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Resolving "callback was made on a garbage collected delegate" using unmanaged code [duplicate]

I have been using this key hook script i found but I continue to get an error after a few seconds of using it in my program. The error says.. A call has been made on a garbage collected delegate 'keylogger!Utilities.globalKeyboardHook+keyboardHookProc::Invoke'.
How can I fix this?
namespace Utilities
{
/// <summary>
/// A class that manages a global low level keyboard hook
/// </summary>
class globalKeyboardHook
{
#region Constant, Structure and Delegate Definitions
/// <summary>
/// defines the callback type for the hook
/// </summary>
public delegate int keyboardHookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
public struct keyboardHookStruct
{
public int vkCode;
public int scanCode;
public int flags;
public int time;
public int dwExtraInfo;
}
const int WH_KEYBOARD_LL = 13;
const int WM_KEYDOWN = 0x100;
const int WM_KEYUP = 0x101;
const int WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 0x104;
const int WM_SYSKEYUP = 0x105;
#endregion
#region Instance Variables
/// <summary>
/// The collections of keys to watch for
/// </summary>
public List<Keys> HookedKeys = new List<Keys>();
/// <summary>
/// Handle to the hook, need this to unhook and call the next hook
/// </summary>
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero;
#endregion
#region Events
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is pressed
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyDown;
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is released
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyUp;
#endregion
#region Constructors and Destructors
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> class and installs the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
public globalKeyboardHook()
{
hook();
}
/// <summary>
/// Releases unmanaged resources and performs other cleanup operations before the
/// <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> is reclaimed by garbage collection and uninstalls the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
~globalKeyboardHook()
{
unhook();
}
#endregion
#region Public Methods
/// <summary>
/// Installs the global hook
/// </summary>
public void hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProc, hInstance, 0);
}
/// <summary>
/// Uninstalls the global hook
/// </summary>
public void unhook()
{
UnhookWindowsHookEx(hhook);
}
/// <summary>
/// The callback for the keyboard hook
/// </summary>
/// <param name="code">The hook code, if it isn't >= 0, the function shouldn't do anyting</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The event type</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The keyhook event information</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public int hookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam)
{
if (code >= 0)
{
Keys key = (Keys)lParam.vkCode;
if (HookedKeys.Contains(key))
{
KeyEventArgs kea = new KeyEventArgs(key);
if ((wParam == WM_KEYDOWN || wParam == WM_SYSKEYDOWN) && (KeyDown != null))
{
KeyDown(this, kea);
}
else if ((wParam == WM_KEYUP || wParam == WM_SYSKEYUP) && (KeyUp != null))
{
KeyUp(this, kea);
}
if (kea.Handled)
return 1;
}
}
return CallNextHookEx(hhook, code, wParam, ref lParam);
}
#endregion
#region DLL imports
/// <summary>
/// Sets the windows hook, do the desired event, one of hInstance or threadId must be non-null
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The id of the event you want to hook</param>
/// <param name="callback">The callback.</param>
/// <param name="hInstance">The handle you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <param name="threadId">The thread you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <returns>a handle to the desired hook</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr SetWindowsHookEx(int idHook, keyboardHookProc callback, IntPtr hInstance, uint threadId);
/// <summary>
/// Unhooks the windows hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hInstance">The hook handle that was returned from SetWindowsHookEx</param>
/// <returns>True if successful, false otherwise</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool UnhookWindowsHookEx(IntPtr hInstance);
/// <summary>
/// Calls the next hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The hook id</param>
/// <param name="nCode">The hook code</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The wparam.</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The lparam.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern int CallNextHookEx(IntPtr idHook, int nCode, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
/// <summary>
/// Loads the library.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpFileName">Name of the library</param>
/// <returns>A handle to the library</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
#endregion
}
}
globalKeyboardHook class :
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
namespace Utilities
{
/// <summary>
/// A class that manages a global low level keyboard hook
/// </summary>
class globalKeyboardHook : IDisposable
{
private bool _disposed;
#region Constant, Structure and Delegate Definitions
/// <summary>
/// defines the callback type for the hook
/// </summary>
public delegate int keyboardHookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
public struct keyboardHookStruct
{
public int vkCode;
public int scanCode;
public int flags;
public int time;
public int dwExtraInfo;
}
const int WH_KEYBOARD_LL = 13;
const int WM_KEYDOWN = 0x100;
const int WM_KEYUP = 0x101;
const int WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 0x104;
const int WM_SYSKEYUP = 0x105;
#endregion
#region Instance Variables
/// <summary>
/// The collections of keys to watch for
/// </summary>
public List<Keys> HookedKeys = new List<Keys>();
/// <summary>
/// Handle to the hook, need this to unhook and call the next hook
/// </summary>
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero;
#endregion
#region Events
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is pressed
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyDown;
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is released
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyUp;
#endregion
#region Constructors and Destructors
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> class and installs the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
public globalKeyboardHook()
{
hook();
_disposed = false;
}
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
// Use SupressFinalize in case a subclass
// of this type implements a finalizer.
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
// If you need thread safety, use a lock around these
// operations, as well as in your methods that use the resource.
if (!_disposed)
{
if (disposing)
{
unhook();
}
// Indicate that the instance has been disposed.
_disposed = true;
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Releases unmanaged resources and performs other cleanup operations before the
/// <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> is reclaimed by garbage collection and uninstalls the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
~globalKeyboardHook()
{
Dispose();
}
#endregion
#region Public Methods
/// <summary>
/// Installs the global hook
/// </summary>
public void hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, new keyboardHookProc(hookProc), hInstance, 0);
}
/// <summary>
/// Uninstalls the global hook
/// </summary>
public void unhook()
{
UnhookWindowsHookEx(hhook);
}
/// <summary>
/// The callback for the keyboard hook
/// </summary>
/// <param name="code">The hook code, if it isn't >= 0, the function shouldn't do anyting</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The event type</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The keyhook event information</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public int hookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam)
{
if (code >= 0)
{
Keys key = (Keys)lParam.vkCode;
if (HookedKeys.Contains(key))
{
KeyEventArgs kea = new KeyEventArgs(key);
if ((wParam == WM_KEYDOWN || wParam == WM_SYSKEYDOWN) && (KeyDown != null))
{
KeyDown(this, kea);
}
else if ((wParam == WM_KEYUP || wParam == WM_SYSKEYUP) && (KeyUp != null))
{
KeyUp(this, kea);
}
if (kea.Handled)
return 1;
}
}
return CallNextHookEx(hhook, code, wParam, ref lParam);
}
#endregion
#region DLL imports
/// <summary>
/// Sets the windows hook, do the desired event, one of hInstance or threadId must be non-null
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The id of the event you want to hook</param>
/// <param name="callback">The callback.</param>
/// <param name="hInstance">The handle you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <param name="threadId">The thread you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <returns>a handle to the desired hook</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr SetWindowsHookEx(int idHook, keyboardHookProc callback, IntPtr hInstance, uint threadId);
/// <summary>
/// Unhooks the windows hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hInstance">The hook handle that was returned from SetWindowsHookEx</param>
/// <returns>True if successful, false otherwise</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool UnhookWindowsHookEx(IntPtr hInstance);
/// <summary>
/// Calls the next hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The hook id</param>
/// <param name="nCode">The hook code</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The wparam.</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The lparam.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern int CallNextHookEx(IntPtr idHook, int nCode, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
/// <summary>
/// Loads the library.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpFileName">Name of the library</param>
/// <returns>A handle to the library</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
#endregion
}
}
I updated the code with IDisposable. I am probably horribly off on what I am supposed to do but its still not working

The problem is that:
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProc, hInstance, 0);
is just syntactic sugar for:
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, new keyboardHookProc(hookProc), hInstance, 0);
and so the keyboardHookProc object is just local and will get disposed of since SetWindowsHookEx doesn't do anything to actually hold onto it in the managed world.
To fix this, up at the top where you define your member variables, add one more like this:
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero
private keyboardHookProc hookProcDelegate;
then change your constructor to be:
public globalKeyboardHook()
{
hookProcDelegate = hookProc;
hook();
}
and then change your hook() method to be:
public void hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProcDelegate, hInstance, 0);
}
That way you're using a delegate that is stored as a member variable and will be alive as long as your globalKeyboardHook object is alive.

Sounds to me like you are instantiating a globalKeyboardHook then letting it get garbage collected. I'm guessing you do something like this:
public void InstallHook()
{
var hook = new globalKeyboardHook();
}
You need to keep a reference to the globalKeyboardHook() around to prevent it from being garbage collected.
globalKeyboardHook hook;
public void InstallHook()
{
hook = new globalKeyboardHook();
}

I'd like to add this, for future reference, as it may help understanding Tim's answer, and maybe debugging what's going on, if you have complex code:
callbackOnCollectedDelegate MDA
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/debug-trace-profile/callbackoncollecteddelegate-mda

even though with the new code I am still getting the mentioned error, as a solution I just kept an instance of the delegate at class scope, now the error does not come up anymore.
//do not forget to declare kbhproc class var
this.kbhProc = new keyboardHookProc(hookProc);
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, this.kbhProc /*new keyboardHookProc(hookProc)*/, hInstance, 0);
the above code is based on the code of the question.

C# Global override CTRL+V command using global keyboard hook

TL;DR:
how do I override windows hotkey functionality or at least perform an action BEFORE it occurs? It seems that global hooks aren't 'fast' enough to happen before
I've run into a bit of a problem with some code I'm working on... I'm attempting to override the windows natural behavior when one presses CTRL + V, instead of pasting from clipboard, I'd like for the contents of clipboard to be replaced by those of my program's designation.
NOTE THIS NEEDS TO APPLY TO PASTE ACTION OUTSIDE OF MY PROGRAM AS WELL, HENCE USE OF GLOBAL HOOKS
below is a snippet of how I'm currently attempting to "intercept" the paste hotkeys, and an explanation of why this isn't working to follow:
Here I define my Global hooks:
class globalKeyboardHook {
#region Constant, Structure and Delegate Definitions
/// <summary>
/// defines the callback type for the hook
/// </summary>
public delegate int keyboardHookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
public struct keyboardHookStruct {
public int vkCode;
public int scanCode;
public int flags;
public int time;
public int dwExtraInfo;
}
const int WH_KEYBOARD_LL = 13;
const int WM_KEYDOWN = 0x100;
const int WM_KEYUP = 0x101;
const int WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 0x104;
const int WM_SYSKEYUP = 0x105;
#endregion
#region Instance Variables
/// <summary>
/// The collections of keys to watch for
/// </summary>
public List<Keys> HookedKeys = new List<Keys>();
/// <summary>
/// Handle to the hook, need this to unhook and call the next hook
/// </summary>
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero;
#endregion
#region Events
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is held
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyDown;
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is released
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyUp;
#endregion
#region Constructors and Destructors
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> class and installs the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
public globalKeyboardHook() {
hook();
}
/// <summary>
/// Releases unmanaged resources and performs other cleanup operations before the
/// <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> is reclaimed by garbage collection and uninstalls the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
~globalKeyboardHook() {
unhook();
Dispose();
}
#endregion
#region Public Methods
/// <summary>
/// Installs the global hook
/// </summary>
public void hook() {
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProc, hInstance, 0);
}
public void Dispose()
{
try { unhook(); }
catch (Exception e)
{ }
}
/// <summary>
/// Uninstalls the global hook
/// </summary>
public void unhook() {
UnhookWindowsHookEx(hhook);
}
/// <summary>
/// The callback for the keyboard hook
/// </summary>
/// <param name="code">The hook code, if it isn't >= 0, the function shouldn't do anyting</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The event type</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The keyhook event information</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public int hookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam) {
if (code >= 0) {
Keys key = (Keys)lParam.vkCode;
if (HookedKeys.Contains(key)) {
KeyEventArgs kea = new KeyEventArgs(key);
if ((wParam == WM_KEYDOWN || wParam == WM_SYSKEYDOWN) && (KeyDown != null)) {
KeyDown(this, kea) ;
} else if ((wParam == WM_KEYUP || wParam == WM_SYSKEYUP) && (KeyUp != null)) {
KeyUp(this, kea);
}
if (kea.Handled)
return 1;
}
}
return CallNextHookEx(hhook, code, wParam, ref lParam);
}
#endregion
#region DLL imports
/// <summary>
/// Sets the windows hook, do the desired event, one of hInstance or threadId must be non-null
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The id of the event you want to hook</param>
/// <param name="callback">The callback.</param>
/// <param name="hInstance">The handle you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <param name="threadId">The thread you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <returns>a handle to the desired hook</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr SetWindowsHookEx(int idHook, keyboardHookProc callback, IntPtr hInstance, uint threadId);
/// <summary>
/// Unhooks the windows hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hInstance">The hook handle that was returned from SetWindowsHookEx</param>
/// <returns>True if successful, false otherwise</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool UnhookWindowsHookEx(IntPtr hInstance);
/// <summary>
/// Calls the next hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The hook id</param>
/// <param name="nCode">The hook code</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The wparam.</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The lparam.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern int CallNextHookEx(IntPtr idHook, int nCode, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
/// <summary>
/// Loads the library.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpFileName">Name of the library</param>
/// <returns>A handle to the library</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
#endregion
}
And here is the 'main code' in question:
globalKeyboardHook gkh = new globalKeyboardHook();
bool Vpressed;
bool controlIsUp;
void gkh_KeyUp(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
//Control was released, handle any hotkeys that need handling
if(e.KeyCode.ToString()=="LControlKey" || e.KeyCode.ToString()=="RControlKey")
{
//scan paste
if(Vpressed && !controlIsUp)
{
Clipboard.SetDataObject(myTextLine);
Vpressed=false;
controlIsUp = true;
}
}
if (e.KeyCode.ToString() == "V")
{
if(controlIsUp)Vpressed=false;
else Vpressed=true;
}
}
void gkh_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
if (e.KeyCode.ToString()=="LControlKey" || e.KeyCode.ToString()=="RControlKey")
{
controlIsUp=false;
}
}
So what I'm seeing happen is that the system is pasting what's in the clipboard BEFORE hitting the 'Clipboard.setDataObjec(...)' call, when I want the clipboard contents SET before system pastes them.
Additionally my next step would be to detect # of times V is pressed before CTRL is released and paste a different message based on that (ie CTL+V pastes 'HI FRIEND', CTRL+V+V pastes 'TEST TEST 2', and CTRL+V+V+V pastes 'heres a third snippet')
SO in conclusion my question is: how can I restructure this to operate as expected? is there something more efficient/takes higher priority to hooks I can use that would trigger before the CTRL+V? Is there a way I could 'force' a paste from clipboard (ie I constantly clear out the clipboard and when the hook is called I force the data to clipboard and paste at cursor) or is there a way I can rearrange my current solution to be more robust?

Give this a shot. Since it's a keybinding on your global hook, it should work. Basically, you're doing this instead of your keyup/down. Modify the code to look at ctrl-v instead of alt-f4, and where I have my messagebox, add your custom code..
protected override bool ProcessDialogKey(Keys keyData)
{
if (keyData == Keys.Alt + Keys.F4) {
string s = HelixMessageBox.ShowInptDlg("Yeahhhhh, right. You can shut me down like a normal person, tyvm.", CustomMessageBoxButtons.OK);
return Keys.Alt;
}
return base.ProcessDialogKey(keyData);
}

Recalling hidden form with key press exception [duplicate]

This question already has answers here:
Closed 10 years ago.
Possible Duplicate:
CallbackOnCollectedDelegate in globalKeyboardHook was detected
I'm running into an exception with calling my main (and only) form back from being non-visible. I have a key hook to watch for a key that will make it visible again. The problem is however, when the key is pressed and the form goes to load, I run into this exception
A callback was made on a garbage collected delegate of type 'MyProgram!Utilities.globalKeyboardHook+keyboardHookProc::Invoke'. This may cause application crashes, corruption and data loss. When passing delegates to unmanaged code, they must be kept alive by the managed application until it is guaranteed that they will never be called.
Being that this is the first time I've dealt with key hooks, or bringing a form back without the use of another form, I'm at a bit of a loss here. I'm not sure as to what it is trying to get at. Should I just make the opacity of the form to 0, to prevent the program from trying to shut down the form?
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
//Variables
globalKeyboardHook gkh = new globalKeyboardHook();
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
gkh.HookedKeys.Add(Keys.A);
gkh.HookedKeys.Add(Keys.Left);
gkh.KeyDown += new KeyEventHandler(gkh_KeyDown);
gkh.KeyUp += new KeyEventHandler(gkh_KeyUp);
}
private void OpacityBar_ValueChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
//Do stuff
private void VisibleTSMI_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
//Do more un-important stuff
}
void gkh_KeyUp(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
if (KeyDown == true)
{
this.Visible = true;
}
e.Handled = true;
}
void gkh_KeyDown(object sender, KeyEventArgs e)
{
KeyDown = true;
e.Handled = true;
}
class globalKeyboardHook
{
#region Constant, Structure and Delegate Definitions
/// <summary>
/// defines the callback type for the hook
/// </summary>
public delegate int keyboardHookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
public struct keyboardHookStruct
{
public int vkCode;
public int scanCode;
public int flags;
public int time;
public int dwExtraInfo;
}
const int WH_KEYBOARD_LL = 13;
const int WM_KEYDOWN = 0x100;
const int WM_KEYUP = 0x101;
const int WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 0x104;
const int WM_SYSKEYUP = 0x105;
#endregion
#region Instance Variables
/// <summary>
/// The collections of keys to watch for
/// </summary>
public List<Keys> HookedKeys = new List<Keys>();
/// <summary>
/// Handle to the hook, need this to unhook and call the next hook
/// </summary>
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero;
#endregion
#region Events
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is pressed
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyDown;
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is released
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyUp;
#endregion
#region Constructors and Destructors
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> class and installs the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
public globalKeyboardHook()
{
hook();
}
/// <summary>
/// Releases unmanaged resources and performs other cleanup operations before the
/// <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> is reclaimed by garbage collection and uninstalls the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
~globalKeyboardHook()
{
unhook();
}
#endregion
#region Public Methods
/// <summary>
/// Installs the global hook
/// </summary>
public void hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProc, hInstance, 0);
}
/// <summary>
/// Uninstalls the global hook
/// </summary>
public void unhook()
{
UnhookWindowsHookEx(hhook);
}
/// <summary>
/// The callback for the keyboard hook
/// </summary>
/// <param name="code">The hook code, if it isn't >= 0, the function shouldn't do anyting</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The event type</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The keyhook event information</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public int hookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam)
{
if (code >= 0)
{
Keys key = (Keys)lParam.vkCode;
if (HookedKeys.Contains(key))
{
KeyEventArgs kea = new KeyEventArgs(key);
if ((wParam == WM_KEYDOWN || wParam == WM_SYSKEYDOWN) && (KeyDown != null))
{
KeyDown(this, kea);
}
else if ((wParam == WM_KEYUP || wParam == WM_SYSKEYUP) && (KeyUp != null))
{
KeyUp(this, kea);
}
if (kea.Handled)
return 1;
}
}
return CallNextHookEx(hhook, code, wParam, ref lParam);
}
#endregion
#region DLL imports
/// <summary>
/// Sets the windows hook, do the desired event, one of hInstance or threadId must be non-null
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The id of the event you want to hook</param>
/// <param name="callback">The callback.</param>
/// <param name="hInstance">The handle you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <param name="threadId">The thread you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <returns>a handle to the desired hook</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr SetWindowsHookEx(int idHook, keyboardHookProc callback, IntPtr hInstance, uint threadId);
/// <summary>
/// Unhooks the windows hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hInstance">The hook handle that was returned from SetWindowsHookEx</param>
/// <returns>True if successful, false otherwise</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool UnhookWindowsHookEx(IntPtr hInstance);
/// <summary>
/// Calls the next hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The hook id</param>
/// <param name="nCode">The hook code</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The wparam.</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The lparam.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern int CallNextHookEx(IntPtr idHook, int nCode, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
/// <summary>
/// Loads the library.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpFileName">Name of the library</param>
/// <returns>A handle to the library</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
#endregion
}
}
Please note; There is no more Utilities namespace, as I scratched it after consolidating it with my Form1 code.

The Problem
Your problem is that you are passing a delegate to unmanaged code, but not keeping a reference to it in your managed code. Since you don't have a reference to it, the GC assumes it's safe to collect.
I can't pinpoint it in your code, since you haven't posted any, but here is a possibility.
You could be creating a delegate implicitly:
SomeUnmanagedMethod(someCallback);
This translates to something like this:
SomeUnmanagedMethod(new SomeDelegate(someCallback));
As you can see, the new instance of the delegate is never referenced and thus goes out of scope and is collected.
The Solution
You need to maintain a reference to your delegate within managed code. One way to do this is to create a static variable in your Utilities class:
static SomeDelegate callback;
You can then store a reference to the delegate, replacing the original code.:
callback = someCallback;
SomeUnmanagedMethod(callback);
Unfortunately, I can't give a more specific answer, since you haven't posted any code.
See also this answer.

I think you are trying to reach your Utilities instance after deleting the reference to it, for example:
Utilities utilities = new Utilities();
SomeMethodDelegate method = utilities.SomeMethod();
// ...
utilities = someOtherUtilitiesInstanceOrNull;
method(); // This is referencing a method that is now probably collected by the garbage collector.
Maybe it's a better idea to make the Utilities class static, depending on your model of course.

Register hot key that is already used

Background:
I want to listen to a hot key sequence (Ctrl+Alt+Left) globally, so I'm using:
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern bool RegisterHotKey(IntPtr hWnd, int id, uint fsModifiers, uint vk);
This works great with many other hot key sequences, such as Ctrl+Alt+PageUp, Ctrl+Alt+PageDown, etc... But a problem occurs with Ctrl+Alt+Left, specifically.
Problem:
On one computer, it works just fine, like any other hot key sequence, but on a different computer, where Ctrl+Alt+Arrow is used to rotate the screen, it fails to register the hot key (i.e returns zero and doesn't get callbacks to the window's handle).
MSDN says: RegisterHotKey fails if the keystrokes specified for the hot key have already been registered by another hot key.
I would like to be able to register that hot key sequence no matter what, and if needed, override it. I would certainly want the screen to remain unrotated, at least for as long as my program is running.
Changing the hotkey sequence isn't really an option, since other computers might have other hotkey sequences that may cause failure as well.
Questions:
What is the difference between Ctrl+Alt+Left as a screen-rotating hotkey and a Ctrl+S as a saving hotkey, the causes one to fail but not the other? (maybe it is because one is a global hotkey and the second is contextual?)
Is it possible to override hotkeys entirely? Is that a good idea?
Most importantly, how can I assure that my hotkey will be registered?

I've just changed my approach from hotkeys to hooks.
I'm listening to any low-level keyboard press event, and getting the modifiers' states when such even fires using winAPI. Then I have full information about currently pressed sequence.
It's very long and ugly code to do all that, but eventually it is easy to work with.
/// <summary>
/// A class that manages a global low level keyboard hook
/// </summary>
class GlobalKeyboardHook
{
#region Constant, Structure and Delegate Definitions
/// <summary>
/// defines the callback type for the hook
/// </summary>
public delegate int KeyboardHookProc(int code, int wParam, ref KeyboardHookStruct lParam);
public struct KeyboardHookStruct
{
public int vkCode;
public int scanCode;
public int flags;
public int time;
public int dwExtraInfo;
}
private const int WH_KEYBOARD_LL = 13;
private const int WM_KEYDOWN = 0x100;
private const int WM_KEYUP = 0x101;
private const int WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 0x104;
private const int WM_SYSKEYUP = 0x105;
#endregion
/// <summary>
/// The collections of keys to watch for
/// </summary>
public List<Keys> HookedKeys = new List<Keys>();
/// <summary>
/// Handle to the hook, need this to unhook and call the next hook
/// </summary>
private IntPtr _hhook = IntPtr.Zero;
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="GlobalKeyboardHook"/> class and installs the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
public GlobalKeyboardHook()
{
this.Hook();
}
/// <summary>
/// Releases unmanaged resources and performs other cleanup operations before the
/// <see cref="GlobalKeyboardHook"/> is reclaimed by garbage collection and uninstalls the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
~GlobalKeyboardHook()
{
this.Unhook();
}
/// <summary>
/// Installs the global hook
/// </summary>
public void Hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
this._hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, this.HookProc, hInstance, 0);
}
/// <summary>
/// Uninstalls the global hook
/// </summary>
public void Unhook()
{
UnhookWindowsHookEx(this._hhook);
}
/// <summary>
/// The callback for the keyboard hook
/// </summary>
/// <param name="code">The hook code, if it isn't >= 0, the function shouldn't do anyting</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The event type</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The keyhook event information</param>
/// <returns></returns>
private int HookProc(int code, int wParam, ref KeyboardHookStruct lParam)
{
if (code >= 0)
{
var key = (Keys) lParam.vkCode;
if (this.HookedKeys.Contains(key))
{
var handler = this.KeyPressed;
if ((wParam == WM_KEYDOWN || wParam == WM_SYSKEYDOWN) && (handler != null))
{
ModifierKeys mods = 0;
if (Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.Control) || Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.ControlKey) ||
Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.LControlKey) || Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.RControlKey))
{
mods |= ModifierKeys.Control;
}
if (Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.Shift) || Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.ShiftKey) ||
Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.LShiftKey) || Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.RShiftKey))
{
mods |= ModifierKeys.Shift;
}
if (Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.LWin) || Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.RWin))
{
mods |= ModifierKeys.Win;
}
if (Keyboard.IsKeyDown(Keys.Alt))
{
mods |= ModifierKeys.Alt;
}
handler(this, new KeyPressedEventArgs(mods, key));
}
}
}
return CallNextHookEx(this._hhook, code, wParam, ref lParam);
}
public event EventHandler<KeyPressedEventArgs> KeyPressed;
#region DLL imports
/// <summary>
/// Sets the windows hook, do the desired event, one of hInstance or threadId must be non-null
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The id of the event you want to hook</param>
/// <param name="callback">The callback.</param>
/// <param name="hInstance">The handle you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <param name="threadId">The thread you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <returns>a handle to the desired hook</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern IntPtr SetWindowsHookEx(int idHook, KeyboardHookProc callback, IntPtr hInstance, uint threadId);
/// <summary>
/// Unhooks the windows hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hInstance">The hook handle that was returned from SetWindowsHookEx</param>
/// <returns>True if successful, false otherwise</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern bool UnhookWindowsHookEx(IntPtr hInstance);
/// <summary>
/// Calls the next hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The hook id</param>
/// <param name="nCode">The hook code</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The wparam.</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The lparam.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
private static extern int CallNextHookEx(IntPtr idHook, int nCode, int wParam, ref KeyboardHookStruct lParam);
/// <summary>
/// Loads the library.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpFileName">Name of the library</param>
/// <returns>A handle to the library</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
private static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
#endregion
}
static class Keyboard
{
[Flags]
private enum KeyStates
{
None = 0,
Down = 1,
Toggled = 2
}
[DllImport("user32.dll", CharSet = CharSet.Auto, ExactSpelling = true)]
private static extern short GetKeyState(int keyCode);
private static KeyStates GetKeyState(Keys key)
{
KeyStates state = KeyStates.None;
short retVal = GetKeyState((int)key);
//If the high-order bit is 1, the key is down
//otherwise, it is up.
if ((retVal & 0x8000) == 0x8000)
state |= KeyStates.Down;
//If the low-order bit is 1, the key is toggled.
if ((retVal & 1) == 1)
state |= KeyStates.Toggled;
return state;
}
public static bool IsKeyDown(Keys key)
{
return KeyStates.Down == (GetKeyState(key) & KeyStates.Down);
}
public static bool IsKeyToggled(Keys key)
{
return KeyStates.Toggled == (GetKeyState(key) & KeyStates.Toggled);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Event Args for the event that is fired after the hot key has been pressed.
/// </summary>
class KeyPressedEventArgs : EventArgs
{
internal KeyPressedEventArgs(ModifierKeys modifier, Keys key)
{
this.Modifier = modifier;
this.Key = key;
this.Ctrl = (modifier & ModifierKeys.Control) != 0;
this.Shift = (modifier & ModifierKeys.Shift) != 0;
this.Win = (modifier & ModifierKeys.Win) != 0;
this.Alt = (modifier & ModifierKeys.Alt) != 0;
}
public ModifierKeys Modifier { get; private set; }
public Keys Key { get; private set; }
public readonly bool Ctrl;
public readonly bool Shift;
public readonly bool Win;
public readonly bool Alt;
}
/// <summary>
/// The enumeration of possible modifiers.
/// </summary>
[Flags]
public enum ModifierKeys : uint
{
Alt = 1,
Control = 2,
Shift = 4,
Win = 8
}

Call has been made on garbage collected delegate in C#?

I have been using this key hook script i found but I continue to get an error after a few seconds of using it in my program. The error says.. A call has been made on a garbage collected delegate 'keylogger!Utilities.globalKeyboardHook+keyboardHookProc::Invoke'.
How can I fix this?
namespace Utilities
{
/// <summary>
/// A class that manages a global low level keyboard hook
/// </summary>
class globalKeyboardHook
{
#region Constant, Structure and Delegate Definitions
/// <summary>
/// defines the callback type for the hook
/// </summary>
public delegate int keyboardHookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
public struct keyboardHookStruct
{
public int vkCode;
public int scanCode;
public int flags;
public int time;
public int dwExtraInfo;
}
const int WH_KEYBOARD_LL = 13;
const int WM_KEYDOWN = 0x100;
const int WM_KEYUP = 0x101;
const int WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 0x104;
const int WM_SYSKEYUP = 0x105;
#endregion
#region Instance Variables
/// <summary>
/// The collections of keys to watch for
/// </summary>
public List<Keys> HookedKeys = new List<Keys>();
/// <summary>
/// Handle to the hook, need this to unhook and call the next hook
/// </summary>
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero;
#endregion
#region Events
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is pressed
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyDown;
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is released
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyUp;
#endregion
#region Constructors and Destructors
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> class and installs the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
public globalKeyboardHook()
{
hook();
}
/// <summary>
/// Releases unmanaged resources and performs other cleanup operations before the
/// <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> is reclaimed by garbage collection and uninstalls the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
~globalKeyboardHook()
{
unhook();
}
#endregion
#region Public Methods
/// <summary>
/// Installs the global hook
/// </summary>
public void hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProc, hInstance, 0);
}
/// <summary>
/// Uninstalls the global hook
/// </summary>
public void unhook()
{
UnhookWindowsHookEx(hhook);
}
/// <summary>
/// The callback for the keyboard hook
/// </summary>
/// <param name="code">The hook code, if it isn't >= 0, the function shouldn't do anyting</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The event type</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The keyhook event information</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public int hookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam)
{
if (code >= 0)
{
Keys key = (Keys)lParam.vkCode;
if (HookedKeys.Contains(key))
{
KeyEventArgs kea = new KeyEventArgs(key);
if ((wParam == WM_KEYDOWN || wParam == WM_SYSKEYDOWN) && (KeyDown != null))
{
KeyDown(this, kea);
}
else if ((wParam == WM_KEYUP || wParam == WM_SYSKEYUP) && (KeyUp != null))
{
KeyUp(this, kea);
}
if (kea.Handled)
return 1;
}
}
return CallNextHookEx(hhook, code, wParam, ref lParam);
}
#endregion
#region DLL imports
/// <summary>
/// Sets the windows hook, do the desired event, one of hInstance or threadId must be non-null
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The id of the event you want to hook</param>
/// <param name="callback">The callback.</param>
/// <param name="hInstance">The handle you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <param name="threadId">The thread you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <returns>a handle to the desired hook</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr SetWindowsHookEx(int idHook, keyboardHookProc callback, IntPtr hInstance, uint threadId);
/// <summary>
/// Unhooks the windows hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hInstance">The hook handle that was returned from SetWindowsHookEx</param>
/// <returns>True if successful, false otherwise</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool UnhookWindowsHookEx(IntPtr hInstance);
/// <summary>
/// Calls the next hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The hook id</param>
/// <param name="nCode">The hook code</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The wparam.</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The lparam.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern int CallNextHookEx(IntPtr idHook, int nCode, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
/// <summary>
/// Loads the library.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpFileName">Name of the library</param>
/// <returns>A handle to the library</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
#endregion
}
}
globalKeyboardHook class :
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.IO;
namespace Utilities
{
/// <summary>
/// A class that manages a global low level keyboard hook
/// </summary>
class globalKeyboardHook : IDisposable
{
private bool _disposed;
#region Constant, Structure and Delegate Definitions
/// <summary>
/// defines the callback type for the hook
/// </summary>
public delegate int keyboardHookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
public struct keyboardHookStruct
{
public int vkCode;
public int scanCode;
public int flags;
public int time;
public int dwExtraInfo;
}
const int WH_KEYBOARD_LL = 13;
const int WM_KEYDOWN = 0x100;
const int WM_KEYUP = 0x101;
const int WM_SYSKEYDOWN = 0x104;
const int WM_SYSKEYUP = 0x105;
#endregion
#region Instance Variables
/// <summary>
/// The collections of keys to watch for
/// </summary>
public List<Keys> HookedKeys = new List<Keys>();
/// <summary>
/// Handle to the hook, need this to unhook and call the next hook
/// </summary>
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero;
#endregion
#region Events
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is pressed
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyDown;
/// <summary>
/// Occurs when one of the hooked keys is released
/// </summary>
public event KeyEventHandler KeyUp;
#endregion
#region Constructors and Destructors
/// <summary>
/// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> class and installs the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
public globalKeyboardHook()
{
hook();
_disposed = false;
}
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
// Use SupressFinalize in case a subclass
// of this type implements a finalizer.
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
// If you need thread safety, use a lock around these
// operations, as well as in your methods that use the resource.
if (!_disposed)
{
if (disposing)
{
unhook();
}
// Indicate that the instance has been disposed.
_disposed = true;
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Releases unmanaged resources and performs other cleanup operations before the
/// <see cref="globalKeyboardHook"/> is reclaimed by garbage collection and uninstalls the keyboard hook.
/// </summary>
~globalKeyboardHook()
{
Dispose();
}
#endregion
#region Public Methods
/// <summary>
/// Installs the global hook
/// </summary>
public void hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, new keyboardHookProc(hookProc), hInstance, 0);
}
/// <summary>
/// Uninstalls the global hook
/// </summary>
public void unhook()
{
UnhookWindowsHookEx(hhook);
}
/// <summary>
/// The callback for the keyboard hook
/// </summary>
/// <param name="code">The hook code, if it isn't >= 0, the function shouldn't do anyting</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The event type</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The keyhook event information</param>
/// <returns></returns>
public int hookProc(int code, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam)
{
if (code >= 0)
{
Keys key = (Keys)lParam.vkCode;
if (HookedKeys.Contains(key))
{
KeyEventArgs kea = new KeyEventArgs(key);
if ((wParam == WM_KEYDOWN || wParam == WM_SYSKEYDOWN) && (KeyDown != null))
{
KeyDown(this, kea);
}
else if ((wParam == WM_KEYUP || wParam == WM_SYSKEYUP) && (KeyUp != null))
{
KeyUp(this, kea);
}
if (kea.Handled)
return 1;
}
}
return CallNextHookEx(hhook, code, wParam, ref lParam);
}
#endregion
#region DLL imports
/// <summary>
/// Sets the windows hook, do the desired event, one of hInstance or threadId must be non-null
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The id of the event you want to hook</param>
/// <param name="callback">The callback.</param>
/// <param name="hInstance">The handle you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <param name="threadId">The thread you want to attach the event to, can be null</param>
/// <returns>a handle to the desired hook</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr SetWindowsHookEx(int idHook, keyboardHookProc callback, IntPtr hInstance, uint threadId);
/// <summary>
/// Unhooks the windows hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="hInstance">The hook handle that was returned from SetWindowsHookEx</param>
/// <returns>True if successful, false otherwise</returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern bool UnhookWindowsHookEx(IntPtr hInstance);
/// <summary>
/// Calls the next hook.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="idHook">The hook id</param>
/// <param name="nCode">The hook code</param>
/// <param name="wParam">The wparam.</param>
/// <param name="lParam">The lparam.</param>
/// <returns></returns>
[DllImport("user32.dll")]
static extern int CallNextHookEx(IntPtr idHook, int nCode, int wParam, ref keyboardHookStruct lParam);
/// <summary>
/// Loads the library.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="lpFileName">Name of the library</param>
/// <returns>A handle to the library</returns>
[DllImport("kernel32.dll")]
static extern IntPtr LoadLibrary(string lpFileName);
#endregion
}
}
I updated the code with IDisposable. I am probably horribly off on what I am supposed to do but its still not working

The problem is that:
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProc, hInstance, 0);
is just syntactic sugar for:
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, new keyboardHookProc(hookProc), hInstance, 0);
and so the keyboardHookProc object is just local and will get disposed of since SetWindowsHookEx doesn't do anything to actually hold onto it in the managed world.
To fix this, up at the top where you define your member variables, add one more like this:
IntPtr hhook = IntPtr.Zero
private keyboardHookProc hookProcDelegate;
then change your constructor to be:
public globalKeyboardHook()
{
hookProcDelegate = hookProc;
hook();
}
and then change your hook() method to be:
public void hook()
{
IntPtr hInstance = LoadLibrary("User32");
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, hookProcDelegate, hInstance, 0);
}
That way you're using a delegate that is stored as a member variable and will be alive as long as your globalKeyboardHook object is alive.

Sounds to me like you are instantiating a globalKeyboardHook then letting it get garbage collected. I'm guessing you do something like this:
public void InstallHook()
{
var hook = new globalKeyboardHook();
}
You need to keep a reference to the globalKeyboardHook() around to prevent it from being garbage collected.
globalKeyboardHook hook;
public void InstallHook()
{
hook = new globalKeyboardHook();
}

I'd like to add this, for future reference, as it may help understanding Tim's answer, and maybe debugging what's going on, if you have complex code:
callbackOnCollectedDelegate MDA
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/debug-trace-profile/callbackoncollecteddelegate-mda

even though with the new code I am still getting the mentioned error, as a solution I just kept an instance of the delegate at class scope, now the error does not come up anymore.
//do not forget to declare kbhproc class var
this.kbhProc = new keyboardHookProc(hookProc);
hhook = SetWindowsHookEx(WH_KEYBOARD_LL, this.kbhProc /*new keyboardHookProc(hookProc)*/, hInstance, 0);
the above code is based on the code of the question.