Understanding the Uniface 10.4 Sleep Statement 💤

🤖 This blog post was created with AI assistance to help explain Uniface concepts clearly and provide practical examples.

The sleep statement in Uniface 10.4 is a powerful ProcScript command that pauses your application's execution for a specified time period. Let's dive into how it works and when you should use it! 🚀

What is the Sleep Statement? 🕐

The sleep statement puts your current Uniface process into "sleep mode" for a specific amount of time [web:1]. Think of it like telling your application to take a coffee break ☕ - everything stops for the duration you specify.

ProcScript is Uniface's scripting language used to add business logic and behavior to applications [web:2]. It's similar to other programming languages but specifically designed for Uniface development.

Basic Syntax 📝

The syntax is beautifully simple:

sleep Ticks

Where Ticks represents time in hundredths of a second [web:1]. For example:

sleep 500  ; Pauses for 5 seconds (500/100 = 5)

Key Parameters 🔧

Parameter	Data Type	Description
Ticks	Number	Time period in hundredths of a second - must be positive integer

Practical Examples 💡

Short Pause Example

; Pause for 1 second
sleep 100

Longer Pause Example

; Pause for 10 seconds
sleep 1000

In a Loop Context

; Multiple short pauses to allow screen repainting
for $i = 1 to 10
    ; Do some processing
    process_data()
    ; Short pause to keep UI responsive
    sleep 50  ; 0.5 seconds
endfor

Important Considerations ⚠️

Operating System Dependencies

The actual blocking time depends on your underlying operating system [web:1]. The sleep statement guarantees at least the requested time, but it might be longer depending on system capabilities.

Blocking time means your application completely stops responding during the sleep period - no user interactions, no background processing.

Windows-Specific Behavior

On Microsoft Windows, the screen doesn't repaint during sleep, which can cause parts of your application to appear blank [web:1]. For longer pauses, consider using multiple shorter sleep commands or implementing them in loops.

Time Resolution Limitations

Not all operating systems support precise time resolution in hundredths of a second. Your mileage may vary depending on the platform! 🖥️

Best Practices 🎯

Use Multiple Short Sleeps for Long Pauses

; Instead of: sleep 3000  (30 seconds)
; Use this approach:
for $counter = 1 to 60
    sleep 50    ; 0.5 seconds each
    ; Allows screen repainting between iterations
endfor

Consider User Experience

Long sleep periods can make your application feel unresponsive. Always consider whether there are better alternatives like background processing or asynchronous operations.

When to Use Sleep 🤔

• API Rate Limiting: Pause between API calls to avoid hitting rate limits
• Batch Processing: Small delays during large data processing operations
• Testing: Simulate delays for testing user interface behavior
• Hardware Integration: Wait for external devices to respond

Alternatives to Consider 🔄

Before using sleep, consider if these alternatives might be better:

• Asynchronous processing using Uniface's multi-threading capabilities
• Event-driven programming instead of time-based delays
• Background services for long-running operations

Component Compatibility ✅

The sleep statement is allowed in all Uniface component types [web:1], making it universally available across:

• Forms (user interface components)
• Services (business logic components)
• Reports (output components)
• Server Pages (web components)

Conclusion 🎉

The Uniface 10.4 sleep statement is a straightforward but powerful tool for controlling application timing. While simple to use, understanding its operating system dependencies and potential impact on user experience is crucial for effective implementation.

Remember: with great power comes great responsibility - use sleep wisely and always consider the user experience! 😊