EXCEL 2002: How do I user/simulate a Timer event in Excel form

[JohnF]

Hi Everyone


I have a very long import procedure that's executed from a menu option. I
would like to open an "Import" message form and animate a file flying from
one side of the form (one folder) to the other side (another folder) until
the import is completed. I can easily do it with other applications but find
very hard to do with Excel forms, for example when I use Microsoft Access, I
use a Timer event and move the file fractionally every few seconds to
simulate the movement. However, Excel forms do not appear to have Timer
events like Access or VB.


I tried to simulate a time event with Excel form but without success; can
anyone help?


I tried various methods with Excel but none worked. "Application.OnTime"
looks promising but it does not work for me. Below is one method I used to
test the procedure (while testing I just tried to show one image and hide
another). Rather then having " BlinkMover" procedure executing every second
as expected, the procedure acually executes only once (only when the calling
"OpenSession" procedure is finished; defeats the reason for using the
timer...)


Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Global variable

===========

Public fBlinkMover As Boolean 'used with OPSES form to indicate whether to
blink

Public dTime 'Used to set time when to fire BlinkMover Procedure


Procedures

=========

Public Sub OpenSession()


strFileToOpen = Application.GetOpenFilename("Workbook (*.xls), *.xls", ,
"Open your existing AIP session")


If strFileToOpen <> False Then


'BLINKING procedure start


'START Blinking

fBlinkMover = True 'Start BLINKING

OPSES.Show 'Opne OPSES form - this form only has two images at the moment
(imgPic1 and imgPic2

DoEvents

dTime = Now + TimeValue("00:00:01") 'Set time to one second from now

Application.OnTime dTime, "BlinkMover" 'Instruct the application to run
"BlinkMover" procedure one second from now


....Do other work here...


Workbooks.Open Filename:=strFileToOpen


Sheets("Original_data").Select


*Deleted code to make the procedure shorter for this email

*Etc, etc, etc...


'STOP Blinking

fBlinkMover = False 'Stop BLINKING - this will also stop BlinkMover
procedure calling itself

OPSES.Hide 'Hide OPSES form


'BLINKING procedure stop


Sheets("Results").Select


MsgBox ("AIP session has now been opened")


Else

'User did not open

End If




End Sub




Public Sub BlinkMover()

If fBlinkMover Then 'Only execute if fBlinkMover is set to TRUE

opses!imgPic1.Visible = Not opses!imgPic2.Visible 'Reverse visiblitiy
(Show/Hide)

opses!imgPic2.Visible = Not opses!imgPic1.Visible 'Reverse visiblitiy
(Show/Hide)

opses.Repaint

DoEvents

dTime = Now + TimeValue("00:00:01") 'Add another second to dTime

Application.OnTime dTime, "BlinkMover" 'Call BlinkMover procedure again in
one second

End If

End Sub




Thanks for your suggestions.

 

[Earl Kiosterud]

John,

Try using OnTime like this:


Application.OnTime Now() + TimeValue("00:00:05"), "MyProcedure"

If you put this in sub MyProcedure, it will keep running itself at the
prescribed intervals (5 sec in this example), until you pull the plug out of
the wall.

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

ontime is non-pre-emptive - if Excel is busy it does not execute. I suspect
opening a file would show excel to be busy.

 

[John Fejsa]

Anything else I can do to emulate the "Timer" event or anything else I
could use to animate an object on the user form while the file is
getting imported?

John

 

[UKMatt]

Hi John,

This is not quite as nice as the flying files, but I have a sheet tha
processes a huge amount of information and shows a 'progress bar
window - basically a window with a title showing the current step bein
performed and a bar that moves from left to right from 0 to 100
complete.

Before I go and find the code, would that be of any use to you?

Thanks
UKMat

 

[Jamie Collins]

Excel forms do not appear to have Timer
events like Access or VB.

See Robin Hammond's site:

http://www.enhanceddatasystems.com/ED/Pages/ExcelTimer.htm

Jamie.

--

 

[John Fejsa]

Thank you for your suggestion Jamie. The timer from Robin Hammond's
site works great on it’s own, before the import function starts and
after it’s finished, however, it stops working as soon as the import
functions starts (goes on hold???) and restarts working as soon as the
import procedure stops. I am sorry but it basically does the same thing
as Application.OnTime function, doesn’t do me any good with this
problem.

Once again, thanks for your suggestion, it may come in handy in the
future.

John

 

[John Fejsa]

Hi Matt

It would be great if you could send me the sample code.

Thank you

John

 

[JohnF]

Thank you for your suggestion Jamie. The timer from Robin Hammond's site
works great on it's own, before the import function starts and after it's
finished, however, it stops working as soon as the import functions starts
(goes on hold???) and restarts working as soon as the import procedure
stops. I am sorry but it basically does the same thing as Application.OnTime
function, doesn't do me any good with this problem.



Once again, thanks for your suggestion, it may come in handy in the future.

 

[JohnF]

Thank you for your suggestion Jamie. The timer from Robin Hammond's site
works great on it's own, before the import function starts and after it's
finished, however, it stops working as soon as the import functions starts
(goes on hold???) and restarts working as soon as the import procedure
stops. I am sorry but it basically does the same thing as Application.OnTime
function, doesn't do me any good with this problem.



Once again, thanks for your suggestion, it may come in handy in the future.



John

 

[Earl Kiosterud]

John,

Chip Pearson has a progress bar, and some other nice stuff you may be able
to use. www.cpearson.com.

 

[Robin Hammond]

John,

There's a progress bar class and an activex timer control for use in Excel
on my site under "Excel Stuff"

Robin Hammond
www.enhanceddatasystems.com

 

[Earl Kiosterud]

John,

Application.Ontime might work if you can intersperse DoEvents in your import
procedure. However, if it's an Excel method (instead of your own), then I
suppose you have no opportunity to do that.