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Show message during lengthy operation?

I have a small bit of code that takes about a minute or so to complete. In that time, there is no indication that anything is happening. Once the work is completed, a message is displayed in a label.text on the form. Here's the code:
private void UpdateLesson()
{
var bridgeBll = new BridgeBll();
foreach (DataGridViewRow row in this.dataGridView1.Rows)
{
bridgeBll.UpdateLesson(row);
}
lblMessage.Text = "Saved at " + DateTime.Now.ToShortTimeString();
}
What I'd like to do is display a messagebox that says something like "Saving..." and then have that messagebox close once the operation is complete. The problem is, though, that if I open a message box, the work won't start until the user manually closes the messagebox and the program continues.
How could I go about doing something like this?

Put btnStart Button and label1 Label on your form and use following code:
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
MyAsyncClass worker;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
}
private void btnStart_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
label1.Text = string.Format("Worker Started at {0}", DateTime.Now);
if (worker == null)
{
worker = new MyAsyncClass();
worker.NotifyCompleteEvent += worker_NotifyCompleteEvent;
}
worker.Start();
}
void worker_NotifyCompleteEvent(string message)
{
MessageBox.Show(string.Format("Worker completed with message: {0}", message));
}
}
And here is worker class:
public class MyAsyncClass
{
public delegate void NotifyComplete(string message);
public event NotifyComplete NotifyCompleteEvent;
public void Start()
{
System.Threading.Thread t = new System.Threading.Thread(new System.Threading.ThreadStart(DoSomeJob));
t.Start();
}
void DoSomeJob()
{
//just wait 5 sec for nothing special...
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(5000);
if (NotifyCompleteEvent != null)
{
NotifyCompleteEvent("My job is completed!");
}
}
}
You can use this principle also without user interface. Happy coding!

Thread is not working

Can someone tell me why the below code is not working?
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Thread t = new Thread(rtb2);
t.Start();
}
private void rtb2()
{
try
{
richTextBox1.Text = "1";
}
catch(InvalidOperationException ex)
{
MessageBox.Show("HI");
}
}
}

The problem is your attempting to modify a Winforms UI element from a background thread. This is specifically not allowed by the WinForms model. UI elements can only be modified from the main thread. You need to use Control.Invoke in order to get the context back onto the appropriate thread.
private void rtb2() {
Action action = delegate {
richTextBox1.Text = "1";
};
try {
this.Invoke(action);
} catch(InvalidOperationException ex) {
MessageBox.Show("HI");
}
}

updating gui from another class c#

hey i am new to c# plz help.
i am writing a program that sorts data in a file and it is a time consuming process so i thought that i should run it in a separate thread and since it has alot of step so i made a new class for it. the problem is that i want to show the progress in the main GUI and i know for that i have to use Invoke function but the problem is that the form control variables are not accessible it this class. what should i do ??????
sample code:
public class Sorter
{
private string _path;
public Sorter(string path)
{
_path = path;
}
public void StartSort()
{
try
{
processFiles(_path, "h4x0r"); // Just kidding
}
catch (Exception e)
{
MessageBox.Show("Error: " + e.ToString(), "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Error);
}
}
private void processFiles(string Dir, string[] key)
{
/* sorting program */
}
and it is used as
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
Sorter sort;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void browseBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (folderBrowserDialog1.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK)
textBox1.Text = folderBrowserDialog1.SelectedPath;
}
private void startBtn_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (startBtn.Text == "Start Sorting")
{
Thread worker = new Thread(new ThreadStart(delegate() {
sort = new Sorter(textBox1.Text);
sort.StartSort(); }));
worker.start();
}
else
MessageBox.Show("Cancel");//TODO: add cancelling code here
}
}
plz help..

Add an Event to your class that is doing the multi-threaded work, that triggers when the progress changes. Have your form subscribe to this event and update the progress bar.
Note ProgressEventArgs is a little class that inherits EventArgs and has an Integer for the progress.
// delegate to update progress
public delegate void ProgressChangedEventHandler(Object sender, ProgressEventArgs e);
// Event added to your worker class.
public event ProgressChangedEventHandler ProgressUpdateEvent
// Method to raise the event
public void UpdateProgress(object sender, ProgressEventArgs e)
{
ProgressChangedEventHandler handler;
lock (progressUpdateEventLock)
{
handler = progressUpdateEvent;
}
if (handler != null)
handler(sender, e);
}

I would recommend you read up on the BackgroundWorker class. It is exactly for the problem you are trying to solve and makes things a lot easier than doing manual threading yourself.
Brief Example
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
backgroundWorker.WorkerReportsProgress = true;
backgroundWorker.WorkerSupportsCancellation = true;
backgroundWorker.ProgressChanged += new ProgressChangedEventHandler(backgroundWorker_ProgressChanged);
}
void backgroundWorker_ProgressChanged(object sender, ProgressChangedEventArgs e)
{
progressBar1.Value = e.ProgressPercentage;
}
private void btnStart_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (!backgroundWorker.IsBusy)
backgroundWorker.RunWorkerAsync();
}
private void backgroundWorker_DoWork(object sender, DoWorkEventArgs e)
{
for (int i = 1; i < 101; ++i)
{
if (backgroundWorker.CancellationPending)
{
e.Cancel = true;
break;
}
else
{
//Sort Logic is in here.
Thread.Sleep(250);
backgroundWorker.ReportProgress(i);
}
}
}
private void btnCancel_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if (backgroundWorker.IsBusy && backgroundWorker.WorkerSupportsCancellation)
backgroundWorker.CancelAsync();
}

You could do something like this:
public delegate void StatusReporter(double progressPercentage);
public class MainClass
{
public void MainMethod()
{
Worker worker = new Worker(ReportProgress);
ThreadStart start = worker.DoWork;
Thread workThread = new Thread(start);
workThread.Start();
}
private void ReportProgress(double progressPercentage)
{
//Report here!!!
}
}
public class Worker
{
private readonly StatusReporter _reportProgress;
public Worker(StatusReporter reportProgress)
{
_reportProgress = reportProgress;
}
public void DoWork()
{
for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++ )
{
// WORK, WORK, WORK
_reportProgress(i);
}
}
}

There are a few option available to solve this sort of issue. In any case, you will have to fiddle with Invoke to get the UI to update.
You could...
...add an event that fires on your new class which your UI can listen to, and Invoke as applicable - you'd still need to pass the data to your worker class (by constructor, properties, method call, etc)
...keep the method as a method on your form, and pas that to start your new thread from (after all, a new thread doesn't have to be starting in a different class)
...change the access modifiers on your controls to be (say) internal such that any class within the same assembly can Invoke changes to the controls, or read from them.
...make your worker class a child of the form it needs to access - it can then see the privates of its parent, as long as it is passed a reference to the instance.

Pattern to handle threads status in C#

I am currently developing a program that must handle multiple threads. When I start the program I run multiple threads (my example is limited to one). I have to display their status in a single TextBox. I opted for the next solution. Is this way is correct? Are there any other pattern? The Observer perhaps? I can't find a good way to do this on the web.
namespace ThreadTest
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
// This delegate enables asynchronous calls for setting
// the text property on a TextBox control.
delegate void ChangedCallback(object sender, JobEventArgs e);
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
MyThread myThread = new MyThread();
myThread.Changed += new MyThread.JobEventHandler(myThread_Changed);
// Create the thread object, passing in the Alpha.Beta method
// via a ThreadStart delegate. This does not start the thread.
Thread oThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(myThread.MyJob));
// Start the thread
oThread.Start();
}
void myThread_Changed(object sender, JobEventArgs e)
{
// InvokeRequired required compares the thread ID of the
// calling thread to the thread ID of the creating thread.
// If these threads are different, it returns true.
if (this.textBox1.InvokeRequired)
{
ChangedCallback d = new ChangedCallback(myThread_Changed);
this.Invoke(d, new object[] { sender, e });
}
else
{
// Display the status of my thread
textBox1.Text += e.Counter;
}
}
}
public class MyThread
{
// A delegate type for hooking up change notifications.
public delegate void JobEventHandler(object sender, JobEventArgs e);
// An event that clients can use to be notified whenever the
// elements of the list change.
public event JobEventHandler Changed;
// Invoke the Changed event; called whenever list changes
protected virtual void OnChanged(JobEventArgs e)
{
if (Changed != null)
Changed(this, e);
}
public void MyJob()
{
for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
{
Thread.Sleep(1000);
JobEventArgs e = new JobEventArgs(i);
OnChanged(e);
}
}
}
public class JobEventArgs
{
public int Counter { get; set; }
public JobEventArgs(int i)
{
Counter = i;
}
}
}

It looks just fine to me. In fact you are using the observer pattern. It's just c#'s nice event syntax eliminating the interface and reducing boilerplate.
However, there is a lot of redundant code and other readability problems in there.
The this qualifier is redundant when specifying a memeber such as this.textBox1 or this.Invoke(...).
Try to always specify visibility such as private or public for methods.
A suitable delegate is created automatically around a method-group enabling a shorthand syntax. For example: new Thread(myThread.MyJob) or myThread.Changed += myThread_Changed.
Consider using simple Action as event handler delegate types instead of a custom (ChangedCallback). The myThread_Changed method can then just accept an int as single parameter allowing you to drop lots of redundant types.
To avoid problems make a thread-local copy of the event before checking for null and invoking.
Like this:
JobEventHandler tmp = Changed;
if (tmp != null) tmp(this, e);

You code is not fine.
Why do you not let your thread class create the thread? It's more logical and gives a nice encapsulation:
You should not declare delegates inside a class, it makes refactoring harder.
If you are sleeping in the thread, why don't you use a Timer instead?
#
public partial class Form1
{
delegate void ChangedCallback(object sender, JobEventArgs e);
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
MyThread myThread = new MyThread();
myThread.Changed += myThread_Changed;
myThread.Start();
}
void myThread_Changed(object sender, JobEventArgs e)
{
if (this.textBox1.InvokeRequired)
{
ChangedCallback d = new ChangedCallback(myThread_Changed);
this.Invoke(d, new object[] { sender, e });
}
else
{
textBox1.Text += e.Counter;
}
}
}
public class MyThread
{
private Thread _thread;
public MyThread()
{
_thread = new Thread(WorkerFunc);
}
public void Start()
{
_thread.Start();
}
// use the = {} pattern since you are using multithreading.
public event JobEventHandler Changed = {};
protected virtual void OnChanged(JobEventArgs e)
{
Changed(this, e);
}
private void WorkerFunc()
{
for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++)
{
Thread.Sleep(1000);
JobEventArgs e = new JobEventArgs(i);
OnChanged(e);
}
}
// A delegate type for hooking up change notifications.
public delegate void JobEventHandler(object sender, JobEventArgs e);

cross thread call

using System;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using agsXMPP;
using System.Text;
namespace iTalk2
{
public partial class Main : Form
{
agsXMPP.XmppClientConnection objXmpp;
public Main()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Console.WriteLine("Logging in. Please wait...");
Console.ReadLine();
objXmpp = new agsXMPP.XmppClientConnection();
agsXMPP.Jid jid = null;
jid = new agsXMPP.Jid("username" + "#gmail.com");
objXmpp.Password = "password";
objXmpp.Username = jid.User;
objXmpp.Server = jid.Server;
objXmpp.AutoResolveConnectServer = true;
try
{
objXmpp.OnMessage += messageReceived;
objXmpp.OnAuthError += loginFailed;
objXmpp.OnLogin += loggedIn;
objXmpp.Open();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Console.WriteLine(ex.Message);
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
private void messageReceived(object sender, agsXMPP.protocol.client.Message msg)
{
string[] chatMessage = null;
chatMessage = msg.From.ToString().Split('/');
agsXMPP.Jid jid = null;
jid = new agsXMPP.Jid(chatMessage[0]);
agsXMPP.protocol.client.Message autoReply = null;
autoReply = new agsXMPP.protocol.client.Message(jid, agsXMPP.protocol.client.MessageType.chat, "This is a test");
objXmpp.Send(autoReply);
}
private void loginFailed(object o, agsXMPP.Xml.Dom.Element el)
{
Console.WriteLine("Login failed. Please check your details.");
}
private void loggedIn(object o)
{
Console.WriteLine("Logged in and Active.");
lblStatus.Text = "Online";
}
private void txtUsername_TextChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
}
private void label1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
}
private void label2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
}
private void txtPassword_TextChanged(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
}
private void btnlogin_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
}
}
}
This code is not working. the function 'loggedIn(object o)' is not working. it says the lblStatus (which is a label) is on another thread. the error window says "Cross-thread operation not valid: Control 'lblStatus' accessed from a thread other than the thread it was created on." thanks in advance.

You need to invoke a call on the UI thread. If you add code as follows at the top of the loggedIn method it should work:-
if(InvokeRequired)
{
Invoke(new Action<object>(loggedIn), o);
return;
}

WinForms is designed such that controls must only be manipulated on the UI-thread, the thread that runs the message-loop that manages the control.
Try this instead:
private void loggedIn(object o)
{
Console.WriteLine("Logged in and Active.");
Action act = () => lblStatus.Text = "Online";
Invoke(act);
}
If your application is such that this method can be called on the UI thread or a separate worker thread, you'd be better off testing forInvokeRequired(simply: am I on the control's UI thread?) and dealing with the result appropriately. For example,
private void loggedIn(object o)
{
if(InvokeRequired)
Invoke(new Action<object>(loggedIn), o);
else
{
Console.WriteLine("Logged in and Active.");
lblStatus.Text = "Online";
}
}
Note that Invokewill block until the UI-update is completed. If you want something more fire-and-forget, use BeginInvokeinstead.

When you start an application it is running from a single thread. This is the main thread, sometimes called the UI thread (since the UI will usually be rendered at startup and as a consequence it will be on that main thread.
Now, when you listen to events, your methods/delegates will get called from new threads. This is a consequence of the event based design. Normally this is not a problem unless you are trying to share data between two threads. This is exactly what happens with your UI elements. In this case your UI elements were created by your first thread but other threads are trying to update its value.
Given your design, you should check for IsInvokeRequired on the control and if so, use Invoke to set the new value. This will marshal your call from the new thread into the main thread that your UI is running on and will allow you to safely change the control.