We Keep Coding

raising events using event Action<T>

I'm used to using delegate EventHandler for event callbacks but now I'm attempting to use event Action for invoking events. I couldn't find much info on how this can be used properly anywhere so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
I have an Action event handler that handles string objects. In my subscriber class I have public event Action<string> UploadProgress;. The event handler is invoked like this:
UploadProgress.Invoke(string.Format("sending file data {0:0.000}%", (bytesSoFar * 100.0f) / totalToUpload));
The listener class is subscribed to this event as below:
uploadFile.UploadProgress += uploadFile_UploadProgress;
void uploadFile_UploadProgress(string obj)
{
var prog = obj;
}
When the event is invoked, I get System.NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object. I'm not sure what I need to change in the subscriber class to avoid this error. Can someone tell me the proper way to use event Action or provide me the link to where I can read up on it? I know how to use the normal Action but confused about declaring it as an event. Any help is appreciated.

This way is much better, send bytesToUpload and totalToUpload through event, instead of the whole Action (right sample):
internal class Program
{
private static void Main(string[] args)
{
SomeClass someClass = new SomeClass();
someClass.UploadProgress += SomeClass_UploadProgress;
someClass.DoSomeUpload();
}
private static void SomeClass_UploadProgress(object sender, UploadEventArgs e)
{
string s = string.Format("sending file data {0:0.000}%", (e.BytesSoFar * 100.0f) / e.TotalToUpload);
Console.WriteLine(s);
}
}
public class UploadEventArgs : EventArgs
{
public float BytesSoFar { get; set; }
public float TotalToUpload { get; set; }
}
public class SomeClass
{
public event EventHandler<UploadEventArgs> UploadProgress;
public void DoSomeUpload()
{
if (UploadProgress != null)
{
UploadEventArgs e = new UploadEventArgs();
e.BytesSoFar = 123f;
e.TotalToUpload = 100000f;
UploadProgress.Invoke(this, e);
}
}
}

C# - Memory leak when passing an event as parameter to a subclass

during the last days I tracked down a memory leak in our application. I know the idea of the developer, who wrote this code, but I am not really about why the leak occurs. The idea was to have a class, which contains an event. The class will instantiate another class, which shall add a event handler to the event in the Init-method and removes it, calling the Stop-method. The problem is, that the event isn't removed from the main class and the InvocationTargetList is growing and growing.
Here is an example source code, which shows the problem:
public class SampleEventArgs
{
public SampleEventArgs(string s) { Text = s; }
public String Text { get; private set; }
}
public class MainClass
{
public delegate void SampleEventHandler(object sender, SampleEventArgs e);
public event SampleEventHandler SampleEvent;
public SubClass m_SubClass = new SubClass();
public MainClass()
{
for (int i = 0; i < 10000; i++)
{
m_SubClass.Init(ref SampleEvent);
m_SubClass.Close();
}
if (SampleEvent != null)
Console.WriteLine("SampleEvent InvocationTargetList length: {0}", SampleEvent.GetInvocationList().Length);
Console.ReadKey();
}
}
public class SubClass
{
public event MemoryLeakTest.MainClass.SampleEventHandler m_Subscription;
public void Init(ref MainClass.SampleEventHandler SampleEvent)
{
SampleEvent += NewEvent;
m_Subscription = SampleEvent;
}
public void Close()
{
m_Subscription -= NewEvent;
}
public void NewEvent(object sender, SampleEventArgs e)
{
}
}
Well, I already fixed the problem by passing the class to the Init and Stop method and also implemented the IDisposeable pattern, but I am not 100% sure, why the code above produces the memory leak. Is it caused, because assigning the SampleEvent to m_Suscription will create a copy of the event and so the event will only be removed from the m_Subscription variable in the Stop method? Any ideas?

Well, we already know delegates are immutable and that's why you used ref parameter to subscribe event.
Now look this method closely
public void Close()
{
m_Subscription -= NewEvent;
}
You actually unsubscribe from a copy, and not from original delegate which is in MainClass. In other words you're re-assigning the field in sub class only not the field in main class.

C# delegate v.s. EventHandler

I want to send an alert message to any subscribers when a trap occurred.
The code I created works fine using a delegate method myDelegate del.
My questions are:
I want to know whether it's better to use EventHandler instead of a delegate?
I'm not sure what the differences are between a delegate and an EventHandler in my case.
notify(trapinfo t), that's what I've done here to get trap information. But it seems not to be a good idea. I read some online tutorial lesson introducing passing delegate object; I'm wondering if it's appropriate in my case? And how should I do it? Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot :)
My code:
public class trapinfo
{
public string info;
public string ip;
public string cause;
}
public class trap
{
public delegate void myDelegate(trapinfo t);
public myDelegate del;
trapinfo info = new trapinfo();
public void run()
{
//While(true)
// If a trap occurred, notify the subscriber
for (; ; )
{
Thread.Sleep(500);
foreach (myDelegate d in del.GetInvocationList())
{
info.cause = "Shut Down";
info.ip = "192.168.0.1";
info.info = "Test";
d.Invoke(info);
}
}
}
}
public class machine
{
private int _occuredtime=0;
public trapinfo info = new trapinfo();
public void notify(trapinfo t)
{
++_occuredtime;
info.cause = t.cause;
info.info = t.info;
info.ip = t.ip;
getInfo();
}
public void subscribe(trap t)
{
t.del += new trap.myDelegate(notify);
}
public void getInfo()
{
Console.WriteLine("<Alert>: cauese/{0}, info/ {1}, ip/{2}, time/{3}",
info.cause, info.info, info.ip,_occuredtime);
}
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
trap t = new trap();
machine machineA = new machine();
machineA.subscribe(t);
t.run();
}
}
Update 2013-08-12
How about the observer/observable design pattern, that looks great in my case (EventHandler).
In my case, a machine subscribes to a trap messenger. (Add a machine to an invocation list)
Once a trap occurred, I send a message to all machines which are subscribed. (Call HandleEvent to handle it)
Advantages:
don't care about GetInvocationList() anymore, just use (+=) and (-=) to decide whom to send the trap.
It's easier to understand the logic of my program.
I know there are several ways to do it, but I wish I could analyze its pros and cons.
And thanks for your comments and suggestions, that would be very helpful!
I read the MSDN EventArgs article which Matthew Watson suggested.
Here's my Event Version:
public class TrapInfoEventArgs : EventArgs
{
public int info { get; set; }
public string ip { get; set; }
public string cause { get; set; }
}
public class trap
{
public event EventHandler<TrapInfoEventArgs> TrapOccurred;
protected virtual void OnTrapOccurred(TrapInfoEventArgs e)
{
EventHandler<TrapInfoEventArgs> handler = TrapOccurred;
if (handler != null)
{
handler(this, e);
}
}
public void run()
{
//While(true)
// If a trap occurred, notify the subscriber
for (; ; )
{
Thread.Sleep(500);
TrapInfoEventArgs args = new TrapInfoEventArgs();
args.cause = "Shut Down";
OnTrapOccurred(args);
}
}
}
public class machine
{
public void c_TrapOccurred(object sender, TrapInfoEventArgs e)
{
Console.WriteLine("<Alert>: cauese/{0}, info/ {1}, ip/{2}, time/{3}",
e.cause, e.info, e.ip, DateTime.Now.ToString());
}
}
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
trap t = new trap();
machine machineA = new machine();
t.TrapOccurred += machineA.c_TrapOccurred; //notify machine A
t.run();
}
}

The difference between event and delegate is that:
event declaration adds a layer of protection on the delegate instance.
This protection prevents clients of the delegate from resetting the
delegate and its invocation list, and only allows adding or removing
targets from the invocation list
See What are the differences between delegates and events?
2) As I see it, your subscriber should not change delegates freely. One subscriber can assign = to it instead of adding +=. This will assign a new delegate, therefore, the previous delegate with its invocation list will be lost and previous subscribers will not be called anymore. So you should use Event for sure. Or you can change your code to make your delegate private and write additional functions for manipulating it to define your own event behavior.
//preventing direct assignment
private myDelegate del ;
public void AddCallback(myDelegate m){
del += m;
}
public void RemoveCallback(myDelegate m){
del -= m;
}
//or
public static trap operator +(trap x,myDelegate m){
x.AddCallback(m);
return x;
}
public static trap operator -(trap x, myDelegate m)
{
x.RemoveCallback(m);
return x;
}
//usage
//t.AddCallback(new trap.myDelegate(notify));
t+=new trap.myDelegate(notify);

It is much better to use an event for your example.
An event is understood by the Visual Studio Form and WPF designers, so you can use the IDE to subscribe to events.
When raising events, there is no need for you to write your own foreach handling to iterate through them.
events are the way that most programmers will expect this functionality to be accessed.
If you use a delegate, the consuming code can mess around with it in ways that you will want to prevent (such as resetting its invocation list). events do not allow that to happen.
As for your second question: Using an event you would create a class derived from EventArgs to hold the data, and pass that to the event when you raise it. The consumer will then have access to it.
See here for details: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.eventargs.aspx

Purpose of "event" keyword

I am using c# and events alot lately but I'm just starting to create my own events and use them. I'm a little confused on why to use the event keyword, I got the same result by only using delegates.
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
ServerConnection connection = new ServerConnection();
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
connection.ref = new del(MethOne);
connection.ref += new del(MethTwo);
}
public void MethOne(object message)
{
MessageBox.Show((string)message);
}
public void MethTwo(object message)
{
MessageBox.Show((string)message);
}
}
public delegate void del(string message);
public class ServerConnection
{
private TcpListener tcpListener;
public del ref;
private List<NetworkStream> clientList = new List<NetworkStream>();
public ServerConnection()
{
this.tcpListener = new TcpListener(IPAddress.Any, 3000);
ThreadStart startListening = new ThreadStart(ListenForClients);
Thread startThread = new Thread(startListening);
startThread.Start();
}
public void ListenForClients()
{
tcpListener.Start();
ParameterizedThreadStart handleClient = new ParameterizedThreadStart(HandleClient);
while (true)
{
TcpClient newClient = tcpListener.AcceptTcpClient();
Thread handleClientThread = new Thread(handleClient);
handleClientThread.Start(newClient);
}
}
public void HandleClient(object newClient)
{
NetworkStream clientStream = ((TcpClient)newClient).GetStream();
clientList.Add(clientStream);
BinaryFormatter formatter = new BinaryFormatter();
string message;
while (true)
{
message = (string)formatter.Deserialize(clientStream);
ref((string)message);
}
}

The event keyword lets you specify add and remove operations inline with the declaration.
private Action _myEvent;
public event Action MyEvent
{
add
{
Console.WriteLine("Listener added!");
_myEvent += value;
}
remove
{
Console.WriteLine("Listener removed!");
_myEvent -= value;
}
}

Have a look at
C# events vs. delegates
the event keyword is a modifier for a delegate declaration that allows
it to be included in an interface, constraints it invocation from
within the class that declares it, provides it with a pair of
customizable accessors (add and remove) and forces the signature of
the delegate (when used within the .NET framework).

The purpose is to identify what is an event, and what is just a callback.
Both seems to be the same thing, but the meaning is different.
Also Visual Studio places different icons to indicate events.
If I remember well, it the early days of C#, delegates didn't support this:
this.mydelegatefield += somethingHere;
Only events... but may be it is only my imagination.
EDIT
Just not to be missleading... there is the difference of add/remove methods. I place this after the other answers (since I forgot about this). So, credit is not mine.

Event is just a sugarcoat. 3 things happen when you define an event.
Simple EG:
public event EventHandler alarm;
Sample compiler output
private EventHandler alarm
public void add_alarm(EventHandler value)
{
}
public void remove_alarm(EventHandler value)
{
}
Notice private in contrast to your public del me;
Public accessors may cause problems. Also, using get and set is a better pattern

events can be compared to properties of your class.
Properties are interfaces to your MemberField/Object states.
Similarly event is an interface to the underlying delegate.
you can still achieve the endresult without event.But you lose encapsulation without events.
A non protected delegate can be prone to abuse.

One shot events using Lambda in C#

I find myself doing this sort of thing quite often:-
EventHandler eh = null; //can't assign lambda directly since it uses eh
eh = (s, args) =>
{
//small snippet of code here
((SomeType)s).SomeEvent -= eh;
}
variableOfSomeType.SomeEvent += eh;
Basically I only want to attach an event handler to listen for one shot from the event, I no longer want to stay attached after that. Quite often that "snippert of code" is just one line.
My mind is going a bit numb, I'm sure there must be something I can do so I don't need to repeat all this overhead. Bear in mind that EventHandler may well be EventHandler<T>.
Any ideas how I can tidy up the repeative part of the code and just leave the snippet in a Lambda?

You could attache a permanent event handler to the event. The event handler then invokes "one shot event handlers" that are added to an internal queue:
OneShotHandlerQueue<EventArgs> queue = new OneShotHandlerQueue<EventArgs>();
Test test = new Test();
// attach permanent event handler
test.Done += queue.Handle;
// add a "one shot" event handler
queue.Add((sender, e) => Console.WriteLine(e));
test.Start();
// add another "one shot" event handler
queue.Add((sender, e) => Console.WriteLine(e));
test.Start();
Code:
class OneShotHandlerQueue<TEventArgs> where TEventArgs : EventArgs {
private ConcurrentQueue<EventHandler<TEventArgs>> queue;
public OneShotHandlerQueue() {
this.queue = new ConcurrentQueue<EventHandler<TEventArgs>>();
}
public void Handle(object sender, TEventArgs e) {
EventHandler<TEventArgs> handler;
if (this.queue.TryDequeue(out handler) && (handler != null))
handler(sender, e);
}
public void Add(EventHandler<TEventArgs> handler) {
this.queue.Enqueue(handler);
}
}
Test class:
class Test {
public event EventHandler Done;
public void Start() {
this.OnDone(new EventArgs());
}
protected virtual void OnDone(EventArgs e) {
EventHandler handler = this.Done;
if (handler != null)
handler(this, e);
}
}

You can use reflection:
public static class Listener {
public static void ListenOnce(this object eventSource, string eventName, EventHandler handler) {
var eventInfo = eventSource.GetType().GetEvent(eventName);
EventHandler internalHandler = null;
internalHandler = (src, args) => {
eventInfo.RemoveEventHandler(eventSource, internalHandler);
handler(src, args);
};
eventInfo.AddEventHandler(eventSource, internalHandler);
}
public static void ListenOnce<TEventArgs>(this object eventSource, string eventName, EventHandler<TEventArgs> handler) where TEventArgs : EventArgs {
var eventInfo = eventSource.GetType().GetEvent(eventName);
EventHandler<TEventArgs> internalHandler = null;
internalHandler = (src, args) => {
eventInfo.RemoveEventHandler(eventSource, internalHandler);
handler(src, args);
};
eventInfo.AddEventHandler(eventSource, internalHandler);
}
}
Use it like so:
variableOfSomeType.ListenOnce("SomeEvent",
(s, args) => Console.WriteLine("I should print only once!"));
variableOfSomeType.ListenOnce<InterestingEventArgs>("SomeOtherEvent",
(s, args) => Console.WriteLine("I should print only once!"));

If you can use the Reactive Extensions for .NET, you can simplify this.
You can make an Observable from an event, and only listen for the first element using .Take(1), to do your small snippet of code. This turns this entire process into a couple of lines of code.
Edit: In order to demonstrate, I've made a full sample program (I'll paste below).
I moved the observable creation and subscription into a method (HandleOneShot). This lets you do what you're attempting with a single method call. For demonstrating, I made a class with two properties that implements INotifyPropertyChanged, and am listening for the first property changed event, writing to the console when it occurs.
This takes your code, and changes it to:
HandleOneShot<SomeEventArgs>(variableOfSomeType, "SomeEvent", e => {
// Small snippet of code here
});
Notice that all of the subscription/unsubscription happens automatically for you behind the scenes. There's no need to handle putting in the subscription manually - just Subscribe to the Observable, and Rx takes care of this for you.
When run, this code prints:
Setup...
Setting first property...
**** Prop2 Changed! /new val
Setting second property...
Setting first property again.
Press ENTER to continue...
You only get a single, one shot trigger of your event.
namespace ConsoleApplication1
{
using System;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Linq;
class Test : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
private string prop2;
private string prop;
public string Prop
{
get {
return prop;
}
set
{
if (prop != value)
{
prop = value;
if (PropertyChanged!=null)
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("Prop"));
}
}
}
public string Prop2
{
get
{
return prop2;
}
set
{
if (prop2 != value)
{
prop2 = value;
if (PropertyChanged != null)
PropertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("Prop2"));
}
}
}
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
}
class Program
{
static void HandleOneShot<TEventArgs>(object target, string eventName, Action<TEventArgs> action) where TEventArgs : EventArgs
{
var obsEvent = Observable.FromEvent<TEventArgs>(target, eventName).Take(1);
obsEvent.Subscribe(a => action(a.EventArgs));
}
static void Main(string[] args)
{
Test test = new Test();
Console.WriteLine("Setup...");
HandleOneShot<PropertyChangedEventArgs>(
test,
"PropertyChanged",
e =>
{
Console.WriteLine(" **** {0} Changed! {1}/{2}!", e.PropertyName, test.Prop, test.Prop2);
});
Console.WriteLine("Setting first property...");
test.Prop2 = "new value";
Console.WriteLine("Setting second property...");
test.Prop = "second value";
Console.WriteLine("Setting first property again...");
test.Prop2 = "other value";
Console.WriteLine("Press ENTER to continue...");
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
}

Another user encountered a very similar problem, and I believe the solution in that thread applies here.
In particular, what you have is not an instance of the publish/subscribe pattern, its a message queue. Its easy enough to create your own message queue using a Queue{EventHandler}, where you dequeue events as you invoke them.
So instead of hooking on to an event handler, your "one-shot" events should expose a method allowing clients to add an function to the message queue.

Does it work? If so, then I say go for it. For a one-shot event that looks to be quite elegant.
What I like...
If s is garbage collected, so will the event handler.
The detaching code is right next to the attaching code, making it easy to see what you are are doing.
You might be able to generalize it, but I'm not entierly sure how to because I can't seem to get a pointer to a event.

Personally, I just create a specialized extension method for whatever type has the event I'm dealing with.
Here's a basic version of something I am using right now:
namespace MyLibrary
{
public static class FrameworkElementExtensions
{
public static void HandleWhenLoaded(this FrameworkElement el, RoutedEventHandler handler)
{
RoutedEventHandler wrapperHandler = null;
wrapperHandler = delegate
{
el.Loaded -= wrapperHandler;
handler(el, null);
};
el.Loaded += wrapperHandler;
}
}
}
The reason I think this is the best solution is because you often don't need to just handle the event one time. You also often need to check if the event has already passed... For instance, here is another version of the above extension method that uses an attached property to check if the element is already loaded, in which case it just calls the given handler right away:
namespace MyLibraryOrApplication
{
public static class FrameworkElementExtensions
{
public static void HandleWhenLoaded(this FrameworkElement el, RoutedEventHandler handler)
{
if ((bool)el.GetValue(View.IsLoadedProperty))
{
// el already loaded, call the handler now.
handler(el, null);
return;
}
// el not loaded yet. Attach a wrapper handler that can be removed upon execution.
RoutedEventHandler wrapperHandler = null;
wrapperHandler = delegate
{
el.Loaded -= wrapperHandler;
el.SetValue(View.IsLoadedProperty, true);
handler(el, null);
};
el.Loaded += wrapperHandler;
}
}
}

You probably want to work with the new async/await idioms.
Usually when I need to execute an event handler one-shot like you described, what I really need is something like:
await variableOfSomeSort.SomeMethodAsync();
//small snippet of code here

Why not do use the delegate stack built into the event?
Something like...
private void OnCheckedIn(object sender, Session e)
{
EventHandler<Session> nextInLine = null;
lock (_syncLock)
{
if (SessionCheckedIn != null)
{
nextInLine = (EventHandler<Session>)SessionCheckedIn.GetInvocationList()[0];
SessionCheckedIn -= nextInLine;
}
}
if ( nextInLine != null )
{
nextInLine(this, e);
}
}