The thermometer is a form

   * Modeless 
   * Always On top
   * Automatically centered
   * Has no title bar
   * Has no border
   * Cannot be closed
   * Cannot be minimized, maximized, or resized.
   * Cannot be moved

The thermometer displays

   * a few shapes and lines to display the border of the 
     form and the border of the progress area.
   * 25 dark blue rectangular shapes (shpBar1 - shpBar25) to
     display progress.  The FillStyle is changed to 1 (solid)
     to "show" the progress bar, and 0 (transparent) to "hide"
     it.
   * 2 labels.  The first label (lblTitle) is intended to 
     describe the process.  The second label (lblTask) is 
     intended to display the current stage of the process.  
     
     For example, 
     lblTitle could display "Calculating election results",  and 
     lblTask could display "Calculating Florida results..."

     You can change the Caption of these labels by assiging a value
     to the Title and Task custom properties.  As an alternative, 
     you can develop a SetTitle() and SetTask()      custom methods
     to have the same functionality.

   * 1 Esacape label (lblEscape).  The label displays "Press the ESC
      key to cancel this process".  This label is only displayed if 
      the thermometer is created with the tlAllowCancel optional 
      parameter set to True.  
     
      For example, assume you want to display the thermometer from a
      Tabulate method of a form and you want to activate the form once
      the method is complete.

      If you don't want the user to cancel the process, call 
         * loThermo = CreateObject('dlgThermo', Thisform), or
         * loThermo = CreateObject('dlgThermo', Thisform)
      If you want the user to be able to cancel the process, call
         * loThermo = CreateObject('dlgThermo', Thisform, .T.)
     
Some visual elements are removed. resized, or repositioned if the user is
not allowed to cancel the process, i.e. if the thermometer was called 
without the optional tlAllowCancel set to True.


Custom Properties

	
Abort
   Logical.  Specifies if the user pressed Escape to cancel.
      
AllowCancel 
   Logical.  Specifies if the user is allowed to cancel the process.

CallingForm (Hidden)
   Object.  Stores a reference to the calling form.  The calling form
   is automatically activated in the Destroy event.
      
Interval
   Numeric.  Specifies the number of milliseconds to wait before 
   displaying a progress bar.  A waiting period of about 100 
   milliseconds makes large progressions (from 20 to 40%) look more
   natural.

Percent
   Numeric.  An integer between 0 and 100 representing the percentage
   completed.  This is the property that you will update the most often.

Task
   Character. Assign a value to this property at design time or runtime
   to change the caption of the lblTask label.

TimeToStop
   Numeric.  Specifies the number of milliseconds to wait when the 
   thermometer reaches a 100% state.

Title
   Character.  Assign a value to this property at design time or 
   runtime to change the caption of the lblTitle label.


Methods


Below is a short description of all methods that contain some code.

Destroy
   Automatically activate the form that created the thermometer.
     
GetBar
   Retrieves a reference to a small progress bar used to fill the 
   thermometer (shpBar1 - shpBar25).  GetBar is called by the 
   Percent_Assign method.

Init
   Accepts two parameters: (1) an optional reference to the form you 
   want to activate when the thermometer is destroyed, and (2) an 
   optional flag specifying if the user can press the ESCAPE key to
   cancel the process.  Some of the visual elements are removed, 
   resized, or repositioned if the user is not allowed to cancel the 
   process.

OnCancel
   Raises the Abort flag to indicate to the controlling process
   (usually a Scan .. EndScan loop) that the user wants to cancel the
   process.  The controlling process must verify the Abort property 
   and take appropriate action.

Percent_Assign
   Displays/hides the small the progress bar shapes to fill the 
  thermometer to the specified percentage completed. 

   Percent_Assign uses Inkey() for two reasons: (1) recognize Escape 
   keys in a timely manner, and (2) display a smoother progression when
   percentage jumps quickly.

Reset
   Resets the custom Title, Task, and Percent properties their default
   values.  Reset is called from Init.

How to use the thermometer


The best way to learn is to play with it.  Try the following:
loThermo =CreateObject('dlgThermo')
loThermo.Show()
loThermo.Title = 'Calculating election results'
loThermo.Task = 'Calculating Florida results...'
loThermo.Percent = 20
loThermo.Percent = 100
loThermo.Release()

In general, you will set the Title and Task property before you show the thermometer.