Timer Test

[pmlapl]

I've programmed in Basic in the past but I'm brand new to VB. I'm trying to understand the timer function. I wrote a short program to display a count from 1 to 20 in one second intervals or so I thought.
Here's the code:

Dim Counter As Integer
Counter = 1
Do
Timer1.Enabled = False
TextBox1.Text = Counter
Timer1.Enabled = True
Counter = Counter + 1
Loop While Counter < 21
End

I put this under a Button_Click event with the Timer_Tick listed first. The Timer_Tick has no code associated with it and the interval is 1000. When I run the progam, it stops in less than a second and ends and the form goes back to design mode.
I've also tried For-Next and If statements to increment the counter but nothing works. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks for the help.

[b mitsai]

You aren't. If timer don't have any code so what are you testing?
Timer works this way:
If timer is enabled, each milisecond (interval on the properties), run the code that is on timer function

Private Sub Timer1_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick
     '*your code here will run here
End Sub

You don't need to make that while, i don't know why you are trying to do.

Just make this simple program:

Public Class Form1
    Dim counter As Integer = 0
    Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        Timer1.Enabled = True
    End Sub

    Private Sub Timer1_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick
        counter += 1
        TextBox1.Text = counter
    End Sub
End Class

[pmlapl]

Thanks for the help. Sorry I didn't fully explain my problem. What I'm trying to do is start a counter with a button click that displays 1 to 20 in one second intervals and then stops. The Loop While statement stops the counter at twenty. I haven't run your example program but it has no button click event or test to stop counting. I'll play with it to see if I can get it to work the way I want.

Also, my program is an example of the way "Basic" would do it. The += operator is much simpler.
Thanks again.

[dbasnett]

    Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        counter = 0
        Timer1.Interval = 1000 'one sec. in ms.
        Timer1.Enabled = True
    End Sub

    Dim counter As Integer = 0
    Private Sub Timer1_Tick(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick
        If counter >= 20 Then
            Timer1.Enabled = False
        Else
            counter += 1
            TextBox1.Text = counter.ToString
        End If
    End Sub

[b mitsai]

but thats pointless xD
You can do that without timers etc.

edit: OH WAIT I GOT IT XD, see the dbasnett code

[dbasnett]

It should be pointed out that this method should not be used as timing. In other words the actual elapsed time will not be 20 seconds when the counter reaches 20. If we add a stopwatch to the code we can see that.

    Private Sub Button1_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        counter = 0
        Timer1.Interval = 1000 'one sec. in ms.
        stpw.Reset()
        stpw.Start()
        Timer1.Enabled = True
    End Sub

    Dim counter As Integer = 0
    Dim stpw As New Stopwatch

    Private Sub Timer1_Tick(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick
        If counter >= 20 Then
            stpw.Stop()
            Debug.WriteLine(stpw.Elapsed)
            Timer1.Enabled = False
        Else
            counter += 1
            TextBox1.Text = counter.ToString
        End If
    End Sub

[pmlapl]

Thanks much dbasnett. More info for my programming journey. I was wondering if "counter" needed to be a string or an integer to display. I ran the program both ways and it did fine. Not sure why. Also, placing the Dim statement between Subs evidently works globally for both. I also found out that the listing sequence of events is important.
My reason for learning VB is to write a program to monitor my AC usage via an Arduino. I want to feed the data to Excel and graph it. This timer exercise is part of that. I also need to explore the TimeString function. I have more learning ahead and a long way to go.
Thanks again.

[dbasnett]

It is a good habit to add
Option Strict On
as the first line of your program, or make it the default setting in the IDE.

[pmlapl]

I'll do that. I didn't know the stpw command existed. It's not listed in "Visual Basic Step by Step" that I'm using. Is there a reference out there that lists all the commands and functions for VB and what they do? It would be helpful to have that info available.
Thanks.

[dbasnett]

The documentation is always a good reference.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff361664.aspx

[pmlapl]

So, I ran this a number of times and saw no difference in the result. I assume the Debug.WriteLine statement is supposed to display the difference between the timer count and the stopwatch count but the program always stops after 20 is reached and nothing else happens. Am I doing something wrong?

[dbasnett]

It was to show that more than 20 seconds had elapsed. Some would think that if the timer fired every 1000 ms. 20 times that 20 seconds would have elapsed. Because of the way the timer is handled this is not true, which is what the test tried to show.

[pmlapl]

Thanks, I understood that and I think I know why the difference. However, I'm curious as to why the difference didn't display. If you don't want to go any farther with this, I understand. You have other things to do.
Thanks again.

[dbasnett]

Try changing this line

Debug.WriteLine(stpw.Elapsed)

to

TextBox1.Text = stpw.Elapsed.ToString

The actual elapsed time was showing in the debug output window of the IDE. It would surprise me if it was 20.