Setting up dependency injection for my own classes - c#

I have a little problem I can't wrap my head around in relation to Dependency Injections. I learned how to inject dependency for .net mvc 5 controllers using Ninject. However, I can't figure out how to inject dependencies for my own classes.
For example I have a Resource class.
public class Resource
{
public IResourceLoader ResourceLoader {get;set}
public Resource(IResourceLoader ResourceLoader)
{
this.ResourceLoader = ResourceLoader;
}
}
Where IResourceLoader can be implemented to load different types of resources such as XMLLoader. So is it possible to use Ninject to automatically send an instance of XMLLoader when I do
Resource xmlResource = new Resource(/*do something here/*);
Or better yet if I have a Banner class that inherits from Resource that sets a string resourceType to "xml" and have Ninject filter instances based on that string.
Do I have to implement a factory pattern and do it myself.
Thanks

The simple use of DI is where you first register your dependencies (Ninject calls this 'type bindings'):
Bind<IResourceLoader>().To<XMLLoader>();
You can then get an instance of Resource by doing:
IKernel kernel = new StandardKernel();
var resource = kernel.Get<Resource>();
and Ninject will wire-up the constructor types it knows about.
Alternatively, there are several other ways to create dependencies, including, for example the ability to completely control parameters used to create the resource instance:
Bind<IResourceLoader>().ToMethod(context => new XMLResourceLoader("schema.xsd"));
Contextual binding
Ninject also supports something it calls Contextual Binding, where basically you can do something like this:
Bind<IResourceLoader>().To<SimpleResourceLoader>();
Bind<IResourceLoader>().To<XMLResourceLoader>().Named("XML");
public class Banner : Resource
{
public Banner([Named("XML")] IResourceLoader resourceLoader)
: base(resourceLoader) { }
}

If you're using Ninject, and in a web project, you should have a NinjectWebCommon.cs class in the App_Start folder?
In the RegisterServicesmethod you could add:
kernel
.Bind<IResourceLoader>()
.ToMethod<IResourceLoader>(InstantiateResourceLoader)
And then in the same class, implement the method like so:
private static IResourceLoader InstantiateResourceLoader(IContext ctx) {
// Put in whatever logic you need to decide on which loader you want to return
// Use ctx.Kernel.Get<WhatEver>() if you need something from the DI
return new XMLLoader();
}

Related

Simple Injector explicit attribute injection - property is null inside constructor

New to Simple Injector, trying to get some pieces working for a prototype. I am creating a WPF application that uses Simple Injector and ReactiveUI, but can't seem to get explicit property injection via attribute to trigger. The specific example I am working through is just testing injection of a logger. The plan is to roll this into a decorator, but I have run across the need for attribute injection with previous projects/DI libraries. Just want to verify I am able to use it.
Snippet of the bootstrapping:
private Container RegisterDependencies(Container container = null)
{
container ??= new Container();
// Container initialization that must precede dependency registration
// occurs here
// Enable property injection via the [Import] attribute
container.Options.PropertySelectionBehavior =
new ImportPropertySelectionBehavior();
SimpleInjectorInitializer initializer = new SimpleInjectorInitializer();
Locator.SetLocator(initializer);
Locator.CurrentMutable.InitializeSplat();
Locator.CurrentMutable.InitializeReactiveUI();
container.UseSimpleInjectorDependencyResolver(initializer);
container.RegisterConditional(
typeof(ILogger),
c => typeof(NLogLogger<>)
.MakeGenericType(c.Consumer.ImplementationType),
Lifestyle.Singleton,
c => true);
container.Register<MainWindow>();
container.Register<ISystem, System>(Lifestyle.Singleton);
container.Verify();
return container;
}
An instance of the System is requested from the DI container in the static RunApplication called from Main:
var system = container.GetInstance<ISystem>();
And here is the property injection in the system:
public class System : ISystem
{
[Import] public ILogger Logger { get; set; }
public System()
{
// Logger is null here. NullReferenceException is thrown
Logger.LogInfo("Creating System");
}
}
At this point in the constructor, the Logger property is null and attempt to log fails with exception. I should mention the ILogger is my own abstraction of NLog. If I instead perform constructor injection:
public System(ILogger logger)
Simple Injector picks up on this and resolves the dependency fine. I have tried changing the Import attribute to a different custom-defined Dependency attribute, no change. Have also tried just instantiating the logger as a singleton, same behavior.
Really appreciate any ideas, I'm running dry on searching forums, the SimpleInjector/ReactiveUI docs, and Steven's DI book.
Edit - here is the PropertySelectionBehavior code as well:
public class PropertySelectionBehavior<T> : IPropertySelectionBehavior
where T : Attribute
{
public bool SelectProperty(
Type implementationType, PropertyInfo propertyInfo) =>
propertyInfo.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(T)).Any();
}
public class ImportPropertySelectionBehavior :
PropertySelectionBehavior<ImportAttribute> { }
2nd Edit - I can take out all of the initialization related to ReactiveUI and still reproduce same behavior. New sample looks like:
private Container RegisterDependencies(Container container = null)
{
container ??= new Container();
container.Options.PropertySelectionBehavior =
new ImportPropertySelectionBehavior();
// Logger registration
container.RegisterConditional(
typeof(ILogger),
c => typeof(NLogLogger<>)
.MakeGenericType(c.Consumer.ImplementationType),
Lifestyle.Singleton,
c => true);
// UI registration
container.Register<MainWindow>();
//container.Register<MainWindowViewModel>();
container.Register<ISystem, System>(Lifestyle.Singleton);
container.Verify();
return container;
}
You are using the Logger property from inside System's constructor. Properties, however, are only initialized after the constructor finished. If you remove Simple Injector from the equation, and fallback to plain old C#, you would see the same. For instance:
var system = new System() // <-- constructor call
{
Logger = new NLogLogger<System>() // Logger_set is called after the ctor
};
If you run this code, you will see the same NullReferenceException thrown by the constructor of System.
What this means is that you shouldn't use any properties from inside your constructor. Even more broadly, from a DI perspective, you shouldn't use any service inside your constructor (or during construction for that matter) as is described by Mark Seemann here.
Update, the explicit property injection is working fine. It occurs after construction. I imagine there are design reasons for this, although somehow it was contrary to my mental model that the property injection would be performed on-demand/on first use.
Planning on experimenting a bit more to see what control is available over the timing to resolve property dependencies. If anyone who is more experienced has any advice on that or can point me to additional documentation I would welcome it. The decorator sounds like the more elegant way to make sure the logger is available as expected and allow independent lazy loading of decoratee concerns. Some discussion here:
SimpleInjector - "Lazy" Instantiate a singleton that has dependencies on first use

Accessing unity container of web app from a class library

I have a class library for caching ( Redis ), we have a unity container inside this Redis class library
public class TCache<T>
{
static readonly IUnityContainer container = new UnityContainer();
private ITCache<T> ICacheStore;
static TCache()
{
container.RegisterType<ITCache<T>, TRedisCacheStore<T>>(new ContainerControlledLifetimeManager());
}
public TCache()
{
ICacheStore = container.Resolve<TRedisCacheStore<T>>();
}
Now my senior said me not use a separate container like this and I should be using the container which is already created inside the web app with the reason being that there should be only one single container.
My question is: is it possible to access a unity container that resides in a different project and is it necessary to do this change ?
Note: I cannot add the reference of the web app into the Redis cache class library.
You should only reference a container within your composition root (http://blog.ploeh.dk/2011/07/28/CompositionRoot/).
In other words, find where your current services are registered, and perform the generic registration there.
Your type that requires a cache store then takes your abstraction via constructor injection:
public class Cache<T>
{
private readonly ITCache<T> cacheStore;
public Cache(ITCache<T> cacheStore)
{
this.cacheStore = cacheStore
?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(cacheStore));
}
}
By the way, using T as a prefix for your types (rather than as a prefix for generic type parameters) is very confusing.
The names TCache and ITCache are also very confusing.
Well, I share his view of the usage of the container. How I fixed this issue is (without going into the details of how I actually created it):
Make an option to register onto the container through an interface. Something like IRegisterContainer.Register(IUnityContainer container).
Then at the moment where you now register the mappings to the container, you extend that function to also search your assembly for all objects that implement that IRegisterContainer and make them register themselves.
And use this as a platform to fix your problem.
If you want to use the IUnityContainer in your TCache object to resolve the TRediscacheStore. Simply let the IUnityContainer register itself.
container.Register<IUnityContainer, container>().
And make it a dependency in the constructor of TCache.

Using Nininject MVC with class libraries

I'm quite new to IoC frameworks so please excuse the terminology.
So what I have is a MVC project with the Nininject MVC references.
I have other class libarys in my project e.g. Domain layer, I would like to be able to use the Ninject framework in there but all of my bindings are in the NinjectWebCommon.cs under the App_Start folder in the MVC project:
private static void RegisterServices(IKernel kernel)
{
kernel.Bind<IHardwareService>().To<WindowsHardwareService>();
kernel.Bind<IStatusApi>().To<StatusApiController>();
}
Currently in my class library I am using constructor injection but sometime I am having to hardcode the dependencies:
var service = new WindowsHardwareService();
When I would like to be able to do the following:
IKernel kernel = new StandardKernel(.....);
var context = kernel.Get<IHardwareService>();
I have not been doing the following because I do not have any modules?
All of the documentation I have read is mainly aimed at the regular Ninject library and not the MVC version.
What do I need to do, and how can I use the regular Ninject library with the MVC version?
Update
This is what I have tried:
The aim of this is so that each project can load the module and get the current injected interface.
App_Start/NinjectWebCommon.cs (In MVC Project)
private static void RegisterServices(IKernel kernel)
{
var modules = new IoCModules();
var newKernal = modules.GetKernel();
kernel = newKernal;
}
IoCModules.cs (In Project.Ioc project)
public class IoCModules
{
public IKernel GetKernel()
{
var modules = new CoreModule();
return modules.Kernel;
}
}
CoreModule.cs (In Project.IoC.Modules project) <-- This is where all the references to all projects are, this get's around any circular dependency issues.
public class CoreModule : NinjectModule
{
public override void Load()
{
Bind<IHardwareService>().To<WindowsHardwareService>();
Bind<IStatusApi>().To<StatusApiController>();
}
}
But I am currently getting the following:
Error activating IHardwareService
No matching bindings are available, and the type is not self-bindable.
Activation path:
2) Injection of dependency IHardwareService into parameter service of constructor of type DashboardController
1) Request for DashboardController
Suggestions:
1) Ensure that you have defined a binding for IHardwareService.
2) If the binding was defined in a module, ensure that the module has been loaded into the kernel.
3) Ensure you have not accidentally created more than one kernel.
4) If you are using constructor arguments, ensure that the parameter name matches the constructors parameter name.
5) If you are using automatic module loading, ensure the search path and filters are correct.
It seems that you have a lot of questions what needs to be answered here, so I will try to do my best.
Based on your current question I will try to "draw up" a simplified architecture of your current implementation:
Domain layer: The core of your domain, place of your business entities, etc.
Infrastructure layer: This is where your services reside e.g.: WindowsHardwareService
IOC: I tend to call to this as DependencyResolution assembly.
UI: MVC application
Assuming this all above, we can state that your applications Composition Root or Entry point is the UI MVC project. One of the main concepts using a DI Container that is you initalize it in the Composition Root set up/do all your needed bindings and registrations here. The main intention to do it in the entry point is to avoid the Service Locator anti-pattern.
By using a DI Container you don't new() up your class implementations or get the kernel but rather ask for the registered dependency, following the rule of Inversion Of Control or also known as the Hollywood principle.
After the philosphy course, we can finally get to some actual implementation.
Creating an Ninject module: in your IOC assembly, lets call this file as ServiceModule.cs
using Ninject.Modules;
public class ServiceModule : NinjectModule
{
public override void Load()
{
Bind<IHardwareService>().To<WindowsHardwareService>();
Bind<IStatusApi>().To<StatusApiController>();
}
}
This will be the Ninject module that you will register/load in the Composition Root.
Now about the Composition Root: in UI MVC projects NinjectWebCommon.cs
You can have a method that is responsible loading your modules as below.
private static void RegisterServices(IKernel kernel)
{
var modules = new List<INinjectModule>
{
new ServiceModule()
//, new FooModule()
//, new BarModule()
};
kernel.Load(modules);
}
And finally your DashboardController in UI MVC:
public class DashboardController : Controller
{
private readonly IHardwareService _hardwareService;
public DashboardController(IHardwareService hardwareService)
{
_hardwareService = hardwareService;
}
}
At this point, your ask for the registered implementation of IHardwareService in the controllers constructor. The DI Container will do the dirty job and pass you the instance that you can work with later in your controller.
A note about the interfaces: I tend to put these into an own assembly, where I just store the interfaces, e.g.: Project.Domain.Interfaces or Project.Infrastructure.Interfaces where each of these assemblies contain only domain or infrastructure interfaces.
References between assemblies:
To put all these together the UI only references the IOC assembly and the interfaces assembly that containts the interfaces you bound in your Ninject Module.
Summarizing all of the above:
Your classes and interfaces alone by theirselves are just pieces what are getting glued together by the DI container.
Hope I cleared it up a bit.
EDIT: as some good advice that #AndreySarafanov pointed out in comments, if you need different implementations of an interface you ask for in the constructor, you can use a Ninject Factory. For more information you can refer to this answer.

How do I control the lifetime of a custom IResourceProvider?

I've taken this approach to injecting a custom resource provider in my ASP.NET MVC application, but I'm having some problems with object lifetime management.
I'm using Castle Windsor, so I have the following implementation of the factory:
public class DefaultResourceProviderFactory : ResourceProviderFactory
{
public override IResourceProvider CreateGlobalResourceProvider(string classKey)
{
// IoC is a static helper class that gives me static access to the
// container. IoC.Resolve<T>(args...) simply calls container.Resolve<T>(args...).
return IoC.Resolve<IResourceProvider>(new { resourceType = "Global" });
}
public override IResourceProvider CreateLocalResourceProvider(string virtualPath)
{
// resourceType
return IoC.Resolve<IResourceProvider>(new { ResourceType = virtualPath });
}
}
However, the IResourceProvider I have registered in the container doesn't seem to have its lifetime managed correctly. It has some other dependencies of its own, some of which have somewhat complicated lifestyles (per web request or per transaction), so I've registered the IResourceProvider as transient to ensure that its dependencies are always valid. But the MVC framework is stepping on my toes, keeping a reference to the IResourceProvider across web requests, which causes ObjectDisposedExceptions when its dependencies have been invalidated on the next request.
What I'd like to do, is to make the MVC framework use the factory every time it needs an instance of my IResourceProvider, and - if possible - also to invoke IoC.Release(provider) or something similar when it's done with it.
How do I micro-manage the lifestyle of the custom IResourceProvider in a way that the MVC framework will respect?
After searching around for various ways to control the lifetime of the IResourceProvider itself, I decided that it was better to refactor my implementation to utilize the Typed Factory Facility.
My IResourceProvider implementation formerly looked something like this:
public class CachedResourceProvider : IResourceProvider {
CachedResourceProvider(IResourceRecordRepository repo) { /* ... */ }
// other members...
}
Now, I changed it to this instead:
public class CachedResourceProvider : IResourceProvider {
CachedResourceProvider(IResourceRecordRepositoryFactory repo) { /* ... */ }
// other members...
}
The factory interface is a new one, defined as
public interface IResourceRecordRepositoryFactory {
IResourceRecord NewInstance();
void Release(IResourceRecord instance);
}
and every usage of the private _repo instance in the CachedResourceProvider was refactored to three statements: get a repo instance from the factory, use the repo instance to fetch/save something, release the instance through the factory.
I registered them like this:
container.AddFacility<TypedFactoryFacility>();
container.Register(Component.For<IResourceRecordRepositoryFactory>().AsFactory());
Now, even though MVC is keeping a reference to my resource provider across web requests, the services it uses are re-fetched from the Windsor container each time they're used, so the container is in full control of their lifetime.

What exactly are the steps to auto inject Func<T>?

I'm trying to set up a service class where I would like to inject a simple Func<OtherService> factory method in its constructor. Type OtherService is a class, which should be self-bound (and is indeed when I inject it without factory).
I've installed the latest Ninject core, and Ninject.Extensions.Factory NuGet packages. When I try to retrieve an instance from Ninject, I get an activation exception about not being able to activate IntPtr.
What am I doing wrong? If I understand correctly the documentation of the Factory extension, this type of Func binding should be automatic, without any configuration. Do I need to register the Factory extension anywhere, or create an explicit binding for OtherService? Any tips would be appreciated.
EDIT:
I have Ninject and Ninject.Extensions.Factory installed in a small separate project, where I do some customizations on Ninject. These are the following:
Kernel.Components.Add<IInjectionHeuristic, CustomInjectionHeuristic>();
Kernel.Components.Add<IActivationStrategy, TransientDisposableActivationStrategy>();
where the two custom handlers are for letting me use my custom [Service] attribute for indicating property injection, and for handling disposing of components which use my own IDisposableEx interface (with Disposed notification) for Ninject cache fine tuning.
public class CustomInjectionHeuristic : NinjectComponent, IInjectionHeuristic, INinjectComponent, IDisposable
{
public bool ShouldInject(MemberInfo member)
{
return member.IsDefined(typeof(ServiceAttribute), true);
}
}
public class TransientDisposableActivationStrategy : ActivationStrategy
{
public override void Activate(IContext context, InstanceReference reference)
{
var scope = context.GetScope();
// care about only transient scoped objects
if (scope != null) return;
if (reference.Instance is Component)
reference.Instance.As<Component>().Disposed +=
(sender, args) => context.Kernel.Components.Get<ICache>().Clear(sender);
if (reference.Instance is IDisposableEx)
reference.Instance.As<IDisposableEx>().Disposed +=
(sender, args) => context.Kernel.Components.Get<ICache>().Clear(sender);
}
}
And I also use the Ninject.Extensions.NamedScope extension for InCallScope() bindings.
Any of these customizations could have effect on proper work of the factory?
EDIT2:
I think I got it. The problem seems to be that I have to reference the Factory extension in my startup project, where I define bindings, and not in the class library where I have my basic Ninject setup. So the key is that I have to reference any binding-related extension in that project where I define the bindings. Anyway, sounds logical...
The problem seems to be that I have to reference the Factory extension in my startup project, where I define bindings, and not in the class library where I have my basic Ninject setup. So the key is that I have to reference any binding-related extension in that project where I define the bindings. Anyway, sounds logical...

Categories