Please help with dynamic autosave button that only halfway works?

Question

Ive been working on this from morning to midnight (primarily studying the docs that never seem to have useful examples) only to to make very little ground. I am trying to code a dynamic button that performs a recurring NotebookSave[] after a countdown timer[s] completes and then automatically begins cycle again.

The button should do the following...

1. when inactive label should display AutoSave.

2. click replaces label with time remaining for next save.

3. when countdown timer[s] completes this should trigger NotebookSave[].

4. label should now read SAVED for 10 sec (I think Pause[10] would work).

5. automatically start cycle over perhaps by recursive function (only closing notebook will stop autosave).

6. and finally the entire thing nicely packaged in a DynamicModule[] which I should find doing a piece of cake.

From the code below you can see I only completed steps 1 and 2 (step 3 attempted but failed). Any help for steps 3 - 5 would be most appreciated. I also include a small sampling of my many bad attempts so you would take pity on my wretched soul.

timer[s_ : 600] := Dynamic[s - Clock[{0, s, 1}, s, 1]];
s = 10;
Button[Dynamic[x, {(x := #) &, NotebookSave[]}, 
  Initialization :> (x := "AutoSave")], x := timer[s]]

(* may ignore these bad attempts *)
(*
Button[Dynamic[x,{}Initialization:>(x:="AutoSave")],(x:=timer[];\
NotebookSave)];
Button[Dynamic[x,Initialization:>(x:="AutoSave")],Dynamic[x,{x:=timer[\
],NotebookSave[]}]];
Button[Dynamic[x,Initialization:>(x:="AutoSave")],x:=Dynamic[t,{t:=\
timer[s],If[t==0,NotebookSave[]]}]]
Button[Dynamic[x,Initialization:>(x:="AutoSave")],x:=Dynamic[t,{t:=\
timer[s],If[t==0,NotebookSave[]]}]]
*)

Answer 1

Button will not work for what you want to do, since it will require to set the Method -> "Queued" and then you cannot do anything in the notebook anymore.

I would use ScheduledTask and write the information when to save in the "WindowStatusArea". The below code should serve as a proof of concept. Just execute in inside your notebook and then you can go on using the notebook for other tasks.

    With[{nb=EvaluationNotebook[], p1:=Pause[1]},
   CurrentValue[nb,"WindowStatusArea"]="preparing repetitive autosave";
    SessionSubmit[
      ScheduledTask[ 
        Module[{sCountDown = 3,s},
          s = sCountDown
          ; Do[
              CurrentValue[nb,"WindowStatusArea"]=("Autosaving Notebook in " <> ToString[s] <> " seconds")
              ; If[s > 0
                  ,
                    s = s - 1
                  , 
                    CurrentValue[nb,"WindowStatusArea"]="Saving Notebook now"
                  ; p1; NotebookSave[nb]; p1; s = sCountDown
                  ; CurrentValue[nb, "WindowStatusArea"] = "SAVED"]
                  ; p1
                  , {10^5}
           ]
        ]
     , {Quantity[5,"Seconds"], 10^7 }]]
];