Digital Workshop

Hi,

I am trying to create a small utility to help the user slow their breathing in order to relax. A bar moves up and down which can be used to pace breathing. I've attached a sample .imp.

The goal is to reduce breaths per minute to 6 per minute from wherever the user begins and do this incrementally, a minute of exercise at a time, over a 15 minute time span.

So, if the user enters into an input box, 12 breaths per minute (bpm), then over the next 15 minutes, when they start the exercise, the bar would first move up and down for 60 seconds at 12 bpm, then it would move up and down for 60 seconds at 11 bpm, then for 60 seconds at 10 bpm, etc. until it reached 6 bpm at which point it would continue at 6 bpm for as many minutes necessary to fill out the 15 minutes of exercise.

I've figured out the basic loop for a 60 second segment for any bpm rate:



What I cannot figure out is how to now script this single 60 second exercise into a larger script that will (1) check if bar1 > 6, (2) if > 6 it will decrement it by 1 (--), (3) it will run the above loop with the newly decremented bpm value and (4) not decrement if bpm/bar1 = 6, and (5) continue this looping until 15 minutes of exercise time is reached.

This seems to be a challenging bit of scripting! I've tried "while" looping, but without success. Maybe it cannot be done? Or, maybe there is a better design?

I would appreciate any suggestions, help.

Kind Regards,

I can not help with the script, but I do have one piece of advice.
I once practiced in yoga. For better relaxation is desirable to breathe square breathing: inhale (15% of the total cycle time of breath) - breath holding at inspiration (35%) - exhale (35%) - delay in expiration (15%). Naturally, you must first start with the other proportions (25/25/25/25), and then gradually increase the time of expiration and breath-holding.

follow with interest the topic ...

Hi Volgar,

Yes, that would be another way to create the intervals. But, I am using, for now, a standard formula found in breath pacer training which is 30%, 5%,60%, 5%. Maybe, once it is working, I can vary the formula as you suggest or offer options.

By the way, I had tried a time line to try to get this working, without success.

Stay tuned!

Kind Regards,

Hi Stephen,

Change the script action on 'start' button to this.

while (bar1>6)
{
var bar2 = 60/bar1
for (loop = 0;loop<bar1;loop++)
{
Vector1.MoveY(-350, bar2*.3)
wait (bar2*.05)
Vector1.MoveY(350, bar2*.6)
wait (bar2*.05)
}
bar1--
}


Regards,

Mack

Hi Mack,

Thanks for your reply. I was on to a similar, but more awkward version: see the newly attached sample which has a start button lower left with my more awkward attempt (plus some standard action looping) and your suggestion in the start button upper right.

In the new attachment in the upper right start button, I added an "if" script to the "while" script to get the bpm to stop decrementing if = 6 bpm.
The problem now is to get some way to time the entire exercise from when the start button is pressed to total 15 minutes. So far, in my upper right start button script, if the user starts at 7 bpm, a one minute exercise is run at 7 bpm, followed by one minute of six bpm. The next 13 minutes should repeat at 13 X one minute exercises at 6 bpm, then stop. (This works a lot better when the user begins at for example 12 bpm, is "stepped down" by one minute decrements to 6 bpm, and has 9 one minute cycles at 6 bpm each, totaling 15 minutes.)

The challenge is now building in this decrementing one minute repeating until 6 is reached, repeating at 6 bpm until totaling 15 minutes.

Any way to script this?

I appreciate your help.

Kind Regards,

I'd have thought that decrementing a negative number would have increased the result

Seriously though, I'd keep it simple and run a 15 minute ticker action. Every 60s break the decrementing for-loop you already have unless bar1 = 6 in which case I'd simply run a different loop for the regulated breathing.

Mack

Hi Mack,

Yes, I was just reminding myself of Occam's Razor and simplicity yesterday.


I can give this new suggestion a try, but I am not sure yet how to use the ticker and "break" with this.

I am attaching the newest sample imp which has progress. The remaining challenge is getting it to all total 15 minutes of one minute exercises, then stop. Once bpm = 6, I need to figure out how to get it to "know" how much time out of the 15 mins are used (since exercise start button clicked), and repeat at 6 bpm until totaling 15.

Not sure how to achieve this. Any suggestions appreciated.

Kind Regards,

You don't half pick interesting concepts. I've sent you a workable solution

Mack

Thanks, Mack.

Very impressive solution!!!

Is there any way to set up a clock or timer so that it automatically stops the exercises after 15 minutes? I've tried to add in a clock and have not been successful.

Again, thanks much!

Kind Regards,

Cheers Stephen,

I've tweaked the recursion and sent you an updated version.

Mack

Thanks, Mack.

Wow! Very impressive scripting!

Kind Regards,

Yes that Mack is quite a gent.

For a bit of 'distraction', here's a relevant blonde joke:
http://www.helium.com/items/700465-jokes-blonde-jokes
(scroll down to find)
"#4:
A Blonde woman walks into a Hair salon to get her hair cut, wearing a set of headphones in her ears connected to a tape player. After sitting in the chair...."

cheers.

Hi, Larry.

Yes, a funny story very much related to the breathing tool.


And, Mack can certainly make Opus "sing" with his brilliant scripting!

Kind Regards,