Different Kind of Progress Bar...

[Denny Behnfeldt]

I have a lengthy procedure for which I would like to display a progress bar.
I have seen several excellent variations based on "percentage done".
My problem is that this procedure does a lot of different things that can't
be easily translated to a percentage. Examples:
It opens another file, formats it by deleting various columns and rows based
on certain criteria (the number varies between files), closes the file,
then goes from worksheet to worksheet (8 total) in the original and deletes
rows to match the new number, opens a different file for another purpose,
etc.
In other words, couId I use a progress bar to indicate events being
performed, instead of percentage done? Would I estimate the percentage, and
then update the progress bar (jumping maybe 10% at a time) after each
procedure is done? If this wouldn't work, maybe just keep updating a
MessageBox??
Any ideas on how would I do this?

I know I can use the status bar with text, but it's not very noticeable.

Any help is greatly appreciated,
Denny

 

[Father Guido]

I have a lengthy procedure for which I would like to display a progress bar.
I have seen several excellent variations based on "percentage done".
My problem is that this procedure does a lot of different things that can't
be easily translated to a percentage. Examples:
It opens another file, formats it by deleting various columns and rows based
on certain criteria (the number varies between files), closes the file,
then goes from worksheet to worksheet (8 total) in the original and deletes
rows to match the new number, opens a different file for another purpose,
etc.
In other words, couId I use a progress bar to indicate events being
performed, instead of percentage done? Would I estimate the percentage, and
then update the progress bar (jumping maybe 10% at a time) after each
procedure is done? If this wouldn't work, maybe just keep updating a
MessageBox??
Any ideas on how would I do this?

I know I can use the status bar with text, but it's not very noticeable.

Any help is greatly appreciated,
Denny

After each section is finished, just update a screen message, turn on
screenupdating, then turn off. Repeat after each section until
finished.

 

[Robin Hammond]

If it's helpful my progress bar class has three distinct captions you can
write messages to while your code is progressing.

e.g. you could write

Updating files
FileName
Worksheet

Have a look here
http://www.enhanceddatasystems.com/ED/Pages/ExcelProgressBar.htm

You could easily adapt it to hide the actual progress bar if you are
concerned about showing percentages.

Robin Hammond
www.enhanceddatasystems.com

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

You control the progress bar. You would have to make a decision on how much
progress to indicate based on what is being done.

So, yes, a progress bar would be feasible, but your code has to control it.

 

[Bob Phillips]

Denny,

I have had the same sort of problem, so what I did was to create a progress
bar that had two parts. I would add that the progress bar was a userform, so
it was ' in the user's face, not status bar type. The first part was a
simple text message that indicated what point in the process had been
reached, and was set by my code at the start of each distinct step. This
gives the user feedback on the real progress. In addition I had an actual
progress bar that gets updated, incrementing the bar, in the accepted sense.
The point about the progress bar, I don't worry about whether I am 20%, 30$,
or whatever, I just update it to give the visual feedback that the
application is still working. If, and when, it gets to the end, I just
restart it, because as I say, it is a visual prompt.

--

HTH

Bob Phillips
... looking out across Poole Harbour to the Purbecks
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)

 

[onedaywhen]

You could break your long process into a number of sub-processes. You
could then show the list of processes and indicate progress by visibly
checking each when it is complete. Alternatively, you could estimate
what proportion of the total time is taken by each process and
increment a conventional progress bar (Robin Hammond's looks quite
nice <g>) when each is complete.

The important thing is to reassure the user the machine hasn't crashed
an that something is happening. IE has a progress bar which simply
counts up in seconds and shoots up to max when complete!

 

[Robin Hammond]

Onedaywhen's biased. He came up with the fancy coloured bar technique I now
use!

Robin Hammond
www.enhanceddatasystems.com

 

[Bob Phillips]

So Onedaywhen is Jamie Collins! Why Onedaywhen?

--

HTH

Bob Phillips
... looking out across Poole Harbour to the Purbecks
(remove nothere from the email address if mailing direct)

 

[onedaywhen]

Thanks for outing me, Bob!

It's the opening words to a CD by Joe Henry, but may as well be short
for...

....One day when I get a bit of time I'll set up my own website with
code examples I can reference in my posts. Perhaps then Onedaywhen
will become synonymous with Excel ADO and others will link to me
rather than <adopts Dick Dastardly type voice> that pesky Ole P.
Erlandsen (http://www.erlandsendata.no/english/). Doh!

Onedaywhen (a.k.a. Jamie Collins)
(e-mail address removed)

You remove nothere from *my* email address

--