Getting a timer working

[Mustiko]

Hey everyone, I am having problems with getting this timer to work. I have a whack a mole program and want to make it so that the mole will disappear after a certain amount of time e.g. 1 second and I have tried many ways with time.elapsed but it either only works for the first mole or it flickers and finishes when u click or something its pretty messed up but I have a feeling that the problem si very obviously and I can't figure it out so if any of you could give me a hand then I would appreciate it thanks
Oh by the way heres the code:

Turing:

%VARIABLES var done, hit, nohit : boolean := false                            % controls hit loop and game loop var mole_x, mole_y, h, v, z, button, count : int := 0          % location of mouse and boxes var m_width : int := 174                                    % width of mole var m_height : int := 161                                   % height of mole var st, ft : real                                           % timer variables var mole : int var m_location : int var colorfont : int := Font.New ("Arial:12") mole := Pic.FileNew ("mole.jpg") function Pt_In_Rect (x, y, x1, y1, x2, y2 : int) : boolean     result (x > x1) and (x < x2) and (y > y1) and (y < y2) end Pt_In_Rect %----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- %SCREEN/BACKGROUND setscreen ("graphics: 560, 520") drawfillbox (0, 0, maxx, maxy, black)%background drawfillbox (10, 10, 183, 169, white)%bottom left drawfillbox (193, 179, 366, 339, white)%middle drawfillbox (376, 349, 549, 509, white)%top right drawfillbox (193, 10, 366, 169, white)%bottom middle drawfillbox (376, 10, 549, 169, white)%bottom right drawfillbox (10, 179, 183, 339, white)%middle left drawfillbox (376, 179, 549, 339, white)%middle right drawfillbox (10, 349, 183, 509, white)%top left drawfillbox (193, 349, 366, 509, white)%top middle %-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- %MAIN LOOP %WAITING FOR USER INPUT buttonwait ("down", h, v, z, z) %TIMING FROM HERE st := Time.Elapsed loop %RESET HIT EACH TURN     hit := false                    randint (m_location, 1, 9) %DRAW MOLE IN RANDOM BOX     if m_location = 1 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 10, 10, picCopy)%bottom left     elsif m_location = 2 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 193, 179, picCopy)%middle     elsif m_location = 3 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 376, 349, picCopy)%top right     elsif m_location = 4 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 193, 10, picCopy)%bottom middle     elsif m_location = 5 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 376, 10, picCopy)%bottom right     elsif m_location = 6 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 10, 179, picCopy)%middle left     elsif m_location = 7 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 376, 179, picCopy)%middle right     elsif m_location = 8 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 10, 349, picCopy)%top left     elsif m_location = 9 then     Pic.Draw (mole, 193, 349, picCopy)%top middle     end if %DEFINING HIT VARIABLES     if m_location = 1 then     mole_x := 10     mole_y := 10     elsif m_location = 2 then     mole_x := 193     mole_y := 179     elsif m_location = 3 then     mole_x := 376     mole_y := 349     elsif m_location = 4 then     mole_x := 193     mole_y := 10     elsif m_location = 5 then     mole_x := 376     mole_y := 10     elsif m_location = 6 then     mole_x := 10     mole_y := 179     elsif m_location = 7 then     mole_x := 376     mole_y := 179     elsif m_location = 8 then     mole_x := 10     mole_y := 349     elsif m_location = 9 then     mole_x := 193     mole_y := 349     end if %CHECKING IF MOLE IS HIT        loop         mousewhere (h, v, button)         if Pt_In_Rect (h, v, mole_x, mole_y, mole_x + m_width, mole_y + m_height) and (button = 1) then             hit := true         elsif (Time.Elapsed - st) div 1000 = 1 then             nohit := true         end if         exit when hit or nohit     end loop %ERASES MOLE     drawfillbox (mole_x, mole_y, mole_x + m_width, mole_y + m_height, white) %COUNTS MOLES HIT     count := count + 1     if count = 10 then         done := true     end if     exit when done                                          end loop %CALCULATE THE TIME ft := (Time.Elapsed - st) / 1000 %OUTPUTS THE TIME                put ft : 0 : 2 %REMARKS                                if ft < 5 then     put "Speed Master!" else     put "Not fast enough!" end if

Thanks again

[syntax_error]

If the time.elapsed is giving you trouble simply have a for looping counting seconds?

then you can control the time when the for loop exits it will reach the not fast enough ?

I think that would be the simplest way to get around using time.elapsed no?

Anyone got better idea[s]?

[Nick]

how about using Time.DelaySinceLast, forcing each loop run to be x milliseconds (example 10) then you want the mole to be there for 1 second (1 second = 1000 milliseconds) so 1000/10 loop runs until you make the mole dissapear

[Mustiko]

ill try the for loop thing and for the Time.DelaySinceLast one where would I place that in the code? in the main loop or the loop inside the loop?

[LaZ3R]

Really? None of you see his problem?

The reason it only works for the first mole is because look at where you are giving st a value...

OUTSIDE THE LOOP!!!!!!

Every time a new mole appears, THAT'S when you set st:= Time.Elapsed

[Nick]

I never look at code

[syntax_error]

nor did I, takes too long.

[LaZ3R]

Such a simple problem like his though usually results from a single error in the code. It took 2 seconds for me to spot so rather than making things more complicted for him, wouldn't it be easier to just glance at the code for a second?

[Mustiko]

Thank you laZ3R and I also found out that I stupidly forgot to declare that hit and nohit are false before the loop inside the loop. Thanks again and good job guyz!