User Guide

GDZ Flip Clock is a split-flap desktop clock: it displays the time using flipping panels that rotate as the digits change, like the old airport departure boards. You can customize the colors, font, and language, run it in a window, use it as a desktop widget, or enjoy it in full-screen mode — and even use it as a Windows screensaver.

• Open FlipClock.exe.
• The clock starts in the dark theme by default, with no border and centered on the screen.
• On startup, you'll briefly see the F1 Help message: press F1 at any time to view the list of shortcuts.
• Right-click the clock to open the menu (Themes, Options, Help, Exit), or press O to open Options directly.

Only one instance of GDZ Flip Clock can run at a time. Launching the application again simply activates the existing instance. To close the app, press Esc or right-click and select Exit.

The clock interface consists of the following elements:

• Time cards — one or two digits per group (hours, minutes, and optionally seconds). Each digit changes with a split-flap folding animation.
• Separators — the colon : between time groups. It can be hidden.
• AM / PM — an extra card that appears only in 12-hour format.
• Date (optional) — a line below the time showing the weekday, date, month, and year in your language.

The time is read directly from the system clock, so it is always in sync with Windows and never drifts.

Right-clicking the clock opens the context menu:

Open it by pressing O or from the context menu. All changes are applied immediately and saved automatically. A Live Preview updates in real time to reflect the current configuration. Options are grouped into three blocks: Clock, Application, and Colors.

Clock

Application

Colors

The text color adjusts automatically to contrast with the card; themes that include a custom text color apply it automatically.

Actions

There are 21 ready-to-use themes. Choose them from the right-click Themes submenu (with thumbnails and live preview), or from the Theme selector in the Options window.

Each theme defines the background color, the two card colors (with or without gradient), and the text color. After applying a theme, you can continue adjusting any color manually in the Colors section.

Flip Clock supports four window modes, which can be enabled from the Options window or with keyboard shortcuts:

• The window can be resized freely by dragging its edges.
• The clock remembers its size and position between sessions (in window mode).

GDZ Flip Clock can also be installed as a Windows screen saver.

Install: open Options (O), press Install as screensaver, and the Windows Screen Saver Settings window opens with FlipClock already available — select it and click OK. No administrator rights are required: it installs only for your user account.

While active: the clock covers all monitors in full-screen mode. Any key press, mouse click, or mouse movement closes it, like any screen saver.

Uninstall: go back to Options and press Uninstall screensaver.

The interface and the date line are available in 10 languages: Spanish, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Chinese, and Dutch.

Choose the language in Options → Language. If you don't select one, the app uses your Windows language; if your Windows language isn't available, it falls back to English. The change is immediate: menus, options, help, and the date line are translated immediately.

Press F1 at any time to view this list inside the app.

Language, update checks, separators, and reset are configured from the Options window.

All settings are saved automatically in your user profile as JSON text files:

• Desktop app: %AppData%\FlipClock\settings.json
• Screen saver: %AppData%\FlipClock\settings.screensaver.json

A log of errors is also kept in %AppData%\FlipClock\log.txt (useful when contacting support). The Reset to defaults button returns all settings to their default values (keeping only your language).

The app can optionally check for a newer version in the background and show messages from the developer. You can force the check with Options → Check for updates. If there is no internet connection, nothing happens: the clock keeps working normally.

All of these parameters are set from the interface; this table summarizes their names, what they control, and their default values.