Re: progress display with multi-threads

Roedy Green wrote:


Given what you've described so far, I'd like a list where items are
inserted in order, when they are processed.

For example, Thunderbird shows emails when they show up. When it shows
them, it adds them to a list of all emails I have, in the sorted order I
have requested (usually by date).

Note that Thunderbird also displays a % complete and a "X/Y downloaded"
in the Frame's status area (the status bar at the bottom). This lets me
see status of downloading even if I don't have my inbox window open to
monitor the emails as they arrive.

I think Thunderbird also displays the % downloaded in the Frame title,
so I can see it even if the app is minimized. And of course there's an
option to notify me when it's done in the notification dialog area that
Windows uses.

So I count four different ways that the user is notified right there.

Summary: Don't hold off processing or display, just update the display
in the requested order. Generally, this sort order is separate from the
rest of the app and is selectable by the user, but if there's only one
sort order that makes sense for you particular application, then there's
no point in giving the user a choice. I'd code it so you can, just in
case they update their requirements.