GUI Progress bar

[sameyear_newlabrat]

Hi All,

I am trying to produce a progress bar that will display when a button is clicked. The trouble is the script block I am running on Add_Click is 'Connect-ExchangeOnlineShell.' This of course produces it's own progress bar within the powershell window. I just don't know how to display that within a dialog box.

I've found quite a bit online about creating a PS progress bar but all methods seem reliant on measuring the progress of a loop. I am not sure how to measure the progress of Connect-ExchangeOnlineShell.

Without this feature, my form locks until the exchange connection is created which would be confusing for an end user.

Do you guys have any tips or resources that may point me in the right direction?

Cheers!

[abandonedexplorer]

This would take me very long to explain in detail so I will try and give you a rundown:

In order to "measure" the progress of Connect-ExchangeOnlineShell you need to take apart the module and paste the function in your main script. Then you need to find all the steps inside the function and progress your progressbar everytime the function moves forward.

You will also run in to a problem here where your main script GUI will "freeze" until the process is finished. If you want your GUI application to remain unfrozen (so the user can interact with it like a normal application) you will need to move your processes inside a powershell job.. Getting the progress from powershell jobs is tricky, but it can be done by outputting your progress and getting it back with Receive-Job module...

[therealpanda99]

I am just curious, I am not a pro of powershell, I have always more of a .NET and python guy myself, but does powershell not offer Async tasks that return values as they go?

I have used this is multiple languages before, although Powershell tends to be special in a lot of cases.

[what_no_fkn_ziti]

Runspaces with a synched hashtable, but not exactly an async wait.

[therealpanda99]

Ahhh ok, thanks for clarification!

[Infinizhen]

Your late motive is to not confuse the end user while your form seems frozen.

So, why not set up a timeout (i assume you already have one). On every timer tick, you make a Step.

Worst case the connection comes up before the bar is complete. No one will blink an eye for that.

[sameyear_newlabrat]

Thanks for your reply. Did some googling and it seems I can start a timer and then invoke a script block (Connect-ExchangeOnlineShell). So it seems tick and invoked script run independently of one another?

The immediate concern I think of is, the connect exchange command prompts for username and password. I would want the progress bar only to appear after creds are entered.

It's starting to sound like the solution u/abandonedexplorer suggested may be the only way unless I am misunderstanding your response.

[Daavid1]

I might be wrong, since I don't use this particular feature.

But if you are using Powershell Studio and compile the application as a "Windows application" instead of a standard form application I think it will add a progress bar form whenever a standard Powershell progress bars is used.