Tcl_GetTime(3)

💅 Tcl_GetTime(3) — get date and time ✨

okay so this is the Tcl Library Procedures page for Tcl_GetTime(3) and its time-obsessed besties 🫶. Buckle up, because we’re doing clocks, monotonic time, wall-clock chaos, and one very deprecated situation. No cap. 🕰️💖

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🌸 NAME 🌸

Tcl_GetMonotonicTime, Tcl_GetTime, Tcl_SetTimeProc, Tcl_QueryTimeProc — get date and time ⏰✨

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

#include <tcl.h>

long long
Tcl_GetMonotonicTime()

Tcl_GetTime(timePtr)

Tcl_SetTimeProc(getProc, scaleProc, clientData)

Tcl_QueryTimeProc(getProcPtr, scaleProcPtr, clientDataPtr)

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💖 ARGUMENTS 💖

• Tcl_Time *timePtr (out) — points to memory where the date and time info gets stored 🗓️
• Tcl_GetTimeProc getProc (in) — pointer to a handler function that replaces Tcl_GetTime’s access to the OS 👀
• Tcl_ScaleTimeProc scaleProc (in) — pointer to a handler function for converting time delays from the virtual domain into real-time ⏳
• void *clientData (in) — a value passed through to the two handler functions 🎁
• Tcl_GetTimeProc *getProcPtr (out) — pointer to the place where the currently registered get handler function goes 📥
• Tcl_ScaleTimeProc *scaleProcPtr (out) — pointer to the place where the currently registered scale handler function goes 📥
• void **clientDataPtr (out) — pointer to the place where the currently registered pass-through value goes 📥

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so Tcl_GetMonotonicTime returns the current monotonic time, bestie. The unit is micro-seconds. Only time differences are defined. The timer value 0 may be the epoc but may also be the start-up of the system. ⏱️✨

The value is contiguous but may jump due to timer virtualization or sleep mode 😴. The precision is system dependent and not guaranteed to be micro-second precise. It’s giving “close enough, don’t @ me.” 💅

The Tcl_GetTime function retrieves the current time as a Tcl_Time structure in memory the caller provides. This structure has the following definition:

typedef struct {
    long long sec;
    long usec;
} Tcl_Time;

On return, the sec member of the structure is filled in with the number of seconds that have elapsed since the epoch: the epoch is the point in time of 00:00 UTC, 1 January 1970. 🗓️ This number does not count leap seconds; an interval of one day advances it by 86400 seconds regardless of whether a leap second has been inserted. ⚠️

The usec member of the structure is filled in with the number of microseconds that have elapsed since the start of the second designated by sec. 🫶

This command uses the system wall clock and is not contiguous by definition. It may have large jumps in short time, specially if the system is awaked from sleep mode 😭💀.

🌙 VIRTUALIZED TIME 🌙

Tcl_SetTimeProc and Tcl_QueryTimeProc are not supported since TCL 9.1. They call a Tcl_Panic. So yeah… do not expect a cute little virtual-time moment from these two. Periodt. 🚨💅

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• clock(n)
• timer(n)

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⭐ KEYWORDS ⭐

• date
• time

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xoxo, your Tcl 8.4 bestie 💖 — footer tea: source/version is Tcl 8.4, page Tcl_GetTime(3), and the date is not printed on this footer, so that’s the whole story 🫶🎀