Timer Object

The Timer Object displays a visible countdown or count-up timer on screen during a trial. It integrates fully with the Labvanced event system: you control the timer using StartTimer, PauseTimer, and ResetTimer actions, and it fires triggers when it starts, pauses, ends, or crosses a whole-second boundary. The current time value is available as a readable and writable variable, making it straightforward to branch experiment logic based on elapsed or remaining time.

Adding the Timer Object

In the task editor toolbar, open the Buttons & Navigation group and select Timer to add a Timer Object to the current frame.

When you add the element, a Timer Setup Wizard opens automatically. You can complete the wizard to pre-configure the timer and add common events in one step, or click Skip to configure everything manually.

Timer Setup Wizard

The setup wizard covers the most common configuration choices and can optionally add starter events for you.

You can skip any of the auto-events and configure them manually in the event editor instead.

Object Properties

All settings below are found in the Object Properties panel when the Timer Object is selected.

Timer settings

Note: Current Time (seconds) does not appear in the Properties panel, but it is readable and writable at runtime via the Set Object Property action in the event system. See Using Current Time as a Variable.

Style

Custom CSS

Check Change CSS Properties in the Style section to reveal the CSS textarea. Write standard CSS rules there. Labvanced automatically scopes each rule to the selected object, so your selectors only affect that element's internal DOM.

Styling the time display

Target span to change the font, color, size, or weight of the time readout:

span {
  font-size: 3em;
  color: #c0392b;
  font-family: "Courier New", monospace;
  font-weight: bold;
  letter-spacing: 0.05em;
}

Controlling the Timer with Actions

Use the Control Element action in the event system to control the timer programmatically.

Example: start the timer automatically when the frame begins

Trigger: On Frame Start
Action: Control Element → Set Target: your Timer Object → StartTimer

Example: pause the timer when a button is clicked

Trigger: On Mouse Click → Set Target: your pause button
Action: Control Element → Set Target: your Timer Object → PauseTimer

Triggering Events from the Timer

The Timer Object fires the following triggers, which you can use as the "when" condition in any event.

Example: advance to the next frame when the timer ends

Trigger: Media Object Trigger → Set Target: your Timer Object → Execute on: TimerEnded
Action: Jump to Next Frame

Example: record a variable every second

Trigger: Media Object Trigger → Set Target: your Timer Object → Execute on: TimerThreshold
Action: Set / Record Variable → your recording variable

Using Current Time as a Variable

The Current Time (seconds) property is a readable and writable runtime value. You can use the Set Object Property action to read the current time into another variable, or to seek the timer to a specific position.

This makes it possible to:

• Record the exact time remaining when a participant responds
• Branch experiment flow based on how much time has elapsed
• Synchronize two timers by writing the same value to both

Example: record time remaining at response

Trigger: On Key Press → Set Target: your target key
Action 1: Set / Record Variable → create a variable (e.g. time_at_response), value source: Object Property → Set Target: your Timer Object → Current Time (seconds)
Action 2: Jump to Next Frame

Further Reading