Complete IObservable by event - c#

There is a way to wrap an event as observable using Observable.FromEvent. E.g. this class:
class Generator<T>
{
event Action<T> onPush;
public IObservable<T> Items =>
Observable.FromEvent<T>(d => onPush += d, d => onPush -= d);
public void Push(T item) => onPush?.Invoke(item);
}
However, I haven't found a way to complete the observable also by an event - how can I do that?
Update:
To clarify what I mean, the class above produces IObservable<T> which is "endless" and never completes. I want to make it completed by another event, not to make another observable. So the question can be reduces to this:
How to make an arbitrary IObservable<T> completed prematurely, i.e. the OnCompleted notification to be called?

An observable represents a stream of notifications, or events. When an observable sources from an event, they are inherently endless. The observable connects to the event, referencing the object, so the object backing the event will never go out of scope. .NET/C# doesn't provide a way to indicate that an event will never be called again, so the observable directly connecting to the event is endless.
This is not uncommon; most event-based observables never have OnCompleted called explicitly, modelling the real world where it is quite hard to say definitively that something will never happen again.
However, this isn't a problem: Observables are meant to run infinitely, and cause no damage. An unsubscribed observable doesn't take up much resources. If you're not interested in an event-sourced observable, unsubscribe all subscriptions and you're fine.
One way to do this is with one of the Take operators, like the TakeUntil operator (as mentioned below). Try the following code (using your Generator class):
var g = new Generator<int>();
g.Items
.TakeUntil(i => i > 3)
.Subscribe(
i => Console.WriteLine($"OnNext: {i}"),
e => Console.WriteLine($"OnError: Message: {e.Message}"),
() => Console.WriteLine("OnCompleted")
);
g.Push(1);
g.Push(2);
g.Push(3);
g.Push(4);
g.Push(5);
g.Push(6);
Output:
OnNext: 1
OnNext: 2
OnNext: 3
OnNext: 4
OnCompleted
TakeUntil unsubscribes from the Items observable after there's a message with an integer larger than 3. This is why there's an OnCompleted, and no 5, 6 messages.
Also, as Enigmativity mentioned, your Generator<T> class is basically the same as Subject<T>, I suggest you use that.
Original answer:
Make another observable from the event, then use .TakeUntil:
class Generator<T>
{
event Action<T> onPush;
event Action<Unit> onCompleted;
public IObservable<T> Items =>
Observable.FromEvent<T>(d => onPush += d, d => onPush -= d)
.TakeUntil(Completion);
public IObservable<Unit> Completion =>
Observable.FromEvent<Unit>(d => onCompleted += d, d => onCompleted -= d);
public void Push(T item) => onPush?.Invoke(item);
public void Complete() => onCompleted?.Invoke(Unit.Default);
}

Related

Execute an event only if it wasn't fired for a given amount of time in C#/WPF [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
WPF: Slider with an event that triggers after a user drags
(12 answers)
Closed 2 years ago.
I have a WPF app with a MouseWheel event. The operations in this event is quite heavy. So, I would like to execute this event only when the user has stopped scrolling (i.e.: if he doesn't scroll for a given amount of time).
In JS, this is quite easy, I can just put the setTimout in a var and then do a clearTimeout on that var if another scroll happened before the execution of that setTimeout (this is quite useful for auto-completion for instance).
How can I achieve that in c#?
This is quite easy using Microsoft's Reactive Framework (aka Rx) - NuGet System.Reactive.Windows.Threading (for WPF) and add using System.Reactive.Linq; - then you can do this:
IObservable<EventPattern<MouseWheelEventArgs>> query =
Observable
.FromEventPattern<MouseWheelEventHandler, MouseWheelEventArgs>(
h => ui.MouseWheel += h, h => ui.MouseWheel -= h)
.Throttle(TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(250.0))
.ObserveOnDispatcher();
IDisposable subscription =
query
.Subscribe(x =>
{
/* run expensive code */
});
The docs say this about Throttle:
Ignores the values from an observable sequence which are followed by another value before due time with the specified source and dueTime.
Something like the following might suit your needs
public class perRxTickBuffer<T>
{
private readonly Subject<T> _innerSubject = new Subject<T>();
public perRxTickBuffer(TimeSpan? interval = null)
{
if (interval == null)
{
interval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1);
}
Output = _innerSubject.Sample(interval.Value);
}
public void Tick(T item)
{
_innerSubject.OnNext(item);
}
public IObservable<T> Output { get; }
}
Create an instance where T is the event args type for your event.
Set an appropriate timespan value - perhaps 1/4 second for your case.
Just call Tick() from you event handler, and then subscribe to the Output observable for a regulated flow of 'events'.

A Better Way to Implement a WaitForMouseUp() Function?

I needed a small function that will wait for the left mous button to be released, and will not be based on the MouseUp event.
In many cases when we need this, we simply write an event handler for the MouseUp event.
It's simple, and it works.
There are however cases, where using the MouseUp event will not be useful,
such as when we are already in another (different) event handler,
and the left mouse button might be pressed when this event handler is called, and we need to wait for it to be released.
(the goal is to have a single flow of code, and not have to split it between several places which might already be occupied with another code)
I implemented it this way:
public void WaitForMouseUp()
{
while( (Control.MouseButtons&MouseButtons.Left)!=0 )
Application.DoEvents();
}
It works,
you can use it for example when you are in the event handler for the Control.Enter event,
and if the control was entered via the mouse, then this function will block until the mouse button is released.
I only worry about one thing:
I am using Application.DoEvents() there, and I wonder if there another way instead of using Application.DoEvents().
(Application.DoEvents(); has disadvantages of possible reentrancy, and so, so for this reason I try to minimize using it, whenever possible)
Anyone has an idea with what I can substitute the Application.DoEvents() part?
Here's an awesome way to do what you're asking. Use Microsoft's Reactive Extensions to make a single line of code do everything you want.
The reactive extensions provide a whole lot of operators that can be applied to events.
So first some basic observables that directly relate to normal control events:
var mouseEnters =
Observable
.FromEventPattern(
h => button1.MouseEnter += h,
h => button1.MouseEnter -= h);
var mouseLeaves =
Observable
.FromEventPattern(
h => button1.MouseLeave += h,
h => button1.MouseLeave -= h);
var mouseUps =
Observable
.FromEventPattern<MouseEventHandler, MouseEventArgs>(
h => button1.MouseUp += h,
h => button1.MouseUp -= h);
Now we need a query that will fire only once when the mouse up occurs, but only if the mouse has entered the button1, but only before it leaves.
var query =
mouseEnters
.Select(me => mouseUps.Take(1).TakeUntil(mouseLeaves))
.Switch();
Now to subscribe to the event to be able to handle it:
var subscription =
query
.Subscribe(ep =>
{
/*
this code runs for the first mouse up only
after each mouse enter on `button1`
unless the mouse leaves `button1`
*/
});
It now because very simple to unsubscribe as the type of subscription is IDisposable. So you simply call subscription.Dispose();.
Just NuGet "Rx-WinForms" to get the bits for your project.
In fact what #Kai Brummund is suggesting is a variation of my answer to Force loop to wait for an event. Adjusting the code from there for MouseUp is simple as
public static class Utils
{
public static Task WhenMouseUp(this Control control)
{
var tcs = new TaskCompletionSource<object>();
MouseEventHandler onMouseUp = null;
onMouseUp = (sender, e) =>
{
control.MouseUp -= onMouseUp;
tcs.TrySetResult(null);
};
control.MouseUp += onMouseUp;
return tcs.Task;
}
}
and the usage is
Control c = ...;
await c.WhenMouseUp();
The same technique can be used for any event.
If You wan't to write a flow within a single method, you can make an awaitable using a TaskCompletionSource.
Your flow:
await MouseUp();
...
private Task MouseUp() {
_tcs = new TaskCompletionSource();
return _tcs.Task;
}
public ... OnMouseUpEvent() {
_tcs?.SetResult(true);
}
Sorry for Pseudo code, will update this once I get something other than a mobile.
OT: Commenters: Think outside of the Box!
I needed a small function that will wait for the mouse's left button to be released.
No you don't. WinForms GUI programming is event driven, asynchronous. You should use the MouseUp event to detect the mouse button's release. This does mean that you need to implement your logic using state based asynchronous techniques, rather than the synchronous model that you crave.

How Can I Unfold This Event to an Observable Sequence?

I'm trying to write an Add-In for Outlook, and one of the events I'm using is ItemsEvents_Event.ItemChange - and its handler's signature takes an Object as a parameter (the item that changed):
items.ItemChange += CalendarItems_ItemChange;
private void CalendarItems_ItemChange(object anItem) {...}
How would I use Observable.FromEvent or Observable.FromEventPattern to create an observable sequence from this event "stream" instead of attaching/detaching the event as usual?
You need to use the FromEvent conversion overload to tell Rx how it should interpret your event:
IObservable<TEventArgs> FromEvent<TDelegate, TEventArgs>(Func<Action<TEventArgs>, TDelegate> conversion,
Action<TDelegate> addHandler,
Action<TDelegate> removeHandler);
In your case it would look like:
var source = Observable.FromEvent<ItemsEvents_ItemEventChangeHandler, object>(
emit => new ItemsEvents_ItemEventChangeHandler((obj) => emit(obj)),
h => items.ItemChange += h,
h => items.ItemChange -= h);
Similar answer

Rx: Ignoring updates caused by Subscribers

I'm having problems figuring out how to do this. I have two instances (source & target) that implement INotifyPropertyChanged and I'm tracking the PropertyChanged event for both. What I want to do is run an action any time source.PropertyChanged is raised until target.PropertyChanged is raised. I can do that just fine like this:
INotifyPropertyChanged source;
INotifyPropertyChanged target;
var sourcePropertyChanged = Observable
.FromEvent<PropertyChangedEventArgs>(source, "PropertyChanged")
.Where(x => x.EventArgs.PropertyName == sourcePropertyName);
var targetPropertyChanged = Observable
.FromEvent<PropertyChangedEventArgs>(target, "PropertyChanged")
.Where(x => x.EventArgs.PropertyName == targetPropertyName);
sourcePropertyChanged
.TakeUntil(targetPropertyChanged)
.ObserveOnDispatcher()
.Subscribe(_ => /*Raises target.PropertyChanged for targetPropertyName*/);
The problem I'm having is I want to ignore the PropertyChanged notifications caused by the actions and only stop taking values when the PropertyChanged event is raised by an external source. Is there a good way to get that to happen?
There's no built in way of doing what you're talking about. Here's a simple SkipWhen implementation that skips the next source value each time a value is received on the 'other' sequence:
public static IObservable<TSource> SkipWhen(this IObservable<TSource> source,
IObservable<TOther> other)
{
return Observable.Defer<TSource>(() =>
{
object lockObject = new object();
Stack<TOther> skipStack = new Stack<TOther>();
other.Subscribe(x => { lock(lockObject) { skipStack.Push(x); });
return source.Where(_ =>
{
lock(lockObject);
{
if (skipStack.Count > 0)
{
skipStack.Pop();
return false;
}
else
{
return true;
}
}
});
});
}
You're code would then be updated like so (see my note below):
INotifyPropertyChanged source;
INotifyPropertyChanged target;
// See the link at the bottom of my answer
var sourcePropertyChanged = source.GetPropertyChangeValues(x => x.SourceProperty);
// Unit is Rx's "void"
var targetChangedLocally = new Subject<Unit>();
var targetPropertyChanged = target.GetPropertyChangeValues(x => x.TargetProperty)
.SkipWhen(targetChangedLocally);
sourcePropertyChanged
.TakeUntil(targetPropertyChanged)
.ObserveOnDispatcher()
.Subscribe(_ =>
{
targetChangedLocally.OnNext();
/*Raises target.PropertyChanged for targetPropertyName*/
});
NB: I recently blogged about a strongly typed IObservable wrapper around INotifyPropertyChanged events; feel free to steal that code.
There's no built-in way but you could probably filter out events using the Where extension method for observable. The condition to filter on would be the sender of the event. I suppose that the sender of a target.PropertyChanged event is different than the sender of a PropertyChanged event raised by another source.
I'm not entirely sure if this is an approach you can use.
Using locks in Rx this way is fine. The lock is short lived and doesn't call out to user code.

Reactive Framework (RX) and dealing with events Asynchronously

So I'm just playing around with RX and learning it. I started playing with Events, and wanted to know how to subscribe to events, and process the results in batches asynchronously. Allow me to explain with code:
Simple class that raises events:
public class EventRaisingClass
{
public event EventHandler<SomeEventArgs> EventOccured;
//some other code that raises event...
}
public class SomeEventArgs : EventArgs
{
public SomeEventArgs(int data)
{
this.SomeArg = data;
}
public int SomeArg { get; private set; }
}
Then my Main:
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
var eventRaiser = new EventRaisingClass();
IObservable<IEvent<SomeEventArgs>> observable =
Observable.FromEvent<SomeEventArgs>(e => eventRaiser.EventOccured += e, e => eventRaiser.EventOccured -= e);
IObservable<IList<IEvent<SomeEventArgs>>> bufferedEvents = observable.BufferWithCount(100);
//how can I subscribte to bufferedEvents so that the subscription code gets called Async?
bufferedEvents.Subscribe(list => /*do something with list of event args*/); //this happens synchrounously...
}
As you can see in my comments, when you just call subscribe like that, all the subscription code happens synchronously. Is there a way out of the box using RX to have the Subscribe be called on different threads whenever there's a new batch of events to work on?
bufferedEvents.ObserveOn(Scheduler.TaskPool).Subscribe(...
SubscribeOn is to specify the schedule on which so-called "subscription side effects" are happening. For example, your observable can open a file each time somebody subscribes.
ObserveOn is to specify the schedule on which the call to the observer will happen every time when there is a new value. In practice, it is used more often than SubscribeOn.
I believe you're looking for SubscribeOn or ObserveOn, passing an IScheduler. There are several schedulers built-in under System.Concurrency; some of them use whatever thread is current, and others use specific threads.
This video has more info on the scheduler concept.
The Rx team also recently released a hands-on labs document which is the closest thing to a tutorial right now.

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