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Clock by vanSoest.it

Current version

Clock latest version is 1.0.0.0

Main feature overview

Clock is the upper most program always showing you the current time and date of more than 3 self selected cities in selectable time zones. Clock is thus ideal for companies having multiple offices in different time-zones as the Windows 10 clock is limited to only three clocks. Clock can be made invisible by hovering the mouse over Clock. This also allows for clicking-trough, so the applications beneath Clock can be accessed without moving or minimizing Clock. Clock is free.


Clock fading to transparent and click-through.

Read the features in detail here.

Contents

History

The first version of Clock was a 16 bit Windows 98 and 2000 version written in Visual Basic. Upon noticing that Clock launched an entire 16 bit environment (WOW) on Windows XP machines, it was time to redesign the Clock application using 32 bit Turbo Delphi. Now we have entered the 64 bit arena with Windows 7, 8 or 10. Again Microsoft came up with a 32 bit environment, called (WOW64), and loads it for 32 bit applications. So it was time to rewrite Clock with Visual Studio C# so it can fully use the 64 bit .net platform.

Features

The program Clock is designed as a very easy program, packed with features:
  • Easy readable 24 hour Clock and date per city
  • Add custom cities and select the time zone
  • Browse-buttons to browse through the selected cities
  • Selectable date format
  • Customizable background and font colors
  • No installer required
  • Settings retained per user
  • Automatic Daylight Savings Time (DST) switching upon the selected time zone
  • Daylight Saving Time indicator can be turned on or off
  • Reorder the cities as preferred by the end user
  • Right click popup menu to configure Clock
  • Clock has no icon on the taskbar, saving you screen real estate
  • Clock is very resource friendly while running and on disk
  • Completely manageable for network administrators using the registry or GPO
  • Version checker. Once a month the program checks for updates (Can be turned off by network administrators)
  • The location of Clock is remembered.
  • Clock is free.

License

The program Clock is licensed according to the EULA in the download. Read the EULA carefully before using the program. A recent copy can be downloaded here
YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS EULA BY INSTALLING, COPYING, OR OTHERWISE USING THE SOFTWARE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT INSTALL, COPY, OR USE THE SOFTWARE.

Manual

User interface

The fully functioning program Clock is designed to have a very easy user interface.

User interface of Clock. Notice the navigation arrows in the top left and top right corners allowing to browse through the selected cities.

Right click menu

The user can configure Clock by right clicking the clock surface. It will open a menu:

Right click menu
The right click menu allows the end user to configure Clock with the following options:
Main menu item Submenu Item Action
Colors Background Color ... Opens a window to select the Background color.

Clock Select Color window
Text Color ... Opens a window to select the text color
Reset Colors Resets the text and background color to the default values.
Select Date Format Shows a window to select the date format and the option to select if a date is shown.

Right click menu option Select Date Format

There is also an option to select if the Daylight Saving Time notification (DST) must be shown.
Select Additional Clocks ... Shows a window to add, remove and reorder clocks

Add, delete and reorder clocks

This window allows to :
  • reorder clocks using the "Up" and "Down" buttons. Select a clock (place or city) and move it around.
  • remove a clock. Select a clock and click the "Delete" button.
  • add a clock. Type your city or place name and select a Time zone from the list. Next click the "Add" button to add it to the list. Now you can reorder the clock in the clocks list.
Move (Show Caption) Selecting this menu item toggles the caption of Clock. When a checkbox is shown in the menu, the caption is turned on so Clock can be dragged by the program caption to another location on screen.

The new location is remembered and used when Clock is started.
About ... Shows the version information of Clock, the EULA and allows an update check

Clock About window with the EULA and update check button
When an internet connection is available, it is possible to connect to the server and check if there is a new version of Clock. The new version is shown as:

A new version is available.
Clicking the "Yes" button opens the default web browser to download the new version.
This message can also appear when the monthly upgrade check notices a new version.
If there is no internet connection available, Clock will retry in a month.
Exit Ends the program if for example a presentation is given.

Installation

Download, unzip and copy the program Clock anywhere you want on the disk.
Should you want the program to start automatically, just copy it to :
%appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\

First Run

When the program Clock starts for the first time, a window (see image) is shown asking for the current place. A default time zone will be presented if it can be detected from the current Windows settings. Otherwise the user can select a time zone. This window needs to be filled in for the program to function correctly.

Clock initial setup. Provide a place or city name and select a time zone.

How To

  • Preset places/cities and time zones.

    A network administrator can predefine multiple corporate places/cities and accompanying time zones for Clock by loading the values from a Windows registry file or Group Policy Object (GPO). The default registry location is:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\vanSoest.it\Clock
    The actual registry Value name is "Clocks" of the type REG_MULTI_SZ.
  • Set Date format

    Currently Clock supports the two most used date formats:
    • Day - Month - Year (dd-MM-yyyy)
    • Year - Month - Day (yyyy-MM-dd)
    This can be predefined by network administrators by setting the registry Value "DateFormat"
  • Show Daylight Savings Time (DST) indication

    A network administrator can set the DST indicator, by setting the Registry Value "ShowDST" to the string "False" or "True". The end user can overrule this by using the "Select Date Format" window.
  • Update check

    Default Clock will check once a month for updates. Network administrators can block the automatic update check by setting the Registry Value "BlockUpdateCheck" to "True". The end user can request an update check using the About box.
  • Colors

    The text and background colors of Clock can be preset by setting the registry values "TextColor" and "BackColor". This enables customization by enforcing corporate house style colors. The program must not be running to change colors and (visual impaired) users can overrule the setting by right clicking and selecting a new Text and Background color or reset to the default blue scheme (BackColor=Aqua and TextColor=Blue). Colors can be specified as HTML compatible color names "Blue, Black, Red, etc." or more precise HTML Hexadecimal codes "0x0000ff, 0xff00ff, etc."

System requirements

Any system running .net 4.0 is able to run Clock
Windows VersionRuns .Net 4.0Tested
Windows XPNoNo
Windows VistaYesNo
Windows 7YesYes
Windows 8.1YesYes
Windows 10YesYes
Windows Server 2008 SP2YesNo
Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1YesNo
Windows Server 2012YesNo
Windows Server 2012 R2YesNo

Support matrix

vanSoest.it will only support the latest version of free software.

Download

Upon clicking the "Start download process" button, you get to another web page where you have to agree to the End User License Agreement (EULA) before you can download the program Clock.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Just use the postcard icon in the left menu to ask a question.
You may vote your opinion about this article:


Scripts and programming examples disclaimer

Unless stated otherwise, the script sources and programming examples provided are copyrighted freeware. You may modify them, as long as a reference to the original code and hyperlink to the source page is included in the modified code and documentation. However, it is not allowed to publish (copies of) scripts and programming examples on your own site, blog, vlog, or distribute them on paper or any other medium, without prior written consent.
Many of the techniques used in these scripts, including but not limited to modifying the registry or system files and settings, impose a risk of rendering the Operating System inoperable and loss of data. Make sure you have verified full backups and the associated restore software available before running any script or programming example. Use these scripts and programming examples entirely at your own risk. All liability claims against the author in relation to material or non-material losses caused by the use, misuse or non-use of the information provided, or the use of incorrect or incomplete information, are excluded. All content is subject to change and provided without obligation.
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