WaitSecs Timer Macro

Macro: WaitSecs

WaitSecs is a Timer Macro that delays macro processing for a specified duration, which can either be in seconds or H:M:S format. Thus WaitSecs=3600 and WaitSecs=1:0:0 both specify a 1 hour delay. Fractional seconds are allowed, such as WaitSecs=65.25 or WaitSecs=1:5.25 for 65.25 seconds. (But see the resolution discussion below.)

Note that WaitSecs=1:00 specifies 1 minute, not 1 hour.

Maximum delay is 2^32-1 or 4.29 billion milliseconds, equivalent to just over 1193 hrs or 49.7 days. You can set the maximum by giving a very large value, such as WaitSecs=5G which attempts to set 5 billion seconds. Daqarta will limit it automatically.

Minimum delay and delay resolution are determined by your version of Windows. Win9x versions only resolve to about 55 msec (WaitSecs=55m) whereas XP and later typically resolve to about 10 msec. Note, however, that WaitSecs timing is not a high priority operation, so there may be several 10s of msec lag while other operations like screen updates are taking place.

WaitSecs is ideal for setting the duration of long tests or sound exposures. Typically, a '!' auto-run startup macro will load the needed .GEN setup and prompt the user to set any test-specific details like level or frequency before hitting a test start macro. That might look like:

 Field1=d           ;Start date
 Field2=t           ;Start time
 Gen=1              ;Sound on
 WaitSecs=12:0:0    ;Run for 12 hours
 Gen=0              ;Sound off
 Field3=t           ;Stop time

Note that the above macro writes the start date, start time, and stop time to Field1-Field3. Not shown here are the commands in the startup macro that would set Label1-Label3 to identify these. Labels and Fields are included when a .DQA file is saved, so the above macro could have included a SaveDQA command to preserve a record of the test times. See the WaitChange command for an example of how to prompt the user for a file name before the start of the test.

You can use another WaitSecs at the start of the above macro to delay before starting the test. For example, you may want to run a very noisy test when the building is empty at night or over the weekend, to be completed just before anyone starts work the next day. See also the following WaitTime command for this purpose.

Note that WaitSecs can't be used in Multitasking macros or in Custom Controls handlers, and will be ignored if given there.

See also Timer Macros, WaitTime Timer Macro, WaitCyclic Timer Macros, Macro Overview