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How to implement event sender - event receiver game objects in unity?

I have class "A", which will send event "a". Classes that are subscribing to event "a" will react to this event. Other classes can subscribe to event "a" without changing anything in class "A";
Now, what is the most reasonable way to do this in unity? Is there some messaging system that can already do that?
If not, should I make something like EventManager class that will store subscriber classes in array and call their methods?

There are probably many ways to do this.
Public static List
public class A : MonoBehaviour
{
public static List<A> AvailableAs = new List<A>();
private void Awake()
{
if(!AvailableAs.Contains(this)) AvailableAs.Add(this);
}
private void OnDestroy()
{
if(AvailableAs.Contains(this)) AvailableAs.Remove(this);
}
public void SomePublicMethod()
{
// magic
}
}
and use it e.g. like
public class B : MonoBehaviour
{
// run the method on all currently registered A instances
public void DoIt()
{
foreach(var a in A.AvailableAs)
{
a.SomePublicMethod();
}
}
}
Global EventHandler
Or if you rather want to go for encapsulation have as you mentioned a global event handler for all A's like
namespace ANamespace
{
public static class AEventHandler
{
internal static event Action OnInvokeA;
public static void InvokeAEvent()
{
if(OnInvokeA != null) OnInvokeA.Invoke();
}
}
}
and in A have
namespace ANamespace
{
public class A : MonoBehaviour {
private void Awake()
{
// it is save to remove a callback first even
// if it was not added yet. This makes sure it is
// added only once always
AEventHandler.OnIvokeA -= SomePrivateMethod;
AEventHandler.OnIvokeA += SomePrivateMethod;
}
private void OnDestroy()
{
AEventHandler.OnIvokeA -= SomePrivateMethod;
}
private void SomePrivateMethod()
{
// magic
}
}
}
Now in B you would rather simply do
// invoke the event and whoever is added as listener will do
// whatever he registered
// in this case all A instances execute their method
AEventHandler.InvokeAEvent();
Unity Event
If you have however only one class A which throws an event and you want others to react to it simply use a UnityEvent like
public class A : MonoBehaviour
{
public UnityEvent OnSomethingHappened = new UnityEvent();
private void SomeMethodIWillRun()
{
//...
OnSomethingHappened.Invoke();
}
}
Now you cann easily add callbacks to that event in the Unity Inspector by dragging in GameObjects/Components and select the method to call. (Exactly the same thing is used for the onClick event of the Button component btw. ;) )
And you could still add callbacks via script on runtime like
public class B : MonoBehaviour
{
public A referenceToA;
private void Start()
{
referenceToA.OnSomethingHappened.AddCallback(OnASomethingHappened);
}
private void OnDestroy()
{
referenceToA.OnSomethingHappened.RemoveCallback(OnASomethingHappened)
}
private void OnASomethingHappened()
{
//
}
}
Note: Typed on smartphone so no warranty but I hope the idea gets clear.

trig event when created or deleted

I wish to trig event when class instance is created (or deleted), but my the class itself.
It seems impossible (because no other class instance can simultaneously create object and add handler on the event of created class). Is there an other way ?
public class MyClass {
public delegate void delegate_MyClassCreated( MyClass me);
public delegate_MyClassCreated event_MyClassCreated;
public delegate void delegate_MyClassDeleted( MyClass me);
public delegate_MyClassDeleted event_MyClassDeleted;
public MyClass() {
//... some initialisations here...
try {
event_MyClassCreated( this);
}
catch {}
}
~ MyClass() {
try {
event_MyClassDeleted( this);
}
catch {}
}
}
//...
// in other class
((MyClass)new MyClass()).event_MyClassCreated += callback_MyClassCreated;
// ...
void callback_MyClassCreated( MyClass me) {
// action on me
}

Why don't you use static events? Something like that:
public class MyClass {
...
// static event doesn't need any instance and so
// could be called within constructor
public static event EventHandler MyClassCreated;
public MyClass() {
...
if (!Object.ReferenceEquals(null, MyClassCreated))
MyClassCreated(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
...
// Assigning callback for the event (no MyClass instance required)
MyClass.MyClassCreated += callback_MyClassCreated;

Use an IoC container such as Autofac :-)
I am unsure about Unity, but at least Autofac has so-called Activation Events, where you may handle the creation of an instance either in a general manner or type-specific.
Have a look at this blog post.
If you wish to not use e.g. Autofac, you are probably left with a DIY implementation. - This could be implementing factories for your classes, which as part of the instantiation process fires an event.
Quick'n'Dirty DIY Example using static events:
using System;
namespace ConsoleApplication2
{
internal class Program
{
private static void Main(string[] args)
{
var myCreatingEventHandler = new EventHandler((sender, eventArgs) => Console.WriteLine("Creating"));
var myCreatingEventHandler2 = new EventHandler((sender, eventArgs) => Console.WriteLine("Creating2"));
var myDisposingEventHandler = new EventHandler((sender, eventArgs) => Console.WriteLine("Disposing"));
var myDisposingEventHandler2 = new EventHandler((sender, eventArgs) => Console.WriteLine("Disposing2"));
MyClass.Creating += myCreatingEventHandler;
MyClass.Disposing += myDisposingEventHandler;
using (var test = new MyClass())
{
// Prints "Creating" and "Disposing".
}
Console.WriteLine();
MyClass.Creating += myCreatingEventHandler2;
MyClass.Disposing += myDisposingEventHandler2;
using (var test = new MyClass())
{
// Prints "Creating", "Creating2", "Disposing" and "Disposing2".
}
Console.WriteLine();
MyClass.Creating -= myCreatingEventHandler;
MyClass.Disposing -= myDisposingEventHandler;
using (var test = new MyClass()) {
// Prints "Creating2" and "Disposing2".
}
Console.WriteLine();
MyClass.Creating -= myCreatingEventHandler2;
MyClass.Disposing -= myDisposingEventHandler2;
using (var test = new MyClass())
{
// Prints nothing (removed subscriptions to avoid "memory leak".
}
// You may choose call such a method to ensure that ALL handlers are removed from the invocation list.
MyClass.RemoveSubscriptions();
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
internal class MyClass : IDisposable
{
public static event EventHandler Creating;
private static void OnCreating()
{
EventHandler handler = Creating;
if (handler != null) handler(null, EventArgs.Empty);
}
public static event EventHandler Disposing;
private static void OnDisposing()
{
EventHandler handler = Disposing;
if (handler != null) handler(null, EventArgs.Empty);
}
public MyClass()
{
OnCreating();
}
public void Dispose()
{
OnDisposing();
}
public static void RemoveSubscriptions()
{
// Setting the events to null can only be done from within the class. From the outside only += and -= are allowed.
Creating = null;
Disposing = null;
}
}
}
However, I do not recommend going with the static event approach. Why? - Because you have to be very careful when using static events. If you do not remove the handlers explicitly, you will have the managed equivalent to a memory leak. It may produce unpredictable behavior. You don't want that ;-)
My recommendation as the safest choice would be going with e.g. Autofac and gain a several other goodies in the process ;-)
However, it does not handle when the instance is disposed. - Any reason you wish to listen for that event?

Generics and events

I am making a game and I'm trying to create an way for objects to handle collisions with each other. I want to do something like:
//Imaginary C#
public SomethingThatCollides()
{
CollisionEvent<ObjectA> += CollisionWithObjA;
CollisionEvent<ObjectB> += CollisionWithObjB;
}
void CollisionWithObjA(ObjectA other)
{
//Do something
}
void CollisionWithObjB(ObjectB other)
{
//Do something else
}
When, say, CollisionEvent<ObjectA> is raised (perhaps by some collision checking code), CollisionWithObjA should get called. Same for CollisionWithObjB; when a collision with ObjectB is detected, it will raise the CollisionEvent<ObjectB> event which results in CollisionWithObjB getting called.
Is something like this possible?

Here is the thing, if class is generic and it has static field, it can work like a dictionary with key being type
public class Something {
public class EventsHolder<T>
{
static event Action<T> CollideEvent;
}
public void AddEvent<T>(Action<T> collisionEvent)
{
EventsHolder<T>.CollideEvent = collisionEvent;
}
public void RaiseCollision<T>(T Obj)
{
var Event = EventsHolder<T>.CollideEvent;
if (Event != null) Event(Obj);
}
}
Downside is that it uses static fields which can be inapropriate.
In this case you can use code #Daniel posted.

You can't really create a generic event like that. I suggest you create a special event arguments class that also encapsulates the collided object and check for its type in the event handler method:
public class CollisionEventArgs : EventArgs {
public object Object {
get; private set;
}
// ...
}
You'll need a special dispatcher method to use it:
class SomethingThatCollides {
public SomethingThatCollides(CollisionManager cm) {
cm.CollisionEvent += CollisionWithObj;
}
void CollisionWithObj(object sender, CollisionEventArgs args) {
if (args.Object is ObjectA) {
CollisionWithObjA((ObjectA)args.Object);
}
else if (args.Object is ObjectB) {
CollisionWithObjB((ObjectB)args.Object);
}
}
// ...
}
Or, you can try to solve this with double-dispatching, without using C# events. Look at wikipedia for a collision example.

That's uggly, but...You could have a dicionary of events by type:
Dictionary<Type, object> MyEventsByType;
event Action<A> CollisionEventA;
event Action<B> CollisionEventB;
event Action<C> COllisionEventC;
void Initialize()
{
MyEventsByType = new Dictionary<Type, object>();
MyEventsByType.Add(typeof(A), CollisionEventA);
MyEventsByType.Add(typeof(B), CollisionEventB);
MyEventsByType.Add(typeof(C), CollisionEventC);
}
void RaiseCollision<T>(T Obj)
{
Action<T> Event = (Action<T>)MyEventsByType[typeof(T)];
if (Event != null) Event(Obj);
}

C# Threading Mechanism

Let's say I have an exposed interface as such:
interface IMyService
{
MyResult MyOperation();
}
This operation is synchronous and returns a value.
My implemented interface has to do the following:
Call an asynchronous method
Wait for event #1
Wait for event #2
This is due to a 3rd party COM object I am working with.
This code looks similar to the following
public MyResult MyOperation()
{
_myCOMObject.AsyncOperation();
//Here I need to wait for both events to fire before returning
}
private void MyEvent1()
{
//My Event 1 is fired in this handler
}
private void MyEvent2()
{
//My Event 2 is fired in this handler
}
My two events can happen in either order, it is quite random.
What is the proper threading mechanism I can use to synchronize this? I was using ManualResetEvent before I had to start waiting for the second event, and have not seen an easy way to use it for both events. These 2 events set variables that allow me to create the return value for MyOperation().
Any ideas on a good implementation for this? I have no control over the way the 3rd party object is implemented.

Two ManualResetEvents should do the trick for you. Just initialize them to false before you call the _myCOMObject.AsyncOperation(). Like this:
private ManualResetEvent event1;
private ManualResetEvent event2;
public MyResult MyOperation()
{
event1 = new ManualResetEvent(false);
event2 = new ManualResetEvent(false);
_myCOMObject.AsyncOperation();
WaitHandle.WaitAll(new WaitHandle[] { event1, event2 });
}
private void MyEvent1()
{
event1.Set();
}
private void MyEvent2()
{
event2.Set();
}
Edit
Thanks for the comments. I've changed the wait call to use WaitAll

My implementation example is as follows:
namespace ConsoleApplication1
{
class Program
{
private static WaitHandle[] waitHandles;
private static event EventHandler Evt1;
private static event EventHandler Evt2;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
waitHandles = new WaitHandle[]{
new ManualResetEvent(false),
new ManualResetEvent(false)
};
Evt1 += new EventHandler(Program_Evt1);
Evt2 += new EventHandler(Program_Evt2);
OnEvt1();
OnEvt2();
WaitHandle.WaitAll(waitHandles);
Console.WriteLine("Finished");
Console.ReadLine();
}
static void Program_Evt2(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Thread.Sleep(2000);
((ManualResetEvent)waitHandles[0]).Set();
}
static void Program_Evt1(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
((ManualResetEvent)waitHandles[1]).Set();
}
static void OnEvt1()
{
if (Evt1 != null)
Evt1(null, EventArgs.Empty);
}
static void OnEvt2()
{
if (Evt2 != null)
Evt2(null, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
}
I make it sleep for the purposes of this example and the WaitAll functionality
Cheers,
Andrew
P.S. another example would be using AsyncCallback, really quick and dirty example, but gives you more keys to open the door with :-) . Hope this helps!!
namespace ConsoleApplication1
{
class Program
{
private static WaitHandle[] waitHandles;
private static event EventHandler Evt1;
private static event EventHandler Evt2;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
waitHandles = new WaitHandle[]{
new ManualResetEvent(false),
new ManualResetEvent(false)
};
var callabck1 = new AsyncCallback(OnEvt1);
var callabck2 = new AsyncCallback(OnEvt2);
callabck1.Invoke(new ManualResetResult(null, (ManualResetEvent)waitHandles[0]));
callabck2.Invoke(new ManualResetResult(null, (ManualResetEvent)waitHandles[1]));
WaitHandle.WaitAll(waitHandles);
Console.WriteLine("Finished");
Console.ReadLine();
}
static void OnEvt1(IAsyncResult result)
{
Console.WriteLine("Setting1");
var handle = result.AsyncWaitHandle;
((ManualResetEvent)handle).Set();
}
static void OnEvt2(IAsyncResult result)
{
Thread.Sleep(2000);
Console.WriteLine("Setting2");
var handle = result.AsyncWaitHandle;
((ManualResetEvent)handle).Set();
}
}
public class ManualResetResult : IAsyncResult
{
private object _state;
private ManualResetEvent _handle;
public ManualResetResult(object state, ManualResetEvent handle)
{
_state = state;
_handle = handle;
}
#region IAsyncResult Members
public object AsyncState
{
get { return _state; }
}
public WaitHandle AsyncWaitHandle
{
get { return _handle; }
}
public bool CompletedSynchronously
{
get { throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}
public bool IsCompleted
{
get { throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}
#endregion
}
}

I am not sure I understood your question, but AutoResetEvent.WaitAll seems to solve your problem, if I got it right. It allows you to set more than one handler and it will only be released when all are set.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/z6w25xa6.aspx

Super-simple example of C# observer/observable with delegates

I recently started digging into C# but I can't by my life figure out how delegates work when implementing the observer/observable pattern in the language.
Could someone give me a super-simple example of how it is done? I have googled this, but all of the examples I found were either too problem-specific or too "bloated".

The observer pattern is usually implemented with events.
Here's an example:
using System;
class Observable
{
public event EventHandler SomethingHappened;
public void DoSomething() =>
SomethingHappened?.Invoke(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
class Observer
{
public void HandleEvent(object sender, EventArgs args)
{
Console.WriteLine("Something happened to " + sender);
}
}
class Test
{
static void Main()
{
Observable observable = new Observable();
Observer observer = new Observer();
observable.SomethingHappened += observer.HandleEvent;
observable.DoSomething();
}
}
See the linked article for a lot more detail.
Note that the above example uses C# 6 null-conditional operator to implement DoSomething safely to handle cases where SomethingHappened has not been subscribed to, and is therefore null. If you're using an older version of C#, you'd need code like this:
public void DoSomething()
{
var handler = SomethingHappened;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}

In this model, you have publishers who will do some logic and publish an "event."
Publishers will then send out their event only to subscribers who have subscribed to receive the specific event.
In C#, any object can publish a set of events to which other applications can subscribe.
When the publishing class raises an event, all the subscribed applications are notified.
The following figure shows this mechanism.
Simplest Example possible on Events and Delegates in C#:
code is self explanatory, Also I've added the comments to clear out the code.
using System;
public class Publisher //main publisher class which will invoke methods of all subscriber classes
{
public delegate void TickHandler(Publisher m, EventArgs e); //declaring a delegate
public TickHandler Tick; //creating an object of delegate
public EventArgs e = null; //set 2nd paramter empty
public void Start() //starting point of thread
{
while (true)
{
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(300);
if (Tick != null) //check if delegate object points to any listener classes method
{
Tick(this, e); //if it points i.e. not null then invoke that method!
}
}
}
}
public class Subscriber1 //1st subscriber class
{
public void Subscribe(Publisher m) //get the object of pubisher class
{
m.Tick += HeardIt; //attach listener class method to publisher class delegate object
}
private void HeardIt(Publisher m, EventArgs e) //subscriber class method
{
System.Console.WriteLine("Heard It by Listener");
}
}
public class Subscriber2 //2nd subscriber class
{
public void Subscribe2(Publisher m) //get the object of pubisher class
{
m.Tick += HeardIt; //attach listener class method to publisher class delegate object
}
private void HeardIt(Publisher m, EventArgs e) //subscriber class method
{
System.Console.WriteLine("Heard It by Listener2");
}
}
class Test
{
static void Main()
{
Publisher m = new Publisher(); //create an object of publisher class which will later be passed on subscriber classes
Subscriber1 l = new Subscriber1(); //create object of 1st subscriber class
Subscriber2 l2 = new Subscriber2(); //create object of 2nd subscriber class
l.Subscribe(m); //we pass object of publisher class to access delegate of publisher class
l2.Subscribe2(m); //we pass object of publisher class to access delegate of publisher class
m.Start(); //starting point of publisher class
}
}
Output:
Heard It by Listener
Heard It by Listener2
Heard It by Listener
Heard It by Listener2
Heard It by Listener
.
.
.
(infinite times)

Here's a simple example:
public class ObservableClass
{
private Int32 _Value;
public Int32 Value
{
get { return _Value; }
set
{
if (_Value != value)
{
_Value = value;
OnValueChanged();
}
}
}
public event EventHandler ValueChanged;
protected void OnValueChanged()
{
if (ValueChanged != null)
ValueChanged(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
public class ObserverClass
{
public ObserverClass(ObservableClass observable)
{
observable.ValueChanged += TheValueChanged;
}
private void TheValueChanged(Object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Console.Out.WriteLine("Value changed to " +
((ObservableClass)sender).Value);
}
}
public class Program
{
public static void Main()
{
ObservableClass observable = new ObservableClass();
ObserverClass observer = new ObserverClass(observable);
observable.Value = 10;
}
}
Note:
This violates a rule in that I don't unhook the observer from the observable, this is perhaps good enough for this simple example, but make sure you don't keep observers hanging off of your events like that. A way to handle this would be to make ObserverClass IDisposable, and let the .Dispose method do the opposite of the code in the constructor
No error-checking performed, at least a null-check should be done in the constructor of the ObserverClass

I've tied together a couple of the great examples above (thank you as always to Mr. Skeet and Mr. Karlsen) to include a couple of different Observables and utilized an interface to keep track of them in the Observer and allowed the Observer to to "observe" any number of Observables via an internal list:
namespace ObservablePattern
{
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
internal static class Program
{
private static void Main()
{
var observable = new Observable();
var anotherObservable = new AnotherObservable();
using (IObserver observer = new Observer(observable))
{
observable.DoSomething();
observer.Add(anotherObservable);
anotherObservable.DoSomething();
}
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
internal interface IObservable
{
event EventHandler SomethingHappened;
}
internal sealed class Observable : IObservable
{
public event EventHandler SomethingHappened;
public void DoSomething()
{
var handler = this.SomethingHappened;
Console.WriteLine("About to do something.");
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
}
internal sealed class AnotherObservable : IObservable
{
public event EventHandler SomethingHappened;
public void DoSomething()
{
var handler = this.SomethingHappened;
Console.WriteLine("About to do something different.");
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
}
}
internal interface IObserver : IDisposable
{
void Add(IObservable observable);
void Remove(IObservable observable);
}
internal sealed class Observer : IObserver
{
private readonly Lazy<IList<IObservable>> observables =
new Lazy<IList<IObservable>>(() => new List<IObservable>());
public Observer()
{
}
public Observer(IObservable observable) : this()
{
this.Add(observable);
}
public void Add(IObservable observable)
{
if (observable == null)
{
return;
}
lock (this.observables)
{
this.observables.Value.Add(observable);
observable.SomethingHappened += HandleEvent;
}
}
public void Remove(IObservable observable)
{
if (observable == null)
{
return;
}
lock (this.observables)
{
observable.SomethingHappened -= HandleEvent;
this.observables.Value.Remove(observable);
}
}
public void Dispose()
{
for (var i = this.observables.Value.Count - 1; i >= 0; i--)
{
this.Remove(this.observables.Value[i]);
}
}
private static void HandleEvent(object sender, EventArgs args)
{
Console.WriteLine("Something happened to " + sender);
}
}
}

Applying the Observer Pattern with delegates and events in c# is named "Event Pattern" according to MSDN which is a slight variation.
In this Article you will find well structured examples of how to apply the pattern in c# both the classic way and using delegates and events.
Exploring the Observer Design Pattern
public class Stock
{
//declare a delegate for the event
public delegate void AskPriceChangedHandler(object sender,
AskPriceChangedEventArgs e);
//declare the event using the delegate
public event AskPriceChangedHandler AskPriceChanged;
//instance variable for ask price
object _askPrice;
//property for ask price
public object AskPrice
{
set
{
//set the instance variable
_askPrice = value;
//fire the event
OnAskPriceChanged();
}
}//AskPrice property
//method to fire event delegate with proper name
protected void OnAskPriceChanged()
{
AskPriceChanged(this, new AskPriceChangedEventArgs(_askPrice));
}//AskPriceChanged
}//Stock class
//specialized event class for the askpricechanged event
public class AskPriceChangedEventArgs : EventArgs
{
//instance variable to store the ask price
private object _askPrice;
//constructor that sets askprice
public AskPriceChangedEventArgs(object askPrice) { _askPrice = askPrice; }
//public property for the ask price
public object AskPrice { get { return _askPrice; } }
}//AskPriceChangedEventArgs

/**********************Simple Example ***********************/
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Parent p = new Parent();
}
}
////////////////////////////////////////////
public delegate void DelegateName(string data);
class Child
{
public event DelegateName delegateName;
public void call()
{
delegateName("Narottam");
}
}
///////////////////////////////////////////
class Parent
{
public Parent()
{
Child c = new Child();
c.delegateName += new DelegateName(print);
//or like this
//c.delegateName += print;
c.call();
}
public void print(string name)
{
Console.WriteLine("yes we got the name : " + name);
}
}

I did't want to change my source code to add additional observer , so I have written following simple example:
//EVENT DRIVEN OBSERVER PATTERN
public class Publisher
{
public Publisher()
{
var observable = new Observable();
observable.PublishData("Hello World!");
}
}
//Server will send data to this class's PublishData method
public class Observable
{
public event Receive OnReceive;
public void PublishData(string data)
{
//Add all the observer below
//1st observer
IObserver iObserver = new Observer1();
this.OnReceive += iObserver.ReceiveData;
//2nd observer
IObserver iObserver2 = new Observer2();
this.OnReceive += iObserver2.ReceiveData;
//publish data
var handler = OnReceive;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(data);
}
}
}
public interface IObserver
{
void ReceiveData(string data);
}
//Observer example
public class Observer1 : IObserver
{
public void ReceiveData(string data)
{
//sample observers does nothing with data :)
}
}
public class Observer2 : IObserver
{
public void ReceiveData(string data)
{
//sample observers does nothing with data :)
}
}

Something like this:
// interface implementation publisher
public delegate void eiSubjectEventHandler(eiSubject subject);
public interface eiSubject
{
event eiSubjectEventHandler OnUpdate;
void GenereteEventUpdate();
}
// class implementation publisher
class ecSubject : eiSubject
{
private event eiSubjectEventHandler _OnUpdate = null;
public event eiSubjectEventHandler OnUpdate
{
add
{
lock (this)
{
_OnUpdate -= value;
_OnUpdate += value;
}
}
remove { lock (this) { _OnUpdate -= value; } }
}
public void GenereteEventUpdate()
{
eiSubjectEventHandler handler = _OnUpdate;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this);
}
}
}
// interface implementation subscriber
public interface eiObserver
{
void DoOnUpdate(eiSubject subject);
}
// class implementation subscriber
class ecObserver : eiObserver
{
public virtual void DoOnUpdate(eiSubject subject)
{
}
}
.
observer pattern C# with event
.
link to the repository