Real-time data acquisition of other forms even when they are not visible

Question

Hello everybody,

I have been working on a project, where I have plenty of sensors and actuators with real-time data acquisition and data manipulation. Likewise, we have various subsystems with multiple sensors and actuators. And all those subsystems communicate to each other and are a one-whole system that needs to be hosted on Windows Form with data-acquisition hardware.

The software requires to function wherein the user will be displayed the subsystem he/she chooses where the data acquisition can be viewed and can give various set points and monitor the data. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean that the subsystem which is not chosen to view on the screen stops acquiring the data, even in the background it needs to constantly acquire the data.

Please correct me if I am wrong, but as per my understanding and exposure to Windows Forms, when we use Form1.Show() means only Form1 keeps running, while other Forms are waiting and "not running" in the background. I need help in choosing a method of architecture to successfully run my software, without disturbing the continuous data acquisition.

Ps: Will implementing Tabs inside a form help me? Although it helps in switching between different Subsystems, I m worried the tabs will slow down the performance of the software.

Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

@David Lowndes .
Thank you for the response. You totally understood my issue. And, can you please suggest a separate service process with respect to my UI program ?