Wait Form

Sep 03, 2025
3 minutes to read

The Splash Screen Manager allows you to create a Wait Form (WaitForm) - a skin-aware form designed to indicate time-consuming operations.

The main features include:

Show an animated continuous progress indicator.
Display and close the Wait Form in code.
Design-time customization.
Interact with the Wait Forms via commands.
Default appearance settings are skin-dependent.

Create and Customize Wait Form

Drop the SplashScreenManager component onto the form. Right click the component in the Visual Studio tray and select Add Wait Form.

The SplashScreenManager adds a new WaitForm to your project.

Double-click the WaitForm1.cs (WaitForm1.vb) file in Solution Explorer to view and customize the Wait Form at design time.

Use the Property Grid to change the display settings of the built-in ProgressPanel. This panel shows the animated progress indicator and labels.

Show and Hide Wait Form

The Wait Form does not automatically display at the main form’s startup. You can use one of the following methods to display and close a Wait Form, depending on whether the form is active (assigned to the SplashScreenManager.ActiveSplashFormTypeInfo property).

The target Wait Form is active.
The target Wait Form is not active.

Update Wait Forms Dynamically

Like other splash screens, wait forms are shown in a separate thread.

Use the following methods to dynamically update the caption and description of the displayed Wait Form from the main thread:

You can also use the SplashScreenManager.SendCommand method to interact with the current Wait Form (for instance, update its contents). To process commands sent by this method, override the WaitForm.ProcessCommand method.

Usage Notes

Show multiple Wait Forms

If your application shows only one Wait Form at a time, you can use a single SplashScreenManager component.

To display multiple Wait Forms simultaneously, use multiple SplashScreenManager components.

MDI applications

In MDI applications, do not show Wait Forms from events or methods called by the Control.CreateHandle method - HandleCreated, Load, MdiChildActivate, OnHandleCreated overloads, etc. Otherwise, your application can freeze.

Instead, use one of the following techniques:

Invoke a Wait Form from a Form.Shown event handler.
Show a Wait Form using the Control.BeginInvoke method.