Possible bug in Time Setting

[bobkrohn]

I go to Home Settings to set the Time on the Prime.
Modify the Hours and Minutes to the next, future even Minute (Zero Seconds) from my Time Signal Source.
When Time Signal Source hits :00 Seconds I press the ESC key on the Prime.
When I now look at the Time on the Prime the Time is one Minute too large.

[Joe Horn]

(06-18-2015 02:41 PM)bobkrohn Wrote:  I go to Home Settings to set the Time on the Prime.
Modify the Hours and Minutes to the next, future even Minute (Zero Seconds) from my Time Signal Source.
When Time Signal Source hits :00 Seconds I press the ESC key on the Prime.
When I now look at the Time on the Prime the Time is one Minute too large.

That's because the seconds kept marching forward as you were doing all that. Home Settings does not change the internal clock's seconds, only its hour and minutes. The hours and minutes on the internal clock are changed at exactly the moment when you enter each one in Home Settings (NOT when you exit Home Settings), but the seconds just keep incrementing. If you want to set the seconds, you must store a time directly into the Time system variable.

Disclaimer: The above is merely my conclusion based on observation. I think it's correct, but I guarantee nothing.

[bobkrohn]

Then I am correct.
There is a bug or at least a stupid design flaw in the Home Setting for Time.
No excuse for having it work that way.
The workaround being using your method.
Thanks.

[Tim Wessman]

Why is it a stupid design? I am genuinely curious as to your reasoning.

There is no "accept" anywhere in system dialogs because they are views - not modal boxes that come up on top of something else. Changes happen as you make them. This is part of the whole concept of view switching.

It seems you are wanting to set an exact, specific time to the clock - yet are trying to do so using a timed exit of a dialog that has 1 minute resolution.

[kharpster]

(06-26-2015 03:52 PM)Tim Wessman Wrote:  Why is it a stupid design? I am genuinely curious as to your reasoning.

There is no "accept" anywhere in system dialogs because they are views - not modal boxes that come up on top of something else. Changes happen as you make them. This is part of the whole concept of view switching.

It seems you are wanting to set an exact, specific time to the clock - yet are trying to do so using a timed exit of a dialog that has 1 minute resolution.

The word "stupid" maybe a bit harse, however from the out of date users manual:

Time
Contains the system time. The format is HH°MM’SS’’, with the hours in 24-hour format. This format is used irrespective of the format set on the Home Settings screen. On page 2 of Home Settings, enter values for Time.

In a program, type:
HH°MM’SS’’ ▶ Time, where HH are the two digits of the hour (0≤HH<24), MM are the two digits of the
minutes, and SS are the two digits of the seconds.

Now, it may be just me, but the term settings combined with the ability to change same has the generally accepted implication that what I enter will replace the existing data. The manual does not state that the seconds will be disregarded on this view. [edit] , and in fact it, the view allows them to be entered. (Incorrect!) [end edit] This is at the very least confusing, and has led to this thread. Tim, there is so much wrong in your reply (ies), you tend to be defensive in a number of your replies, which is a trait of developers (I have been writing code for 36 years professionally and have owned a number of consulting businesses). And, although not a show stopper, this really is a problem, the existing software and manual has caused confusion with one or more of your customers. The correct solution is to fix the "view" (set the seconds as entered, or exclude them on the view) and update the manual accordingly.

The Prime has a lot of capability, but it also has considerably more than just a few problems. I am not certain what is happening internally at HP, but I do question that the calculator division will survive as is, if at all. Money talks, and I doubt that the division is doing much for HP's bottom line...

[Tim Wessman]

(06-26-2015 04:38 PM)kharpster Wrote:  Now, it may be just me, but the term settings combined with the ability to change same has the generally accepted implication that what I enter will replace the existing data.

Agreed.

Quote:The manual does not state that the seconds will be disregarded on this view, and in fact it, the view allows them to be entered.

Well, that is the source of my confusion. It only allows you to enter hours and minutes - there is no place to change the "seconds" on the clock here. Were there a place to set the seconds and it did not accept them then yes, I'd agree there was a bug to be resolved.

What seems to be happening, is that he is wanting to set a specific time down to the second resolution. However, because this is a view - the instant a number is typed in the clock is changed. There is no accept/apply/update etc button to click on to validate the changes. So instead, he is watching the clock to press ESC so that the seconds will be set to 0 at that instant.

If that is the goal, I am wondering why using the method of typing hh.mmss and storing it into "Time" would not save him up to a minute of valuable time.

[kharpster]

(06-26-2015 04:45 PM)Tim Wessman Wrote:  Well, that is the source of my confusion. It only allows you to enter hours and minutes - there is no place to change the "seconds" on the clock here. Were there a place to set the seconds and it did not accept them then yes, I'd agree there was a bug to be resolved.

I agree that they cannot be entered on the view (my mistake on my prior post). However, the fact that they exist on the view can lead one to believe that they have a cause and effect. It would be clearer if they were not displayed, and of course if the manual clearly stated how to set the system time at the seconds level.

[kharpster]

(06-26-2015 04:45 PM)Tim Wessman Wrote:  What seems to be happening, is that he is wanting to set a specific time down to the second resolution. However, because this is a view - the instant a number is typed in the clock is changed. There is no accept/apply/update etc button to click on to validate the changes. So instead, he is watching the clock to press ESC so that the seconds will be set to 0 at that instant.

If that is the goal, I am wondering why using the method of typing hh.mmss and storing it into "Time" would not save him up to a minute of valuable time.

I get what you are saying, and understand your point with regard to the change being made as soon as you make it on the view. However, can you point me to the place in the documentation where this is made clear? Others have stated that the documentation is lacking, and you always ask for an example, you have one here. Storing the Time value is obviously the best way to accomplish this users needs, but for the benefit of all of the Prime users, it needs to be clearly stated somewhere other than this forum...