INFO: SetTimer() Should Not Be Used in Console Applications

MORE INFORMATION

In Windows NT 3.1, SetTimer() can work within a console application, but it requires a thread in a loop calling GetMessage() and DispatchMessage().

For example:

   while (1)
   {
      GetMessage();
      DispatchMessage();
   }

Because this requires a thread looping, there is no real advantage to adding a timer to a console application over using a thread waiting on an event.

Another option is to use a multimedia timer, which does not require a message loop and has a higher resolution. In Windows NT 3.5, the resolution can be set to 1 msec using timeBeginPeriod(). See the help for timeSetEvent() and the Multimedia overview. Any application using Multimedia calls must include MMSYSTEM.H, and must link with WINMM.LIB.