devxlogo

Panel Controls Not Painting Correctly

Panel Controls Not Painting Correctly

Question:
I have a 3D Panel on a form that fills in incrementally when certain operations are run. I expect that the panel should be visible when the form appears on the screen. The 3D panel is the only object on this form.Problem:When I run the program and select an operation where the form is used, the form appears, but the area of the form where the panel is seems “transparent” (I see the backcolor of the form behind it).When I toggle a breakpoint, and step through the code, it works perfectly. The panel appears as it should.

Answer:
This sounds like an event queue problem. Controls are not refreshing because the system is busy doing other things. You might want to try putting a DoEvents in every so often in your work loop. Even though Windows is a 32 bit, multitasking system, it still tends to forget about screen refresh events sometimes. The DoEvents forces the queue to flush and get processed.

It’s typical that it works under debug mode, since under debug mode the event queue doesn’t work the same way. I’ve seen all sorts of things work normally under debug mode and then break out of debug mode.

devxblackblue

About Our Editorial Process

At DevX, we’re dedicated to tech entrepreneurship. Our team closely follows industry shifts, new products, AI breakthroughs, technology trends, and funding announcements. Articles undergo thorough editing to ensure accuracy and clarity, reflecting DevX’s style and supporting entrepreneurs in the tech sphere.

See our full editorial policy.

About Our Journalist