Sometimes you just need to show that you are doing something, even if you can’t say how long it is going to take. One effective way of illustrating this state is to display a cyclic animation. Building your own progress bar is probably the easiest part of this column; understanding how to use it in your own applications is the real trick. This article describes how to create a visualizer, using the Visual Studio 2005 Beta 1 release, which enables you to customize the way data is displayed when you are debugging through managed code.
A Progress Bar that Doesn’t Progress; Create a Debugger Visualizer
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
I’ve seen a lot of applications including ones from MSFT that display a progress bar when they are working on some thing that they don’t know how long it’ll take. I hate it because it’ll hit the right side and then restart…
Mac OS X has a built in barbershop mode for the “I don’t know how long” version of the progress bar. They also now have a circle progress tool that you can just spin.
Until MSFT builds this into the system, very few programmers will use one. First, most Windows Programmers don’t do custom tools. Second, they break Windows standards by using custom tools so users may get confused by what that thing means. Third, most Windows programmers only know how to program GUI by dragging and droping prebuild tools in Visual Studio.
“First, most Windows Programmers don’t do custom tools.”
Yes they do: Thats what com/activex/.net components are. Search google you ignorant. There are tons of custom made components.
“Third, most Windows programmers only know how to program GUI by dragging and droping prebuild tools in Visual Studio. ”
Thats simply not true…
Your reply to Joe P was curious.
He didn’t mention Drivers.
He didn’t critize tools or platforms.
He didn’t mention linux.
Did you reply to the wrong post?
Have to agree with the Banba Canga dude… i can’t remember the last app I wrote which didn’t utilise manual GDI/GDI+ drawing and custom controls.
BeOS app designers just let you do other things will you wait.
He was sniping at the fact that someone earlier mumbled something about Windows programmers only knowing how to drag and drop componenets; the rebuttal, describing the vast amounts of software for Windows, was probably meant to firmly rebuke the inital assessment – most software usually comes with themed and “unique” controls, this includes drivers: Take ATI’s control panel for example – both old and new (.NET based) use custom controls.
AKA,
“We’ve got a ton of weapons and we’re not afraid to use them.”