Cursor.Current vs. this.Cursor: When Should I Use Which for Cursor Control in .NET?

Cursor.Current vs. this.Cursor: Unveiling the Difference in Cursor Control

In .Net, the Cursor.Current and this.Cursor properties offer different mechanisms for managing the appearance of the cursor over a Windows form. Let's delve into the intricacies of each property to understand their distinctions.

Cursor.Current:

The Cursor.Current property provides direct control over the cursor's shape. It overrides the behavior of individual controls (such as a TextBox) that typically modify the cursor shape based on their functionality. This direct manipulation effectively changes the cursor shape, bypassing the WM_SETCURSOR message. However, this change may be short-lived, as the cursor can revert to the shape determined by the Control.Cursor property when the mouse moves.

this.Cursor:

This.Cursor, on the other hand, represents the cursor property for the specific Windows form. It allows you to specify the cursor shape for that particular form. When set, the cursor will change within the boundaries of that form while respecting the cursor settings of individual controls. This setting is more localized and adheres to the expected behavior of controls within the form.

Impact of WM_SETCURSOR Message:

Controls like TextBox rely on the WM_SETCURSOR message to update the cursor shape based on the mouse location. The UseWaitCursor property was introduced in .NET 2.0 to simplify the display of an hourglass cursor. However, it often malfunctions due to its dependency on WM_SETCURSOR and the absence of such a message during lengthy background operations.

HourGlass Class for Effective Waiting Cursor Display:

To overcome this limitation, you can utilize the HourGlass class provided in the answer. This class offers a reliable solution to display a waiting cursor while performing long tasks. It sets the Application.UseWaitCursor flag and sends the necessary WM_SETCURSOR message to force the immediate display of the hourglass cursor, ensuring clear visual feedback during wait operations.

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