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Overview

The Timer class provides a simple mechanism for executing callback functions at regular intervals. It is designed to be updated with elapsed time and will call the callback synchronously when the interval expires.

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Constructor

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__init__()

Creates a new Timer instance. 
def __init__(self, interval, callback, oneshot=False):
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interval
int
The timer interval in milliseconds. The callback will be executed each time this interval elapses.
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callback
callable
A callable function or method to execute when the interval expires. This function should take no arguments.
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oneshot
bool
default:"False"
If True, the timer will only execute the callback once and then become inactive. If False, the timer will continue to execute the callback at each interval.

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Attributes

The Timer instance maintains the following attributes:
  • interval (int): The timer interval in milliseconds
  • callback (callable): The callback function to execute
  • oneshot (bool): Whether this is a one-shot timer
  • time (int): Accumulated time since last callback execution
  • alive (bool): Whether the timer is still active

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Methods

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update()

Updates the timer with the elapsed time and executes the callback if the interval has expired. 
def update(self, time_passed):
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time_passed
int
The amount of time that has passed since the last call to update(), in milliseconds.
This method accumulates the passed time and checks if the interval has been reached. When the interval is exceeded:
  1. The callback function is executed
  2. The accumulated time is reduced by the interval amount
  3. If oneshot is True, the timer is marked as inactive (alive = False)
If the timer is not alive, this method returns immediately without doing anything.

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Usage Example

from utils import Timer

def print_message():
    print("Timer expired!")

# Create a timer that fires every 1000ms (1 second)
timer = Timer(interval=1000, callback=print_message)

# In your game loop:
while True:
    time_passed = clock.tick()  # Get milliseconds since last frame
    timer.update(time_passed)   # Update timer

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One-Shot Timer Example

def spawn_enemy():
    # Spawn an enemy after a delay
    enemy = Enemy()
    enemies.append(enemy)

# Create a one-shot timer that fires once after 3 seconds
spawn_timer = Timer(interval=3000, callback=spawn_enemy, oneshot=True)

# In your game loop:
while True:
    time_passed = clock.tick()
    spawn_timer.update(time_passed)  # Will only fire once

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