CEstimateTimeStatic - a class for estimating remaining time

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Overview

This article presents a CStatic derived class for estimating and displaying remaining time. It also provides color functionality (a lot of thanks to Robert Brault for his  CColorStatic class). Using this class is quite similar to using CProgressCtrl - you set the process size and then ,as the process executes, you offset the current position and knowing the current position in the process and the amount of time spent it calculates the time left until the end of the process. The class does not estimate ramaining time every time you offset, estimating being done every 1 second. CEstimateTimeStatic works also with processes that could be interrupted (ex. user is asked for confirmation) and then resumed (the time interval between displaying the confirmation and resuming the process after user makes his choice doesn't count because this amount of time is not spent for ececuting the process).

Usage

1. Add EstimateTimeStatic.h and EstimateTimeStatic.cpp to your project.
   
   
2. Drop a Static/label control on the dialog .
   
   
3. Add a member variable for the particular static control. Give it the name (say m_sEstimateTimeLeft) and select a category of type Control. This would make the variable type CStatic automatically.
   
   
4. Open your class and add the line #include "EstimateTimeStatic.h" on top to include the declarations of the CEstimateTimeStatic class. Replace the class CStatic with CEstimateTimeStatic in header file.

        //{{AFX_DATA(CEstimateTimeSampleDlg)
       enum { IDD = IDD_ESTIMATETIMESAMPLE_DIALOG };
       CEstimateTimeStatic m_sEstimateTimeLeft;<P></P>     //}}AFX_DATA

    

5. Before you start executing the assigned process, initialize m_sEstimateTimeLeft :

   Let's say that you want to copy some files with the total size of 100MB

   • set the message to be displayed
   • set the size of the process

      m_sEstimateTimeLeft.SetMessageText("Estimated time left : "); 
      //message to be displayed
      m_sEstimateTimeLeft.SetProcessSize(100*1024); 
      //set process size in KB for better resolution

6. Call the function m_sEstimateTimeLeft.StartProcess () and start copying files :

   void CYourClass::CopySomeFiles(){
      ...
      ...
      m_sEstimateTimeLeft.StartProcess ();
      ...
      //start copying
      for (int nCount = 1;nCount <= nFilesNumber ; nCount++)<P></P>   {
       //copy  file  
        m_sEstimateTimeLeft.OffsetProcessPosition(file size(in kilobytes));
        if   (//we need to display some confirmation//)
        {
           m_sEstimateTimeLeft.PauseProcess();
           //display confirmation (the confirmation window is supposed to be modal, <BR>        //so the execution of the process stops)
           m_sEstimateTimeLeft.ResumeProcess();
         }
      
      }
   }<BR>

7. Don't forget to call m_sEstimateTimeLeft.StopProcess()
   

   void  CYourClass::CopySomeFiles()
      {
        ...
        ...
        m_sEstimateTimeLeft.StopProcess (); 
      }
   

Acknowledgements

• Robert Brault - For using code from his class CColorStatic.