Looking for the fastest way to build a Combobox list

[MouseSpotter]

I am adding a large list of data to a combobox dropdown (mainly because I want the list be visible beyond the thin GUI height).

The list is then filtered, based on what the user enters in the edit box (a reducing list).

Rebuilding the dropdown list is causes the list to 'flicker' because it is cleared then re-shown.

_GUICtrlComboBox_BeginUpdate has reduced the flicker a bit - however, I am looking for a way to reduce this further.

Any ideas?

I have looked into the _GUICtrlComboBox & _GUICtrlComboBoxEx options and these are slower  than the GUICtrlSetData options:

expandcollapse popup

#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include <GuiComboBox.au3>
#include <GuiComboBoxEx.au3>

Local $hGui = GUICreate("")

local $t
local $text = ""
local $y = 0

$t=TimerInit()
local $hCombo_Add = _GUICtrlComboBox_Create($hGui,"",0,$y)
$y += 40
for $i=1 to 4500
    _GUICtrlComboBox_AddString($hCombo_Add,$i)
next
ConsoleWrite("_GUICtrlComboBox_AddString:" & TimerDiff($t)&@crlf)

$t=TimerInit()
$text = ""
for $i=1 to 4500
    $text &= $i & "|"
next
local $hCombo_Create = _GUICtrlComboBox_Create($hGui,$text,0,$y)
$y += 40
ConsoleWrite("_GUICtrlComboBox_Create:" & TimerDiff($t)&@crlf)

$t=TimerInit()
local $hComboEx_Add = _GUICtrlComboBoxEx_Create($hGui,"",0,$y)
$y += 40
for $i=1 to 4500
    _GUICtrlComboBoxEx_AddString($hComboEx_Add,$i)
next
ConsoleWrite("_GUICtrlComboBoxEx_AddString:" & TimerDiff($t)&@crlf)

$t=TimerInit()
$text = ""
for $i=1 to 4500
    $text &= $i & "|"
next
local $hComboEx_Create = _GUICtrlComboBoxEx_Create($hGui,$text,0,$y)
$y += 40
ConsoleWrite("_GUICtrlComboBoxEx_Create:" & TimerDiff($t)&@crlf)

$t=TimerInit()
$text = ""
for $i=1 to 4500
    $text &= $i & "|"
next
GUICtrlCreateCombo("",0,$y)
$y += 40
GUICtrlSetData(-1,$text)
ConsoleWrite("GUICtrlSetData:"&TimerDiff($t)&@crlf)

GUISetState()

 While 1
      If GUIGetMsg() = $GUI_EVENT_CLOSE Then ExitLoop
WEnd
GUIDelete()

[water]

Have a look at GUICtrlSetData to update the ComboBox with a single call.

_GUI* (UDF) functions are slower than GUI* functions because the UDF functions are implemented in pure AutoIt whereas the GUI* functions are written in C++.