bridge_clock

Python replacement for the old Windows XP clock I've been using

Purpose

Bridge round timers have existed for a long time, but standalone ones are still very expensive and "user-hostile". I've worked with other timers that try to work for purpose, but need to be restarted every round, or can't be easily changed, or won't pause, or...

I've always liked Rich Waugh's timer (archive.org link), it's very easy to use and flexible, but it has two issues that limit its lifespan:

• Fixed window size of 800x600 - tiny on modern screens
• Requires an ancient version of MSC controls which are very hard to find for Windows 10, and which do not work at all in Windows 11.

There are several webapp options, which can be very nice. Of course, most of the tournaments I run don't have enough Wi-Fi access for me, never mind a webapp.

So, I've written a new one. It bears a strong resemblance to Rich Waugh's (at least for now), but with more of the features I want as a tournament director, and avoiding as many of the annoyances as I can.

At this point, it's beta. It works. I can run multiples on the same computer, and it's obvious which is which. It keeps correct time (with a couple of bugs I haven't been able to reproduce).

I don't even guarantee that all the options work. Sound now works (but it's - idiosyncratic. See the README.md in the sound folder).

I use it in club games and have installed it on at least two computers for other people, including a dedicated laptop at my local unit, for use in tournaments. But I know where the holes are :-) If you're comfortable with BETA release, go ahead and try it. I expect the issues to pile up amazingly.

Requirements

I have tested a python packager, and it works well. Unfortunately, with all the malware writers doing the same thing, it is very likely to get flagged as malware by Microsoft. Trust me (or check the code), it isn't; but this is a barrier to general release.

Right now it is best to install Python (at least 3.8) (optional: in a venv) and the dependencies:

• wxPython (Phoenix)[^1]
• playsound3 (for sounds)
• pytest (for automated unit testing - which is coming soon(tm)).
  I'm going to figure out how to remove this necessity from release builds.

If you don't know how to get those from a pyproject.toml file, this is too alpha for you, so I'm not providing instructions (yet).

Once you have these, download the project, and run python -m bridge_clock (or venv/bin/activate && python -m bridge_clock) and enjoy.

In clock\utils.py, there is a DEBUG constant. Set it to False if you like, but if you're going to submit a bug, I'd like the DEBUG log.

Specifics for Windows:

I have created a shortcut on my desktop, with the following parameters:

• Target: C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k .\venv\Scripts\activate.bat && python -m bridge_clock
• Start in: [main folder of project] (where this file is)

Specifics for Linux:

• Installing wxPython for Linux is not easy. If you can't use one of the prebuilt wheels and you don't do development on Linux, find someone who does.
• For systemd distros (if you don't know, you probably have one), the following .desktop file works on my machine:

  [Desktop Entry]
  Name=clock
  Exec=/path/to/clock.sh
  Terminal=True
  Icon=clock
  Type=Application
  

  where the clock.sh is

  #! /bin/bash
  source venv/bin/activate
  python -m bridge_clock
  

Runtime notes:

1. There are some constants at the top of clock\utils.py file.
   • You can set DEBUG to False if you don't want the random noise being output; but if you are submitting a bug, I'd really like the debug output.
   • Feel free to change or add colour palettes - you can use the named colours (sorry, source code) or "#FFFFFF" style colour strings.
   • Back up the file and Be careful before changing anything - any mistake will cause the clock to crash on start.
2. Current known "don't do this" bugs:
   • Don't use the Hide Statusbar option. It breaks the layout unrepairably (see Issue #24).
   • Sometimes, especially with "maximize" or repeatedly alternating between showing a description and hiding it, the layout resizing loses its mind. Frequently, maximizing and de-maximizing the window will help.