I'd like a timer class that allows me to call:
.start() .getElapsedTime() .stop() .reset()
Does Java have such a class, or do I need to use my own (which I've already written).
From a best-practice point of view, I should use the Java class libraries classes if they exist, but I'm not sure whether this one does.
Can anyone give me a link to the javadoc for this class, if it exists?
Java has a Timer class, but I suppose that you are looking for a StopWatch or a Chronometer. There are many implementations of these available in the net.
There's a StopWatch class in Apache Commons Lang.
To start the watch, call
start(). At this point you can:
split()the watch to get the time whilst the watch continues in the background.unsplit()will remove the effect of thesplit. At this point, these three options are available again.suspend()the watch to pause it.resume()allows the watch to continue. Any time between thesuspendandresumewill not be counted in the total. At this point, these three options are available again.stop()the watch to complete the timing session.It is intended that the output methods
toString()andgetTime()should only be called afterstop,splitorsuspend, however a suitable result will be returned at other points.
org.apache.commons.lang.time.StopWatchYes, most definitely you should try to use good libraries whenever you can, instead of reinventing the wheel. The value of a well-designed, well-written, well-tested library is insurmountable, and Java has lots of it. The more users it acquires, the more mature it becomes, and any kinks would usually get fixed quickly.
About java.util.Timer.scheduleAtFixedRate(), be aware of this bug: http://bugs.sun.com/view_bug.do?bug_id=4290274