Using Class Timer in a client/server app

Question

In my program i d like the server execute draws every 5 min choosing numbers randomly from1 to 10.
Clients, when connected will inform server about the number they chose. (This works correctly)
Next, the clients will wait until notified by the server about the number drawn in the last draw and
about if they won or not.
i ve found that i have to use classes Timer and TimerTask but API does not help me enough
about how to use them. Could anyone help me?
Here is the piece of code i think it need to be changed.
  // control thread's execution
      public void run()
         int message=0;
         int rnum=randGen.nextInt(10);
         display.append( "\n"+ "THE MAGIC NUMBER IS: " + rnum );
// process connection
         try {
            // read message from client
            do {
               try {
                  message =  input.readInt();
                  if (message==rnum){output.writeUTF("SERVER>>> YOU WON: MAGIC NUMBER IS: " +rnum);}
                   else {output.writeUTF("SERVER>>> YOU LOSE: MAGIC NUMBER IS: " +rnum);}
                  display.append( "\n\n" +"PLAYER " + clientNumber + " SELECTED NUMBER " + message );
                  display.setCaretPosition( display.getText().length() );
               // process problems reading from client
               catch ( IOException ioException ) {
                  display.append( "\nUnknown object type received" );
            } while ( message!=-1 );
            display.append( "\nClient terminated connection" );
            display = null;
         // close streams and socket
         finally {
            try {
               output.close();
               input.close();
               connection.close();
            // process problems with I/O
            catch ( IOException ioException ) {
               ioException.printStackTrace();
            clients.remove( this );
      }  // end method run
    

Answer 1

I just implemented something like this so I know what you are trying to do.
Basically TimerTask is an Abstract class, which means you can't make an instance of it. So TimeTask t = new TimeTask() won't work. Instead what you need to do is make your own class that extends TimerTask. You then need to implement the run() method which is abstract in TimerTask.
This sounds complicated at first, but it is very easy.
This is my DelayTimerTask:
import java.util.TimerTask;
*Author: Jon Parise
*email: [email protected]
public class DelayTimerTask extends TimerTask{
    private boolean timeExpired = false;
    /** Creates a new instance of DelayTimerTask */
    public DelayTimerTask() {
        timeExpired =false;
    public void run(){
        timeExpired =true;
    public boolean isExpired(){
        return this.timeExpired;
}All this class does is set a flag when it is run.
The Timer class schedules a TimerTask, in this case a DelayTimer. When the scheduled time comes, everything in run is executed, which in this case sets the flag.
To schedule the task do this:
Timer delayTimer = new Timer();
DelayTimerTask delayTimerTask = new DelayTimerTask();
delayTimer.schedule(delayTimerTask,5000);
while(!delayTimerTask.isExpired()){
     //DoSomething Here
}This will create a new delayTimer, and then schedule it to go off in 5 seconds(5000 millaseconds). When it goes off isExpired will become true and break you out of the loop.
Hope this helps,
Jon