HttpClient Extension with Eventhandler - c#

I'm trying to extend the HttpClient with an EventHandler.
Is this possible?
I have an Extension on HttpClient as follows:
public static class HttpClientExtensions
{
public async static Task<T> GetSomthingSpecialAsync<T>(this HttpClient client, string url)
{
using var response = await client.GetAsync(url);
if (response.StatusCode != System.Net.HttpStatusCode.OK)
{
//I have an error and want to raise the HttpClientEventError
HttpClientErrorEvent(null, new HttpClientErrorEventArgs()
{
StatusCode = response.StatusCode,
Message = $"{response.StatusCode } {(int)response.StatusCode } "
});
return default(T);
}
response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
[... ]
}
}
public class HttpClientErrorEventArgs : EventArgs
{
public System.Net.HttpStatusCode StatusCode { get; set; }
public string Message { get; set; }
}
But how do I define the HttpClientErrorEvent?
I tried the following but it is not an extension to a specific HttpClient:
public static event EventHandler<HttpClientErrorEventArgs> HttpClientErrorEvent = delegate { };

Don't use an event to return errors. For starters, how are you going to identify which request raised which error? You'd have to register and unregister event handlers around each call but how would you handle concurrent calls? How would you compose multiple such calls?
Errors aren't events anyway. At best, you'd have to handle the event as if it was a callback - in which case why not use an actual callback?
public async static Task<T> GetSomethingSpecialAsync<T>(this HttpClient client, string url,Action<(HttpStatusCode Status,string Message)> onError)
{
...
if (response.StatusCode != System.Net.HttpStatusCode.OK)
{
onError(response.Status,....);
return default;
}
}
...
var value=await client.GetSomethingSpesialAsync(url,
(status,msg)=>{Console.WriteLine($"Calling {url} Failed with {status}:{msg}");}
);
async/await was created so people can get rid of callbacks and events though. It's almost impossible to compose multiple async calls with events, and hard enough to do so with callbacks. That's why a lot of languages (C#, JavaScript, Dart, even C++ in a way ) introduced promises and async/await to get rid of both the success and error callback.
Instead of calling a callback you can actually return either a result or an error from your function. This is a functional way embedded in eg F#, Rust and Go (through tuples). There are a lot of ways to do this in C#:
Return a tuple with the value and error, eg (T? value, string? error)
Create a record with the value and error
Create separate Success and Error classes that share a common IResult<T> interface
Pattern matching can be used with any option to retrieve either the error or value without a ton of if statements.
Let's say we have a specific error type, HttpError.:
record HttpError(HttpStatusCode Status,string Message);
Using tuples, the method becomes:
public async static Task<(T value,HttpError error> GetSomethingSpecialAsync<T>(this HttpClient client,string url)
{
...
if (response.StatusCode != System.Net.HttpStatusCode.OK)
{
return (default,new HttpError(response.Status,....);
}
}
And called :
var (value,error)=await client.GetSomethingSpecialAsync(url);
if(error!=null)
{
var (status,msg)=error;
Console.WriteLine($"Calling {url} Failed with {status}:{msg}");
...
}
Instead of a tuple, we can create a Result record:
record Result<T>(T? Value,HttpError? Error);
Or separate classes:
interface IResult<T>
{
bool IsSuccess{get;}
}
record Success<T>(T Value):IResult<T>
{
public bool IsSuccess=>true;
}
record Error<T>(HttpError Error):IResult<T>
{
public bool IsSuccess => false;
}
public async static Task<IResult<T>> GetSomethingSpecialAsync<T>(this HttpClient client,string url){...}
var result=await client.GetSomethingSpecialAsync(url);
In all cases pattern matching can be used to simplify handling the result, eg:
var result=await client.GetSomethingSpecialAsync<T>(url);
switch (result)
{
case Error<T> (status,message):
Console.WriteLine($"Calling {url} Failed with {Status}:{Message}");
break;
case Success<T> (value):
...
break;
}
Having a specific Result<T> or IResult<T> type makes it easy to write generic methods to handle success, errors or compose a chain of functions. For example, the following could be used to call the "next" function if the previous one succeeded, otherwise just propagate the "error" :
IResult<T> ThenIfOk(this IResult<T> previous,Func<T,IResult<T>> func)
{
return previous switch
{
Error<T> error=>error,
Success<T> ok=>func(ok.Value)
}
}
This would allow creating a pipeline of calls :
var finalResult=doSomething(url)
.ThenIfOk(value=>somethingElse(value))
.ThenIfOk(....);
This style is called Railway oriented programming and is very common in functional and dataflow (pipeline) programming

You could store the handlers in your extension class and do something like this ? Please note this code is not thread safe and need to be synchronized around dictionary and list access !
public static class HttpClientExtensions
{
private static Dictionary<HttpClient, List<Action<HttpClientErrorEventArgs>>> Handlers { get; set; }
static HttpClientExtensions()
{
Handlers = new Dictionary<HttpClient, List<Action<HttpClientErrorEventArgs>>>();
}
public async static Task<T> GetSomthingSpecialAsync<T>(this HttpClient client, string url)
{
////code ....
//I have an error and want to raise the HttpClientEventError
HttpClientErrorEventArgs args = null;
client.RaiseEvent(args);
return default(T);
////code
}
public static void AddHandler(this HttpClient client, Action<HttpClientErrorEventArgs> handler)
{
var found = Handlers.TryGetValue(client, out var handlers);
if (!found)
{
handlers = new List<Action<HttpClientErrorEventArgs>>();
Handlers[client] = handlers;
}
handlers.Add(handler);
}
public static void RemoveHandler(this HttpClient client, Action<HttpClientErrorEventArgs> handler)
{
var found = Handlers.TryGetValue(client, out var handlers);
if (found)
{
handlers.Remove(handler);
if (handlers.Count == 0)
{
Handlers.Remove(client);
}
}
}
private static void RaiseEvent(this HttpClient client, HttpClientErrorEventArgs args)
{
var found = Handlers.TryGetValue(client, out var handlers);
if (found)
{
foreach (var handler in handlers)
{
handler.Invoke(args);
}
}
}
}

Related

Refit - ApiResponse<T> wrapping in a methods cannot get access to content

I am using refit and works great but I am also new to it.
I have the need to wrap up ApiResponse in a call (see below) because within this method I will do things like
Logging
Handling exceptions
etc..
but I cannot make it work as its null!!
Caller
var response = await ExecuteAsync(() => webApiClient.GetStuff());
Method where apiresponse is null
public async Task<T> ExecAsync<T>(
Func<Task<T>> method) where T : class
{
T apiResponse = await method.Invoke();
ApiResponse<T> apiResponseOfT =apiResponse as ApiResponse<T>;//this is null
if (apiResponseOfT.IsSuccessStatusCode)
{
//do other stuff
return apiResponse;
}
else
{
//do some logging etc..
return apiResponse;
}
}
What Am I doing wrong - Why is it null?
Is it possible to return just the apiResponse.Content?
How do I wrap up ApiResponse in an ExecAsync?
Updated
See below to give more context ...
[Get("/api/v1/customers")]
Task<ApiResponse<GetCustomerResponse>> GetCustomers();
public class GetCustomerResponse:ResponseBase
{
//various properties here...
}
public abstract class ResponseBase
{
public bool IsSuccess { get; set; }
}
ApiResponse<GetCustomerResponse> response = await ExecuteAsync(() => webApiClient.GetCustomers())
Change the declaration to public async Task<ApiResponse<T>> ExecAsync<T>(Func<Task<ApiResponse<T>>> method) where T : class and changing the implementation accordingly should do. Something like
public async Task<ApiResponse<T>> ExecAsync<T>(
Func<Task<ApiResponse<T>>> method) where T : class
{
var apiResponseOfT = await method();
if (apiResponseOfT.IsSuccessStatusCode)
{
//do other stuff
return apiResponse;
}
else
{
//do some logging etc..
return apiResponse;
}
}
If you are not planning to throw any exception, you can just return after if-else instead.

C# - How to assign the result of GetFromJsonAsync to a variable, and use it without it repeatedly calling the GET request?

I am trying to assign a class property with the result of a GET request, such that all other methods in the class can use the value of that property without having to call the GET request more than once. Bottom line is I want to call the GET Request during class instantiaton, assign it to a variable, and then never call it again during the objects lifetime.
public class Example {
private readonly HttpClient _http;
private readonly List<Thing> _things;
public Example(HttpClient http)
{
_http = http;
_things = _http.GetFromJsonAsync<List<Thing>>("https://api-to-call/endpoint").Result;
}
public void UseThings()
{
// Do something with _things;
}
}
However, when the method is called, it is sending a new GET request to retrieve an updated value of the property I assigned in the constructor. How can I code this so it only calls the GET request once during object instantiation?
You should not block in the constructor and .Result can have nasty side-effects. While there have been discussions of a language feature to support this, until then, you should move this out to a cached operation. You can ensure that the operation only runs once by wrapping the http call with a SemaphoreSlim.
public class Example
{
private readonly HttpClient _http;
private static readonly SemaphoreSlim _lock = new SemaphoreSlim(1, 1);
private List<Thing> _things;
public Example(HttpClient http)
{
_http = http;
}
public async Task UseThings()
{
// Do something with _things;
var localThings = _things ?? await GetThingsAsync();
}
private async Task<List<Thing>> GetThingsAsync()
{
if (_things != null)
{
return await Task.FromResult(_things);
}
await _lock.WaitAsync();
try
{
// double check in case another thread has completed
if (_things != null)
{
return _things;
}
_things = await _http.GetFromJsonAsync<List<Thing>>("https://api-to-call/endpoint");
return _things;
}
finally
{
_lock.Release();
}
}
}

How to show warning for a method if it is called directly in c#

{
public class MyClass
{
// all the call to GetData() of apiHelper should pass through this method
public async Task<T> InitiateAPICallAsync<T>(Task<T> apiCall) where T : BaseResponse
{
var response = await apiCall;
// some common code work using response data
return response;
}
public async void MyFunc()
{
var helper = new APIHelper("1", "2");
//
var response1 = await InitiateAPICallAsync(helper.GetData<Response1>()); // correct way
var rewponse2 = await helper.GetData<Response1>(); // incorrect way, need to show warning
}
}
public class APIHelper
{
public APIHelper(string a, string b)
{
// some code
}
public async Task<T> GetData<T>()
{
await Task.Delay(1000); // network call
// other code
return default;
}
}
public class Response1 : BaseResponse { }
public class Response2 : BaseResponse { }
public class BaseResponse { }
}
in my application MyClass, there is a method named InitiateAPICallAsync(). All call to the GetData() method of APIHelper must be pass through this method. I need to showing warning, if GetAsync() method called directly without passing through InitiateAPICallAsync.
Note: It is a sample code snippet, where in my real time project the APIHelper represents a Connectivity library. and MyClass represents another library named service.
How to show warning for a method if it is called directly in c#
Using CallerMemberName attribute is core thread of the following solution, thanks for Fumeaux's comment, I tried place CallerMemberName attribute above GetData method directly to get the caller, but the result is MyFunc but not InitiateAPICallAsync. So I tried use delegate as the InitiateAPICallAsync parameter that could make sure GetData will called by InitiateAPICallAsync. The following code has been simplified.
public delegate Task<int> PrintCaller([CallerMemberName] string Caller = null);
public class MyClass
{
public async Task<string> InitiateAPICallAsync(PrintCaller apiCall)
{
var response = await apiCall();
return "Test";
}
public async void MyFunc()
{
var helper = new APIHelper();
var str1 = await InitiateAPICallAsync(new PrintCaller(helper.GetData));
var str2 = await helper.GetData();
}
}
public class APIHelper
{
public async Task<int> GetData([CallerMemberName] string Caller = null)
{
if (Caller == "InitiateAPICallAsync")
{
// do some thing
}
else
{
//Show Warning
var dialog = new MessageDialog("Waring!!! Please don't call it directly");
await dialog.ShowAsync();
}
return 0;
}
}

How properly wrap async http requests into success and fail callbacks

I'm refactoring old code which does synchronous http requests and returns Callback object with success and fail events. How to properly wrap code into async/await?
I've added HttpClient class and I'm using SendAsync method on which I await, but I'm not sure how properly make transition from await into events. I've added async void Execute method in class but it does not seem like correct way of handling - avoid async void. Below more explanation in (short version of) code.
public class HttpExecutor(){
public event Action<string> Succeed;
public event Action<ErrorType, string> Failed;
private bool isExecuting;
//I know that async void is not the best because of exceptions
//and code smell when it is not event handler
public async void Execute()
{
if (isExecuting) return;
isExecuting = true;
cancellationTokenSource = new CancellationTokenSource();
try
{
httpResponseMessage =
await httpService.SendAsync(requestData, cancellationTokenSource.Token).ConfigureAwait(false);
var responseString = string.Empty;
if (httpResponseMessage.Content != null)
{
responseString = await httpResponseMessage.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
}
if (httpResponseMessage.IsSuccessStatusCode)
{
Succeed?.Invoke(responseString);
return;
}
Failed?.Invoke(httpResponseMessage.GetErrorType(),
$"{httpResponseMessage.ReasonPhrase}\n{responseString}");
}
//Catch all exceptions separately
catch(...){
}
finally
{
Dispose();
}
}
}
public class UserService(){
public CallbackObject<User> GetUser(){
var executor = new HttpExecutor(new RequestData());
//CallbackObject has also success and fail, and it hooks to executor events, deserializes string into object and sends model by his own events.
var callback = new CallbackObject<User>(executor);
executor.Execute();//in normal case called when all code has possibility to hook into event
return callback;
}
}
I feel that I should change method to:public async Task ExecuteAsync(){...} but then I would need take thread from thread pool by doing: Task.Run(()=>executor.ExecuteAsync());
It seems like it's a bit of fire and forget, but with callbacks (I await for response from network). How to handle this properly?
I'm refactoring old code which does synchronous http requests and returns Callback object with success and fail events. How to properly wrap code into async/await?
You get rid of the callbacks completely.
First, consider the failure case. (ErrorType, string) should be made into a custom Exception:
public sealed class ErrorTypeException : Exception
{
public ErrorType ErrorType { get; set; }
...
}
Then you can model Succeed / Failed callbacks as a single Task<string>:
public async Task<string> ExecuteAsync()
{
if (isExecuting) return;
isExecuting = true;
cancellationTokenSource = new CancellationTokenSource();
try
{
httpResponseMessage = await httpService.SendAsync(requestData, cancellationTokenSource.Token).ConfigureAwait(false);
var responseString = string.Empty;
if (httpResponseMessage.Content != null)
{
responseString = await httpResponseMessage.Content.ReadAsStringAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
}
if (httpResponseMessage.IsSuccessStatusCode)
return responseString;
throw new ErrorTypeException(httpResponseMessage.GetErrorType(),
$"{httpResponseMessage.ReasonPhrase}\n{responseString}");
}
catch(...){
throw ...
}
finally
{
Dispose();
}
}
Usage:
public Task<User> GetUserAsync()
{
var executor = new HttpExecutor(new RequestData());
var text = await executor.ExecuteAsync();
return ParseUser(text);
}

How to keep retrying the reactive method until it succeeds?

Here is my async download reactive extension for WebClient.
What is the best way to recall "DownloadStringAsync" again and again till the operation succeeds?
Something like this but in reactive way:
while (true)
{
var result = DownloadStringAsync();
if (result)
{
return;
}
}
MY CODE:
[Serializable]
public class WebClientException : Exception
{
public WebClientResponse Response { get; set; }
public WebClientException()
{
}
public WebClientException(string message)
: base(message)
{
}
public WebClientException(string message, Exception innerException)
: base(message, innerException)
{
}
protected WebClientException(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
: base(info, context)
{
}
}
public class WebClientResponse
{
public WebHeaderCollection Headers { get; set; }
public HttpStatusCode StatusCode { get; set; }
public string Result { get; set; }
public WebException Exception { get; set; }
}
public static IObservable<WebClientResponse> DownloadStringAsync(this WebClient webClient, Uri address, WebHeaderCollection requestHeaders)
{
var asyncResult =
Observable.FromEventPattern<DownloadStringCompletedEventHandler, DownloadStringCompletedEventArgs>
(ev => webClient.DownloadStringCompleted += ev, ev => webClient.DownloadStringCompleted -= ev)
.ObserveOn(Scheduler.TaskPool)
.Select(o =>
{
var ex = o.EventArgs.Error as WebException;
if (ex == null)
{
var wc = (WebClient) o.Sender;
return new WebClientResponse {Headers = wc.ResponseHeaders, Result = o.EventArgs.Result};
}
var wcr = new WebClientResponse {Exception = ex};
var r = ex.Response as HttpWebResponse;
if (r != null)
{
wcr.Headers = r.Headers;
wcr.StatusCode = r.StatusCode;
var s = r.GetResponseStream();
if (s != null)
{
using (TextReader tr = new StreamReader(s))
{
wcr.Result = tr.ReadToEnd();
}
}
}
throw new WebClientException {Response = wcr};
})
.Take(1);
if (requestHeaders != null)
{
foreach (var key in requestHeaders.AllKeys)
{
webClient.Headers.Add(key, requestHeaders[key]);
}
}
webClient.DownloadStringAsync(address);
return asyncResult;
}
Your method produces a hot observable, which means that it has already started loading when it returns and each new subscription does not create a new request to the web server. You need to wrap your method in another and use Observable.Create (in order to create a cold observable which does create a new request upon each subscription):
public static IObservable<WebClientResponse> DownloadStringAsync(this WebClient webClient, Uri address, WebHeaderCollection requestHeaders)
{
return Observable
.Create(observer =>
{
DownloadStringAsyncImpl(webClient, address, requestHeaders)
.Subscribe(observer);
return () => { webClient.CancelAsync(); };
});
}
Here, DownloadStringAsyncImpl is your previous implementation of DownloadStringAsync, while the public method has been replaced.
Now you can retry the async method until it succeeds as follows:
myWebClient
.DownloadStringAsync( /* args... */)
.Retry()
.Subscribe(result => {
/* now I've got a result! */
});
I think you have at least one decent "here is some code" answer, so I will focus on a more general hand holding.
The first thing I would look at is the design guidelines for Rx. It is a short (34 page) PDF document that helps change paradigm from pull "subscriptions" to push, or moving from IEnumerable to IObservable.
If you want to go a bit further, there are PDF HOLs (hands on labs) for both .NET and JavaScript. You can find other resources on the Rx pages (start here).
If it is an async function. Doing a repetitive checking means you turned it into a sync function call. Is this something you really want to do?
You can have a dedicated thread calling this async function and block itself after calling this function. When create this thread, pass it a delegate that should be called after the async function returns. Upon completion, call the delegate with error code.
Hope this answers your question.

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