[RESOLVED] Hourglass - again

[AccessShell]

Is there an issue running the following

Me.MousePointer = vbHourglass

or

Me.MosePointer = vbDefault

on Windows 10.

I tried in a test program, when it didn't work in my real program. The cursor never changed. I know my long routine takes between 5 to 10 seconds depending on the input.

Thanks

[AccessShell]

Follow up. I tried this in the IDE, and in an .exe. Still no change

[some1uk03]

No issue here.

(apart from a TYPo you've written/pasted)

Me.MoUsePointer = vbDefault

[AccessShell]

That's what I thought. But it does not work for me.

[OptionBase1]

Your subject says "again" Is this some ongoing issue that you've posted about before? If so, can you link to any previous thread(s) where this has been discussed?

[AccessShell]

No. I seen other posts referring to the mouse pointer being changed. That was what the 'again' referred to.

[AccessShell]

However, I think I know what the problem is.
I set the pointer to hourglass for form2 from form1.
In form 1
set form1 = nothing
unload form1
set the mp for form2 to hourglass
show form2

In form 2 all before the form_load completes
do all my calcs, etc
set the mp for form2 to to default

Oh, I think I just found the answer. Do the calcs in form 1, with he mp set for form1, then switch to form2. I'll try that

AND yes I do know that when in Windows 10, the "hourglass" displays as a rotating circle.

[Argus19]

I copied the file from: \ WINDOWS \ Cursors \ hourglas.ani WindowsXP to the application folder. And I wrote the following code to change the cursor. When the application starts, the cursor changes to an animated hourglass and after the program finishes, the cursor changes back.

Option Explicit
Private Declare Function CopyCursor Lib "user32" Alias "CopyIcon" (ByVal hcur As Integer) As Integer
Private Declare Function GetCursor Lib "user32" () As Integer
Private Declare Function LoadCursorFromFile Lib "user32" Alias "LoadCursorFromFileA" (ByVal lpFileName As String) As Integer
Private Declare Function SetSystemCursor Lib "user32" (ByVal hcur As Integer, ByVal id As Integer) As Integer

Private Const OCR_NORMAL = 32512
Dim hCursor As Long, hOldCursor As Long
Dim lRet As Long

Private Sub Form_Load()
Dim lRet As Long
hCursor = LoadCursorFromFile(App.Path & "\hourglas.ani")
If hCursor Then
lRet = GetCursor()
hOldCursor = CopyCursor(lRet)
lRet = SetSystemCursor(hCursor, OCR_NORMAL)
End If
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
lRet = SetSystemCursor(hOldCursor, OCR_NORMAL)
End Sub

[AccessShell]

Argus19 Thanks. Please explain to me what happened? Is it Windows 10?

I tried the old fashioned way "Me.MousePointer = VB[ANYTHING ELSE|. from 1 to 10. Same results - no change. Your method worked as needed. I think you treated the pointer I needed as a user defined one?

[Argus19]

I think you treated the pointer I needed as a user defined one?

Yes. I used for Win 7. The cursor file is loaded and installed as a system file. I don't know if Win 10 has an hourglass cursor.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...=vs.85%29.aspx

[AccessShell]

I guess I'm not done. The cursor changes to an hourglass with the code you gave me. It does not however change back. I also think, when it is an hourglass, I have do disable all buttons, and minimize and X-out.

I also noticed, while I was trying to fix the problem, I placed a label box on the form. I was originally set to visible = false. Just before your code, I tried to make the box visible, is never would become visible.

[AccessShell]

OK, when I walk through the program, on the line of code that should make it the default (OCR_NORMAL), it becomes an I-beam.
If I let it go, with walking through it, it stays an hourglass.

[Argus19]

When you need to change the system cursor, you can use the existing cursors.
When you exit the program or after the hourglass is no longer needed, you can do the same:

hCursor = LoadCursorFromFile("c:\Windows\Cursors\arrow_rm.cur")
lRet = SetSystemCursor(hCursor, OCR_NORMAL)

In Win 7, the cursor becomes a black arrow.

[AccessShell]

Win 7 may have been black, But mine in WIN 10 was white.

[dilettante]

I'm not sure what sort of pachinko machine you have created, but this demo maintains order and seems to work just fine.

Normally dialog Forms should be opened modally. But here I added the plumbing to do it modelessly to allow the hourglass cursor to show... but safely as well.

Option Explicit

'Just one control: Command1

Private MyEnabled As Boolean
Private MyLevel As Integer
Private MyOwner As MyForm

Public Sub CloseDialog()
    MousePointer = vbDefault
    ControlsEnabled = True
End Sub

Public Sub OpenDialog(ByVal Owner As MyForm, ByVal Level As Integer)
    MyLevel = Level
    Set MyOwner = Owner
    Show vbModeless, Owner 'Triggers our Load event.
End Sub

Private Property Let ControlsEnabled(ByVal RHS As Boolean)
    'Don't disable the Form itself as we'd typically do, because we want to
    'see the hourglass cursor.
    Dim Control As Control

    For Each Control In Controls
        Control.Enabled = RHS
    Next
    MyEnabled = RHS
End Property

Private Sub Command1_Click()
    ControlsEnabled = False
    MousePointer = vbHourglass
    With New MyForm
        .OpenDialog Me, MyLevel + 1
    End With
    Debug.Print "Command1_Click of " & Caption
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Initialize()
    MyEnabled = True
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Load()
    Caption = Caption & " Level " & CStr(MyLevel)
End Sub

Private Sub Form_QueryUnload(Cancel As Integer, UnloadMode As Integer)
    If UnloadMode = vbFormControlMenu Then
        Cancel = Not MyEnabled
    End If
End Sub

Private Sub Form_Unload(Cancel As Integer)
    If Not MyOwner Is Nothing Then MyOwner.CloseDialog
End Sub

Here we have just one Form named MyForm that spawns nested instances of itself on demand at deeper and deeper levels. Cursor seems to appear just as expected on Windows 10.

[AccessShell]

Somehow, putting the mouse pointer change code into a dedicated function, I can not change between the default and the hourglass pointer. the code is simple Me.MousePointer = vbHourglass (or vbDefault). I don't understand what that would make it work.

I am also not sure if I now have the default cursor I had before I used the used the API calls suggested by Argus19.

[wqweto]

Can you post a (minimal) sample project that reproduces the problem with Me.MousePointer?

Here is one which show the problem with setting Screen.MousePointer in a VB6 application: HourglassProblem.zip

1. Open and start the project in VBIDE
2. Minimize everything (incl. VBIDE) but Form1
3. Move mouse to upper left corner
4. Press the button with keyboard (spacebar or Enter)
5. Notice that mouse pointer does not become hourglass until you move it over Form1 or Form2


This is a normal behavior/shortcoming on the VB6 Forms subsystem -- the "global" cursor shape changes only when being hovered over hwnds of the current application.

cheers,
</wqw>

[dilettante]

Screen.MousePointer is for system-wide indication. Most applications should not use it.

[AccessShell]

I don't recall using screen.mousepointer.. I am now using me.mousepointer. WHy it didn't work before and does now, I do not know. All I know, now, is that the mouse pointer changes to hourglass (yes, a real hourglass, rather and the rotating circle for WIN 19), and then changes back to the pointer.

[xxdoc123]

When you need to change the system cursor, you can use the existing cursors.
When you exit the program or after the hourglass is no longer needed, you can do the same:

hCursor = LoadCursorFromFile("c:\Windows\Cursors\arrow_rm.cur")
lRet = SetSystemCursor(hCursor, OCR_NORMAL)

In Win 7, the cursor becomes a black arrow.

The only difference between cur and ico is the mark bit on the file. The third byte of ico is 1, and the third byte of cur is 2.

Open "xxx.cur" For Binary As #1
Put #1, 3, 1 '
Close #1 '

After this operation, the cur format file becomes the ico format file (note that the file format has nothing to do with the extension, the extension is only the suffix part of the file name, and the internal recognition of the file format in VB is based on the header file identification, not the extension), At this time, import the xxx.cur file into the custom cursor of VB and it will not turn black anymore


can fixed becomes a black

[AccessShell]

Thanks ccdoc123, I'll check it out.