Windows wait cursor
| A component of Microsoft Windows | |
|---|---|
| 300px
The wait cursor in Windows 7.
|
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| Details | |
| Other names | Busy cursor Hourglass cursor |
| Type | Cursor |
| Support status | |
| Windows 1.0—present | |
The Windows wait cursor (known as the hourglass cursor until Windows Vista) is a cursor that indicates that an application is busy performing an operation. It can be accompanied by an arrow if the operation is being performed in the background.
The wait cursor can display on programs using the Windows API.
History
From the first version of Windows to Windows XP, it was represented by an hourglass, which was inspired by the waiting cursor in Apple Lisa.[1] Many people experienced rapid blinking of the hourglass cursor while using Google Chrome on Windows XP.[2]
The Windows Vista "Aero" interface introduced a new, animated wait cursor. The wait cursor in Windows 7 was almost identical.[3]
On October 31, 2013, Appleinsider published an article saying that the Mac's rainbow cursor was more recognized than Windows Vista's wait cursor due to the cultural impact that occurred after it appeared on a popular magazine.[4]
In Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8, it is possible to change the appearance of the cursor into the original hourglass cursor by switching into "Windows Classic" theme.
Usage
There are two uses for the wait cursor: short term and long term. The wait cursor is a shared resource in the system across applications and windows. By default, when the mouse cursor is in a window, the cursor shown is controlled by the window’s registered window class and handling of WM_SETCURSOR. Different scenarios can be used instead.[5]
In Microsoft Foundation Class Library (MFC) the wait cursor can be controlled by CWaitCursor. If a local instance is created, the wait cursor is reset when the instance goes out of scope. It is used primarily for short term wait cursors.[5]
In Windows Forms, each Control instance has a Cursor property, which can be controlled by the application itself. Control.Cursor is the cursor shown when the mouse is in the control’s region; System.Windows.Forms.Cursor.Current is the cursor shown when the mouse enters any window of the application.[5]
For long term wait cursors, the UseWaitCursor property can be set (either Control level or application level) in one occasion and be reset in the other.[5]
References
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