DIPlib Documentation - ©1995-2011 Quantitative Imaging Group, Delft University of Technology.

# TimerGet

Timing functions

## SYNOPSIS

`#include "dip_timer.h"`

dip_Error dip_TimerGet ( timer )

## FUNCTION

This function gets three timer values elapsed since the last call to `TimerSet`.

The `dip_Timer` struct contains the following values:

Data type | Name | Description
`dip_int` | `setTime` | Time stamp when `TimerSet` was called.
`dip_int` | `getTime` | Time stamp when `TimerGet` was called.
`dip_float` | `getClockTime` | Amount of CPU time (in seconds) between `TimerSet` and `TimerGet`.
`dip_float` | `getSystemTime` | Amount of CPU time (in seconds) executing system calls in the process.
`dip_float` | `getUserTime` | Amount of CPU time (in seconds) executing instructions in the process.
`dip_float` | `setClockTime` | Set by `TimerSet`, just ignore!
`dip_float` | `setSystemTime` | Set by `TimerSet`, just ignore!
`dip_float` | `setUserTime` | Set by `TimerSet`, just ignore!

`setTime` and `getTime` give the time, in seconds, elapsed since the Epoch (00:00:00 UTC, January 1, 1970). The C function `ctime` can convert this value into a date string.

`getClockTime` gives the CPU time, in seconds, between the call to `TimerSet` and `TimerGet`. The number of significant digits depends on your system. `getUserTime` contains the portion of this time that was used by the CPU to process instructions for the current process. `getSystemTime` contains the portion of time spent in the system while executing tasks on behalf of the current process (e.g. doing file I/O). `getUserTime` and `getSystemTime` do not necessarily add up to `getClockTime` if there are other processes running on the same processor.

## ARGUMENTS

Data type | Name | Description
`dip_Timer *` | `timer` | Pointer to a `dip_Timer` struct

## NOTES

Note that `getClockTime`, `getUserTime` and `getSystemTime` can wrap around. The system returns these values as a `clock_t` value. If this is a 32-bit integer, these timers wrap around after only 72 minutes.

`getUserTime` and `getSystemTime` are not supported on some systems, it is possible that these values are always 0.

## SEE ALSO

`TimerSet`