Listening Thread Problems

[slackey26]

I have an application that has a listening thread on it. It listens for any instructions sent to the application itself, and if it receives information, it does what it needs to. The problem is that sometimes I need to create a form inside the listening thread loop, but once the thread stops, the newly created form is inactive and just looks like it is hung up. If I abort the thread, the new form is destroyed with the thread.

What I want to do, is if information comes in on the listening thread (it is in a while loop) to create the form with the main thread so the new form is not dependent on the listening thread. But the listening thread needs to continue processing after the form is created.

Here is the basic code that I am using (it's not very pretty since I have been messing with it so much). I have been able to get it to work with using a timer and some boolean variables, but I figured there is an easier way.

[SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Private[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Sub[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] Chat()
thdListener = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]New[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] Thread([/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]AddressOf[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] Listen)
thdListener.Start()
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]End[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Sub
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Public[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Sub[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] Listen()
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Dim[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] objObject() [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]As[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Object
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Dim[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] i [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]As[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Integer
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Try
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]objListener = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]New[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] TcpListener(ipAddress, intPort)
objListener.Start()
bConnect = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]True
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]bClosed = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]False
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Catch[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] e [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]As[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] Exception
bClosed = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]True
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]bConnect = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]False
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]End[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Try
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Do[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]While[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] (bClosed <> [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]True[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2])
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Try
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff] 
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]objClient = objListener.AcceptTcpClient()
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff] 
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]strTemp = ""
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Dim[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] objReader [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]As[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]New[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] StreamReader(objClient.GetStream())
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Do[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]While[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] (objReader.Peek() <> -1)
strTemp += Convert.ToChar(objReader.Read()).ToString
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Loop
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Catch[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] x [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]As[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] SocketException
bClosed = [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]True
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff] 
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#008000]
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]End[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Try
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff] 
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]strTemp += vbCr
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff] 
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]If[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Not[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] check_for_open_window() [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Then
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]create_window() [COLOR=green]'open window inside listening thread[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=blue]End If[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff][COLOR=green]'add the necessary text to open window[/COLOR]
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2]openWindow(index).mlChat.AppendText(strTemp)
 
[COLOR=blue]Loop [/COLOR][COLOR=green]'end listening loop[/COLOR]
[/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]
[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]End[/COLOR][/SIZE][SIZE=2] [/SIZE][SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]Sub[/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][COLOR=#0000ff]

[/COLOR][/SIZE]