docs-desktop/dotnet-desktop-guide/framework/winforms/controls/walkthrough-updating-status-bar-information-at-run-time.md

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Walkthrough: Updating Status Bar Information at Run Time	03/30/2017	csharp vb cpp	status bars [Windows Forms], updating at run time status bars [Windows Forms], refreshing panels StatusBar control [Windows Forms], refreshing panels panels [Windows Forms], refreshing status bar	cc2abb06-c082-49f7-a5a3-2fd1bbcb58d1

Walkthrough: Updating Status Bar Information at Run Time

Important

The xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusStrip and xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripStatusLabel controls replace and add functionality to the xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar and xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBarPanel controls; however, the xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar and xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBarPanel controls are retained for both backward compatibility and future use, if you choose.

Often, a program will call for you to update the contents of status bar panels dynamically at run time, based on changes to application state or other user interaction. This is a common way to signal users that keys such as the CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK are enabled, or to provide the date or a clock as a convenient reference.

In the following example, you will use an instance of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBarPanel class to host a clock.

To get the status bar ready for updating

1. Create a new Windows form.

2. Add a xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar control to your form. For details, see How to: Add Controls to Windows Forms.

3. Add a status bar panel to your xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar control. For details, see How to: Add Panels to a StatusBar Control.

4. For the xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar control you added to your form, set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar.ShowPanels%2A property to true.

5. Add a Windows Forms xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer component to the form.

   Note

   The Windows Forms xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer?displayProperty=nameWithType component is designed for a Windows Forms environment. If you need a timer that is suitable for a server environment, see Introduction to Server-Based Timers.

6. Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer.Enabled%2A property to true.

7. Set the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer.Interval%2A property of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer to 30000.

   Note

   The xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer.Interval%2A property of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer component is set to 30 seconds (30,000 milliseconds) to ensure that an accurate time is reflected in the time displayed.

To implement the timer to update the status bar

1. Insert the following code into the event handler of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer component to update the panel of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar control.

   Private Sub Timer1_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick  
      StatusBar1.Panels(0).Text = Now.ToShortTimeString  
   End Sub  
   

   private void timer1_Tick(object sender, System.EventArgs e)  
   {  
      statusBar1.Panels[0].Text = DateTime.Now.ToShortTimeString();  
   }  
   

   private:  
     System::Void timer1_Tick(System::Object ^ sender,  
       System::EventArgs ^ e)  
     {  
       statusBar1->Panels[0]->Text =  
         DateTime::Now.ToShortTimeString();  
     }  
   

   At this point, you are ready to run the application and observe the clock running in the status bar panel.

To test the application

1. Debug the application and press F5 to run it. For details about debugging, see Debugging in Visual Studio.

   Note

   It will take approximately 30 seconds for the clock to appear in the status bar. This is to get the most accurate time possible. Conversely, to make the clock appear sooner, you can reduce the value of the xref:System.Windows.Forms.Timer.Interval%2A property you set in step 7 in the previous procedure.

See also

• xref:System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar
• xref:System.Windows.Forms.ToolStripStatusLabel
• How to: Add Panels to a StatusBar Control
• How to: Determine Which Panel in the Windows Forms StatusBar Control Was Clicked
• StatusBar Control Overview