vbAccelerator Tips - Prevent a window from repainting

	Prevent a window from repainting
	Author:	Steve McMahon(steve@vbaccelerator.com)
	Keywords:	API,GDI,Graphics,Windows Controls
	Updated:	01/08/98

Other Tips All Tips By Date By Subject API (33) Bit Manipulation (3) Clipboard (3) Combo Box (5) Desktop (3) GDI (13) Graphics (13) Internet (2) Interprocess Comms (3) Keyboard (2) Mouse (1) Shell (1) Sprites (1) Subclassing (3) Text Box (2) Windows (11) Windows Controls (10) Submit	This tip show show to prevent an area of a window from repainting. When you have a lot of items to add to a control, such as a ListBox or ListView, this can considerably speed up the process. On my system, it speeds up adding 10,000 items to a List Box by over 30%. Create a new project, and add a ListBox, a Command Button and a CheckBox to the form. Change the caption of the CheckBox to '&Lock Update' and change the caption of the Command Button to '&Load...'. Then paste the following code into the form: Private Declare Function LockWindowUpdate Lib "user32" (ByVal hwndLock As Long) As Long Private Declare Function timeGetTime Lib "winmm.dll" () As Long Private Sub Command1_Click() Dim i As Long Dim lTIme As Long &nbsp &nbsp lTIme = timeGetTime() &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp If (Check1.Value = Checked) Then &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp LockWindowUpdate List1.hWnd &nbsp &nbsp End If &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp List1.Clear &nbsp &nbsp For i = 1 To 10000 &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp List1.AddItem "Test " & i &nbsp &nbsp Next i &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp If (Check1.Value = Checked) Then &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp LockWindowUpdate 0 &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp List1.Refresh &nbsp &nbsp End If &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp MsgBox "Time: " & timeGetTime - lTIme &nbsp &nbsp End Sub When you click on the command button, the code will add 10,000 items to the List Box. If the Lock Update check box is checked, windows will prevent any redrawing of the List Box whilst the items are added.

&nbsp	Related Tips and Articles:	Force an area of a Window to Repaint	&nbsp


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