Restart WPF Application from non-UI thread - c#

In my WPF app I need to run a quick routine on startup that checks for a new available version. If the version is available, we do the update and then would like to immediately restart the app. Since this is run before the main window appears to the user, it simply appears as though the app took a split second longer to start up.
We're using Squirrel.Windows for our updater. I've made the class below to handle checking for/applying updates.
public class UpdateVersion
{
private readonly UpdateManager _updateManager;
public Action<int> Progress;
public event Action Restart;
public UpdateVersion(string squirrelUrl)
{
_updateManager = new UpdateManager(squirrelUrl);
}
public async Task UpdateVersions()
{
using (_updateManager)
{
UpdateInfo updateInfo = await _updateManager.CheckForUpdate(progress:Progress);
if (updateInfo.CurrentlyInstalledVersion == null)
{
if (updateInfo.FutureReleaseEntry != null)
{
await _updateManager.UpdateApp(Progress);
// Job crashes here
Restart?.Invoke();
}
}
else if (updateInfo.CurrentlyInstalledVersion.Version < updateInfo.FutureReleaseEntry.Version)
{
await _updateManager.UpdateApp(Progress);
// Job crashes here
Restart?.Invoke();
}
}
}
}
Unfortunately Squirrel has made their update process async only, which means the CheckForUpdate and UpdateApp method must use await, making the entire update method asynchronous. I assign the asnyc call to a Task, then simply .Wait() for the update to finish.
The problem comes when I try to restart my app. Based on what I've read, I need to use Dispatcher.Invoke to call the restart due to the fact I am on a non-UI thread when performing the update. However, despite the code below, I still get the same error message:
The Calling thread cannot access this object because a different thread owns it
Any idea how to correctly implement Dispatcher.Invoke in order to restart the app?
// Instantiate new UpdateVersion object passing in the URL
UpdateVersion updateVersion = new UpdateVersion(System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.AppSettings.Get("SquirrelDirectory"));
// Assign Dispatch.Invoke as Restart action delegate
updateVersion.Restart += () =>
{
Dispatcher.Invoke(() =>
{
Process.Start(ResourceAssembly.Location);
Current.Shutdown();
});
};
// This is here for debugging purposes so I know the update is occurring
updateVersion.Progress += (count) =>
{
Debug.WriteLine($"Progress.. {count}");
};
var task = Task.Run(async () => { await updateVersion.UpdateVersions(); });
task.Wait();
EDIT
Below is a screen shot of the Target attribute of the Restart action. The debugger was paused at the Restar?.Invoke line from above.

Instead of trying to convert asynchronous programming to the old event based pattern, just use it properly. You don't need events to detect when an asynchronous operation finished, nor do you need Invoke to move back to the UI thread. await takes care of both.
You could write code as simple as this:
static readonly SemanticVersion ZeroVersion = new SemanticVersion(0, 0, 0, 0);
private async void Application_Startup(object sender, StartupEventArgs e)
{
await CheckForUpdatesAsync();
}
private async Task CheckForUpdatesAsync()
{
string squirrelUrl = "...";
var updateProgress = new Progress<int>();
IProgress<int> progress = updateProgress;
//Create a splash screen that binds to progress and show it
var splash = new UpdateSplash(updateProgress);
splash.Show();
using (var updateManager = new UpdateManager(squirrelUrl))
{
//IProgress<int>.Report matches Action<i>
var info = await updateManager.CheckForUpdate(progress: progress.Report);
//Get the current and future versions.
//If missing, replace them with version Zero
var currentVersion = info.CurrentlyInstalledVersion?.Version ?? ZeroVersion;
var futureVersion = info.FutureReleaseEntry?.Version ?? ZeroVersion;
//Is there a newer version?
if (currentVersion < futureVersion)
{
await updateManager.UpdateApp(progress.Report);
Restart();
}
}
splash.Hide();
}
private void Restart()
{
Process.Start(ResourceAssembly.Location);
Current.Shutdown();
}
This is just enough code to extract to a separate class:
private async void Application_Startup(object sender, StartupEventArgs e)
{
var updater = new Updater();
await updater.CheckForUpdatesAsync(...);
}
// ...
class Updater
{
static readonly SemanticVersion ZeroVersion = new SemanticVersion(0, 0, 0, 0);
public async Task CheckForUpdatesAsync(string squirrelUrl)
{
var updateProgress = new Progress<int>();
IProgress<int> progress = updateProgress;
//Create a splash screen that binds to progress and show it
var splash = new UpdateSplash(updateProgress);
splash.Show();
using (var updateManager = new UpdateManager(squirrelUrl))
{
var updateInfo = await updateManager.CheckForUpdate(progress: progress.Report);
//Get the current and future versions. If missing, replace them with version Zero
var currentVersion = updateInfo.CurrentlyInstalledVersion?.Version ?? ZeroVersion;
var futureVersion = updateInfo.FutureReleaseEntry?.Version ?? ZeroVersion;
//Is there a newer version?
if (currentVersion < futureVersion)
{
await updateManager.UpdateApp(progress.Report);
Restart();
}
}
splash.Hide();
}
private void Restart()
{
Process.Start(Application.ResourceAssembly.Location);
Application.Current.Shutdown();
}
}

So the actual exception is somewhere in the Restart handler is trying to access the MainWindow get property from another thread based on the stack trace. This is a complete guess, but I would store the original Dispatcher in the OnStartup method and use the stored Dispatcher in the Restart event handler.

Why you are not using SplashScreen ? This SplashScreen would check for new versions, and either download updates, or start the old application.
A lovely tutorial to get you started : EASILY CREATE A WPF SPLASH SCREEN WITH STATUS UPDATES VIA MVVM

Related

C# WPF - How to load data to datagrid in thread

I have a problem with application freezes for a few seconds.
I loading data from XML file and deserialize to MyList.
public List<My20FieldsDataRecord> MyList;
...
void ShowDataInThread()
{
MyGrid.DataContext = MyList;
}
public void ShowDane(bool inThread)
{
if (inThread)
{
Thread thr = new Thread(ShowDataInThread);
thr.Start();
}
else
{
ShowDataInThread();
}
}
if inThread = false everything work fine, but application not responding for a 2-3 seconds.
When inThread = true application crash.
I want do this in thread, but i was not able to understand that how it works from examples on internet. I'll be very grateful for your help, becouse i have no idea how to do that.
Since Microsoft introduced the async / wait approach for .NET Framework programming in .NET 4.5, the code for async methods is a lot.
You can not find any async async with as example as such as type:
private async void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string result = await AnMethodAsync();
textBox1.Text += result;
}
private Task<string> AnMethodAsync()
{
//Do somethine async
}
And you think this is done, the function will run async do not have to worry about hanging thead anymore, too strong.
But the problem is not so simple.
Now try to put in the AnMethodAsync () function the following code:
Thread.Sleep(5000);
return Task.FromResult("HoanHT");
Run the code above and when you press button1, the UI will hang stiff for 5s.
What the hell, I have applied async / await properly that the UI is still hanging.
After a brief look at the problem: In the AnMethodAsync function does not create any other task on the other thread. The consequence is that asyn away, but it still runs on UI thread -> UI freeze.
Then fix it, there are two ways:
Method 1: Create a new task and executable:
return Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
{
Thread.Sleep(5000);
return "HoanHT";
});
Method 2: Use Task.Delay () instead of Thread.Sleep ()
private async Task<string> AnMethodAsync()
{
await Task.Delay(5000);
return "HoanHT";
}
This is the way I usually do with the asynchronous problem, plus one more way is to use ConfigureAwait () for the Task but will cause minor problems.
Here is a way that I've found to load data for a datagrid in the background while not blocking your UI.
First, create a lock object, and enable collection synchronization, then actually load the data on a background thread using Task.Run():
private readonly object _myDataLock = new object();
private FastObservableCollection<My20FieldsDataRecord> MyList = new FastObservableCollection<My20FieldsDataRecord>();
private CollectionViewSource MyListCollectionView = new CollectionViewSource();
public MyViewModelConstructor() : base()
{
// Other ctor code
// ...
// assign the data source of the collection views
MyListCollectionView.Source = MyList;
// Setup synchronization
BindingOperations.EnableCollectionSynchronization(MyList, _myDataLock);
}
private async void LoadMyList()
{
// load the list
await Task.Run(async () =>
{
MyList.ReplaceAll(await MyRepository.LoadMyList());
}
);
}
Then in your repository you could write:
public virtual async Task<IList<My20FieldsDataRecord>> LoadMyList()
{
var results = await this.DataContext.TwentyFieldDataRecords
.OrderByDescending(x => x.MyDate).ToListAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
return results;
}
Then you could bind in your associated view like this:
<controls:DataGrid Name="MyListDataGrid" Grid.Row="1"
....
ItemsSource="{Binding MyListCollectionView.View}"
... >
For details, please see:
https://blog.stephencleary.com/2014/04/a-tour-of-task-part-0-overview.html
http://blog.stephencleary.com/2012/02/async-and-await.html#avoiding-context
https://msdn.microsoft.com/query/dev14.query?appId=Dev14IDEF1&l=EN-US&k=k(System.Windows.Data.BindingOperations.EnableCollectionSynchronization);k(TargetFrameworkMoniker-.NETFramework,Version%3Dv4.7);k(DevLang-csharp)&rd=true
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/mvc/overview/older-versions/getting-started-with-ef-5-using-mvc-4/implementing-the-repository-and-unit-of-work-patterns-in-an-asp-net-mvc-application

update text on a WPF page with delays

I new to WPF, and have to put a basic application together
It consists of one main window with a frame, and one page
the page has a basic status text -
the requirement is that when the page loads up, the application has to do a bunch of REST call to fetch some data from remote source, and update the status text as it fetches
problem is, as I update the text, it doesn't seem to be reflected on the page, or maybe it's being blocked - even though I've used Task
so far, I have the following code for testing:
private void Page_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
var wnd = Window.GetWindow(this);
wnd.ContentRendered += Wnd_ContentRendered;
}
private void Wnd_ContentRendered(object sender, EventArgs e) {
DisplayMessages();
}
private void DisplayMessages() {
authenticationText.Text = "text one";
var t = Task.Delay(5000);
t.Wait();
authenticationText.Text = "text two";
t = Task.Delay(5000);
t.Wait();
authenticationText.Text = "text three";
t = Task.Delay(5000);
t.Wait();
}
even though I'm waiting after each task, the UI doesn't get updated - rather it just displays text three directly after method is finished - suggestions ?
P.S: there's also a WPF loader on that page, I've noticed that it doesn't get animated as well - it seems the delay is working but everything on the UI isn't updated
I would suggest for getting the data from REST implementation , you should use the background worker and on the basis of completion of thread or progress changed you need to update the UI thread accordingly.
for getting the better insights on background worker.. kindly use this link
How to use WPF Background Worker
In your case you can use progresschanged event of the backgroundworker..
Please Create some property lets say StatusText with InotifyPropertyChanged Interface implemented and bind (use TwoWay Binding) it with the Text property of the authenticationText control .... and in the progress changed event of the backgroundworker set the value of the StatusText property,., which will automatically updates the UI.
You could try to invoke these results on the UI Thread...
Run your task normally with Task.Run or whatever. Each time you are ready to set some property on UI Thread you should invoke it through the dispatcher..
Task.Run(() =>
{
var _Temp = getSomePropTask();
Thread.Sleep(1000);
App.Current.Dispatcher.Invoke(()=>{
authenticationText.Text = _Temp;
});
});
Thanks to suggestion by Ashok, I did some background reading and have come up with the following solution using Task, async and await - which is simpler to manage than background worker threads:
private void Page_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) {
var wnd = Window.GetWindow(this);
wnd.ContentRendered += Wnd_ContentRendered;
}
private void Wnd_ContentRendered(object sender, EventArgs e) {
GetDataAsync();
}
private async void GetDataAsync() {
authenticationText.Text = "Connecting...";
await Task.Delay(5000);
authenticationText.Text = "Getting Member Details...";
List<MemberServiceModel> memberList = await GetMembersAsync();
// more code for handling response
}
private List<MemberServiceModel> GetMembers() {
//get all members synchronous
var request = new RestRequest("Members/Admin", Method.GET);
var response = _client.Execute<List<MemberServiceModel>>(request);
if (response.ResponseStatus != ResponseStatus.Completed) {
//TODO
_restErrorStatus = response.ResponseStatus.ToString();
_restErrorMessage = response.StatusDescription;
_logger.Error("Error in GetMembers");
_logger.Error("Status:" + _restErrorStatus);
_logger.Error("Description:" + _restErrorMessage);
}
return response.Data; ;
}
private Task<List<MemberServiceModel>> GetMembersAsync() {
//get all members asynchronous
return Task.Run(new Func<List<MemberServiceModel>>(GetMembers));
}

Different thread owns it in WPF

This is a UserControl that I am using.
this.CardHolderName.Content is a label that is in the UI of the user control.
public partial class PersonCredential : UserControl
{
public PersonCredential()
{
InitializeComponent();
Dispatcher.BeginInvoke( (Action) (() => {
SCLib type = new SCLib();
type.StartMonitoring();
type.CardArrived += (string ATR) => { this.CardHolderName.Content = ATR; };
};
}));
I am still getting the error , "The calling thread cannot access this object because a different thread owns it" even though I am using Dispatcher.BeginInvoke.
Is there something wrong in the way the Dispatcher is used ?
}
EDIT:
I am instantiating that user control inside a content control and the code-behind is:
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
PersonCredential personCredential {get;set;}
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
var personCredential = new CoffeeShop.PersonCredential();
//create an instance of user control.
this.personCredentials.Content = personCredential;
// assign it to the content control inside the wpf main window
.. // blah blah
}
EDIT 1:
Code for start-Monitoring:
public async void StartMonitoring()
{
// Wait for user to press a key
try
{
this.establishContext();
await Task.Run(new Action(WaitForReaderArrival));
////WaitForReaderArrival();
if (IsReaderArrived())
EDIT from #DanPuzey's comments. StartMonitoring already monitors on another thread. The key is that the CardArrived event is not being raised from the UI thread:
public PersonCredential()
{
InitializeComponent();
SCLib type = new SCLib();
type.StartMonitoring();
type.CardArrived += (string ATR) => {
// when card arrives, dispatch back to UI thread
Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(new Action(() => {
this.CardHolderName.Content = ATR;
}));
};
}
And if you are using .NET 4 or higher, use Task.Factory.StartNew() instead of new Thread().
If the IsReaderArrived check is an instant non-blocking call (i.e., it takes less than ~50ms to complete), I'd suggest to start the polling loop on the caller's thread, using Task.Delay(interval):
public async Task StartMonitoring(int interval, CancellationToken token)
{
this.establishContext();
while (true)
{
token.ThrowIfCancellationRequested();
if (IsReaderArrived())
{
// make sure to reset the flag inside IsReaderArrived
// so the event won't be fired upon the next iteration
if (this.CardArrived != null)
this.CardArrived(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
await Task.Delay(interval);
}
}
This is an asynchronous loop. If StartMonitoring is called from a UI thread, the CardArrived event will be fired on the same UI thread and the client of your code won't have to worry about Dispatcher.BeginInvoke. If you need an explanation of how this is happening, read "It's All About the SynchronizationContext."

How do I update the GUI on the parent form when I retrieve the value from a Task?

I think I'm missing something obvious here, but how do I update the GUI when using a task and retrieving the value? (I'm trying to use await/async instead of BackgroundWorker)
On my control the user has clicked a button that will do something that takes time. I want to alert the parent form so it can show some progress:
private void ButtonClicked()
{
var task = Task<bool>.Factory.StartNew(() =>
{
WorkStarted(this, new EventArgs());
Thread.Sleep(5000);
WorkComplete(this, null);
return true;
});
if (task.Result) MessageBox.Show("Success!");//this line causes app to block
}
In my parent form I'm listening to WorkStarted and WorkComplete to update the status bar:
myControl.WorkStarting += (o, args) =>
{
Invoke((MethodInvoker) delegate
{
toolStripProgressBar1.Visible = true;
toolStripStatusLabel1.Text = "Busy";
});
};
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the app is hanging because "Invoke" is waiting for the GUI thread to become available which it won't until my "ButtonClicked()" call is complete. So we have a deadlock.
What's the correct way to approach this?
You're blocking the UI thread Task.Result blocks until the task is completed.
Try this.
private async void ButtonClicked()
{
var task = Task<bool>.Factory.StartNew(() =>
{
WorkStarted(this, new EventArgs());
Thread.Sleep(5000);
WorkComplete(this, null);
return true;
});
await task;//Wait Asynchronously
if (task.Result) MessageBox.Show("Success!");//this line causes app to block
}
You can use Task.Run to execute code on a background thread. The Task-based Asynchronous Pattern specifies a pattern for progress updates, which looks like this:
private async void ButtonClicked()
{
var progress = new Progress<int>(update =>
{
// Apply "update" to the UI
});
var result = await Task.Run(() => DoWork(progress));
if (result) MessageBox.Show("Success!");
}
private static bool DoWork(IProgress<int> progress)
{
for (int i = 0; i != 5; ++i)
{
if (progress != null)
progress.Report(i);
Thread.Sleep(1000);
}
return true;
}
If you are targeting .NET 4.0, then you can use Microsoft.Bcl.Async; in that case, you would have to use TaskEx.Run instead of Task.Run. I explain on my blog why you shouldn't use Task.Factory.StartNew.

How to update UI from another thread running in another class

I am currently writing my first program on C# and I am extremely new to the language (used to only work with C so far). I have done a lot of research, but all answers were too general and I simply couldn't get it t work.
So here my (very common) problem:
I have a WPF application which takes inputs from a few textboxes filled by the user and then uses that to do a lot of calculations with them. They should take around 2-3 minutes, so I would like to update a progress bar and a textblock telling me what the current status is.
Also I need to store the UI inputs from the user and give them to the thread, so I have a third class, which I use to create an object and would like to pass this object to the background thread.
Obviously I would run the calculations in another thread, so the UI doesn't freeze, but I don't know how to update the UI, since all the calculation methods are part of another class.
After a lot of reasearch I think the best method to go with would be using dispatchers and TPL and not a backgroundworker, but honestly I am not sure how they work and after around 20 hours of trial and error with other answers, I decided to ask a question myself.
Here a very simple structure of my program:
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public MainWindow()
{
Initialize Component();
}
private void startCalc(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
inputValues input = new inputValues();
calcClass calculations = new calcClass();
try
{
input.pota = Convert.ToDouble(aVar.Text);
input.potb = Convert.ToDouble(bVar.Text);
input.potc = Convert.ToDouble(cVar.Text);
input.potd = Convert.ToDouble(dVar.Text);
input.potf = Convert.ToDouble(fVar.Text);
input.potA = Convert.ToDouble(AVar.Text);
input.potB = Convert.ToDouble(BVar.Text);
input.initStart = Convert.ToDouble(initStart.Text);
input.initEnd = Convert.ToDouble(initEnd.Text);
input.inita = Convert.ToDouble(inita.Text);
input.initb = Convert.ToDouble(initb.Text);
input.initc = Convert.ToDouble(initb.Text);
}
catch
{
MessageBox.Show("Some input values are not of the expected Type.", "Wrong Input", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Error);
}
Thread calcthread = new Thread(new ParameterizedThreadStart(calculations.testMethod);
calcthread.Start(input);
}
public class inputValues
{
public double pota, potb, potc, potd, potf, potA, potB;
public double initStart, initEnd, inita, initb, initc;
}
public class calcClass
{
public void testmethod(inputValues input)
{
Thread.CurrentThread.Priority = ThreadPriority.Lowest;
int i;
//the input object will be used somehow, but that doesn't matter for my problem
for (i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
{
Thread.Sleep(10);
}
}
}
I would be very grateful if someone had a simple explanation how to update the UI from inside the testmethod. Since I am new to C# and object oriented programming, too complicated answers I will very likely not understand, I'll do my best though.
Also if someone has a better idea in general (maybe using backgroundworker or anything else) I am open to see it.
First you need to use Dispatcher.Invoke to change the UI from another thread and to do that from another class, you can use events.
Then you can register to that event(s) in the main class and Dispatch the changes to the UI and in the calculation class you throw the event when you want to notify the UI:
class MainWindow : Window
{
private void startCalc()
{
//your code
CalcClass calc = new CalcClass();
calc.ProgressUpdate += (s, e) => {
Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate() { /* update UI */ });
};
Thread calcthread = new Thread(new ParameterizedThreadStart(calc.testMethod));
calcthread.Start(input);
}
}
class CalcClass
{
public event EventHandler ProgressUpdate;
public void testMethod(object input)
{
//part 1
if(ProgressUpdate != null)
ProgressUpdate(this, new YourEventArgs(status));
//part 2
}
}
UPDATE:
As it seems this is still an often visited question and answer I want to update this answer with how I would do it now (with .NET 4.5) - this is a little longer as I will show some different possibilities:
class MainWindow : Window
{
Task calcTask = null;
void buttonStartCalc_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e) { StartCalc(); } // #1
async void buttonDoCalc_Clicked(object sender, EventArgs e) // #2
{
await CalcAsync(); // #2
}
void StartCalc()
{
var calc = PrepareCalc();
calcTask = Task.Run(() => calc.TestMethod(input)); // #3
}
Task CalcAsync()
{
var calc = PrepareCalc();
return Task.Run(() => calc.TestMethod(input)); // #4
}
CalcClass PrepareCalc()
{
//your code
var calc = new CalcClass();
calc.ProgressUpdate += (s, e) => Dispatcher.Invoke((Action)delegate()
{
// update UI
});
return calc;
}
}
class CalcClass
{
public event EventHandler<EventArgs<YourStatus>> ProgressUpdate; // #5
public TestMethod(InputValues input)
{
//part 1
ProgressUpdate.Raise(this, status); // #6 - status is of type YourStatus
// alternative version to the extension for C# 6+:
ProgressUpdate?.Invoke(this, new EventArgs<YourStatus>(status));
//part 2
}
}
static class EventExtensions
{
public static void Raise<T>(this EventHandler<EventArgs<T>> theEvent,
object sender, T args)
{
if (theEvent != null)
theEvent(sender, new EventArgs<T>(args));
}
}
#1) How to start the "synchronous" calculations and run them in the background
#2) How to start it "asynchronous" and "await it": Here the calculation is executed and completed before the method returns, but because of the async/await the UI is not blocked (BTW: such event handlers are the only valid usages of async void as the event handler must return void - use async Task in all other cases)
#3) Instead of a new Thread we now use a Task. To later be able to check its (successfull) completion we save it in the global calcTask member. In the background this also starts a new thread and runs the action there, but it is much easier to handle and has some other benefits.
#4) Here we also start the action, but this time we return the task, so the "async event handler" can "await it". We could also create async Task CalcAsync() and then await Task.Run(() => calc.TestMethod(input)).ConfigureAwait(false); (FYI: the ConfigureAwait(false) is to avoid deadlocks, you should read up on this if you use async/await as it would be to much to explain here) which would result in the same workflow, but as the Task.Run is the only "awaitable operation" and is the last one we can simply return the task and save one context switch, which saves some execution time.
#5) Here I now use a "strongly typed generic event" so we can pass and receive our "status object" easily
#6) Here I use the extension defined below, which (aside from ease of use) solve the possible race condition in the old example. There it could have happened that the event got null after the if-check, but before the call if the event handler was removed in another thread at just that moment. This can't happen here, as the extensions gets a "copy" of the event delegate and in the same situation the handler is still registered inside the Raise method.
I am going to throw you a curve ball here. If I have said it once I have said it a hundred times. Marshaling operations like Invoke or BeginInvoke are not always the best methods for updating the UI with worker thread progress.
In this case it usually works better to have the worker thread publish its progress information to a shared data structure that the UI thread then polls at regular intervals. This has several advantages.
It breaks the tight coupling between the UI and worker thread that Invoke imposes.
The UI thread gets to dictate when the UI controls get updated...the way it should be anyway when you really think about it.
There is no risk of overrunning the UI message queue as would be the case if BeginInvoke were used from the worker thread.
The worker thread does not have to wait for a response from the UI thread as would be the case with Invoke.
You get more throughput on both the UI and worker threads.
Invoke and BeginInvoke are expensive operations.
So in your calcClass create a data structure that will hold the progress information.
public class calcClass
{
private double percentComplete = 0;
public double PercentComplete
{
get
{
// Do a thread-safe read here.
return Interlocked.CompareExchange(ref percentComplete, 0, 0);
}
}
public testMethod(object input)
{
int count = 1000;
for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
{
Thread.Sleep(10);
double newvalue = ((double)i + 1) / (double)count;
Interlocked.Exchange(ref percentComplete, newvalue);
}
}
}
Then in your MainWindow class use a DispatcherTimer to periodically poll the progress information. Configure the DispatcherTimer to raise the Tick event on whatever interval is most appropriate for your situation.
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
public void YourDispatcherTimer_Tick(object sender, EventArgs args)
{
YourProgressBar.Value = calculation.PercentComplete;
}
}
You're right that you should use the Dispatcher to update controls on the UI thread, and also right that long-running processes should not run on the UI thread. Even if you run the long-running process asynchronously on the UI thread, it can still cause performance issues.
It should be noted that Dispatcher.CurrentDispatcher will return the dispatcher for the current thread, not necessarily the UI thread. I think you can use Application.Current.Dispatcher to get a reference to the UI thread's dispatcher if that's available to you, but if not you'll have to pass the UI dispatcher in to your background thread.
Typically I use the Task Parallel Library for threading operations instead of a BackgroundWorker. I just find it easier to use.
For example,
Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
SomeObject.RunLongProcess(someDataObject));
where
void RunLongProcess(SomeViewModel someDataObject)
{
for (int i = 0; i <= 1000; i++)
{
Thread.Sleep(10);
// Update every 10 executions
if (i % 10 == 0)
{
// Send message to UI thread
Application.Current.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(
DispatcherPriority.Normal,
(Action)(() => someDataObject.ProgressValue = (i / 1000)));
}
}
}
Everything that interacts with the UI must be called in the UI thread (unless it is a frozen object). To do that, you can use the dispatcher.
var disp = /* Get the UI dispatcher, each WPF object has a dispatcher which you can query*/
disp.BeginInvoke(DispatcherPriority.Normal,
(Action)(() => /*Do your UI Stuff here*/));
I use BeginInvoke here, usually a backgroundworker doesn't need to wait that the UI updates. If you want to wait, you can use Invoke. But you should be careful not to call BeginInvoke to fast to often, this can get really nasty.
By the way, The BackgroundWorker class helps with this kind of taks. It allows Reporting changes, like a percentage and dispatches this automatically from the Background thread into the ui thread. For the most thread <> update ui tasks the BackgroundWorker is a great tool.
If this is a long calculation then I would go background worker. It has progress support. It also has support for cancel.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc221403(v=VS.95).aspx
Here I have a TextBox bound to contents.
private void backgroundWorker_RunWorkerCompleted(object sender, RunWorkerCompletedEventArgs e)
{
Debug.Write("backgroundWorker_RunWorkerCompleted");
if (e.Cancelled)
{
contents = "Cancelled get contents.";
NotifyPropertyChanged("Contents");
}
else if (e.Error != null)
{
contents = "An Error Occured in get contents";
NotifyPropertyChanged("Contents");
}
else
{
contents = (string)e.Result;
if (contentTabSelectd) NotifyPropertyChanged("Contents");
}
}
You are going to have to come back to your main thread (also called UI thread) in order to update the UI.
Any other thread trying to update your UI will just cause exceptions to be thrown all over the place.
So because you are in WPF, you can use the Dispatcher and more specifically a beginInvoke on this dispatcher. This will allow you to execute what needs done (typically Update the UI) in the UI thread.
You migh also want to "register" the UI in your business, by maintaining a reference to a control/form, so you can use its dispatcher.
Thank God, Microsoft got that figured out in WPF :)
Every Control, like a progress bar, button, form, etc. has a Dispatcher on it. You can give the Dispatcher an Action that needs to be performed, and it will automatically call it on the correct thread (an Action is like a function delegate).
You can find an example here.
Of course, you'll have to have the control accessible from other classes, e.g. by making it public and handing a reference to the Window to your other class, or maybe by passing a reference only to the progress bar.
Felt the need to add this better answer, as nothing except BackgroundWorker seemed to help me, and the answer dealing with that thus far was woefully incomplete. This is how you would update a XAML page called MainWindow that has an Image tag like this:
<Image Name="imgNtwkInd" Source="Images/network_on.jpg" Width="50" />
with a BackgroundWorker process to show if you are connected to the network or not:
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Windows;
using System.Windows.Controls;
public partial class MainWindow : Window
{
private BackgroundWorker bw = new BackgroundWorker();
public MainWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
// Set up background worker to allow progress reporting and cancellation
bw.WorkerReportsProgress = true;
bw.WorkerSupportsCancellation = true;
// This is your main work process that records progress
bw.DoWork += new DoWorkEventHandler(SomeClass.DoWork);
// This will update your page based on that progress
bw.ProgressChanged += new ProgressChangedEventHandler(bw_ProgressChanged);
// This starts your background worker and "DoWork()"
bw.RunWorkerAsync();
// When this page closes, this will run and cancel your background worker
this.Closing += new CancelEventHandler(Page_Unload);
}
private void bw_ProgressChanged(object sender, ProgressChangedEventArgs e)
{
BitmapImage bImg = new BitmapImage();
bool connected = false;
string response = e.ProgressPercentage.ToString(); // will either be 1 or 0 for true/false -- this is the result recorded in DoWork()
if (response == "1")
connected = true;
// Do something with the result we got
if (!connected)
{
bImg.BeginInit();
bImg.UriSource = new Uri("Images/network_off.jpg", UriKind.Relative);
bImg.EndInit();
imgNtwkInd.Source = bImg;
}
else
{
bImg.BeginInit();
bImg.UriSource = new Uri("Images/network_on.jpg", UriKind.Relative);
bImg.EndInit();
imgNtwkInd.Source = bImg;
}
}
private void Page_Unload(object sender, CancelEventArgs e)
{
bw.CancelAsync(); // stops the background worker when unloading the page
}
}
public class SomeClass
{
public static bool connected = false;
public void DoWork(object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)
{
BackgroundWorker bw = sender as BackgroundWorker;
int i = 0;
do
{
connected = CheckConn(); // do some task and get the result
if (bw.CancellationPending == true)
{
e.Cancel = true;
break;
}
else
{
Thread.Sleep(1000);
// Record your result here
if (connected)
bw.ReportProgress(1);
else
bw.ReportProgress(0);
}
}
while (i == 0);
}
private static bool CheckConn()
{
bool conn = false;
Ping png = new Ping();
string host = "SomeComputerNameHere";
try
{
PingReply pngReply = png.Send(host);
if (pngReply.Status == IPStatus.Success)
conn = true;
}
catch (PingException ex)
{
// write exception to log
}
return conn;
}
}
For more information: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc221403(v=VS.95).aspx

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