This manual describes basic principles of Fast Splash Screen control from your application.
Files:
'Start.exe' - the program which is run by the user. This file ensures the opening of a splash screen, displaying of messages, it creates a temporary file 'waiting.tmp' and then it waits until it is deleted by .NET application. This file may be renamed according to one's needs but it is not recommended.
'SplashScreenBackgroundPicture.bmp' - the file contains the picture (bitmap) which makes the basis of the splash screen. Fast Splash Screen will aically adapt its size to this picture. It is possible to change the name of the file but it is necessary to change this name also in the file 'SplashScreenConfiguration.cfg'.
'SplashScreenConfiguration.cfg' - this is the configuration file which consists of three parameters as follows: the picture file name (first line); your .NET application name (second line); the message that will appear in the splash screen as the first one (third line). Each parameter must be written as a separate line => the file must contain three lines altoghether. The content of this file can be easily changed in plain text editors like 'Notepad' etc. It is not recommended to change the content of this file in programs like MS Word etc. The name of the file must not change.
'Demo.exe' - demonstrational program written in
C# .NET which is used for the demonstrational running of .NET application.
'waiting.tmp' - temporary file which is created after startup and must be deleted by .NET application after its initialization is finished.
'FastSplashScreen_Licence.txt' - Licence conditions.
The closing of a splash screen is very easy. You simply delete the file 'waiting.tmp' from the main directory of the application. In other words it is the directory where the splash screen is running from (where 'Start.exe' file is).
Example of the application in
C# .NET:
using System;
using
System.Collections.Generic;
using
System.ComponentModel;
using
System.Data;
using
System.Drawing;
using
System.Linq;
using
System.Text;
using
System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
namespace My.NET_App
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public
Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private
void Form1_Load(object
sender, EventArgs e)
{
//
application initialization
//
loading data from hdd
// data
processing
//
database or web connecting
// ...
// delete
file 'waiting.tmp' when initialization is finished
File.Delete("waiting.tmp");
}
}
}
Deleting of the file 'waiting.tmp' is recommended to be made only after the whole initialization of the application process is finished.
Fast Splash Screen has one very big advantage - it can show messages from your application continuously. This may be extremely useful especiaslly in those cases when your application is about to process large amount of data, or is about to connect to a distant server, and so on. It would be good to inform the user about these processes.
Sending of messages is also very easy. The message is simply written as one line (the first one) into the file 'waiting.tmp' and the Fast Splash Screen will scan this file and read the current message from there.
Example of sending messages to a Fast Splash Screen (in
C# .NET):
using System;
using
System.Collections.Generic;
using
System.ComponentModel;
using
System.Data;
using
System.Drawing;
using
System.Linq;
using
System.Text;
using
System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
namespace
Demo.NET_app
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public
Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private
void Form1_Load(object
sender, EventArgs e)
{
SaveMessage("Loading data . . .");
//
Loading some data
// LoadData();
// ...
SaveMessage("Converting data . . .");
//
Converting data
//
MakeSomethingWithData();
// ...
SaveMessage("Initializing UI interface . . .");
//
Initializing UI interface
//
InitUI();
// ...
// Delete
file 'waiting.tmp' when initialization is finished
File.Delete("waiting.tmp");
}
private
void SaveMessage(string
strMsgText)
{
// Create
new text writer and open file 'waiting.tmp'
TextWriter
tw = new StreamWriter("waiting.tmp");
// write
line with message into file
tw.WriteLine(strMsgText);
// close
text writer /
tw.Close();
}
}
}
