Best "Loading" feedback for ASP.Net?

Question

So, we have an ASP.Net application - fairly standard - and in there are lots of updatepanels, and postbacks.

On some pages we have

<ajax:UpdatePanelAnimationExtender ID="ae" runat="server" TargetControlID="updatePanel" BehaviorID="UpdateAnimation">
    <Animations>
        <OnUpdating>
            <FadeOut Duration="0.1" minimumOpacity=".3"  />
        </OnUpdating>
        <OnUpdated>
            <FadeIn minimumOpacity=".5" Duration="0" />
        </OnUpdated>
    </Animations>
</ajax:UpdatePanelAnimationExtender>

Which basically whites out the page when a postback is going on (but this clashes with modal dialog grey backgrounds). In some cases we have a progressupdate control which just has a spinny icon in the middle of the page.

But none of them seem particularly nice and all a bit clunky. They also require a lot of code in various places around the app.

What methods do other people use and find effective?

Answer 1

Animated gifs require the least amount of code and you can select your favourite one with whatever colours you please from the following site - Ajaxload - Ajax loading gif generator.

Answer 2

Hi,

i havent used the UpdatePanelAnimationExtender but an UpdateProgress-Control in combination with an animated gif(Bermos Link):

<asp:UpdateProgress ID="UpdateProgress1" DynamicLayout="true" runat="server" AssociatedUpdatePanelID="UdpImeiLookup" DisplayAfter="500" >
            <ProgressTemplate>
            <div class="progress">
                <img src="images/ajax-loader-arrows.gif" />&nbsp;please wait...
            </div>
            </ProgressTemplate>
</asp:UpdateProgress>

The ProgressTemplate will be visible on every Postback of the associated Update Panel(after 500ms in this example).

EDIT: where class "progress" can be f.e. this:

.progress
{
  text-align:center;
  vertical-align:middle;
  position: absolute;
  left: 44%;
  top: 35%;
  border-style:outset;
  border-color:silver;
  background-color:Silver;
  white-space:nowrap;
  padding:5px;
}

Regards, Tim

Answer 3

This is what I use, it has a modal popup type background and a gif

 <asp:UpdateProgress ID="UpdateProgress1" runat="server" DisplayAfter="0">
<ProgressTemplate>
  <div style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; z-index: 100; background-color: Gray;
    filter: alpha(opacity=70); opacity: 0.7;">
    &nbsp;
  </div>
  <table style="position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; z-index: 101;">
    <tr>
      <td align="center" valign="middle">
        <div style="color: Black; font-weight: bolder; background-color: White; padding: 15px;
          width: 200px;">
          <asp:Image ID="Image3" runat="server" ImageUrl="~/Images/progress.gif" />
          Please wait....
        </div>
      </td>
    </tr>
  </table>
</ProgressTemplate>

Answer 4

Like the others, I suggest to use the UpdateProgress in a modal popup.

I will add this twist, put the popup, UpdateProgress and this code in a masterpage, so whenever you need it, just plug the masterpage to the content page.

 <script type="text/javascript">
 var ModalProgress ='<%= ModalProgress.ClientID %>';
  Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManager.getInstance().add_beginRequest(beginReq); 
  Sys.WebForms.PageRequestManager.getInstance().add_endRequest(endReq);    
  function beginReq(sender, args){     
  // shows the Popup     
  $find(ModalProgress).show();        
  }  
  function endReq(sender, args) 
  {     
  //  hide the Popup     
  $find(ModalProgress).hide(); 
  }

</script>

here some ref:

http://mattberseth.com/blog/2007/07/modalpopup_as_an_ajax_progress.html

http://vincexu.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-make-modalupdate-progress-bar-on.html