Problem with Progress Bar Overlay

[mat.nolen]

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Product, version and build: Power Shell Studio 2019 version 5.6.157
32 or 64 bit version of product: 64 bit
Operating system: Windows 10 Pro
32 or 64 bit OS: 64 bit

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Testing out the Progress Bar with it updating after checking each file. I have found when I run the script it will load the progress bar and end at 100% but there is still empty space in the progress bar. Almost like it does not understand it should be done. I have tried to change the overlay, step and value but still can't get it to work. Below is a copy of the code. The test is just creating a folder on the desktop then confirming. Does not like the progress bar. I also attached the form. Any ideas????



$form1_Load={
#TODO: Initialize Form Controls here
if (-not (Test-Path "C:\Source\ProgressTesting")) { New-Item -ItemType dir "C:\Source\ProgressTesting" -Force }
New-Item 'C:\Source\ProgressTesting\file1.txt' -Force
New-Item 'C:\Source\ProgressTesting\file2.txt' -Force
New-Item 'C:\Source\ProgressTesting\file3.txt' -Force
New-Item 'C:\Source\ProgressTesting\file4.txt' -Force
}

$buttonRun_Click={
#TODO: Place custom script here
$richtextbox1.Clear()
$files = Get-Item "C:\Source\ProgressTesting\*"

$progressbaroverlay1.Maximum = $files.count
$progressbaroverlay1.Step = 1
$progressbaroverlay1.Value = 0

foreach ($file in $files)
{
$progressbaroverlay1.PerformStep()
$progressbaroverlay1.Refresh()
$richtextbox1.AppendText("$file`n")
$richtextbox1.Refresh()
start-sleep 2
}
}

[davidc]

[TOPIC MOVED TO POWERSHELL GUIS FORUM BY MODERATOR]

[jvierra]

What is the Maximum? Be sure you are counting to the maximum and not one short.

You shouldn't need "refresh".

[davidc]

This can occurs because the progress bar is animated. When the pipeline is stopped (sleep command), it cannot animation.

You could look into using the Job Tracker control set. So that the work is not holding up the GUI:

https://info.sapien.com/index.php/guis/ ... sive-forms

[jvierra]

Sleep should not effect control method calls as they happen directly. That is why the "PerformStep()" is added to the progress controls.

I have had this issue without sleep and it always seems to be bad arithmetic. If the range is set to file count and the increment is 1 then the minimum should be set to 1. 1 to count is the range. 0 to count is the range - 1.

[jvierra]

Actually David is correct. With the Start-Sleep the control is always one behind. Either process in a timer tick or use a jobControl.

[jvierra]

The following stays in sync after the first item but ends correctly.

Code: Select all

$buttonRun_Click={
	#TODO: Place custom script here
	$richtextbox1.Clear()
	$files = Get-Item "C:\Source\ProgressTesting\*"
		
	$progressbaroverlay1.Maximum = $files.count - 1
    $progressbaroverlay1.Minimum = 0
	$progressbaroverlay1.Step = 1
	
	$files |
        ForEach-Object{
    		start-sleep 1
            $i++
    		$richtextbox1.Lines += $_
            $progressbaroverlay1.PerformStep()
            [System.Windows.Forms.Application]::DoEvents()
    	}
    $richtextbox1.Lines += 'Complete!'
}

[mxtrinidad]

Hum! I posted my comment and didn't send it.

In his original code, he was only missing the "$progressbaroverlay1.Step = 1" line within the foreach loop, and that would have solve the issue of the bar not updating. Of course the *.refresh() method is not needed.

Of course, there are so many other ways to fix it.

[jvierra]

Hum! I posted my comment and didn't send it.

In his original code, he was only missing the "$progressbaroverlay1.Step = 1" line within the foreach loop, and that would have solve the issue of the bar not updating. Of course the *.refresh() method is not needed.

Of course, there are so many other ways to fix it.

No. It was in the zip he uploaded and the issue still existed. B setting the max ot count -1 or the min to 1 we avoid the ending shortage but the start is one behind until the event ends.

It is interesting that this doesn't happen in C#. It is an artifact of the form running on the same thread as the message loop. In C# the events and code run on one thread and the form and controls run on the main thread. When we use Application.Run(from) the Run sets up the way the event code is run and the message loop calls delegates that dispatch to the controls. This is not possible in PowerShell. We cannot use form.Show() or Application.Run() in a single threaded program. PowerShell can only display modal dialogs.

This limitation in PowerShell is why users should not consider using PS and forms as an application development tool. Many of the required behaviors in a compiled form cannot be accessed from a script and a packaged script is not a compiled application but is a PowerShell host executing an embedded script. It is still a single threaded PowerShell engine instance.

David's reference to JobTracker is one easy way to manage a ProgressBar. We can also use a runspace and synchash to directly update the progress in real time correctly.

[mat.nolen]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I"m going to read through the post and try a few of the options. Seems like you can build this out many different ways. I followed an older sapien document for the example.