Online Tally Counter

Common questions

Does the tally survive a reload?

Yes. Every counter, its name, its number, the step and the Never below zero setting are written into this browser's own storage a moment after each change and read back when the page opens, so a reload or a closed tab comes back to the same numbers on the same device. The Saved cell says Yes once something has been written, and No when the browser is blocking storage, which happens in private windows and inside some embedded frames: the counter still counts there, it simply cannot promise the number back. Start over, in the row above the heading, clears what was kept.

What are the keyboard shortcuts?

The space bar adds one step to the counter on the stage. The up arrow, K and the plus key do the same, and the down arrow, J and the minus key take a step off. Z undoes the last change, N moves to the next counter, and the number keys 1 to 9 put that counter on the stage. They work while the counter is on screen, and they are ignored completely while you are typing in a field, so a digit typed into a counter name is part of the name rather than a press. A space aimed at a button is left to the browser, which is already clicking it, so one press stays one count.

How many things can I count at once?

Up to 20 counters, each with a name of up to 32 characters. One of them is on the stage as the big number, and every counter is in the list below with its own plus and minus, so you can count two things with two thumbs without swapping screens. The total of all of them sits under the list and in the export. Counters are added and removed one at a time, the last one stays because the page has to be counting something, and a removal is undoable with its count intact.

Can I get the tally into a spreadsheet?

Yes. CSV writes a file with a Counter,Count header, one row per counter and a Total row at the end, named for the day you took it. A name with a comma or a quotation mark in it is escaped the way a spreadsheet reads it back, so a counter called Cars, left does not split into two columns. Copy puts the same tally on the clipboard as plain text, counters and total, which is the version to paste into a message. Both are built in the page from what is on the screen.

What happens if I press the wrong button?

Undo puts it back, two hundred changes deep: presses, a count typed straight in, a counter added or removed and a reset are all on the stack. Press Z, or the Undo button under the number. Reset takes two presses, the first arms it and says what the second will do, and undo brings the counts back even after that second press. Renaming a counter and changing the step are settings rather than counts, so they are not on the stack, and an undo never rewrites a name you have since typed.

Can a counter go below zero?

Yes, by default. A press takes it to -1 and on down, which is what a net tally needs when people are going in and out of a room. Turn Never below zero on and a press that would take a counter under zero is refused with a message naming the counter and the number it is standing on, rather than quietly holding at zero and leaving you to wonder how many presses were lost. A counter that is already below zero when you turn the setting on is left exactly where it is, and can still be counted back up.

How high can it count?

To 1,000,000,000, and to -1,000,000,000 the other way. Every number is whole-number arithmetic, so a count of 148 is 148 and not 147.99999: there is no rounding anywhere in the tool. A press that would pass either end is refused with a message saying which counter is at the limit and what to do about it, rather than overflowing or stopping without a word.

Is anything sent anywhere?

No. The counting, the names, the copy and the CSV are all made inside the page you have open. There is no account, nothing is uploaded, the tally is not synced anywhere, and what you count is never sent to analytics. Two devices do not share a tally: one browser holds its own, and another device opens its own.