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[Lafor]

Guys/Gals

I am invoking a stored procedure from within VB which
takes a long time to run

However, my main VB form will blank out during that time
if any one does anything else like opening up a new
task... The items would be no longer visible until such
time that I return from the stored procedure call

How can I fix this... keep my form on top not just on top
all my vb forms within this program but on top of
everything else

Your help will be appreciated

Thanks

Your computer is "too busy" with your function or procedure to redraw the form after something has overlapped. You are probably doign stuff in a loop like this:

While Cont = True
  If A_One_in_a_zillion_chance=5 then Cont=false
Wend

This "pseudo-code" will keep the computer very busy...
Now try this:

While Cont = True
  If A_One_in_a_zillion_chance=5 then Cont=false
  DoEvents  ' It's this one that I've added
Wend

It gives your computer some time to breathe in the loop befor starting another loop again.. and again... and again... and again... and again... and again... and again...


Hope it helped ya...

So what I forgot to mention is that you probably don't need an "on-top" function or anything...

A quote from the help-files:

Yields execution so that the operating system can process other events.

Syntax

DoEvents( )

Remarks

The DoEvents function returns anInteger representing the number of open forms in stand-alone versions of Visual Basic, such as Visual Basic, Professional Edition. DoEvents returns zero in all other applications.

DoEvents passes control to the operating system. Control is returned after the operating system has finished processing the events in its queue and all keys in the SendKeys queue have been sent.

DoEvents is most useful for simple things like allowing a user to cancel a process after it has started, for example a search for a file. For long-running processes, yielding the processor is better accomplished by using a Timer or delegating the task to an ActiveX EXE component.. In the latter case, the task can continue completely independent of your application, and the operating system takes case of multitasking and time slicing.

Caution Any time you temporarily yield the processor within an event procedure, make sure theprocedure is not executed again from a different part of your code before the first call returns; this could cause unpredictable results. In addition, do not use DoEvents if other applications could possibly interact with your procedure in unforeseen ways during the time you have yielded control.

[Lafor]

The DOEVENTS would normally work
Except that once the stored procedure is invoked...
It's like another process has it completely until
completed... It is in its world and My application can only wait... then do a DOEVENTS but...

It's like I would need the DOEVENTS as the stored proc is
running in its own world (thread)

Am I clear enough?

Thanks in advance

Can't you make it process the data in bits instead of all of the data at once?

So instead of ProcessData(1 to a million_or_so) do it like

ChunkSize=1000
For T=1 to a million_or_so-ChunkSize Step ChunkSize
  ProcessData(T to T+ChunkSize)
  DoEvents
Next T

[crispin]

Can you give us a bit more info Lafor,

What sort of stored procedure do you mean?

Is it an SQL server stored procedure, what Data Access Technology are you using?

You may need to subclass the form, and trap windows messages, so if it loses focus, then you can disable this event, so it stays on top.

[Edited by crispin on 09-21-2000 at 06:49 AM]

[simonm]

Have you considered executing your stored procedure asynchronously? Use an event to trap when the stored procedure has finished processing.

[Lafor]

Hi!

So many great ideas u guys have...

Rob -- I think I am somewhat doing that already... In that
the stored procedure is already nroken down into
3 smaller stored procs...

crisp -- SQL SERVER stored proc and ADO

"You may need to subclass the form, and trap windows messages, so if it loses focus, then you can disable this event, so it stays on top."

Would appreciate your help on implementing the above statement...

simonm -- Yes, I did consider that... but could not get it to work

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

[crispin]

Try this code for keeping your form on top ala Matt Hart

http://blackbeltvb.com/free/ontop.htm

[Lafor]

crisp - That would be good but I don't really want to compile my pgm into an active Exe to force it to stay on top

[crispin]

so you run your app from the VB development environment, and you don't compile an EXE?

..Just clarifying

[Lafor]

crisp-
The reference with not willing to compile into .exe was
due to the fact the link you pointed made the following remark:

"When run from VB, this window will ONLY be on top of VB windows. You must compile it to an EXE file and run it before putting it on top will make it stay above ALL running programs."

Just clarifying...

Thanks again