How to hide a form on initialization

[aewarnick]

I cannot use Hide() or the visible property in the constructor or Load() to hide my form when it is initializing.

 

I cannot leave out the constructor code because this program runs in the background. The form needs to be initialized but I don't want the user to see it until they click the notify icon.

[Robby]

Does this have anything to do with Deployment? (Maybe I misunderstood the question)

[aewarnick]

When the user opens the exe file I don't want it to show the form but a notify icon will be in the taskbar for the user to Show() the form with.

[Robby]

Do you want this as part of a distribution package? I think I still don't understand.

[aewarnick]

I don't understand the question about a distribution anyting?

[Robby]

Is your problem/question related to running your application on your own computer or on being able to run it on other machines... While the other machines do Not have Visual Studio .Net installed?

[aewarnick]

Ohhhhh hhhh h!

It will be distributed to anyone and I think it will be free too. They will most likely not have VS.

[Cassio]

I guess Robby was saying that it would be better if you posted this question in the Windows Forms area, since it has nothing to do with deployment.

[Robby]

Cassio is dead on. :) I'm still waiting for aewarnick to confirm this. :(

[aewarnick]

Maybe divil would be so kind as to move the thread for me...I don't want to post this twice. Edited April 28, 2003 by aewarnick

[TreasonX]

Well anyway the answer to hiding the form on startup is.

 

Set the windows state to minimize on startup

Hide it from the task bar

 

then when you show the form

restore the windows state to normal then

show

 

Thats the easiest way I have found to do it.

[aewarnick]

Thanks TreasonX. I already tried that. The problem is that the form is still accessable to the user that way. All they have to do is use Alt + Tab to veiw any open form in windows.

 

There has got to be a better way.

[TreasonX]

Okay here is the best thing I can come up with

 

on start up minimize and hide from task bar.

 

set formBorderStyle to FixedToolWindow

 

this hides it from alt tab.

 

It works.. but it doesnt seem like the best way. If you find something better give me a holla :)

 

credit for this information goes to:

 

http://www.xtremedotnettalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69213&highlight=alttab

[aewarnick]

Thanks Tx, I will probably make my own class with methods called show and hide to handle those things form my forms.

[aewarnick]

Setting it no None border works as well.

[Winston]

i tired getting that to work same problem as u

so i used a OnPaint event and hide the form

 

my app paints the panel

 

so i just used a boolean

and set it to true once it had hid the form on startup once and then on exit set it back to false so that it will work the next time

[aewarnick]

Thank you, winston, I will remember that.

[aewarnick]

Hey guyyyyysss!! I found the answer to this question and it is muuuuuch better than minimising the form and hiding the taskbar box. I was looking and reading some info here:

http://www.syncfusion.com/FAQ/WinForms/

and found out about this great resource in VS help:

search for this: Setting a Form to Be Invisible at Its Inception

 

Now, the problem is that I need to know if windows is closing the form or if the user is because windows will not restart when the form is running unless I use Application.Exit().

 

How can I tell how the form is being closed?

[divil]

There's a reason why that FAQ is permanently posted at the top of this forum ;)

 

You can listen for the SystemEvents.SessionEnding event to tell when the user is trying to log off or shutdown the system.

[aewarnick]

Gotcha! Now it's in 2 places! Thanks divil.

[aewarnick]

Have a problem.

private void UserShutdown(object sender, SessionEndingEventArgs e)
{
MessageBox.Show("exit");
Application.Exit();
}
//-------------------------------
private void Form1_Closing(object sender, System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs e)
{
e.Cancel=true;
this.Visible=false;
MessageBox.Show("closed");
}

Here is what happens in the background (I beleive). The user attempts to restart the computer. First the Form1_Closing ev is called. It cancels the close event, making windows stop shutting down. Because of that, the UserShutdown ev is not called at all.

 

How can I tell from the Closing ev that the user is trying to shut down? Is there a way I can wait on that event? Or maybe there is another way? What do you think?

[divil]

Hmm, that's weird. If the Closing event is fired before the Shutdown event, I don't know what to tell you.

 

Come to think of it, try checking Environment.HasShutdownStarted in your Closing event, perhaps that'll do it.

[aewarnick]

The command HasShutdownStarted must be VB because it is not there. Nevermind, it is not static. I think that is why it was not in the list. I will try it. Edited May 12, 2003 by aewarnick

[aewarnick]

private void Form1_Closing(object sender, System.ComponentModel.CancelEventArgs e)

{

Environment E=new Environment();

MessageBox.Show( "closed "+E.HasShutdownStarted );

e.Cancel=true;

this.Visible=false;

}

 

I get this error:

D:\My Documents\C Sharp projects\WallPaperRotator\Form1.cs(873): 'System.Environment.Environment()' is inaccessible due to its protection level

Edited May 12, 2003 by aewarnick

[divil]

HasShutdownStarted is static.

 

Use System.Environment.HasShutdownStarted.