Creating and Using Windows.Forms inside Threads

Hi,

I am just wondering something related to safety:

Is it safe to create Windows forms from separated Threads (System.Threading) ?

The Thread is created from a UserControl (from a click button for example).

The point is that when the thread is started I need to show some "custom forms" (Windows.Forms) that are created inside the thread in order to promp to the user the -OK and -CANCEL options in order to take a desition from there.

The thread is a single thread apartment (STA)

Example:

Code:

---

namespace ThreadTestandForms
{
    public partial class FormGUI : UserControl
    {

        private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            //WANT TO KEEP GUI RESPONSIVE.
            //WANT TO KEEP GUI RESPONSIVE.

            Thread ThreadSendParts;
            ThreadSendParts = new Thread(new ThreadStart(RunsOnThread));
            ThreadSendParts.SetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);

            //I want to use a good priority.
            ThreadSendParts.Priority = ThreadPriority.Highest;
           
            ThreadSendParts.Start();

            FrmSentPrtPgres.ShowDialog();  //I need to show a modal dialog after running the thread.
        }


        private void RunsOnThread()
        {
            for (int i = 0; i <= 100; i += 10) //EMULATE VERY HEAVY PROCESS
            {
                Thread.Sleep(200); //EMULATE VERY HEAVY PROCESS


                //This method uses BeginInvoke and InvokeRequired
                ShowProgress("My Progress Status", i);

                //Example of doing some custom form with some custom conditions.
                FrmMyMessage MyForm = new FrmMyMessage("Do you want do this or that?");

                //show message stop exectuting until user takes a decision.
                DialogResult DLRes = MyForm.ShowDialog();

                if (DLRes == DialogResult.OK)
                {
                    //do something this
                }
                else
                {
                    //do something that
                }
            }

            //Execute some extra things when finishing the thread.
            //This method uses BeginInvoke and InvokeRequired
            ThreadCompleted();
        }
    } 
}

---

Regards,

Hi !
At first welcome to forum.
As a second sorry to say, but please reread forum rules as it is not ok to post code without using codetags. Code without codetags losts format and nobody is intersted to read cde sausage.
In the editor you will find a button 'code' which sets the tags for you and you only need to put the code inbetween. Such easy. If you want to do it by hand look into the bottom of my post you'll see how it is done.

As a third your theme. Why not asking your questions in the mainthread and starting your thread afterwards when the decisions already are done?

And whats the problem you need to do threading ? Please describe so we can suggest a solution

Thanks for your reply, as you could notice I am new in the forum, I use a lot the codeguru, at the beginning was very difficult for me to find the "Post New Message/Thread" I think there should be one button in the main GUI of "CodeGuru Forums" and choose from there the area of interest. How can I ask my question in the Mainthread?

Thanks for the advices, I have reformatted my question.

I need to use the thread because it is a heavy operation in process and I want to keep responsive UI.

How can I post in main thread?

Thanks,
ennrike

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ennrike

Thanks for the advices, I have reformatted my question.

I need to use the thread because it is a heavy operation in process and I want to keep responsive UI.

How can I post in main thread?

Thanks,
ennrike

---

There is nothing such as a main thread. Your post is now corrected and in the correct place. As much as I'm looking to your button2_Click code the

Code:

---

FrmSentPrtPgres.ShowDialog();

---

is still in the main thread. But I cannot see this form to be initialized at any place. So I ask you where have you created an nstance of that form you want to show. We are not doing VB6.0 here where you had the Fprm pattern itself as the default Form
you need to do

Code:

---

FrmSentPrtPgres myForm = new FrmSentPrtPgres ();
if (myForm.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK ){
    // do whatever is needed
}

---

The fact that you started a thread just before calling this dialog doesn't influence your DialogBox here. In the moment I cannot see other problems in the posted code. I personally never have tried such a way of using threads.
I personally would try to execute the other thread up to the point where I need to request there ending this process. Showing my request in the GUI thread and starting a new process to do the rest of the work. The other way would be to use a delegate and to invoke the request in the main thread then coming back to the requesting thread and going on depending on the result of the request. But in my eyes simple ending the thread at the time the request is needed and starting a new one depending on the results of the dialog will be easier to be done.

Thanks for the advices Jonny,

This code is just an illustration of my question, in the real life the line: "Thread.Sleep(200); //EMULATE VERY HEAVY PROCESS" has a method witch executes very slow operations and need to promp forms during this process to ask some questions.

I guess instead of using "Main thread" I should have used "UI Thread" :)

I am also using the method: "ShowProgress" to show another form with a progress bar showing the whole progress, in this case I am using the "BeginInvoke and InvokeRequired" as you pointed out.

Thank you very much for your advices.