How to ensure that a form is displayed on top?

[coffent]

I have a vb program that reacts to an event (a signal from a modem) by displaying a form. I have the following (simplified) code:

Public Class MainForm
        Dim eventOccurred As Boolean = False

	Sub TestLoad() Handles Me.Load
	    ....
	    WaitEvent()
	End Sub
	
	Sub WaitEvent()
	    Do
	        Thread.Sleep(500) 'Checks every 500 ms to see if eventOccurred has been set to True (by another subroutine).
		Application.DoEvents()
		If eventOccurred then
		    ...
		    Me.WindowState = System.Windows.Forms.FormWindowState.Normal
		    Me.TopMost = True
		    Me.Show()
		    eventOccurred = False
		End If
	    Loop
	End Sub
End Class

Sometimes when the event occurs the form is displayed as desired. Other times, though, it will not display but rather appears minimized in the system tray and can't be made to show. (If there's a pattern as to when it displays or doesn't display, I haven't figured it out.)

How can I ensure that the form will always be displayed in a topmost window?

[jmcilhinney]

That code is utterly terrible and you need to ditch it immediately. Calling Application.DoEvents is rarely a good solution to anything and calling it in a loop is never a good solution to anything. You should follow the CodeBank link in my signature and check out my thread on creating a Formless Tray Application. That will demonstrate how to run a WinForms app without displaying a form at all. You can then monitor whatever it is you want to monitor in your ApplicationContext and then just display the form normally when this event occurs. You would then set the TopMost property of the form in the designer.

[coffent]

Thank you.

[Amerigoware]

Here's something I used once a long time ago...

    Public Function FindWindowEx(ByVal parentHandle As IntPtr, ByVal childAfter As IntPtr, ByVal lclassName As String, ByVal windowTitle As IntPtr) As IntPtr
    End Function

If eventOccurred then
		    ...
		    Me.WindowState = System.Windows.Forms.FormWindowState.Normal
		    Me.TopMost = True
        SetWindowPos(Me.Handle, HWND_TOPMOST, 0, 0, 0, 0, SWP_NOMOVE Or SWP_NOSIZE)

[jmcilhinney]

Here's something I used once a long time ago...

Please tell me it was in a galaxy far, far away.

[coffent]

Thanks, Amerigoware. I've added your suggestion to my collection of code snippets in case I run into a similar problem. I discovered later in the case I asked about that the problem had nothing to do with the code. I had two different programs that called this one and it turns out one of them was calling it with the properties set to minimized, so depending upon which one called it, the form would either display or not. I've corrected that and now all seems to be well.