VB - How to use the GetTickCount API to time a process

[MartinLiss]

Did you ever wonder if one way of doing something was faster than another? If so then the following shows you how to use the GetTickCount API to time any process and find out. This is much more accurate than using a timer.

Option Explicit
Private Declare Function GetTickCount Lib "kernel32" () As Long


' Place this code in any Sub or Function
Dim lngStart As Long
Dim lngFinish As Long
Dim lngCounterOne As Long
Dim lngCounterTwo As Long

' Record the start "time"
lngStart = GetTickCount()

' Some process that you want to time
For lngCounterOne = 1 To 1000000
For lngCounterTwo = 1 To 5
Next lngCounterTwo
Next lngCounterOne

' Record the finish "time"

lngFinish = GetTickCount()

' Display the difference
MsgBox CStr(lngFinish - lngStart)

[W01fgang]

Thanx Martin for the code. You shaved quite a bit of time off.

But the results i got is kind of interesting.

Can someone varify this?

Add a listbox and a command button, Here's what i have done...


Option Explicit
Private Declare Function GetTickCount Lib "kernel32" () As Long
Dim FastRun As Long
Dim SlowRun As Long

Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim icount As Integer
List1.AddItem "FAST then SLOW"
Call CompareCountFast
Call CompareCountSlow
List1.AddItem "Fast: " & FastRun & " Slow: " & SlowRun & " = Diff: " & SlowRun - FastRun & " Factor of Diff: " & Format(SlowRun / FastRun, "0.00")
List1.AddItem ""
DoEvents
List1.AddItem "SLOW then FAST"
Call CompareCountSlow
Call CompareCountFast
List1.AddItem "Slow: " & SlowRun & " Fast: " & FastRun & " = Diff: " & SlowRun - FastRun & " Factor of Diff: " & Format(SlowRun / FastRun, "0.00")
List1.AddItem ""
DoEvents

End Sub

Private Sub CompareCountFast()
' Place this code in any Sub or Function
Dim lngStart As Long
Dim lngFinish As Long
Dim lngCounterOne As Long
Dim lngCounterTwo As Long
' Record the start "time"
lngStart = GetTickCount()

' Some process that you want to time
For lngCounterOne = 1 To 1000000
For lngCounterTwo = 1 To 5
Next 'lngCounterTwo
Next 'lngCounterOne

' Record the finish "time"
lngFinish = GetTickCount()

' Display the difference
FastRun = CStr(lngFinish - lngStart)
End Sub

Private Sub CompareCountSlow()
' Place this code in any Sub or Function
Dim lngStart As Long
Dim lngFinish As Long
Dim lngCounterOne As Long
Dim lngCounterTwo As Long
' Record the start "time"
lngStart = GetTickCount()

' Some process that you want to time
For lngCounterOne = 1 To 5000000
For lngCounterTwo = 1 To 5
Next lngCounterTwo
Next lngCounterOne

' Record the finish "time"
lngFinish = GetTickCount()

' Display the difference
SlowRun = CStr(lngFinish - lngStart)
End Sub

[MartinLiss]

What do you want me/us to verify? Your Slow and Fast routines seem to be different only in that one loops 1000000 while the other loops 5000000 times.