Specifying Time to Display and Remove a Dialog Box

• Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) versions 3.1
• Microsoft Win32 Application Programming Interface (API) included with:

      - Microsoft Windows NT versions 3.5 and 3.51
      - Microsoft Windows 95 version 4.0
  

SUMMARY

It is possible to modify the timing of the display of a dialog box. For example, an application has its copyright message in a dialog box that does not have any push buttons. This dialog box is designed to be displayed for five seconds and then to disappear. This article discusses a method to implement this functionality.

MORE INFORMATION

Windows draws the dialog box on the screen during the processing of a WM_PAINT message. Because all other messages (except for WM_TIMER messages) are processed before WM_PAINT messages, there may be some delay before the dialog box is painted. This delay may be avoided by placing the following code in the processing of the WM_INITDIALOG message:

   ShowWindow(hDlg);
   UpdateWindow(hDlg);

To keep the dialog box on the screen for a particular period of time, a timer should be created during the processing of the WM_INITDIALOG message. When the WM_TIMER message is received, call EndDialog() to close the dialog box.