[RESOLVED] Fading out an Image or using a .gif image

I need to be able to fire the fading of an image or the playing of a .gif image from a button to a picturebox.

Is this possible in vb? I have tried googling it but I can't find anything of relevance to vb.

I need it to work on another form, but I can figure that part out just need to find a way to introduce an image at 100% opacity, then slowly lower that to reveal what under it.

Ideally though I would want to play a .gif file each time the button is pressed that would cover the area and then when finished reveal it.

Any ideas?

that wouldn't work because pictureboxes don't offer transparency. you could reduce the opacity of your image but ultimately all you'd reveal is the background of the picturebox.

Hi Noob sk,

I think Paul is assuming you need to show other controls through the image. It can be done, but you need to use a separate form to hold the image - see for example the "Slide Show with Cross Fading" in my signature.

On the other hand, if you only want to show a plain background or even another image under the fading image, it's possible to do it on a Form or a PictureBox. If you want details about that method, let me know.

BB

The idea is to use an image to cover a textbox. The textbox having a number inside of it. So the fading of the image would be a way to "reveal" the number to the viewer in a stylish way.

So maybe Paul is correct?

Alright so your idea of using another form sparked an idea my end and I think I have done it!

Just used a third form which loads up once the generate button is clicked, set an image as background and added a 4 second sleep. After the 4 seconds is up i just used Form3.Close () and wallah! Number appears.

Only downfall, the sleep command stops the animated .gif from working :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Noob script kiddie

Only downfall, the sleep command stops the animated .gif from working :(

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That sounds like a problem that could be solved. Maybe you should use a timer instead of Sleep, but it's hard to say without seeing your code. BB

The code for my button labelled Generate

vb Code:

Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        Dim list As New ArrayList
 
        Dim Low As Integer = 1
        Dim High As Integer
        High = TextBox1.Text
        Low = TextBox2.Text
 
        For i As Integer = Low To High
            'Add the numbers to the collection.
            list.Add(i)
        Next i
 
        Dim rand As New Random
        Dim index As Integer
        Dim item As Object
 
        'Display the items in random order.
        'While list.Count > 0
        'Choose a random index.
        index = rand.Next(0, list.Count)
 
        'Get the item at that index.
        item = list(index)
 
        'Remove the item so that it cannot be chosen again.
        list.RemoveAt(index)
 
        'Display the item.
        TextBox3.Text = item.ToString
        ListBox1.Items.Add(TextBox3.Text)
        'End While
        Form3.Show()
        Threading.Thread.Sleep(4000)
        Form3.Close()
    End Sub

I added all of that code to my button, but its not closing form3.

Then I reread your post and it looks like the second half of the code is in the timer sub?

vb Code:

'Display the item.
        TextBox3.Text = item.ToString
        ListBox1.Items.Add(TextBox3.Text)
 
        'End While
        Form3.Show()
        WaitCounter = 4000
        tmrWait.Interval = 50
        tmrWait.Start()
 
        'Threading.Thread.Sleep(6000)
        'Form3.Close()
        WaitCounter = WaitCounter - tmrWait.Interval
        If WaitCounter <= 0 Then
            tmrWait.Stop()
            Form3.Close()
        End If
 
    End Sub

* Added code to the timer sub, still wont close the form.

So this is how it is at the moment:

Code for the timer sub

vb Code:

Private Sub tmrWait_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles tmrWait.Tick
        Dim tmrWait As New Timer
        Dim WaitCounter As Integer
 
        WaitCounter = WaitCounter - tmrWait.Interval
        If WaitCounter <= 0 Then
            tmrWait.Stop()
            Form3.Close()
        End If
 
    End Sub

And the code attached to the bottom of my button:

vb Code:

Form3.Show()
        WaitCounter = 4000
        tmrWait.Interval = 50
        tmrWait.Start()
 
 
    End Sub

Now when I click on the button form3 flashes for a second, but then quickly disappears. Frustrating I don't know what to change !

The properties for the timer I changed to "Enabled - True" and "Interval - 1000" from which I read was about 1 second.

It's unnecessarily complicated and it won't work anyway. You could add the Timer in the Designer and set its interval to 4000. But if instead you want to add it in the code, you have to declare it at Form level (not in its own Tick sub!) with the WithEvents keyword. Otherwise it won't tick!

Code:

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Dim WithEvents tmrWait As New Timer

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You don't need that WaitCounter at all. In your button click sub you could put this:

Code:

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Form3.Show
tmrWait.Interval = 4000
tmrWait.Start

---

And in the tmrWait_Tick sub you only need one line:

Code:

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Form3.Hide

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If your animation doesn't run now, there must be some other reason for it. (Maybe you know you have to put it in a PictureBox for it to run automatically.)

BB

Sweet it seems all go now. Added this to the tick sub, dont know if it actually helps but its working now so I ain't removing it :)

vb Code:

tmrWait.Stop()

Thanks for all the help!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Noob script kiddie

vb Code:

tmrWait.Stop()

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Yes, I thought about that. It's technically not necessary because the timer period starts again from scratch when you (re)start it, but it looks logical. BB

Right now for some reason I don't think that my timer is stopping. You see when I click my generate button it says this :

vb Code:

tmrWait.Stop()
           Form3.Show()
        tmrWait.Start()

And my ticker sub says this:

vb Code:

Form3.Close()
        tmrWait.Stop()

But I;m pretty sure that my ticker isnt actually stopping, it is continuing to tick at 5000(interval).

I say this because after I click generate, my form appears, waits, then closes. If I click generate straight again, it opens form, waits, closes. However if I wait a bit in between clicking generate, mid way through my animation the form closes. So that has led me to believe that my ticker is continuously ticking.

Is there anything I can add to ensure it stops?

I thaught for sure tmrWait.Stop() in the ticker sub would mean it would stop after every tick.. but I guess not

So I think I may have solved it? Not sure though so will post back if not..

Basically I was referring to tmrWait, yet my sub was Ticker 1. I changed everything over to Ticker 1 and got rid of any connection with tmrWair. It seems to be working now.