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Version History — Version 3.1 Highlights — What’s New in UTC Global Clock

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Version 3.1 — Released on 19 December 2008, UTC Global Clock 3.1 dramatically improves functionality, while remaining true to its roots as an unobtrusive and reliable time display.

This document briefly covers the changes between UTC Global Clock 3.0 and UTC Global Clock 3.1. It was written mainly for those who have been using UTC Global Clock 3.0, and are upgrading to version 3.1, but everyone may find this useful.

Contents

• New Installer Features
• New Preferences Items
  • Time Displays Tab
  • Application Preferences Tab
  • Dock Preferences Tab
  • Timers and Stopwatches Tab
• Time Display Menu Changes
• Changes to Hourly Chimes
• Timer Enhancements
  • The Multiple Timer Window
  • The Timer Contextual Menu
  • Saved Timers
• Stopwatch Enhancements
  • The Multiple Stopwatch Window
  • The Stopwatch Contextual Menu
  • Saved Stopwatches
• New Calendar Features
  • Calendar Options Window
    • Time Display Menus Tab
    • Quick Calendar Windows Tab
    • Colors Tab
• New: Chime and AppleScript Scheduling
• Changes to Preferences Handling
• Changes to Internet Update
• New Keyboard Shortcuts
• Full Change Listing

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New Installer Features

• UTC Global Clock’s installer now consists of a “Double-click to Install” icon in the disk image window.
• Installs may also now be performed from non-administrator’s accounts, and you can install to a location other than your Applications folder.
• Existing files are preserved in a folder named “Moved by Installer” inside the UTC Global Clock Folder.

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New Preferences Items

Time Displays Tab

• The ability to export and import time displays has been added to the Actions... pop-up menu.
• You may double-click on a time displays disk file to quickly import the time display(s) contained in the file.
• Row from Screen Top/Bottom appears when a screen corner time display is selected for editing. It allows you to “stack” time displays in the vertical dimension, one atop another, as illustrated below:

Application Preferences Tab

• Internet update checks now occur in a separate thread. The updater now updates your existing copy “in place,” even if you have installed or moved UTC Global Clock to a different location.
• UTC Global Clock now offers extensive calendar configurability, as described in Calendars.
• Version 3.1 has greatly expanded hourly chimes, as described in Hourly Chimes.
• Warn About Running Timers and Stopwatches at Quit causes UTC Global Clock to present a warning dialog when you try to quit while a stopwatch or timer is running, paused, or alerting.
• You may now specify that all screen corner displays appear the same width, regardless of their contents.

Dock Preferences Tab

• The new default color for the Dock icon time display is yellow, and you may return to this color by holding down the option key while clicking in the color selector square.

	Dock Icon Time Display

• Changing the Show Dock Icon setting can allow UTC Global Clock to automatically quit and re-launch to complete the change.
• Dock icon visibility may now be changed in non-administrator’s accounts.

Timers and Stopwatches Tab

• A new control tab has been added to the Preferences window: Timers and Stopwatches. Timers are described more fully in Timers. Using stopwatches is described in Stopwatches.
• The preferences in the Timers and Stopwatches tab are described below:
  • Create New Timers in Separate Window. Select this option to create timers in individual windows. Leave this option deselected to instead create new timers in the new Multiple Timer window.
  • Disable Animation avoids the animating of timers when they move in and out of the Multiple Timer window, and into the screen corner.
  • Create Saved Timers to quickly start a timer with your preferred settings. Manage them in this tab.
  • Timer Snooze Duration has been moved to this tab.
  • Create New Stopwatches in Separate Window. Select to create stopwatches in floating independent windows. Leave deselected to instead create new stopwatches in the Multiple Stopwatch window.
  • Define Saved Stopwatches to quickly start stopwatches with the desired counting direction and period. Manage them in this tab

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Time Display Menu Changes

• The time display contextual menus have been reorganized and enhanced, as illustrated below:

	Menu Bar Time Display’s Contextual Menu

• Menu entries that are new or changed in Version 3.1 are described below:
• New Timer from Saved Timers: Quickly create a new timer, based on parameters you have previously set up.
• New Stopwatch from Saved Stopwatches: Quickly create a new stopwatch, based on the parameters you have previously set up.
• Show/Hide Windows: Quickly show and hide the following types of windows in UTC Global Clock:
  • Screen Corner Time Displays
    
  • Independent Timer Windows
    
  • The Multiple Timer Window
  • Independent Stopwatch Windows
    
  • The Multiple Stopwatch Window
    
  • Quick Calendar Windows
• Chimes Submenu and Suspend Chimes Menu Item: UTC Global Clock may now suspend and resume chimes, along with several other enhancements which are described in Hourly Chimes.
• Chime and AppleScript Scheduling... Schedule chime set changes, change chime volume, run AppleScripts, and much more. See Chime and AppleScript Scheduling.
• Quick Calendar: Menu entries may now display either the current month or a “continuous calendar,” as described in Calendars.
• Special Submenu: Contains new commands Load Shared Preferences... and Save Shared Preferences...

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Changes to Hourly Chimes

• Configure hourly chimes via any time display’s contextual menu, in addition to editing chimes via the Preferences window.
• Completely redesigned Edit Hourly Chimes window.

	Edit Hourly Chimes Window

• Define unlimited hourly chimes.
• Added chime scheduling features.
• Select sounds in a user-defined folder.
• Store and select groupings of hourly chimes as Chime Sets. Save chime sets to disk, import them, and store sounds inside the files.
• Edit> flag indicates the chime being modified.

• Play next sound when (n) seconds remain control allows you to “overlap” sounds, to a precision of 1/10 second.
• Preview the selected chime or all chimes that play at a given minute, and stop a playing chime in progress.
• Specify the volume level of UTC Global Clock’s hourly chimes.
• Suspend (turn off) hourly chimes for a user-specified duration, and resume them automatically or on command.
• Three chime sets (collections of hourly chimes) are included with UTC Global Clock: Little Ben, Cuckoo Clock, and Alerts. Chime set file Hail to the Pups is also included.
• Easily create, edit, and share your own chime sets. Optionally include your own copyright notice or descriptive notes.
• Return to the default chime sets at any time.

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Timer Enhancements

• Any number of timers may now appear in a single Multiple Timer window.

	Multiple Timer Window

• Enhanced Create a Timer window lets you select a saved timer to quickly set up a timer with favorite values, and lets you quickly define new saved timers. See Saved Timers.
• Set a specific date for a timer’s alarm using the improved Calendar window.

	Calendar Window

• Right-click (or control-click) in any Timer window to summon a greatly enhanced Timer Contextual Menu (see The Timer Contextual Menu).

The Multiple Timer Window

• Contains columns that display the timer’s name, the total time that the timer has been running, and the amount of time until the timer finishes. Click a heading to sort the column in either direction. Edit timer names within the listing.
• Sort column is retained every time you show the window. The window’s size and location are also preserved across launches.
• Double-click a running timer to edit its values, or click the Edit... button when a single timer is selected.
• Easily pause, resume, reset, and restart timers with the click of a button.
• Contains a Timer Contextual Menu, which is described below.
• Only one Timer Alert dialog now appears at a time. Subsequent alert dialogs appear one at a time after you respond to the active dialog.

The Timer Contextual Menu

• The new Timer Contextual Menu is illustrated below:

• The various entries in this menu are described below:
  
  
  • Add New Timer... creates a new timer of the type currently selected.
  • Duplicate Timer... creates an identical timer with a new name.
  • New Timer from Saved Timerscreates a new timer based on one of any number of saved timers, and starts it running immediately. See Saved Timers.
  • Replace Timer with Saved Timerreplaces a timer with one based on a saved timer, and starts it running immediately. See Saved Timers.
  • Create New Saved Timer...saves the timer as a saved timer.
  • Edit Timer...allows you to change the timer’s values and restart it.
  • Hide Timermakes an independent Timer window invisible.
  • Pause Timer / Resume Timerstops and restarts a timer.
  • Delete Timer... / Delete All Timers...removes a timer or selected timers.
  • Clean Up Screen Corner Timersresets the location of all independent Timer windows so that they overlap in the screen corner.
  • Move Timer to Separate Window / Move Timer to Multiple Timer Windowmoves a single timer, selected timers, or all timers back and forth between the different types of Timer windows.

    You may also move timers back and forth between independent Timer windows and the Multiple Timer window by dragging the timer into or out of the Multiple Timer window.

Saved Timers

• Save any timer as a Saved Timer, storing the timer’s name, time period, and other timer parameters.
• Quickly create new timers and replace existing timers using the values stored in a saved timer.
• Define a saved timer as you create a new timer, or from a timer you have already created.
• View and edit saved timers and their parameters.
• Implement a saved timer from within any application.

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Stopwatch Enhancements

• Stopwatches may now also appear alongside other stopwatches in the Multiple Stopwatch window, or they may be split between independent floating windows and the Multiple Stopwatch window.

	Multiple Stopwatch Window

• Specify whether UTC Global Clock creates new stopwatches in their own floating windows, or alongside other stopwatches in the Multiple Stopwatch window.
• Floating Stopwatch window has been simplified and reduced in size.

	Stopwatch Window

• Floating Stopwatch window may also be minimized to show only the time.

	Minimized Stopwatch Window

• New commands are available by right-clicking in the Stopwatch window, as described in The Stopwatch Contextual Menu.
• Create saved stopwatches as described in Saved Stopwatches with your preferred counting direction, duration, and name.
• Quickly create and start stopwatches in a single step, from within any application, using saved stopwatches, as described in Saved Stopwatches.
• Create saved stopwatches as you define a new stopwatch, or create them from an already-created stopwatch.

The Multiple Stopwatch Window

• Contains columns for the stopwatch’s name, its target time or start time, its counting direction, and its progress in 1/100-second increments. Edit a stopwatch’s name directly in the listing.
• Sort the listing by any column and in either direction; the sort column is retained every time you show the window. The window’s size and location are also preserved across launches.
• Double-click a stopwatch to edit its values, or click the Edit... button. Preserve the stopwatch’s progress after editing.
• Use buttons or menu commands to pause, resume, reset, and start stopwatches.

The Stopwatch Contextual Menu

• The new Stopwatch Contextual Menu is depicted below:

	Stopwatch Contextual Menu, Multiple Stopwatch Window

• The entries in this menu are described below:
  
  
  • Add New Stopwatch...creates a new stopwatch of the type currently selected.
  • Duplicate Stopwatchmakes a copy of a stopwatch under a new name.
  • New Stopwatch from Saved Stopwatchescreates a new stopwatch with your saved parameters and starts it running, as discussed in Saved Stopwatches.
  • Replace Stopwatch with Saved Stopwatchreplaces the selected stopwatch’s parameters (except its name) with those stored in a saved stopwatch, as described in Saved Stopwatches.
  • Create Saved Stopwatch...creates a saved stopwatch with the counting direction, target time, and name of the current stopwatch.
  • Edit Stopwatchallows you to change a stopwatch’s name, counting direction, and/or target time. Most editing operations preserve the stopwatch’s elapsed time.
  • Edit Periodlets you quickly define a new target time.
  • Start / Pause / Resume / Resetcommands: These menu entries control the running mode of the stopwatch.
  • Count Up/Down from Current Time Periodquickly resets a stopwatch to its starting time, with the current time period, and starts it running.
  • Don’t Use Time Period (Standard Stopwatch)converts any stopwatch to a standard count-up stopwatch with no target time.
  • Delete / Delete Alllets you quickly dispose of any number of stopwatches.
  • Rename This Stopwatchlets you apply a new name to a floating stopwatch.
  • Move Stopwatch to Separate Window / Move Stopwatch to Multiple Stopwatch Windowmoves a single stopwatch, selected stopwatches, or all stopwatches back and forth between the different types of stopwatch windows.

  You may also move stopwatches back and forth between independent Stopwatch windows and the Multiple Stopwatch window by dragging the stopwatch into or out of the Multiple Stopwatch window.

Saved Stopwatches

• Save any stopwatch as a Saved Stopwatch, storing the stopwatch’s name, target time, and counting direction.
• Quickly create new stopwatches and replace existing stopwatches using the values stored in a saved stopwatch.
• Define a saved stopwatch as you create a new stopwatch, or from a stopwatch you have already created.
• View and edit saved stopwatches and their parameters.
• Implement a saved stopwatch from within any application.

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New Calendar Features

• Summon the Quick Calendar window by selecting New Quick Calendar Window... from UTC Global Clock’s File menu.
• Calendars may now display continuous (multi-month) and single-month views.
• Calendars may now also display the week of the year, configurable as to what constitutes the first week of the year.

	Calendars Control Grouping

• Quick Calendar windows may now be resized, and they open at the size and location of the last Quick Calendar window closed.
• Quick Calendar keyboard navigation: Move forward a month at a time by pressing the tab key; move backward a month at a time by pressing shift-tab. You may also press the up arrow or down arrow key to move forward a month, and backward a month, respectively. Press the left arrow key to move backward one year at a time, or press right arrow to move forward a year at a time.
• Return a Quick Calendar window to its parent time display’s date by clicking the new Time Display Date button. The window’s title then changes to “Date for Time Display,” followed by the name of the time display.

Calendar Options Window: Time Display Menus Tab

New Calendar Options window contains three tabs, allowing you to customize the appearance and display of all UTC Global Clock calendars.

	Calendar Options Window: Time Display Menus Tab

• Contains options for the calendars that appear in all time display menus.
• Select options independently for the Main Menu Entry and the Calendar Submenu.
• Show or hide a new Week of Year display along a calendar’s right edge. Show or hide the month/year heading.
• View a sample calendar that demonstrates the effects of changing calendar options in real time.
• Display single-month, multiple-month, or multiple single-month calendars.

Calendar Options Window: Quick Calendar Windows Tab

	Calendar Options Window: Quick Calendar Windows Tab

• Contains options for the calendars that appear in all Quick Calendar windows.
• Select options independently for the single-month and the multiple-month calendars.
• Show or hide a new Week of Year display along a Quick Calendar window’s right edge. Show or hide the month/year heading.
• View a sample calendar that demonstrates the effects of changing calendar options in real time.

Calendar Options Window: Colors Tab

	Calendar Options Window: Colors Tab

• Lets you specify the color scheme used to draw single-month and multiple-month calendars.
• Return to default colors with a single click, for all color options or only the selected color option.
• Adjust the color of the following calendar components:
  • Month and Year Header
  • Day of Week Header Text
  • Day of Week Header Background
  • Calendar Border Lines
  • Calendar Grid Lines
  • Current Month Numerals
  • Unselected Month Numerals
  • Current Month Background
  • Unselected Month Background
  • Alternate Month Background
  • Week of Year Text
  • Running Month Display

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New: Chime and AppleScript Scheduling

• You may now schedule the following operations:
  
  • Run an AppleScript
    
  • Change hourly chime volume
    
  • Turn hourly chimes on or off
    
  • Activate a specific chime set
    
  • Activate a random chime set
    
  • Cycle through installed chime sets
    
    
• Create and edit scheduled events via UTC Global Clock’s Chime and AppleScript Scheduling window.

	Chime and AppleScript Scheduling Window

• Schedule events at sunrise, sunset, a specific time, and/or on specific days of the week.

• View event times as 12-hour or 24-hour time.

	Edit Event Window

• Freely edit and duplicate events. Create an unlimited number of scheduled events.
• Specify your location on Earth for sunrise/sunset events.

	Location Window

• Edit a variety of events using intuitive controls.

	Event Details: Hourly Chimes and Chime Sets		Event Details: Hourly Chimes Volume		Event Details: Run AppleScript

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Changes to Preferences Handling

• UTC Global Clock now reads from and writes to your user preferences file. It can also be instructed to read from or write to the shared preferences file on command.

When you are logged in to a non-administrator’s account, you will need to enter an administrator’s password to save the shared preferences file.

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Changes to Internet Update

• When performing an update, UTC Global Clock first tries to download to your Downloads folder in your main user or “home” directory. If that folder can’t be located, UTC Global Clock then attempts to download to the desktop. If neither location can be found (or neither allows file saving), then you are presented with a file placement dialog so that you may choose the download folder.
• If existing files with the same name(s) already exist, the newly-downloaded file(s) are created with unique names.
• After successfully downloading an update, UTC Global Clock attempts to mount the downloaded disk image, copy the new files to your current installation folder, open the new version, and unmount the downloaded disk image to complete the installation. If possible, UTC Global Clock also reveals the downloaded file by opening its parent folder or directory.

UTC Global Clock will never replace or delete any files. It places any conflicting files into a folder named Moved by Installer inside your UTC Global Clock folder.

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New Keyboard Shortcuts

Note: Only new keyboard shortcuts are shown in these tables.

When UTC Global Clock is in front
Command	Shortcut
D	Suspend chimes again for last specified duration
D	(when chimes are suspended) Resume chimes
D	Suspend chimes...
E	Edit chimes
G	Open Chime and AppleScript Scheduling window...
O	Open time display file...

Multiple Stopwatch Window
Command	Shortcut
C	Create new stopwatch
D	Duplicate selected stopwatch
R	Start or reset stopwatch
S	Create saved stopwatch
W	Move stopwatch to new window
SPACEBAR	Pause or resume stopwatch
BACKSPACE / DELETE	Delete selected stopwatches
RETURN or ENTER	Edit selected stopwatch

Multiple Timer Window
Command	Shortcut
C	Create new timer
D	Duplicate selected timer
R	Start or reset timer
S	Create saved timer
W	Move timer to new window
SPACEBAR	Pause or resume timer
BACKSPACE / DELETE	Delete selected timers
RETURN or ENTER	Edit selected timer

Independent Timer Window
Command	Shortcut
C	Create new timer
D	Duplicate timer
R	Start or reset timer
S	Create saved timer
W	Move timer to Multiple Timer window
SPACEBAR	Pause or resume timer
RETURN or ENTER	Edit timer

Preferences Window Application Preferences tab
Command	Shortcut
C	Show Calendar Options window

Edit Hourly Chimes Window
Command	Shortcut
SPACEBAR	Play/stop playing chimes for selected minute
BACKSPACE / DELETE	Delete selected chime
E	Open Edit Chime Sets window
P	Preview all chimes for selected minute
P	Preview only the selected chime
R	Click the More Sounds... button
S	Save current chimes as chime set
LEFT ARROW	Reduce volume by 1 (hold keys down to repeatedly reduce volume by 10)
RIGHT ARROW	Increase volume by 1 (hold keys down to repeatedly increase volume by 10)

Edit Chime Sets Window
Command	Shortcut
L or O	load chime sets from disk file
S	Save selected chime set(s) to file
S	Save all chime sets to file
BACKSPACE / DELETE	Delete selected chime set(s)

Quick Calendar Window
Command	Shortcut
TAB or UP ARROW	Move calendar forward by one month
TAB or DOWN ARROW	Move calendar backward by one month
RIGHT ARROW	Move calendar forward by one year
LEFT ARROW	Move calendar backward by one year
C	Toggle continuous
T	Set to today or time display date
W	Toggle week of year

Add a New Stopwatch Window / Edit Stopwatch Window
Command	Shortcut
S	Start/save and create saved stopwatch...

Create a Timer Window / Edit Timer Window
Command	Shortcut
S	Start/save and create saved timer...

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Full Change Listing

Read the full change listing.

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