Countdown Timer Ring

A minimalist, visually-focused countdown timer for Windows 10/11 built with PowerShell and WinForms. Features a circular progress ring that fills with dark red as time elapses, with a clean, unobtrusive interface that reveals controls only on hover.

Features

Visual Countdown Ring: Dark red ring fills clockwise as time progresses

Minimal Interface: Controls hide when not in use, appearing only on mouse hover

Always on Top: Window stays above other applications

Adjustable Transparency: 40% opacity default (configurable)

Tone on Complete:  Default off (configurable)

Resizable Window: Can be sized down to 100×125 pixels (TODO - consider 64 x 90)

Simple Input: Set countdown time in minutes only

Prerequisites

Windows 10 or 11

PowerShell 5.1 or higher (included with Windows)

Installation

Download the script, this is meant to be a standalone no install required tool

Save as: CountdownTimer.ps1

Run the script:

Right-click the script file and select "Run with PowerShell"

Or run from PowerShell terminal .\CountdownTimer.ps1

If blocked by execution policy (optional):

Run once to allow script execution in current session

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass

Usage

Set Time: Enter minutes in the input field (default: 5)

Start Timer: Click "Start" - the ring will begin filling with dark red

Stop Early: Click "Stop" to reset the timer

Move Window: Hover to reveal controls, drag the title bar or ring area

Resize: Drag any window edge or corner

Interface Behavior

Normal State: Only the countdown ring is visible

Hover State: Move mouse over window to reveal:

      Bottom: Control panel with time input and buttons

Auto-hide: Controls disappear 500ms after mouse leaves

Configuration

The script includes several adjustable parameters at the top of the file: powershell

Colors (RGB values)

$bgColor = [System.Drawing.Color]::FromArgb(30, 30, 30)        # Background
$ringBgColor = [System.Drawing.Color]::FromArgb(60, 60, 60)    # Empty ring
$ringFillColor = [System.Drawing.Color]::FromArgb(139, 0, 0)   # Filling ring (dark red)

Window Properties

  $form.Opacity = 0.6                     # Transparency (0.0-1.0)
  $form.TopMost = $true                   # Always on top
  $form.MinimumSize = New-Object System.Drawing.Size(100, 125)  # Min window size

Hover Behavior

$hideTimer.Interval = 500               # Delay before hiding controls (ms)
$titleBar.Height = 8                    # Title bar height when visible

Customization Examples

Change Ring Color (e.g., to blue):

$ringFillColor = [System.Drawing.Color]::FromArgb(0, 120, 215)  # Windows blue

Increase Transparency:

$form.Opacity = 0.4  # Even more transparent

Adjust Hover Delay:

$hideTimer.Interval = 1000  # 1 second delay before hiding

Technical Details

Architecture

Language: PowerShell 5.1+

GUI Framework: Windows Forms (WinForms)

Graphics: GDI+ for custom drawing

Timer: System.Windows.Forms.Timer (UI thread-safe)

Key Components

Update-Display Function: Handles ring drawing with anti-aliasing

Real-time Calculation: Uses system clock for accurate timing

Hover Management: Timer-based show/hide logic

Resource Management: Proper bitmap disposal to prevent memory leaks

File Structure

CountdownTimer.ps1 ├── Initialization (Add-Type, variable setup) ├── Form Creation (borderless, transparent, always-on-top) ├── Drawing Function (Update-Display with GDI+) ├── Timer Logic (real-time countdown calculation) ├── UI Controls (input, buttons, hover panels) ├── Event Handlers (mouse, resize, timer ticks) └── Cleanup (resource disposal)

Troubleshooting

"Script execution is disabled" Run Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass Ring doesn't update Ensure PowerShell is running with appropriate permissions Controls don't appear on hover Check mouse is over the form, not just borders Window can't be moved Hover first to show title bar, then drag Close button too small at high DPI Adjust $closeButton.Size and font in script

Development Notes Why PowerShell + WinForms?

Zero dependencies: Runs on any Windows machine

Single file: No installation or compilation needed

Rapid prototyping: Easy to modify and test

Lightweight: Minimal resource usage

Design Decisions

No Pause Feature: Kept interface simple, focused on start/stop

Minutes Only: Simplified input validation and user experience

Silent Completion: Avoids interruptions in work/meetings

Hover-to-Reveal: Maximizes screen real estate for the timer display

Contributing

Fork the repository

Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/improvement)

Test changes thoroughly

Commit changes (git commit -am 'Add some feature')

Push to branch (git push origin feature/improvement)

Create a Pull Request

Areas for Improvement

Preset timer buttons (1, 5, 10, 15 minutes)

Better system tray integration

Multiple timer instances

Better handling of very large or small sizes

Export as standalone executable