Visual Basic 2008 Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach

10.7. Use Double Buffering to Increase Redraw Speed

Problem

You need to optimize drawing for a form or an authored control that is frequently refreshed, and you want to reduce flicker.

Solution

Set the DoubleBuffered property of the form to True.

How It Works

In some applications, you need to repaint a form or control frequently. This is commonly the case when creating animations. For example, you might use a timer to invalidate your form every second. Your painting code could then redraw an image at a new location, creating the illusion of motion. The problem with this approach is that every time you invalidate the form, Windows repaints the window background (clearing the form) and then runs your painting code, which draws the graphic element ...