Minimize form to system tray

Question

I want to hide my form while keeping my application running in background. I've used notifyIcon and it remains always visible.

I've used "this.Hide();" to hide my form but unfortunately my application gets close (no exception).

I am also using threading and this form is on second thread.

Please tell me how can I solve it.

In WinForms, al least, calling `Hide()` would not close the application, it would merely hide the window and keep its icon in the system tray. — alex, Sep 23 '11 at 11:29

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 23 '11 at 11:44

add the following event handlers for form resize and notify icon click event

 private void Form_Resize(object sender, EventArgs e)
 {
    if (WindowState == FormWindowState.Minimized)
    {
        this.Hide();
    }
 }
 private void notifyIcon_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
 {
    this.Show();
    this.WindowState = FormWindowState.Normal;
}

but this is not close you application

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 23 '11 at 12:37

I am also using threading and this form is on second thread.

My crystal ball says that you've used ShowDialog() to show the form. Yes, calling Hide() on a modal dialog will close it. Necessarily so, a modal dialog normally disables all of the windows in the application. If you hide it then there's no way for the user to get back to the program, there are no windows left to activate. That this form runs on another thread otherwise doesn't factor into the behavior.

You'll need to call Application.Run(new SomeForm()) to avoid this. Now it isn't modal and you can hide it without trouble. But really, do avoid showing forms on non-UI threads. There's no reason for it, your main thread is already quite capable.

Thanks alot dear. I've solved my problem. Your solution was very helpful. — Muhammad Ali Dildar, Sep 23 '11 at 16:48
Please close your question by marking the answer. Big check mark next to the post that helped you. — Hans Passant, Sep 23 '11 at 16:48

Minimize form to system tray

2 Answers2