animated gif

[Heike]

I want to show an animated gif if some execution is done instead of setting the cursor to "WaitCursor". At the time I would set my cursor I openl a form which contains an animated gif. But the gif is only animated after my execution finished. Whats wrong?

 

[UCM]

You would need to play the gif just before the execution begins...

Using the mouse events would be most helpful...

in VB, the mouse events are executed in sequence:
Mouse_Down()
Mouse_Up()
Click()
DoubleClick()

This will work best if you put it in the _MouseUp event...

Take a button for instance...
NOTE: In this example, I would put my code that I want to execute in the button1_click() event...

Private Sub button1_MouseUp(blah)
  Play Gif Code Here...
End Sub

Private Sub button1_Click(blah)
  Put Work Code Here...
End Sub

Now when the user presses down AND THEN releases the mouse on button1, the gif will start playing while the code executes...

 

[Heike]

Unfortunately it makes no difference....

This is how I do it, maybe you can see an error.

If Not objWordInstance Is Nothing Then
    frmGif = New frmIBS_Beschaeftigt() 
    frmGif.AnimateImage()
   [...]
   .FillDocVariables(...)
    frmGif.Close()
    frmGif = Nothing
End If

where frmGif is my form with the animated gif and .FillDocVariables is the sub whose execution should be shown by that gif.

 

[UCM]

ok, your code snippit is the code used to open the gif...

What is the general idea of what your application does when it goes into a long process where you would need the waiting gif?

What event is this code in?

It looks like you are going to fill a table with data...

The gif doesnt play until after the data is filed? or is it something else?

 

[Heike]

The code snippit is only one example. I want to use my animated gif at several places.

I am developing an AddIn for Word(2000).

The snippit I copied here is used to parse to one document to search for DocVariables in it. To each of this DocVariable I have an entry in my CustomDocumentProperties containing a SQL-statement. I must execute that SQL-statement and the value I get becomes the value of the DocVariable.

Yes, when all my DocVariables are filled (which means the execution of that function is finished), my gif starts to play. But I want it to be parallel. I think the only way may be to do that by using several threads???

 

[Divil]

You are probably right. If the function is executing lots of things in a loop, you might be able to get away with sticking an Application.DoEvents() in the loop. Otherwise, youll probably have to execute that function in a new thread.

 

[Heike]

Even if using threads it seems to be more difficult than I thought.

It seems to work... My function fills my DocVariables and during that I see my animated gif and it is(!) animated. But: how can I tell that form when to close?

Maybe you can have one look at my code and give me a hint?!

I created a new class:

Public Class IBSThread
    Public objQueryParameters As ArrayList
    Public Doc As Word.Document
    Public mobjProperties As DocProperties
    Public blnPushed As Boolean
    Public IBSWord As New comIBS_Word()
    Public Event Done()

    Public Sub Sub1()
        IBSWord.FillDocVariables(Doc, mobjProperties, objQueryParameters, Not blnPushed)
        RaiseEvent Done()
    End Sub
End Class

And this is the "main" program (frmGif is declared modally)

With objConnect.objIBS_Word
    .ResetDocVariables(...)
    .ParameterZufuegen = False 
    .DokumentVariablen = mobjProperties
    If Not objWordInstance Is Nothing Then
        Dim myThread As Threading.Thread
        .IstVorschau = True
        objQueryParameters = New ArrayList()
        objQueryParameters.Clear()
        objQueryParameters.Add(objIBS_INIT.ibsKrankenhausNr)
        objQueryParameters.Add(objIBS_INIT.ibsAbteilung)
        objQueryParameters.Add(objIBS_INIT.ibsVorlage)

        clsThread = New IBSThread()
        clsThread.blnPushed = Me.tlbButtonVorNach.Pushed
        clsThread.Doc = CType(objWordInstance.ActiveDocument, Word.Document)
        clsThread.mobjProperties = mobjProperties
        clsThread.objQueryParameters = objQueryParameters
        clsThread.IBSWord = objConnect.objIBS_Word

        myThread = New Threading.Thread(AddressOf clsThread.Sub1)
        myThread.Name = "IBS Thread"
        myThread.Start()

        frmGif = New frmIBS_Beschaeftigt() 
        frmGif.ShowDialog()
    End if
End with

Heres the handling of the event

Private Sub clsThread_Done() Handles clsThread.Done
    frmGif.Close()
       
    ChangeSize(False)
End Sub

But my form is not being closed! Why?