stuck in loop. Please help

[steve marchant]

trying to learn VB6. Simple counting loop which counts to 8 in 1 sec
intervals, then starts from 1 again and repeats.
Have two Command buttons on the form. Cmd1 starts the counting, and I need
to know how to stop it with Cmd2. Here's my code so far:
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim x, y, m
m = 1

Do
Print m
x = Timer
Do Until Timer = x + 1
y = Timer
Loop

m = m + 1

If m > 8 Then
m = 1
End If

Loop
End Sub

[Dikkie Dik]

Putting a "DoEvents" in the loop should give VB the chance to listen to
the events of the second button.

steve marchant wrote:

trying to learn VB6. Simple counting loop which counts to 8 in 1 sec
intervals, then starts from 1 again and repeats.
Have two Command buttons on the form. Cmd1 starts the counting, and I need
to know how to stop it with Cmd2. Here's my code so far:
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim x, y, m
m = 1

Do
Print m
x = Timer
Do Until Timer = x + 1
y = Timer
Loop

m = m + 1

If m > 8 Then
m = 1
End If

Loop
End Sub

[steve marchant]

see what you mean. Thanks
"Dikkie Dik" <no****@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:b1***************************@news.versatel.n et...

Putting a "DoEvents" in the loop should give VB the chance to listen to
the events of the second button.

steve marchant wrote:

trying to learn VB6. Simple counting loop which counts to 8 in 1 sec
intervals, then starts from 1 again and repeats.
Have two Command buttons on the form. Cmd1 starts the counting, and I
need to know how to stop it with Cmd2. Here's my code so far:
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim x, y, m
m = 1

Do
Print m
x = Timer
Do Until Timer = x + 1
y = Timer
Loop

m = m + 1

If m > 8 Then
m = 1
End If

Loop
End Sub

[Steve Gerrard]

"steve marchant" <st**************@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:44**********@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...

trying to learn VB6. Simple counting loop which counts to 8 in 1 sec
intervals, then starts from 1 again and repeats.
Have two Command buttons on the form. Cmd1 starts the counting, and I need to
know how to stop it with Cmd2.

If you use a Do Loop like that, then you need to use DoEvents, as Dikkie Dik
said.
So here is an example: Lesson 1, Control Your Loops.

You need a variable to control the loop, which Cmd1 sets one way, and Cmd2 sets
the other way.
It must be declared in the general section, not inside a procedure.
You need to check that variable in both do loops.
You need to use DoEvents in the loop, so the click of Cmd2 can do its work.
It is also safer to check for Timer() > x + 1, not Timer() = x + 1.

Something like this:

Private StopGotClicked As Boolean

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim x As Single
Dim m As Integer

StopGotClicked = False
m = 1
Cls

Do Until StopGotClicked
Print m
x = Timer()
Do Until StopGotClicked Or Timer() > x + 1
DoEvents
Loop
m = m + 1
If m > 8 Then m = 1
Loop

Print "stopped"

End Sub

Private Sub Command2_Click()
StopGotClicked = True
End Sub

[Steve Gerrard]

"steve marchant" <st**************@tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:44**********@mk-nntp-2.news.uk.tiscali.com...

trying to learn VB6. Simple counting loop which counts to 8 in 1 sec
intervals, then starts from 1 again and repeats.
Have two Command buttons on the form. Cmd1 starts the counting, and I need to
know how to stop it with Cmd2.

Having posted Lesson 1: Control Your Loops, now here is
Lesson 2: Use a Timer Control Instead

To see why, you will need to bring up Task Manager, so you can monitor CPU
usage.
The first method, using DoEvents, will cause your program to hog the CPU, at
100% use.
For counting off seconds (an eternity to a computer), this is quite a waste.

Here is what the same program would look like using a timer control.
I have named the timer control TimerCtrl to help avoid confusion.
Note though that VB calls the timer tick event TimerCtrl_Timer().
Also note that the variables x and m have been moved out of procedures.

The big advantage here is that your program checks the time every 1/10 of a
second (interval = 100 msec), and then releases the CPU until the next timer
event fires. The CPU use will stay around 1% max. DoEvents is not needed,
because you are not hogging the CPU in the first place.

Private x As Single
Private m As Single

Private Sub Form_Load()
TimerCtrl.Interval = 100
TimerCtrl.Enabled = False
End Sub

Private Sub Command1_Click()
x = Timer()
m = 1
Cls
Print m
TimerCtrl.Enabled = True
End Sub

Private Sub Command2_Click()
TimerCtrl.Enabled = False
Print "stopped"
End Sub

Private Sub TimerCtrl_Timer()
If Timer() > x + 1 Then
m = m + 1
If m > 8 Then m = 1
Print m
x = Timer()
End If
End Sub

[steve marchant]

"Steve Gerrard" <my********@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:Jp******************************@comcast.com. ..

Having posted Lesson 1: Control Your Loops, now here is
Lesson 2: Use a Timer Control Instead

snip

Thanks,Steve, for both lessons. Quantum step in my VB learning curve.

[Angelo]

I think the best way to do it is to use a Timer wich does every ...
milliseconds 1 to the variable and shows it. do not use a do loop then. You
can enable it, (starting the count) by using Timer1.Enabled = True, and
disable it, (stopping the counter) by using Timer1.Enabled = False.

Hope this is good information.

Grtz.

trying to learn VB6. Simple counting loop which counts to 8 in 1 sec
intervals, then starts from 1 again and repeats.
Have two Command buttons on the form. Cmd1 starts the counting, and I need
to know how to stop it with Cmd2. Here's my code so far:
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim x, y, m
m = 1

Do
Print m
x = Timer
Do Until Timer = x + 1
y = Timer
Loop

m = m + 1

If m > 8 Then
m = 1
End If

Loop
End Sub

[steve marchant]

"Angelo" <an*****@lancop.invalid> wrote in message
news:44***********************@dreader11.news.xs4a ll.nl...

I think the best way to do it is to use a Timer wich does every ...
milliseconds 1 to the variable and shows it. do not use a do loop then. You
can enable it, (starting the count) by using Timer1.Enabled = True, and
disable it, (stopping the counter) by using Timer1.Enabled = False.

Hope this is good information.

Grtz.

Thank you,Angelo. Steve Gerrard, earlier in this thread, pointed out that
the Timer Event method was more efficient, and the code example he presented
there worked well.