How to create two 30 secs delay in 1000 loops routine

Hi all,
I was stuck on writting this code for the whole day and night which still not working as I was using the VB6 timer. The structure of the code will execute once the command buttom was clicked. Like example below:

When command buttom was clicked:
For i = 1 to 1000
mycode01
delay 30 seconds
mycode02
delay 30 seconds
next i

I had been using the system timer but when it reach to midnight then my code just gone crazy.
Please help me to out of the circle.
Thanks.

What do you want to do? What is code01 and code02? Perhaps if we know what you are trying to achieve, we can perhaps suggest proper solutions or alternatives...

There is the sleep routine, provide by the API

Code:

---

Public Declare Sub Sleep Lib "kernel32" (ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)
...
Sleep 30000
...

---

The Sleep instructions suspends code execution for a given number of milliseconds.
Disadvantage is that your program would not respond anymore for the given time.

Another solution would be to use a timer control. You could set the time to 30000 msecs
and enable the timer. In the Timer_Timer() event you will disable the timer.
In your code you need a line to wait for the disabled timer.
Assume Timer1 added to your form

Code:

---

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
  Timer1.Enabled = False
End Sub

'in your code loop
...
While Timer1.Enabled: DoEvents: Wend 'wait for the timer to expire

---

Thuis will leave your program responding to otehr mouseclicks and refreshes properly.

Thanks to Hannesthegreat and Wof reply my post. First I would like to say sorry for unclear information of my post. Actually I would to make the code to send two command out from serial port for 1000 times and 30 seconds interval for each command to be execute. This code will place into the command button. Once the buttom click, the code will execute to 1000 times.
Example:

Private Sub cmdLoops_Click()
'open the com port
'1000 loops start
'send first command to com port
'delay 30 seconds
'send second command to com port
'delay 30 seconds
'Once reach 1000 loops
'stop send command
Exit Sub

That's it.
Thanks.

Need to see more code than that. Describe what you're sending 1000 times, and we'll know more

Code:

---

' Use CODE TAGS also

---

Hi dglienna,
Below is my code that seems to be work but when it reach to midnight my code will go crazy, this is what I want to escape from this problem and try to use the timer as a delay for my code. Unfortunately, I can't make it work as what I expected.

Private Sub cmd1000LPC03_Click()
Dim Start As Long
sbrStatus.Panels("ComPort").Text = "Loop: " & PLoop

For PLoop = 1 To 1000
Open "c:\mylog.log" For Append As #1
Print #1, Date & " " & Time & " " & "Loop: " & PLoop
Print #1, Date & " " & Time & " " & "Power ON..."
Close #1
sbrStatus.Panels("ComPort").Text = "Loop: " & PLoop
MSComm1.Output = "REL1.ON" & vbCrLf 'Turn the relay1 ON
Start = Timer
Do While Timer < Start + 30
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes.
Loop

Open "c:\mylog.log" For Append As #1
Print #1, Date & " " & Time & " " & "Power OFF..."
Close #1
MSComm1.Output = "REL1.OFF" & vbCrLf
Start = Timer
Do While Timer < Start + 30
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes.
Loop
Beep
Next
MsgBox "1000 Loops Power Cycle is Complete!", vbOKOnly, "1000 Loops"

End Sub

Thanks.

Sleep is the clear choice but there is another way you could do this.

Use a timer control and set the interval to 30000.

Create a counter var that will be incremented by one in the timer tick event.

In the tick event check to see if the counter is even or odd and run one routine or the other based on the even/odd value of the var.

When the var reaches 2000 disable the timer

In the command button click set the counter var to 0 and enable the timer

Code:

---

Start = Timer ' This negates the next statement
Do While Timer < Start + 30 ' NEVER less unless code takes 15ms
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes. ' Doesn't do much
Loop

---

I agree with the above. Just use code to calculate things.

I don't know why you have 1000 iterations...

Hi DataMiser,
Thanks for the replay, can elebrate more on your explanation. Sorry about that, because I'm still in entry level.

Hi dglienna,
Yes, the reason 1000 iterations is to ensure the device able to come online every power on/off cycle.

Thanks.

What power-cycles that many times? :eek:

Hi dglienna,
I wrote this code is for my project that the code will communicate with device & power switch through RS-232 com port. This is some kind like device power cycle reliability testing to ensure the device able to completely came online every power cycle.
Thanks.

If you dont want to change your code it is easy to fix

All that is happening is the timer count is rolling it is a lonint of the seconds count from midnight

(Timer) CurrentSecondOfDay = (Hour24 * 3600) + (Minute * 60) + Second

And as such it goes from 0-86399

So simply change the test instead of

Start = Timer
Do While Timer < Start + 30
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes.
Loop

Use

Start = (Timer + 30) Mod 86400
Do While Timer < Start
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes.
Loop

All that is happening is we are turning start to a compare value after first adding 30 and modulo'ing it.

If you consider we call it 1 sec before midnight timer will return 86399

So

start = (86399 + 30) Mod 86400
start = 86429 Mod 86400
start = 29

Timer will pass the test (Timer < Start) because 86399 and the next second it will roll itself back to zero and the test will continue correctly until Timer is 29

Modulo is a very powerful tool with rolling counts you need to get familar with it.
if (Diff > 100) Diff

BB, please use CODE TAGS.

LONG's are the wrong way to go. Use the TIMER to calculate ONE-SECOND, and then USE THE TIME!

Code:

---

Option Explicit
' Add a Timer control to your project.  It will be Timer1
' It looks like a stop watch in the IDE.
Dim OldTime As Date
Dim newTime As Date
Dim diff As Date

Private Sub Form_Load()
  OldTime = Time
  Timer1.Interval = 1000
  Timer1.Enabled = True
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Timer()
  Static x As Long
  Static zz$, ss$
  x = x + 1
  newTime = Time
  diff = DateDiff("s", OldTime, newTime)
  Form1.Caption = (diff \ 3600) & ":" & Format((diff \ 60 Mod 60), "00") & ":" & _
        Format((diff - ((diff \ 60) * 60)), "00")
'  Debug.Print (diff \ 3600) & ":" & Format((diff \ 60 Mod 60), "00") & ":" & _
        Format((diff - ((diff \ 60) * 60)), "00")
  If newTime = DateAdd("s", 360, OldTime) Then ' Add 360 seconds
    Timer1.Enabled = False
    ' You time is UP!  Do something!
    Beep
  End If
End Sub

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Your changes are fine but he has to heavily modify the code from what I can see he has an old command line program.

Timer is already the system time as a long I am not somehow making a long ... VB is simply going down to the RTC and getting the bytes from it doing the mult and giving it back to you as a long ... it's what the call Timer does!!!!

All I am doing is put pre adding and putting a modulo on the result he has to change 4 lines to fix the code.

old code:
Start = Timer
Do While Timer < Start + 30
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes.
Loop

becomes in two places and his problem solved

new code:
Start = (Timer+30) Mod 86400
Do While Timer < Start
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes.
Loop

Urg too much coffee today .. changed new code to

new code:
Start = (Timer+30) Mod 86400
Do While Timer <> Start
DoEvents ' Yield to other processes.
Loop