>>>>>>I need something visual that has almost no overhead that I can use to show a user that processing is still going on. I want it to look nice, but be very simple. I thought about just popping up a little modal window. Or maybe taking over their mouse cursor, but Foxpro doesn't always do well with that one. Any ideas?
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>>>>>What about nice progress bar by Carlos Alloatti? I don't think it's much overhead since it's Windows API based.
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>>>>Before I check it out, is it SQL dependent? Do I need to put a bunch of call in my existing code for it to know how much has processed? I don't need something necessarily that shows progress, just let's them know things are still going on.
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>>>You can still do that with a progress bar. Set the max progress to 1, start at 0. Put up the progress bar at 0 so the user knows something is happening, and just kick to 1 (or just remove it) when you are done.
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>>Oh, I don't like that if it's what it sounds like. The progress bar initially displays showing zero progress (correct), then does nothing until the operation is complete? As a user my reaction would be that the operation has either crashed or is going to take forever.
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>If you are waiting on a SQL query, you won't be doing anything between the time it starts and the time it ends unless you use async processing (and fight that battle!!). I use a standard progress indicator throughout my programs - if something is running, the users see it.
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>If it makes users feel better, you could show some portion done (like 50%) to start with...

I don't like that, either ;-) I won't be argumentative because there are many different interface approaches and the ones I like aren't necessarily right. To me personally, the only appropriate use of a progress bar is when it shows meaningful progress through a lengthy operation. If the operation does not lend itself to that type of display, I would go with something more binary. For instance, a large, colorful, blinking text message saying "This may take a while .... please wait ...." Then when it's done, a similarly formatted text message in green saying it's done, along with a clear visual cue on how to dismiss the message and proceed. That's the way I would do it, anyway.