(newbie) How to refresh text box contents

(newbie) How to refresh text box contents

• TheToefistJU

  Yes

  My.Application.DoEvents Method

  what it will do is cause the application to Process all Windows messages currently in the message queue.

  In which case the updating of the text box contents.

  This can be useful when then the updates are happening so quickly so in a loop where there are numerous iterations but not much processing between the applications - which sometimes causes the controls to not refresh each time.

  My.Application.DoEvents may slow some applications down a little as its yielding to allow all the windows messages (requests to update say the textbox display) but you get some behaviour which you expect.

  Use very judiciously, only as and when required.

  
  

• Risotto

  Hi

  For anyone still reading here about this troublesone problem, I have finally got it working. I'm unsure as to why my new approach works and the old didn't, but here below is the new working procedure.

  I introduced a

  Public ScoresPanel As New Panel

  into the mix, and from then on, builr the new routine arounf that.

  A final thanks to all for the help in getting me over this mountain. More threads to follow for other issues

  -----------------------------------------------------------------

  Sub CheckIfScoreGetIntoTable()

  Dim Flag As Integer = 0, r As Integer = 0, c As Integer = 1

  Dim tt As New TextBox

  For Each tt In ScoresPanel.Controls

  If c = 4 Then

  If Val(WordSearch.ScoreCount.Text) < Val(tt.Text) Then

  Flag = r

  End If

  c = 0

  End If

  r += 1

  c += 1

  Next

  If Flag < ScoresPanel.Controls.Count - 1 Then

  For r = ScoresPanel.Controls.Count - 4 To Flag + 1 Step -4

  ScoresPanel.Controls(r).Text = ScoresPanel.Controls(r - 4).Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(r + 1).Text = ScoresPanel.Controls(r - 3).Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(r + 2).Text = ScoresPanel.Controls(r - 2).Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(r + 3).Text = ScoresPanel.Controls(r - 1).Text

  Next

  If Flag = 0 Then

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag).Text = WordSearch.PlayerName.Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag + 1).Text = WordSearch.Skill.Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag + 2).Text = WordSearch.WordCount.Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag + 3).Text = WordSearch.ScoreCount.Text

  Else

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag + 1).Text = WordSearch.PlayerName.Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag + 2).Text = WordSearch.Skill.Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag + 3).Text = WordSearch.WordCount.Text

  ScoresPanel.Controls(Flag + 4).Text = WordSearch.ScoreCount.Text

  End If

  newScoresForm.Show()

  End If

  End Sub

  
  
  

• AnthonyAM444

  I don't think a doevents is all that's necessary. It sounds as if this process is at quiesence.

  Leshay... after updating... try a refresh on those boxes.

  There is another proprty of the CLR at the back of my mind where one form is updating another has a kink in it and I'm tring to remember why that is.

  
  
  

• Jonathan Blackburn

  
  Yes, your right that these textboxes are not linked to textboxes on a form.

  If you want to link the reference variables to textboxes on the forms

  Dim t1 as textbox = form1.textbox1
  Dim t2 as textbox = form1.textbox2
  Dim t3 as textbox = form1.textbox3
  Dim t4 as textbox = form1.textbox4

  This would link the reference variables with actual instances of textboxes on
  an instance of a form called form1

  Dim t1 as textbox = new textbox
  Dim t1 as new textbox

  will simply create a textbox control in memory.

  
  

• Ean L. Towne

  When I used

  Dim t1, t2, t3, t4 As New TextBox

  these 4 are used to format the game results ready (hopefully) to use further down to add to the scoretable collection - they are just temporary variables.

  As I said, they are doing the job since after the whole subroutine exits, the new scorestable is correctly written to a text file. (writing the contents of the ScoresTable Collection)

  Getting back to your suggestion. I can't see any difference (I would defer to you correcting me) between the two methods (considering the local use). eg

  Dim t1 As TextBox = WordSearch.PlayerName

  and

  Dim t1 As TextBox

  t1.Text = WordSearch.PlayerName.Text

   

  I have now ammended as per your suggestion as follows:

  Sub CheckIfScoreGetIntoTable()

  Dim Flag As Integer = 0, i As Integer = 1

  Dim t1 As TextBox = WordSearch.PlayerName

  Dim t2 As TextBox = WordSearch.PlayerName

  t2.Text = WordSearch.Skill.Text ' this is a combobox

  Dim t3 As TextBox = WordSearch.WordCount

  Dim t4 As TextBox = WordSearch.ScoreCount

  For i = WordSearch.ScoresTable.Count To 4 Step -4

  If Val(t4.Text) > Val(WordSearch.ScoresTable(i).text) Then

  Flag = i

  End If

  Next

  If Flag > 0 Then

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Add(t1, , Flag - 3)

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Add(t2, , Flag - 2)

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Add(t3, , Flag - 1)

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Add(t4, , Flag)

  i = WordSearch.ScoresTable.Count

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Remove(i)

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Remove(i - 1)

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Remove(i - 2)

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Remove(i - 3)

  End If

  End Sub

  Using this code still results in exactly the same behaviour. The ScoresTable continues with the old values, but on reloading the app the correct new ScoresTable is displayed. The ScoresTable textboxes are the ScoresTable Collection.

  
  
  

• Richard Willis

  Leshay,

  Since you are doing dynamic controls now... largely I stick with them for a lot of reasons. It's a little more work but... you learn more and it requires more than just be clicking on boxes.....

  I acknowledge you.

  
  
  

• bander

  A paint event needs to occur before your changes will show. Try Application.DoEvents before the WriteScoresToFile call.
  
  

• Krobar

  I'm not sure how two of us missed this:

  Dim t1, t2, t3, t4 As New TextBox

  You're creating four textboxes, then setting the values and using them. These textboxes have nothing to do with the text boxes on your forms, they are just floating in the ether, not displaying anywhere. What is it you're trying to do here I suspect you want to create a delegate, which is a function definition in one class, which is tied to a function that can be in another class. Defining a delegate, hooking it up to a method in the form with the text boxes, and then calling it from the method that has the data to update ( passing that data through and setting the text boxes with it ) is the way to pass data to another form. Or, if you have the form as a member variable, define properties that set the text on the text boxes, and set them that way.

  
  
  

• xpy1999

  OK, well the problem you have is that if you're dynamically adding these text boxes, you don't have a referene to them, although you can name them and search for them in the controls collection.

  Any reason you can't just use labels, added in the normal way, without needing any panels
  

  It sounds to my like your high score form should just initialise itself by working out what the current high scores are, by whatever method you use, and the main form should be responsibile for storing the high scores, if a new high score exists.

  
  
  

• Scott Simms

  cgraus

  I'm afraid most of that is over my head, but I will try to explain further.

  The game main form has most of the controls and a game grid of 72 textboxes. One button opens the High score table which is a form with a panel with 32 text boxes displaying the high score data. All this works reasonable fine, even if the code may be clunky.

  So now I have a new score, and the routine I posted is my attempt to check/sort the scores and hopefully to redisplay them.

  Here are some snippets that might be relevant

  In the score table run time create routine the following is done

  newP.Controls.Add(newT) 

  newT is a text box added to a new panel (32 of them),

  WordSearch.ScoresTable.Add(newT)

  adds the same textboxes to the

  Public ScoresTable As New Collection

  Then, I am eventually trying to effect the changes to the score table by altering the collection of text boxes as shown in the procedure posted previously.

  eg        WordSearch.ScoresTable.Add(t1, , Flag - 3)

  I suspect I am not explaining it very well though.

  
  
  

• Kenshiro

  cgraus

  OK, some more info was posted while I was working on my last reply. I'll have a play with some of that,

  Regarding the question of my choosing dynamic over pre made controls, well that was because I figured I needed to learn, and that seemed a more worthy method to that end. I can certainly see that if this was a critical application for me, that I would have to think simple instead of complex. I feel I am learning more from my miskes than if I nade simple forms which I could possibly deal with more easily.

  I had thought of posting larger pieces of code to simplify my explanations of the problem, but I thought I would wait until I had read the forum rules before doing that - just in case it wasn't permitted to overdo the post size.

  I'll be back soon though

  
  
  

• Ian Price

  Hi again ReneeC

  I am having flashbacks about the points you raised in the other thread. Although I can't see those point being pertinent here, I can't help but think that they may well be

  When you say try a refresh on those boxes - what do you mean If you mean what I think you mean, then that's what this problematic procedure is supposed to be doing!

  To simplify. If you have a form with boxes based on a Public Collection, and  you changed some properties of some of the boxes by manipulating the Collection boxes - then how would you refresh them

  In my previous posted procedure, I thought I was doing the refresh by adding the new textboxes and deleting the old textboxes from the Collection ScoreTable

  I am thinking that because, in effect, that what I did with the 72 textbox main form - via

  Sub PlaceNewLettersInGrid(ByVal RefreshWord As String)

  Dim t As New TextBox, fillstring As String

  fillstring = MakeRandomString(RefreshWord)

  For Each t In myTextboxes

  t.BackColor = Color.White

  t.Text = Microsoft.VisualBasic.Left(fillstring, 1)

  fillstring = Microsoft.VisualBasic.Right(fillstring, Len(fillstring) - 1)

  Next

  WordInputString.Text = ""

  WhatWordToFind.Text = RefreshWord

  FindWhichWord = RefreshWord

  End Sub

  
  
  

• shadow-k8

  Unfortunately, that didn't work. I wish it did.

  
  
  

• timbailey

  Thanks ReneeC
  
  
• (newbie) How to refresh text box contents