Disable screen refresh

[hog]

I asked this before (I think) but here goes..

 

I have code in a forms Paint event that draws a non regular shape form and fills the backcolor property. This on its own works fine with no flicker. But say I add six controls to the form and also have code to set their backcolor property. Now I get a flicker as each control is modified and I can see each control in turn change colour.

 

Question is this: Is there a way to disable screen refresh so all the modifications take place then the screen is refreshed in one go?

[mutant]

Did you try setting DoubleBuffering?

[hog]

Dumb question coming....erm how?

[mutant]

For a form, type:

SetStyle(DoubleBuffering,true)

In form load or the constructor for example.

If you want to use it in controls you have to inherit a class from the control and set the same thing in there, you have to do that, becuase this is protected in controls.

[hog]

OK I tried this:

 

Me.SetStyle(ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer, True)

 

and this

 

Me.SetStyle(ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer Or ControlStyles.UserPaint Or ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint, True)

Me.UpdateStyles()

 

both with no success:(

 

so I suspect your sentence re the controls may be relevant, but dumbo here appears to be in the dark regarding these things:(

 

any chance of another gentle nudge:)

[mutant]

What do you mean without success? :)

Is there any error or it just doesnt make anything better?

 

As for the control, to do what I said, make a new class, inherit it from the control you want to use, then in the constructor of the control use:

SetStyle(DoubleBuffer,true)
SetStyle(AllPaintingInWMPAINT,true)

Then instead of using the default control from the toolbox use your own control that you inherited.

[hog]

OK..it makes no difference:)

 

So I get what you mean now, but am struggling trying to achieve it:(

 

I haven't created a control class before and have tried this but it errors....no suprises there :)

 

Public Class clsPictureBox
   Inherits System.Windows.Forms.PictureBox

   Public Sub New()
       MyBase.New()

       'This call is required by the Windows Form Designer.
       InitializeComponent()

       'Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call

   End Sub

End Class

 

I then read a thread which said about adding a user controls or inherited user controls but am getting more lost as I go:(:(

[mutant]

That should be all good except there is no IntializeComponent sub in there, which you dont need. So remove the call to it.

:)

[hog]

OK...still no joy, this is what I have so far:

 

Public Class clsPictureBox
   Inherits System.Windows.Forms.PictureBox

   Public Sub New()
       MyBase.New()

       'Add any initialization after the InitializeComponent() call

       SetStyle(ControlStyles.DoubleBuffer, True)
       SetStyle(ControlStyles.AllPaintingInWmPaint, True)

   End Sub

End Class

 

Then in my form I have manually entered this code?

 

Friend WithEvents picGameField As clsPictureBox
Me.picGameField = New clsPictureBox
'
'picGameField
'
Me.picGameField.BackColor = System.Drawing.Color.FromArgb(CType(255, Byte), CType(192, Byte), CType(255, Byte))
Me.picGameField.BorderStyle = System.Windows.Forms.BorderStyle.Fixed3D
Me.picGameField.Location = New System.Drawing.Point(440, 32)
Me.picGameField.Name = "picGameField"
Me.picGameField.Size = New System.Drawing.Size(163, 304)
Me.picGameField.Visible = True

 

no errors occur but the picturebox does not appear either.

 

New ground this, creating my own controls....can u tell :)

[hog]

Ah hold the phone...

 

just added this line:

 

Me.Controls.Add(Me.picNextBlock)

 

and it appears so now to do the rest and see if it resolves the flicker:)

[hog]

no, still get the flicker:(

 

No matter what I try the screen flickers. Is there no way to just tell VB, don't display the form changes until they have all been made sonething like:

 

ScreenUpdating(False)

button1.backcolor=....
button2.backcolor=....
button3.backcolor=....
button4.backcolor=....
button5.backcolor=....
button6.backcolor=....

other modifications.....

ScreenUpdating(True)

Edited June 21, 2003 by hog

[mutant]

How fast are you changing the backgrounds?

PictureBoxes are not recommended for something that changes fast as they are slow.

[hog]

Well I have a non regular shape form with 4 buttons, 2 picture boxes and three labels.

 

What I am tryint ot achieve is to allow the user to select the back colour of their choice, which results in the forms backcolor changing and all the controls backcolors to a off shade of the chosen colour.

 

What happens now is I see each control in turn change colour which results in a flicker effect on the form.

[mutant]

I tried to do something similar with 12 pictureboxes, randomly changing color in a 20millisecond timer. No flicker at all. I dont think I can help you more without seeing more of your code :).

[hog]

Here ya go then:)

 

Public Sub PaintShape()

       Dim graphPath As New Drawing2D.GraphicsPath
       Dim gfxGameGraphics As Graphics
       Dim brBrushSquare As Drawing2D.PathGradientBrush

       
       Dim arrLiner1() As Point = {New Point(323, 410), New Point(329, 368), New Point(354, 314), New Point(368, 281)}

       Dim arrLiner2() As Point = {New Point(27, 319), New Point(69, 300), New Point(87, 320), New Point(101, 292)}

       Dim arrLiner3() As Point = {New Point(773, 465), New Point(695, 320), New Point(690, 300), New Point(680, 290)}

       Dim arrLiner4() As Point = {New Point(62, 246), New Point(83, 210), New Point(110, 230), New Point(122, 185)}

       Dim arrLiner5() As Point = {New Point(867, 123), New Point(865, 123), New Point(870, 115), New Point(874, 111)}

       graphPath.AddBeziers(arrShape)

       gfxGameGraphics = Graphics.FromHwnd(Me.Handle)

       brBrushSquare = New Drawing2D.PathGradientBrush(graphPath)

       gfxGameGraphics.FillPath(New SolidBrush(clrColour), graphPath)

       gfxGameGraphics.DrawBeziers(New Pen(Color.Black, 1), arrLiner1)
       gfxGameGraphics.DrawBeziers(New Pen(Color.Black, 1), arrLiner2)
       gfxGameGraphics.DrawBeziers(New Pen(Color.Black, 1), arrLiner3)
       gfxGameGraphics.DrawBeziers(New Pen(Color.Black, 1), arrLiner4)
       gfxGameGraphics.DrawBeziers(New Pen(Color.Black, 1), arrLiner5)

       Me.Region = New Region(graphPath)

   End Sub

   Private Sub frmGame_Paint(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs) Handles MyBase.Paint

           PaintShape()

   End Sub

Private Sub cmdColour_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles cmdColour.Click

       Me.ColorDialog1.ShowDialog()

       clrColour = Me.ColorDialog1.Color

       clrControlColour = Color.FromArgb(150, Me.ColorDialog1.Color)

       'Me.cmdStart.BackColor = clrControlColour
       'Me.cmdMinimize.BackColor = clrControlColour
       'Me.cmdColour.BackColor = clrControlColour
       'Me.cmdClose.BackColor = clrControlColour
       Me.picGameField.BackColor = clrControlColour
       Me.picNextBlock.BackColor = clrControlColour
       Me.Label1.BackColor = clrColour
       Me.Label2.BackColor = clrColour
       Me.Label3.BackColor = clrColour

   End Sub

 

I've left out the array which drawss the shape in the PaintShape procedure

[mutant]

I copied and pasted your color changing code, not a single sign of flicker. I cant try the whole thing as you took out that array.

[mutant]

Ok, what your were doing is creating all those object all the time, which is not needed, and setting region in every paint.

Look at this modified file, I hope it helps :)

form1.vb

[hog]

Thnx, Mutant, I'm almost there. I had realised this may be the case and had attempted to move the offending block out of the paint procedure.

 

However what I hav now is the shape gets draw OK, but with no outline? And when I select a new colour the controls change with no flicker, but the main form has a bizzare odd section changed only, the rest of the form remains unchanged??