DevExpress WinForms Loading Indicators

DevExpress.XtraSplashScreen.SplashScreenManager is the single static component that manages all loading indicator types in DevExpress WinForms. It provides four distinct indicator categories suited to different scenarios: a Splash Screen shown at app startup, a Wait Form that blocks the whole window during operations, an Overlay Form that blocks a specific panel or control (the WinForms equivalent of the WPF LoadingDecorator), and a ProgressPanel control for inline non-blocking feedback.

All types run in a separate thread (except ProgressPanel, which is a plain control) so they stay animated while your main thread performs work.

When to Use This Skill

• Choosing between the four indicator types for a given scenario.
• Showing a splash screen before the main form loads (ShowFluentSplashScreen / ShowForm).
• Showing a Wait Form during a long operation and updating its caption/description dynamically.
• Overlaying a specific control or form with a semi-transparent spinner (Overlay Form / Loading Decorator pattern).
• Dropping a ProgressPanel onto a form for inline progress feedback.
• Implementing try/finally patterns to guarantee overlays are always closed.
• Customizing the Overlay Form with a custom painter (OverlayWindowPainterBase).

Prerequisites & Installation

NuGet Package