Refresh label (windows forms)

[CodeNeos]

I am new to the dot net framework and currently trying to develop an application in it. My problem is that this application download several files decompress them...

But I want to show the user what the application is doing, I create a new form and launch it from the download thread (which is a different thread then the main forms thread), when this class is launched it executes the UpdateProc function. This launches a new form that SHOULD display the progress...

It is a simple form created with VS 2003, containing a progess bar & 2 labels. But after I show the dialog it won't be closed anymore trough the code. And I am also unable to refresh the label's to display updated text! It should display "After entering" but it remains at "Before entering".

My updateproc looks like this:

/// <summary>
/// The Update thread function
/// </summary>

                private progress PG = new progress();

		public void UpdateProc()
		{

			// create thread
			PG.link=this;
			PG.label1.Text = "Before entering";
		
			PG.ShowDialog();

			PG.label1.Text = "After entering";
			PG.label1.Refresh();

                        Thread.Sleep(10000);
			PG.Close();

		}

And my form class progress looks like:

	public class progress : System.Windows.Forms.Form
	{
		private System.Windows.Forms.ProgressBar progressBar1;
		public System.Windows.Forms.Label label1;
		public System.Windows.Forms.Label label2;
		private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;
		public XML link; //link to class that launched the form!

		public progress()
		{
			InitializeComponent();
		}

		protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )
		{
			if( disposing )
			{
				if(components != null)
				{
					components.Dispose();
				}
			}
			base.Dispose( disposing );
		}

		#region Windows Form Designer generated code
		public void InitializeComponent()
		{
			this.progressBar1 = new System.Windows.Forms.ProgressBar();
			this.label1 = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
			this.label2 = new System.Windows.Forms.Label();
			this.SuspendLayout();
			// 
			// progressBar1
			// 
			this.progressBar1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(8, 56);
			this.progressBar1.Name = "progressBar1";
			this.progressBar1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(464, 24);
			this.progressBar1.TabIndex = 0;
			// 
			// label1
			// 
			this.label1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(8, 8);
			this.label1.Name = "label1";
			this.label1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(464, 16);
			this.label1.TabIndex = 1;
			// 
			// label2
			// 
			this.label2.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(8, 32);
			this.label2.Name = "label2";
			this.label2.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(464, 16);
			this.label2.TabIndex = 2;
			// 
			// progress
			// 
			this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 13);
			this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(480, 83);
			this.Controls.Add(this.label2);
			this.Controls.Add(this.label1);
			this.Controls.Add(this.progressBar1);
			this.Name = "progress";
			this.Text = "progress";
			this.ResumeLayout(false);

		}
		#endregion
	}

As you can see it is just a standard code generated by VS 2003.

[CodeNeos]

Sorry to post a *bump*, but I really can't figure out how to get this to work...

[stepi]

Hi there,
Well the way you wrote it is not going to work ever as your code PG.label1.Text = "After entering"; will be reached after the form will become hidden as a result of ShowDialog returning(showdialog will block the execution there). What i suggest you is implement PG.Shown which occurs the first time the form is being first shown...but then you won't see before entering as u change the text in this method.

[CodeNeos]

Isn't it possible modify the variables and redraw the form? The form needs to be changed a few times, as the progress bar also needs to be updated...

[zips]

After you update the labels try this:

Application.DoEvents();

[Norfy]

PG is on it's own message loop via ShowDialog, so to update it it you need to be on the same thread.

Rather than access its properties directly, PG should implement a public method eg. Progress(string text)

This method should use the Control.Invoke method to get onto the same thread as the PG dialog.

[CodeNeos]

I got it working... But i am using show() instead of showdialog() now...

Altough i would liek to use a methode that is compatible with showdialog... But i am not sure waht you mean by getting in the same thread, does showdialog start a new thread for the dialog?

[Norfy]

But i am not sure waht you mean by getting in the same thread, does showdialog start a new thread for the dialog?

Yes.

[CodeNeos]

Ok i see... But i am really lost at the invoke part....

Could anyoen post a sample (C#) about how to use the invoke?

[Norfy]

A lot of people already have: Google "InvokeRequired"