countdown with that and maybe a stop button to stop the countdown completely.

Any ideas?

WinCron probably could do that, but ~80 bucks is too much...

[AbteriX]

> Any ideas?

I think, not with all that features.

The simplist would be C:\>AT /?

Nice are thoose CRON tools too.
But all are command line tools.

Maybe Autohotkey with an GUI ?

If i remember more i let ya know.

[brotherS]

The simplist would be C:\>AT /?

Nice are thoose CRON tools too.
But all are command line tools.

Maybe Autohotkey with an GUI ?

If i remember more i let ya know.

Thanks... I thought about AutoHotkey too, but do not yet know enough about it myself yet. 

PS: Coloring text in blue causes confusion, looks a lot like linked URLs.

[AbteriX]

> Coloring text in blue causes confusion, looks a lot like linked URLs

Yes, but blue is the nicest color for me to highlight something.
You see is it no link if you hoover over this blue words.
btw Would be nice to have colored back ground in this forum in
addition to colored font, so i could imitade an dos box

[brotherS]

> Coloring text in blue causes confusion, looks a lot like linked URLs

Yes, but blue is the nicest color for me to highlight something.
You see is it no link if you hoover over this blue words.

Don't force people to move the mouse when they don't need to I suggest to just use bold to highlight stuff - or a different color.

[Carol Haynes]

or there is an effect called glow (see the G button)

you can even pick the colour

[mouser]

i'd like to hear about a simple program for this as well - surely autohotkey would  be overkill.

[Carol Haynes]

Some useful utilities here

Sleep used in a batch file would do it

[zeemar]

This might work for you

http://wittswallpapers.com/Oldies/delayer11.zip

[Carol Haynes]

Hey that looks like it might solve quite a few problems ...

If you want to read what it does ... from the same site:

Delayer has a simple function: to delay the execution of a program by a specified number of seconds (up to 24 days!).
Other use examples:

Pop up a periodic reminder to take a break (or get back to work!)
Periodically check E-mail, run diagnostics, etc.
Ping your ISP occasionally to keep it from disconnecting.
Automatically log off after 8 hours (assuming you have a program that will do that without user input.)
Run a sequence of programs on startup (instead of running them all at once).
Keep your taskbar tray icons in a certain order by running the startup programs in a certain sequence.

PLATFORMS: Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, WinXp

If you want to look at the author's site and his other software look here.

Works great but would nice to be incorporated into a neat interface rather than having to edit all your shortcuts to use it ...

[brotherS]

FINALLY!

After countless hours of blood, sweat and hard thinking it's finally working!
AutoHotkey strikes again!

Code

;2005-11-02
;Start .exe file in x minutes
;http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=36314#36314 
^q:: 
#Persistent 
InputBox, Laufzeit, enter Time to start program in minutes      
Laufzeit := Laufzeit * 60000 

Zeit = %A_TickCount% 
Settimer, Anzeiger, 250
Settimer, Start_Program, %Laufzeit%
return 

Anzeiger: 
  till_start_minutes := (laufzeit - A_TickCount + zeit)/60000 
  till_start_minutes := Floor(till_start_minutes) 
  till_start_seconds := (laufzeit - A_TickCount + zeit)/1000 - (till_start_minutes * 

60) 
  till_start_seconds := Floor(till_start_seconds) 

  CoordMode, ToolTip, Screen
  ToolTip, time until .exe starts: %till_start_minutes%:%till_start_seconds%,80,1010 
return 

start_Program: 
  settimer, Anzeiger, off 
  ToolTip 
msgbox, SUCCESS! ; replace with run, C:\xxxxxxxxxxxx.exe
settimer, Start_Program, off 
return
;Start .exe file in x minutes
;http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=36314#36314

[Carol Haynes]

Marginally modified version here:

I have changed it to seconds (rather than minutes) and added an input field for the filename to Open, which saves having to edit the file.

It is worth grabbing NinoTech Path Copy for use with this (worth having anyway). It is a shell extension that can copy the filename, pathname, folderpath to the clipboard (in both long and short forms).

Code

;2005-11-02
;Start .exe file in x minutes
;http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=36314#36314 
^q:: 
#Persistent
InputBox, FilenameToLoad, Enter filename to Open here
InputBox, Laufzeit, Enter Delay to start program (in seconds):
Laufzeit := Laufzeit * 1000

Zeit = %A_TickCount% 
Settimer, Anzeiger, 250
Settimer, Start_Program, %Laufzeit%
return 

Anzeiger: 
  till_start_minutes := (laufzeit - A_TickCount + zeit)/60000 
  till_start_minutes := Floor(till_start_minutes) 
  till_start_seconds := (laufzeit - A_TickCount + zeit)/1000 - (till_start_minutes * 60) 
  till_start_seconds := Floor(till_start_seconds) 

  CoordMode, ToolTip, Screen
  ToolTip, time until .exe starts: %till_start_minutes%:%till_start_seconds%,80,1010 
return 

start_Program: 
  settimer, Anzeiger, off 
  ToolTip 
run, %FilenameToLoad%
settimer, Start_Program, off 
return
;Start .exe file in x minutes
;http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=36314#36314

[mouser]

oh my it seems soon we will have a board full of skrommels 


DC UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY
-----------------------------------------
skrommel: a small furry creature who lives in forums and can code autohotkey scripts in his/her sleep.

[Carol Haynes]

Actually I jibbered posting that - my furriness is not yet fully developed 

[brotherS]

Marginally modified version here:

I have changed it to seconds (rather than minutes) and added an input field for the filename to Open, which saves having to edit the file.

Thanks Carol, I admit I customized it to fit my needs I want to only use it for one .exe and while working with the code I found that it is better to use minutes since I mostly would want to start up stuff in more than 1 minute anyway and one minute intervals are also enough.

@mouser:

[Carol Haynes]

Actually, is it possible in AutoHotKey to pass arguments ? If so you could create a script that does something like:

StartInXSecs.exe 30 C:\Prg.exe

This would be really useful for shortcuts, and especially in the startup process where it would be good to build a delay into certain apps starting.

[brotherS]

Actually, is it possible in AutoHotKey to pass arguments ? If so you could create a script that does something like:

StartInXSecs.exe 30 C:\Prg.exe

This would be really useful for shortcuts, and especially in the startup process where it would be good to build a delay into certain apps starting.

No idea if AutoHotkey allows that, but since AutoHotkey allows quite everything it's possible

I suggest to use the nice Startup Delayer instead: http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=1399

[skrommel]

Here's what you're after

Sleep,%1%
Run,%2%

Skrommel

[Carol Haynes]

LOL - beautifully simple - and opens AutoHotKey to a whole range of command line uses ... if nothing eles it will make a lovely programmable BATCH control !!!