How can I separate expressions in Module without suppressing output?

Question

I want to show a progress indicator while statements in a Module are processed.

Outside a Module this ca be done like this:

messages = {};    
Column[{ Dynamic[zeilenZ]
,  Pane[            
     ProgressIndicator[               
      Dynamic[zeilenZ] 
     , {0, Dynamic[length]}
    ]
   ]   (* Pane *)
  , Dynamic[TextGrid[messages]]
  }
]                 (* a semicolon after the bracket would suppress the ProgressIndicator! *) 
zeilenZ = 0;      (* many computations following *)

However, if I put this sequence of statements into a Module expression, I get an error message Set::write: Tag Times in Null ... is Protected.. If I put a semicolon after the closing bracket of Column, the next line would no longer be understood as a multiplication of Column[....] and what follows it, in my case zeilenZ. But the ProgressIndicator would be suppressed too!

The same would happen, if I would plot something instead of Column.

Of course, I could assign the whole Column statement (or Plot statement) to a variable, but how could I show it on the screen?

The only way out I have conceived so far is to assign the result of the Column statement to a variable col (which initially is assigned the empty list {}) and display that with Dynamic[col] before using the module. It looks like col having to be a global variable for that purpose and my ProgressIndiator appears where the Dynamic[col] is output.

Are there better ways to achieve my objective?

Answer 1

Try this:

Monitor[Module[{s}, 
  s = NDSolve[{y'[t] == y[t] Cos[t + y[t]], y[0] == 1}, 
    y, {t, 0, 100000}, StepMonitor :> (time = t)]], 
 ProgressIndicator[time/100000]]

or this:

tEnd = 100000;
ProgressIndicator[Dynamic[currentTime], {0, tEnd}]

currentTime = 0;
Module[{s}, 
 s = NDSolve[{y'[t] == y[t] Cos[t + y[t]], y[0] == 1}, 
   y, {t, 0, tEnd}, EvaluationMonitor :> (currentTime = t;)]]

Have fun!