The TcNo TimeKeeper helps you shorten the time you spend editing a video by helping you remember exactly where you need to be in the video. Stop spending time scrubbing hours of video and work on a better final product.
This was my first public application programming project.
The Problem
When this tool was created, most gaming content creators were still using Fraps and Bandicam.
The issue: knowing exactly what times to jump back to when editing long recording sessions.
The Solution
A simple timekeeper that allows users to hit a global hotkey (e.g., Alt+0) to create a new “note” of the time in a list. Pressing another hotkey brings up a message box asking for extra info, allowing detailed note-taking.
The project was originally put together in C# with basic WinForms, but later expanded to include multiple noteworthy features:
Features
- Awesomium (now ultralig.ht), an embedded Chromium allowing simple, great-looking graphics. The tool added a much better-looking list and spinner for the “ready” state using this tool. Many game developers, like Facepunch with Garry’s Mod, used Awesomium, which inspired me to try it out.
- Web Server: Expanding access to other devices on the local network was trivial. I expanded the program to host a remote panel using an Http Listener.
- Auto-delete: Assuming a recording session completed without any notes (possibly nothing noteworthy happened), then a window pops up asking the user if they want to delete newly created files in the recording directory.
- Auto-start with recording software: When the recording hotkey matches that in the recording software, the timer starts at the same time. This keeps time accurate, and watches for new files for the auto-delete function.
- Keys: Simple key system using PHP and MySQL, then replaced for distribution through Paddle, until finally, Steam.
- Statistics: Users can view the total hours recorded, notes taken, and more. Completely anonymous user statistics were also sent to my PHP server, adding to totals in a MySQL database. These were referenced on the landing page.
Get the TcNo TimeKeeper:
The project was originally sold, with a demo available on Steam, but now is completely free. You can get it on Steam.
Creation
The project was originally written in Visual Basic, and later brought across to a C# codebase. Visual Basic is great. It was my first time “converting” into another language, C#, learning the similarities and differences, and adjusting for them in my early development career. This has helped me learn to be adaptable when using different and new languages and technologies.
The website was created much later, and built with Bootstrap, as well as the usual HTML/CSS/JS languages. I used PHP for server-side functionality, such as emailing from the contact form, using mail().
