>>Hello,
>>
>>I am working on creating a program which will be used as a service.
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>>In a nutshell, the program will consist of one form with a timer on it. The timer will run 24/7 and call a procedure every # minutes. The procedure will connect to SQL Server and based on some table/rows values will send email(s).
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>>Mainly the form will have a textbox which will show the end user the timer interval. My goad is to run the form minimized so that it won't be seen on the server. And the user will be able to change the timer interval by changing the text box value.
>>
>>A question:
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>>Can a program used as a service have a Form? Would the use have to stop the service to bring up the form to make a change?
>>
>>TIA
>
>>Can a program used as a service have a Form? Would the use have to stop the service to bring up the form to make a change?
>Given the way I understand you're using the word "service", yes.
>"Service" is probably not the word you want here, since it has special meaning in the Windows world.
>I've done exactly what you're doing here with a VFP form containing a timer that when fired, calls a routine that sends some emails.
>Let's say you want the user to be able to change the timer interval or the email address from the UI without stopping the form - yes you can.
>That said, the idea of running that form 24/7 and using up those cycles bothered me and I went to the Windows Scheduler approach instead of using a timer.
>That also said, the Windows service is a pretty slick tool and I use that now for this type of application.

Thank you for your message.