Problem with Dialog Boxes and Notify Icons

[Derek Martin]

Hi there, this is probably really dumb, but I am using a dialog as my main
form and my startup form is my splash screen - which implements some
progress bars to load up some relevant data. When that is done, loading
form does this:

Me.Visible = False
mainform.ShowDi alog()
Application.Exi t()

So far so good (is this a dumb way of doing that???). Now, I am
implementing a notification icon in mainform. Here is some relevant stuff:

(class variable shown as boolean = true and notify icon set up correctly)

Private Sub Open_Click(ByVa l sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles NotifyIcon1.Dou bleClick
Me.WindowState = FormWindowState .Normal
Me.ShowInTaskba r = True
shown = True
NotifyIcon1.Vis ible = False
End Sub

Private Sub MainFormSizeCha nged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.SizeChan ged
If shown And Me.WindowState = FormWindowState .Minimized Then
shown = False
Me.ShowInTaskba r = False
NotifyIcon1.Vis ible = True
End If
End Sub

Here is the problem: When I hit the ol minimize button on mainform, the
application control is passed back to loading and the application exits
since that is the next line. What am I doing wrong/what can I adjust so
that control doesn't go back to loading when the form is minimized??

Plus, any tips on making that better are certainly welcome!

Thanks!

[Armin Zingler]

"Derek Martin" <dm*****@DONTSP AMMEokstate.edu > schrieb

Hi there, this is probably really dumb, but I am using a dialog as my
main form and my startup form is my splash screen - which implements
some progress bars to load up some relevant data. When that is done,
loading form does this:

Me.Visible = False
mainform.ShowDi alog()
Application.Exi t()

So far so good (is this a dumb way of doing that???).
IMO not a good idea. You should only use a Form as the startup object if the
Form will always be visible from the start til the end of the application.
[...]
Here is the problem: When I hit the ol minimize button on mainform,
the application control is passed back to loading and the application
exits since that is the next line. What am I doing wrong/what can I
adjust so that control doesn't go back to loading when the form is
minimized??

ShowDialog probably exits when the Form is minimized. If you change what
I've written above, this problem should have been solved also.
--
Armin

How to quote and why:
http://www.plig.net/nnq/nquote.html
http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html

[Derek Martin]

I can live with that :-)
Any suggestions then on how to accomplish a splash screen in the main
form????
Thanks!
Derek

"Armin Zingler" <az*******@free net.de> wrote in message
news:40******** *************** @news.freenet.d e...

"Derek Martin" <dm*****@DONTSP AMMEokstate.edu > schrieb

Hi there, this is probably really dumb, but I am using a dialog as my
main form and my startup form is my splash screen - which implements
some progress bars to load up some relevant data. When that is done,
loading form does this:

Me.Visible = False
mainform.ShowDi alog()
Application.Exi t()

So far so good (is this a dumb way of doing that???).
IMO not a good idea. You should only use a Form as the startup object if

the Form will always be visible from the start til the end of the application.

[...]
Here is the problem: When I hit the ol minimize button on mainform,
the application control is passed back to loading and the application
exits since that is the next line. What am I doing wrong/what can I
adjust so that control doesn't go back to loading when the form is
minimized??

ShowDialog probably exits when the Form is minimized. If you change what
I've written above, this problem should have been solved also.
--
Armin

How to quote and why:
http://www.plig.net/nnq/nquote.html
http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html

[Armin Zingler]

"Derek Martin" <dm*****@DONTSP AMMEokstate.edu > schrieb

I can live with that :-)
Any suggestions then on how to accomplish a splash screen in the
main form????

/In/ the main form or before showing the main form? I assume the latter:

shared sub main
dim splash as new splashform
dim main as mainform
splash.show
splash.refresh
main = new mainform
main.show
splash.close
application.run (main)
end sub

I only answered the question above - not the one with the NotifyIcon. ;-)

--
Armin

How to quote and why:
http://www.plig.net/nnq/nquote.html
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[copyco]

This is the way I did my splash screen. It seems to work great.

This is the code in the main, startup form:

Private Sub Main_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.Load

frmSplash = New frmSplash() ' my name for the form
frmSplash.ShowS plash()
' Apparently this method is available for a reason,
' so it may be better than the .ShowDialog method, etc.

' This is my own stuff for controling the splashscreen
' activity from this main form...
frmSplash.lstSp lash.Items.Add( "Loading... ")
' This is so above changes are displayed...
frmSplash.Refre sh()

' When you're done with the splashscreen...
frmSplash.Close ()

End Sub
Hope that helps.

Derek Martin wrote:

Hi there, this is probably really dumb, but I am using a dialog as my main
form and my startup form is my splash screen - which implements some
progress bars to load up some relevant data. When that is done, loading
form does this:

Me.Visible = False
mainform.ShowDi alog()
Application.Exi t()

So far so good (is this a dumb way of doing that???). Now, I am
implementing a notification icon in mainform. Here is some relevant stuff:

(class variable shown as boolean = true and notify icon set up correctly)

Private Sub Open_Click(ByVa l sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles NotifyIcon1.Dou bleClick
Me.WindowState = FormWindowState .Normal
Me.ShowInTaskba r = True
shown = True
NotifyIcon1.Vis ible = False
End Sub

Private Sub MainFormSizeCha nged(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.SizeChan ged
If shown And Me.WindowState = FormWindowState .Minimized Then
shown = False
Me.ShowInTaskba r = False
NotifyIcon1.Vis ible = True
End If
End Sub

Here is the problem: When I hit the ol minimize button on mainform, the
application control is passed back to loading and the application exits
since that is the next line. What am I doing wrong/what can I adjust so
that control doesn't go back to loading when the form is minimized??

Plus, any tips on making that better are certainly welcome!

Thanks!

[Derek Martin]

Thank you to both for your assistance. They have aided me in learning more
about the splashes, however, my particular case seems to be a bit different.

My splash screen uses a progress bar to actually show things as they are
being done on the mainform, loading up some objects, etc. I followed some
patterns from these posts and I get to a certain part that works well, but
it doesn't lend itself to threading very easily. For instance, in the
loading code, if I am referencing the mainform by an object instead of
creating it in the loading code (here I create it in the main method), I
cannot start up a thread on that object, I'd have to recreate it which beats
the purpose. I have attached my code if anyone can assist.

Thanks!

Derek
Public Class loading
Inherits System.Windows. Forms.Form
Dim elapsed As Short = 0
Dim t As Thread
Dim mainform As main

Private Sub StartTimer_Tick (ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles StartTimer.Tick
elapsed += 1
Me.Opacity = 1
If elapsed >= 10 Then
Me.StartTimer.E nabled = False
Me.beginLoading Components()
End If
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Tick(ByV al sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles Timer1.Tick
Me.ProgressBar1 .Value += Me.ProgressBar1 .Maximum / 10
If Me.ProgressBar1 .Value >= Me.ProgressBar1 .Maximum Then
Timer1.Enabled = False
t.Join()
Me.Hide()
Me.Cursor = Cursors.Arrow
mainform.ShowDi alog(Me) 'INSTEAD OF DOING THIS, I need to pass
control to this form and dispose of this one...that way I can minimize to a
tray icon without exiting the app! Help!!!!
Application.Exi t()
End If
End Sub

Private Sub beginLoadingCom ponents()
Me.Timer1.Enabl ed = True
mainform = New main
t = New Thread(AddressO f mainform.gettin gstarted)
t.Start()
'mainform.getti ngstarted()
End Sub

Private Overloads Sub loading_Load(By Val sender As System.Object, ByVal e As
System.EventArg s) Handles MyBase.Load
Me.Cursor = Cursors.AppStar ting
Me.StartTimer.E nabled = True
End Sub
End Class

[Armin Zingler]

"Derek Martin" <dm*****@DONTSP AMMEokstate.edu > schrieb

Thank you to both for your assistance. They have aided me in
learning more about the splashes, however, my particular case seems
to be a bit different.

My splash screen uses a progress bar to actually show things as they
are being done on the mainform, loading up some objects, etc. I
followed some patterns from these posts and I get to a certain part
that works well, but it doesn't lend itself to threading very easily.
For instance, in the loading code, if I am referencing the mainform
by an object instead of
creating it in the loading code (here I create it in the main
method), I cannot start up a thread on that object, I'd have to
recreate it which beats the purpose. I have attached my code if
anyone can assist.

If you want an independent splash screen showing the progress, you need to
create it in it's own thread. I wouldn't create the Mainform in a different
thread.

Within Class Loading (example only):

public shared sub showInstance
dim t as thread
t = new thread(addresso f threadstart)
t.start
end sub

private sub threadstart
application.run (new loading)
end sub

Sub main would look like in my first example. If anything happens within the
Mainform that is to be displayed in the Splash Form, I'd raise an event in
the Mainform, handle it in the class/module containing sub main and update
the Splash Form in the event handler. But, when updating the splash Form,
you must use Begininvoke to do it because the event handler handling the
event from the Mainform is executed in the main thread, not in the thread
that created the Splash Form.

--
Armin

[Derek Martin]

Thanks Armin, that went a little over my head, but I will investigate this
procedure, it sounds pretty good.
Quick question:

If the sub main() looks like your previous example, then where are you
executing showInstance in the loading class? In formload?

:-)

Derek

"Armin Zingler" <az*******@free net.de> wrote in message
news:40******** *************** @news.freenet.d e...

"Derek Martin" <dm*****@DONTSP AMMEokstate.edu > schrieb

Thank you to both for your assistance. They have aided me in
learning more about the splashes, however, my particular case seems
to be a bit different.

My splash screen uses a progress bar to actually show things as they
are being done on the mainform, loading up some objects, etc. I
followed some patterns from these posts and I get to a certain part
that works well, but it doesn't lend itself to threading very easily.
For instance, in the loading code, if I am referencing the mainform
by an object instead of
creating it in the loading code (here I create it in the main
method), I cannot start up a thread on that object, I'd have to
recreate it which beats the purpose. I have attached my code if
anyone can assist.
If you want an independent splash screen showing the progress, you need to
create it in it's own thread. I wouldn't create the Mainform in a

different thread.

Within Class Loading (example only):

public shared sub showInstance
dim t as thread
t = new thread(addresso f threadstart)
t.start
end sub

private sub threadstart
application.run (new loading)
end sub

Sub main would look like in my first example. If anything happens within the Mainform that is to be displayed in the Splash Form, I'd raise an event in
the Mainform, handle it in the class/module containing sub main and update
the Splash Form in the event handler. But, when updating the splash Form,
you must use Begininvoke to do it because the event handler handling the
event from the Mainform is executed in the main thread, not in the thread
that created the Splash Form.

--
Armin

[Armin Zingler]

"Derek Martin" <dm*****@DONTSP AMMEokstate.edu > schrieb

Thanks Armin, that went a little over my head, but I will investigate
this procedure, it sounds pretty good.
Quick question:

If the sub main() looks like your previous example, then where are
you executing showInstance in the loading class? In formload?

:-)

Yes, like the previous example, the only difference is the call to
showInstance instead of Show. I renamed it afterwards.
--
Armin

How to quote and why:
http://www.plig.net/nnq/nquote.html
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[Armin Zingler]

I uploaded a project to demonstrate a multithreaded splash screen:

http://people.freenet.de/armin.zingl...adedSplash.zip

(anybody knows why the main form looses focus?)

--
Armin