# clockdoc: a barebones app for showing time and setting visual alarms

i've created a simple clock app available at @/clock. features:

• shows the current local time at the largest font size.
• uses wakelock to keep the screen active.
• allows setting an alarm after which the time's color changes. basically it only has visual signaling instead of audio.

the alarm can have both a start and end time. before start the clock is yellow, between the two endpoints it's green, and it's red afterwards. supported format strings:

• "hhmm[ss]": start and end time is the same so this is changing the color at the specific timepoint. the seconds part is optional.
• "-hhmm[ss]": this only sets the end time. similar to the previous option, it's just that shows the clock as green until the end time.
• "hhmm[ss]-hhmm[ss]": sets the start and end time range.
• "mmss.": when you press the dot button, this string translates to the time range of current_time and current_time+mmss. makes it easier to enter a duration without thinking too hard about the current time.

omit : between the units as in hh:mm. this cleaner syntax makes it easier to enter the desired time ranges on phone.

e.g. you want to be jumping rope for a minute, then you would set the alarm to "1323-1324" to start at a specific timepoint or you would just enter "100." and start right away.

intended usecase is for timing physical exercise or playing the 3 minute game (@/touch) where audio cues could be way too disrupting. or you can just use it as a short break for your screen time: go to @/clock, go fullscreen (f11), enter "30." and relax while the screen is green.

edit 2025-03-08: the android's builtin timer app is actually pretty good too. when it expires, the majority of the screen turns blue. and you can set the timer sound to silent and then there's no noise at all. it also has a gradually increasing sound option, that can be a subtle approach too.

published on 2022-06-18, last modified on 2025-03-08

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