Windows wait cursor
 | |
| Other names |
|
|---|---|
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | Cursor |
TheWindows wait cursor,informally theBlue circle of death(known as thehourglass cursoruntilWindows Vista) is athrobberthat indicates that an application is busy performing an operation. It can be accompanied by an arrow if the operation is being performed in the background.
The wait cursor can display on programs using theWindows API.
History[edit]
FromWindows 1.0toWindows XP,it was represented by an hourglass.Windows Vistaintroduced a new, animated wait cursor. The wait cursor inWindows 7was almost identical.[1]It is possible, however, to change the appearance of the cursor into the original hourglass cursor.Windows 8introduced a new flat wait cursor. The new cursor is light blue on dark blue and removes the fade and the particles from the animated part.
Usage[edit]
There are two uses for the wait cursor: short term and long term. The wait cursor is a shared resource in the system across applications and windows. By default, when the mouse cursor is in a window, the cursor shown is controlled by the window's registered window class and handling ofWM_SETCURSOR.Different scenarios can be used instead.[2]
InMicrosoft Foundation Class Library(MFC) the wait cursor can be controlled byCWaitCursor.If a local instance is created, the wait cursor is reset when the instance goes out of scope. It is used primarily for short term wait cursors.[2]
InWindows Forms,each Control instance has a Cursor property, which can be controlled by the application itself.Control.Cursoris the cursor shown when the mouse is in the control's region;System.Windows.Forms.Cursor.Currentis the cursor shown when the mouse enters any window of the application.[2]
For long term wait cursors, theUseWaitCursorproperty can be set (either Control level or application level) on one occasion and reset at another time.[2]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Zheng, Long (15 August 2009)."Windows 7" busy "cursor misses a beat".istartedsomething.com.
- ^abcd"Wait cursor in Windows and C#".Binglong's space.Retrieved26 August2015.