How do you put a thread to sleep?

[BrianWren]

Public Sub Main()

    Do While True
        If TheresSomethingToDo Then
            Do_It()
        End If

        Thread.Sleep(For5Seconds)

    Loop

End Sub

The idea is to have an app stay loaded, but without putting anything on the screen. Regularly, it polls to see if there is a task to be done. If not, back out of tying up the processor, but don't unload. After some time, wake back up (which means now being active in the Windows Loop, etc—the things an active app does) see if there is something to do now.

There would be added a way to exit the loop, so as to end the application.

[gbianchi]

Brian are you asking something here or this is a statement?? since it look that you have the code already.. ;)

HTH

Gonzalo

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[BrianWren]

The question is in the title of the post “How do you put a thread to sleep [in VB6]”, and the code I posted is merely pseudo code.

VB6 doesn't actually have a Thread.Sleep() method.

Sorry I wasn't a little clearer. :=[

[dparsons]

Hi Brian,
    It's been a terribly long time since I have worked with VB6 but I *think* you can get a hook onto kernel32 and then sleep the thread from there.

-Doug

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[BrianWren]

The following worked great. I opened TaskMan, and went to the Processes tab so that I could watch how much CPU % the app used. It showed 00 for 5 seconds, then about 2 Secs of 95 to 99% CPU usage. After it did this 20 times, the app quit.

Option Explicit

Private Declare Sub Sleep _
                Lib "kernel32" (ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)

Public Sub Main()

    Dim s As Single
    Dim i As Integer

    For i = 1 To 20                 ' Repeat this stuff 20 ×
        Sleep 5000                  ' Sleep for 5 sec.s
        s = Timer
        Do Until Timer >= s + 2     ' Do stuff for 2 sec.s
            DoEvents
        Loop
    Next i

End Sub

[dparsons]

Glad it worked out for you Brian. =]

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Read this if you want to know how to get a correct reply for your question:
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[gbianchi]

Brian, do you remember that you can't have more than one thread running in VB6, don't you?

so if you sleep, you are sleeping all the system, even if you have timers, they will sleep too (well, they will still be running, but no one will proccess the events until the sleep is done)..

HTH

Gonzalo

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Read this if you want to know how to get a correct reply for your question:
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================================================== =========
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[BrianWren]

OK. Now I’m worried.

I want to have this program running on a server that is running an internet server. I want this .exe to start when the machine is started, to routinely check for the presence of a specific kind of file in a predetermined location, to process the file if found, and then to delete it. Since checking every 5 seconds seems just about perfect, I want the app to sleep in between.

So now you are telling me that if I sleep a vb app that was started this way I’ll sleep the machine? (This can’t be right.)

My use of Sleep was to [u]replace</u> my use of SetTimer. Perhaps what you meant was using Sleep and SetTimer in the same app is problematic because Sleep would cause that one apllication’s timer to be ignored or stopped...

Could you clarify?

[gbianchi]

NO NO.. my mistake, sorry, you will sleep your program (not all your system, sorry again), so your program will not receive any event till the sleep finish. SO SORRY AGAIN!!!. For example you can't proccess any event (like a timer ;), while you are sleep.)

HTH

Gonzalo

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Read this if you want to know how to get a correct reply for your question:
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================================================== =========
My programs achieved a new certification (can you say the same?):
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================================================== =========
I know that CVS was evil, and now i got the proof:
http://worsethanfailure.com/Articles...-Hate-You.aspx
================================================== =========

[dparsons]

Right. Your VB application will be single threaded so, what Gonzalo is saying, when you sleep the thread in your loop anything that may also be executing on that thread will also sleep. The timer example that Gonzalo poses fits the example nicely.

Don't worry, you are not going to put the entire server to sleep...well not without a lot of deliberate work on your end! =]

-Doug

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Read this if you want to know how to get a correct reply for your question:
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