Close Delphi dialog after [x] seconds

Question

Is it possible to get Delphi to close a ShowMessage or MessageDlg Dialog after a certain length of time?

I want to show a message to the user when the application is shut down, but do not want to stop the application from shutting down for more than 10 seconds or so.

Can I get the default dialog to close after a defined time, or will I need to write my own form?

Answer 1

Best way is to use a stayontop form and manage a counter to disappear using the alfpha blend property of the form, at the end of the count just close the form, but the control will be passed to the active control needed before showing the form, this way, user will have a message which disappears automatically and wont prevent the usage of the next feature, very cool trick for me.

Answer 2

MessageBox calls this function internally and pass 0xFFFFFFFF as timeout parameter, so the probability of it being removed is minimal (thanks to Maurizio for that)

Answer 3

This works fine with windows 98 and newers...

I don't use the " MessageBoxTimeOut" because old windows 98, ME, doesn't have it...

this new function works like a "CHARM"..

//add this procedure

procedure DialogBoxAutoClose(const ACaption, APrompt: string; DuracaoEmSegundos: Integer);
var
  Form: TForm;
  Prompt: TLabel;
  DialogUnits: TPoint;
  ButtonTop, ButtonWidth, ButtonHeight: Integer;
  nX, Lines: Integer;

  function GetAveCharSize(Canvas: TCanvas): TPoint;
    var
      I: Integer;
      Buffer: array[0..51] of Char;
    begin
      for I := 0 to 25 do Buffer[I]          := Chr(I + Ord('A'));
      for I := 0 to 25 do Buffer[I + 26]    := Chr(I + Ord('a'));
      GetTextExtentPoint(Canvas.Handle, Buffer, 52, TSize(Result));
      Result.X := Result.X div 52;
    end;

begin
  Form       := TForm.Create(Application);
  Lines   := 0;

  For nX := 1 to Length(APrompt) do
     if APrompt[nX]=#13 then Inc(Lines);

  with Form do
    try
      Font.Name:='Arial';     //mcg
      Font.Size:=10;          //mcg
      Font.Style:=[fsBold];
      Canvas.Font    := Font;
      DialogUnits    := GetAveCharSize(Canvas);
      //BorderStyle    := bsDialog;
      BorderStyle    := bsToolWindow;
      FormStyle         := fsStayOnTop;
      BorderIcons      := [];
      Caption          := ACaption;
      ClientWidth    := MulDiv(Screen.Width div 4, DialogUnits.X, 4);
      ClientHeight    := MulDiv(23 + (Lines*10), DialogUnits.Y, 8);
      Position          := poScreenCenter;

      Prompt             := TLabel.Create(Form);
      with Prompt do
      begin
        Parent          := Form;
        AutoSize       := True;
        Left             := MulDiv(8, DialogUnits.X, 4);
        Top             := MulDiv(8, DialogUnits.Y, 8);
        Caption       := APrompt;
      end;

      Form.Width:=Prompt.Width+Prompt.Left+50;  //mcg fix

      Show;
      Application.ProcessMessages;
    finally
       Sleep(DuracaoEmSegundos*1000);
      Form.Free;
    end;
end;

////////////////////////////How Call It//////////////////

DialogBoxAutoClose('Alert'', "This message will be closed in 10 seconds',10);

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Answer 4

You can hook up the Screen.OnActiveFormChange event and use Screen.ActiveCustomForm if it is a interested form that you want to hook up the timer to close it

{code}
procedure abz.ActiveFormChange(Sender: TObject);
var
   Timer: TTimer;
begin
  if (Screen.ActiveCutomForm <> nil) and //valid form
     (Screen.ActiveCutomForm.Tag = 0) and //not attached a timer yet
     (Screen.ActiveCutomForm.ClassName = 'TMessageForm') //any interested form type check
    then 
  begin
    Timer := TTimer.Create(Screen.ActiveCutomForm); // let the form owned so it will be freed
    Timer.Enabled := False;
    Timer.Tag := Integer(Screen.ActiveCutomForm); // keep track to be used in timer event
    .... setup any timer interval + event
    Screen.ActiveCutomForm.Tag := Integer(Timer);
    Timer.Enabled := True; 
  end;
end;
{code}

enjoy

Answer 5

Your application is actually still working while a modal dialog or system message box or similar is active (or while a menu is open), it's just that a secondary message loop is running which processes all messages - all messages sent or posted to it, and it will synthesize (and process) WM_TIMER and WM_PAINT messages when necessary as well.

So there's no need to create a thread or jump through any other hoops, you simply need to schedule the code that closes the message box to be run after those 10 seconds have elapsed. A simple way to do that is to call SetTimer() without a target HWND, but a callback function:

procedure CloseMessageBox(AWnd: HWND; AMsg: UINT; AIDEvent: UINT_PTR;
  ATicks: DWORD); stdcall;
var
  Wnd: HWND;
begin
  KillTimer(AWnd, AIDEvent);
  // active window of the calling thread should be the message box
  Wnd := GetActiveWindow;
  if IsWindow(Wnd) then
    PostMessage(Wnd, WM_CLOSE, 0, 0);
end;

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  TimerId: UINT_PTR;
begin
  TimerId := SetTimer(0, 0, 10 * 1000, @CloseMessageBox);
  Application.MessageBox('Will auto-close after 10 seconds...', nil);
  // prevent timer callback if user already closed the message box
  KillTimer(0, TimerId);
end;

Error handling ommitted, but this should get you started.

Answer 6

You can do this with WTSSendMessage.

You can find this in the JWA libraries, or call it yourself.

Answer 7

You can try to do it with a standard Message dialog. Create the dialog with CreateMessageDialog procedure from Dialogs and after add the controls that you need.

In a form with a TButton define onClick with this:

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  tim:TTimer;
begin
  // create the message
  AMsgDialog := CreateMessageDialog('This is a test message.',mtWarning, [mbYes, mbNo]) ;
  lbl := TLabel.Create(AMsgDialog) ;
  tim := TTimer.Create(AMsgDialog);
  counter := 0;

  // Define and adding components
  with AMsgDialog do
   try
    Caption := 'Dialog Title' ;
    Height := 169;

    // Label
    lbl.Parent := AMsgDialog;
    lbl.Caption := 'Counting...';
    lbl.Top := 121;
    lbl.Left := 8;

    // Timer
    tim.Interval := 400;
    tim.OnTimer := myOnTimer;
    tim.Enabled := true;

    // result of Dialog
    if (ShowModal = ID_YES) then begin
      Button1.Caption := 'Press YES';
    end
    else begin
      Button1.Caption := 'Press NO';
    end;
   finally
    Free;
   end;
end;

An the OnTimer property like this:

procedure TForm1.MyOnTimer(Sender: TObject);
begin

  inc(counter);
  lbl.Caption := 'Counting: ' + IntToStr(counter);
  if (counter >= 5) then begin
    AMsgDialog.Close;
  end;
end;

Define the variables and procedure:

  TForm1 = class(TForm)
    Button1: TButton;
    procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
  private
    AMsgDialog: TForm;
    lbl:TLabel;
    counter:integer;
    procedure MyOnTimer(Sender: TObject);
  end;

And test it.
The form close automatically when the timer final the CountDown. Similar this you can add other type of components.

Regards.

Answer 8

Try this:

function MessageBoxTimeOut(hWnd: HWND; lpText: PChar; lpCaption: PChar;
  uType: UINT; wLanguageId: WORD; dwMilliseconds: DWORD): integer;
  stdcall; external user32 name 'MessageBoxTimeoutA';

I've been using this for quite some time; it works a treat.

Answer 9

No. ShowMessage and MessageDlg are both modal windows, which means that your application is basically suspended while they're displayed.

You can design your own replacement dialog that has a timer on it. In the FormShow event, enable the timer, and in the FormClose event disable it. In the OnTimer event, disable the timer and then close the form itself.

Answer 10

OK. You have 2 choices:

1 - You can create your own MessageDialog form. Then, you can use it and add a TTimer that will close the form when you want.

2 - You can keep using showmessage and create a thread that will use FindWindow (to find the messadialog window) and then close it.

I recommend you to use you own Form with a timer on it. Its cleaner and easier.

Answer 11

I thought about using a separate thread, but it's probably going to get you into a lot of unnecessary code etc. Windows dialogs were simply not made for this thing.

You should do your own form. On the good side, you can have custom code/UI with a countdown like timed dialog boxes do.