Time for action – creating a timer

We create timers in pretty much the same way we create our main loop.

1. First, we add a second scheduled event by adding this line to our GameLayer constructor:

   this->schedule(CC_SCHEDULE_SELECTOR(GameLayer::ticktock), 1.5f);

2. With this, we create a separate timer that will run the ticktock method every 1.5 seconds (I decided in the end that 1.5 seconds looked better).
3. The method keeps updating the value of the _time property and displaying it in the _timer label.

   void GameLayer::ticktock(float dt) {
       if (_gameState == kGamePlay) {
           _time++;
           _timer->setString(std::to_string(_time));
       }
   }

What just happened?

We added a timer to our game by scheduling a second update—specifying the time interval we wanted—using the schedule method.

If you wish to remove a timer, all you need to do is call the unschedule(SEL_SCHEDULE selector) method of nodes anywhere in your class.

Now, let's take our Box2D game to Android.