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C# -A clean / performant way to filter certain class instances fields

I am trying to roll an event handling system in C# - in my case it's for a game in Unity but it's abstract enough to apply to any system.
A singleton class "EventManager" has a private Dictionary(System.Type,Dictionary(long, EventListener)) __listeners along with a public methods to Register, Unregister and ThrowEvent(EventInfo ei).
The dictionary's key is a type derived from EventInfo, so there will be keys for EventInfoFoo, EventInfoBar and so forth, and these may not necessarily have the same fields.
I would also like to be able to only listen for specific conditions within these classes derived from EventInfo such as "only fire when ei.CreatureType==Animal" or "position.x between 1 and 5".
I have a working solution using Reflection, however its performance is just not good enough. My next idea was to have this filter be a delegate method passed on by the class registering the listener, but since I expect almost all, if not all filters to be equality/range checks, I wonder if there's a cleaner way of handling it.
Here are the pertaining classes:
EventListener:
public class EventListener {
public Dictionary<string, string> eventFilter;
public delegate void eventHandler(EventInfo ei);
public eventHandler Eh;
public EventListener( eventHandler evH,Dictionary<string, string> filter)
{
Eh= evH;
eventFilter = filter;
}}
EventInfo:
public class EventInfo {
public Object Caller;
public EventInfo (Object __caller)
{
Caller = __caller;
}
public EventInfo()
{ Caller = null; }
}
public class EventInfoExample : EventInfo
{
public int Testint;
public EventInfoExample(Object __caller)
{
Caller = __caller;
}
}
EventManager:
public class EventManager : MonoBehaviour {
private static EventManager __em;
public static EventManager Em
{
get { return EventManager.__em; }
}
private Dictionary<System.Type,Dictionary<long, EventListener>> __listeners;
private long __idcounter = 1;
private long getNewID()
{
long __ret = __idcounter;
__idcounter++;
return __ret;
}
//true on let through , false on block
private bool __doFilter(Dictionary<string,string>eventFilter , EventInfo ei)
{
// if no filters, accept
if (eventFilter == null || eventFilter.Count < 1)
return true;
System.Type __eit = ei.GetType();
FieldInfo[] __fields = ei.GetType().GetFields();
List<string> __fieldlist = __fields.Select(f => f.Name).ToList();
foreach (KeyValuePair<string,string> kvp in eventFilter)
{
if (__fieldlist.Contains(kvp.Key) == false)
Debug.LogError("Fieldlist for " + __eit.ToString() + " does not contain a field named " + kvp.Key);
//this is what we are filtering for
//TODO add support for operators, for now its just ==
if (__eit.GetField(kvp.Key).GetValue(ei).ToString() != kvp.Value)
return false;
}
return true;
}
public Object ThrowEvent(EventInfo ei)
{
Debug.Assert(__listeners != null);
Debug.Assert(ei != null);
if (__listeners.ContainsKey(ei.GetType()) == false)
return null;
//call all
foreach ( KeyValuePair<long,EventListener> __kvp2 in __listeners[ei.GetType()])
{
// apply listener filters
if (__doFilter(__kvp2.Value.eventFilter , ei))
{
Debug.Log("Invoking ID " + __kvp2.Key.ToString() + " for " + ei.GetType().ToString());
__kvp2.Value.Eh(ei);
}
}
return null;
}
public long Register(System.Type eventType,EventListener el)
{
Debug.Assert(eventType.IsSubclassOf(typeof(EventInfo)));
Debug.Assert(el != null);
Debug.Assert(__listeners != null);
// if we dont have a key for this type, create new dict, then add to dict
if (__listeners.ContainsKey(eventType) == false)
__listeners.Add(eventType, new Dictionary<long, EventListener>());
long __newID = getNewID();
//add to list
__listeners[eventType].Add(__newID, el);
return __newID;
}
public bool Unregister(long ID)
{
return true;
}
// Use this for initialization
void Start () {
// pop singleton
EventManager.__em = this;
}
// Update is called once per frame
void Update () {
}}

Save information between VMs

The main idea what I am trying to do - to have one VM, which has a lot of other VMs.
The problem is to organize data transportation.
Main VM is connected with a template and other VMs have their own templates.
I use a navigator to change VMs and template selector to change templates.
Navigator:
public class NavigationController : INotifyPropertyChanged
{
public event PropertyChangedEventHandler PropertyChanged;
private List<ViewModelBase> _viewModels;
private ViewModelBase _currentViewModel;
public ViewModelBase CurrentViewModel {
get { return _currentViewModel; }
set { _currentViewModel = value; OnPropertyChanged(nameof(CurrentViewModel)); }
}
private List<ViewModelBase> _legViewModels;
private ViewModelBase _legViewModel;
public ViewModelBase LegViewModel
{
get { return _legViewModel; }
set { _legViewModel = value; OnPropertyChanged(nameof(LegViewModel)); }
}
public NavigationController()
{
_viewModels = new List<ViewModelBase>
{
new ViewModelLogin(this),
new ViewModelPhysicalOverview(this),
...list of VMs...
};
_currentViewModel = _viewModels.First();
_legViewModels = new List<ViewModelBase>
{
new SFSViewModel(this),
new BPVHipViewModel(this)
};
_legViewModel = _legViewModels.First();
}
public void NavigateTo<T>()
{
var target = _viewModels.FirstOrDefault(e => e.GetType() == typeof(T));
if (target != null)
CurrentViewModel = target;
}
[NotifyPropertyChangedInvocator]
protected virtual void OnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] string propertyName = null)
{
//если PropertyChanged не нулевое - оно будет разбужено
PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
}
}
My main VM:
public BPVHipViewModel LeftBPVHip { get; protected set; }
public SFSViewModel LeftSFS { get; protected set; }
public BPVHipViewModel RightBPVHip { get; protected set; }
public SFSViewModel RightSFS { get; protected set; }
public ViewModelAddPhysical(NavigationController controller) : base(controller)
{
LeftBPVHip = new BPVHipViewModel(Controller);
RightBPVHip = new BPVHipViewModel(Controller);
LeftSFS = new SFSViewModel(Controller);
RightSFS = new SFSViewModel(Controller);
Controller = controller;
base.HasNavigation = false;
ToRightBPVHipCommand = new DelegateCommand(
() =>
{
Controller.LegViewModel = RightBPVHip;
Controller.NavigateTo<LegPartViewModel>();
}
);
ToLeftBPVHipCommand = new DelegateCommand(
() =>
{
Controller.LegViewModel = LeftBPVHip;
Controller.NavigateTo<LegPartViewModel>();
}
);
ToLeftSFSCommand = new DelegateCommand(
() =>
{
Controller.LegViewModel = LeftSFS;
Controller.NavigateTo<LegPartViewModel>();
}
);
ToRightSFSCommand = new DelegateCommand(
() =>
{
Controller.LegViewModel = RightSFS;
Controller.NavigateTo<LegPartViewModel>();
}
);
}
So before I go to another VM and change my screen, I do
Controller.LegViewModel = RightSFS;
and I thought if I change something in RightSFS - it will keep changes after returning to main VM. But I guess it doesn't work like this.
In children I have:
private bool _isEmpty = true;
public bool IsEmpty {
get
{
return _isEmpty;
}
protected set {
_isEmpty = value;
OnPropertyChanged("IsEmpty");
}
}
public string ButtonText
{
get
{
if (!IsEmpty) return "Edit";
else return "Fill";
}
}
And a fn that fires before I return to parent screen:
SaveCommand = new DelegateCommand(
() =>
{
IsEmpty = false;
Controller.NavigateTo<ViewModelAddPhysical>();
}
);
so I want a button from main template to show if we already have visited child screen, in this case I want "Edit" text. But it returns "Fill" all the time, 'cause IsEmpty doesn't change from true to false for him and I don't understand how to fix it. Please help.

For me, you are trying to invent a wheel of your own. It's done, multiple times. Every MVVM framework outthere has built-in navigation.
Take a look at ReactiveUI (great framework) samples, they are doing exactly what you need.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using Ninject;
using ReactiveUI.Samples.Routing.Views;
using Splat;
namespace ReactiveUI.Samples.Routing.ViewModels
{
/* COOLSTUFF: What is the AppBootstrapper?
*
* The AppBootstrapper is like a ViewModel for the WPF Application class.
* Since Application isn't very testable (just like Window / UserControl),
* we want to create a class we can test. Since our application only has
* one "screen" (i.e. a place we present Routed Views), we can also use
* this as our IScreen.
*
* An IScreen is a ViewModel that contains a Router - practically speaking,
* it usually represents a Window (or the RootFrame of a WinRT app). We
* should technically create a MainWindowViewModel to represent the IScreen,
* but there isn't much benefit to split those up unless you've got multiple
* windows.
*
* AppBootstrapper is a good place to implement a lot of the "global
* variable" type things in your application. It's also the place where
* you should configure your IoC container. And finally, it's the place
* which decides which View to Navigate to when the application starts.
*/
public class AppBootstrapper : ReactiveObject, IScreen
{
public RoutingState Router { get; private set; }
public AppBootstrapper(IMutableDependencyResolver dependencyResolver = null, RoutingState testRouter = null)
{
Router = testRouter ?? new RoutingState();
dependencyResolver = dependencyResolver ?? Locator.CurrentMutable;
// Bind
RegisterParts(dependencyResolver);
// TODO: This is a good place to set up any other app
// startup tasks, like setting the logging level
LogHost.Default.Level = LogLevel.Debug;
// Navigate to the opening page of the application
// you can set any property of this new VM to transport data
Router.Navigate.Execute(new WelcomeViewModel(this));
}
private void RegisterParts(IMutableDependencyResolver dependencyResolver)
{
dependencyResolver.RegisterConstant(this, typeof(IScreen));
dependencyResolver.Register(() => new WelcomeView(), typeof(IViewFor<WelcomeViewModel>));
}
}
}

I used MessageBus pattern, it was perfect solution for me
class Subscription
{
public object Instance { get; set; }
public Action<object, object> Handler;
}
public class MessageBus
{
#region Singleton
private static readonly MessageBus _instance = new MessageBus();
public static MessageBus Default => _instance;
private MessageBus()
{
}
#endregion
private readonly Dictionary<string, List<Action<object, object>>> _hadlersMap
= new Dictionary<string, List<Action<object, object>>>();
public void Call(string name, object sender, object data)
{
List<Action<object, object>> handlers;
if(!_hadlersMap.TryGetValue(name.ToUpper(), out handlers))
return;
foreach (var handler in handlers)
{
handler?.Invoke(sender,data);
}
}
public void Subscribe(string name, Action<object, object> handler)
{
name = name.ToUpper();
List<Action<object, object>> handlers;
if (!_hadlersMap.TryGetValue(name, out handlers))
{
handlers = new List<Action<object, object>>{ handler };
_hadlersMap.Add(name, handlers);
}
else
{
handlers.Add(handler);
}
}
}

So I have never seem things be done this way. Have you looked at Windsor. I believe dependency injection and inversion of control could improve the scalability here. As far as suggestions go.
There is a lot of instantiation going on in many different places in the code here. Maybe creating a factory to handle all the new-ing up. IOC would help with that as well. You could place your list of models globally. App.Current.Properties[ "someVm" ] = vmInstance; if you are wanting to save the vm state.
Another way to persist the vm state would of course be to make that vm a singleton ensuring that when called it returns that only instance if already exists or instantiates if not.
Finally, I have persisted vm state upon unloading and reading state from somewhere upon loading. This is common and many default controls do this.

How to Wait for Listener to Complete Before Returning

I want to wait for my listener to complete before returning the containing function.
Consider this function:
public static Users GetUser(string sUserID)
{
Users oUser = null;
var listener = new UserEventHelper((sender, e) =>
{
if ((e as UserArgs).Value != null)
{
oUser = (e as UserArgs).Value;
}
});
oRoot.Child("users").OrderByKey().EqualTo(sUserID).AddListenerForSingleValueEvent(listener);
return oUser;
}
Other Classes:
class UserEventHelper : Java.Lang.Object, IValueEventListener
{
EventHandler OnChange;
public UserEventHelper(EventHandler OnChange)
{
this.OnChange = OnChange;
}
public void OnCancelled(DatabaseError error)
{
//throw new NotImplementedException();
}
public void OnDataChange(DataSnapshot snapshot)
{
if (OnChange != null && snapshot.Value != null)
{
Users oUser = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Users>(snapshot.Value.ToString());
OnChange.Invoke(this, new UserArgs(oUser));
}
else
{
OnChange.Invoke(this, new UserArgs(null));
}
}
}
public class UserArgs : EventArgs
{
public UserArgs(Users value)
{
this.Value = value;
}
public Users Value { get; set; }
}
How can I structure my code in such a way that I know the user value is set from inside the listener before I return from the function? Note: There could be other issues with the code but I would like to focus on this conceptual question.

I cannot really think of a way to return an object from the GetUser method, this method just subscribes to an event and provides an action to be taken when the event is fired, and there is no guarantee when the event will be fired.
So it should not be called GetUser, since it cannot return a user object. Besides, what do you expect the method to return when the event is fired multiple times? Just take the first one and discard the others?
The solution is, instead of trying to return a user object to the caller, just doing whatever you want on the user object just inside the action (the listener) you provided when you subscribing to the event.
var listener = new UserEventHelper((sender, e) =>
{
if ((e as UserArgs).Value != null)
{
oUser = (e as UserArgs).Value;
//you have a user object now, just do your work here!
}
});

Set Event-Handler by reflection with Type and Template argument

I would like to set an event handler only by reflection, I can get all the types but I can't achieve it.
public delegate void MyHandler<T>(IMyInterface<T> pParam);
public interface IMyInterface<T>
{
MyHandler<T> EventFired { get; set; }
}
void myFunction()
{
//admit vMyObject is IMyInterface<ClassA>
var vMyObject = vObj as IMyInterface<ClassA>;
//get the generic type => ClassA
var vTypeGeneric = vTypeReturn.GenericTypeArguments.FirstOrDefault();
//build the type handler for the event MyHandler<ClassA>
Type vAsyncOP = typeof(MyHandler<>).MakeGenericType(vTypeGeneric);
// here I don't know how to create the Event handler to set EventFired
// dynamically with the code inside
var vEventFired = vMyObject.GetType().GetProperty("EventFired");
vEventFired.SetMethod etc...
}
I found some code with the usage of Lambda/Expression but I don't understand how to use it in this case.

Full sample:
public delegate void MyHandler<T>(IMyInterface<T> pParam);
public interface IMyInterface<T>
{
MyHandler<T> EventFired { get; set; }
}
public class MyClass : IMyInterface<int>
{
public MyHandler<int> EventFired { get; set;}
}
public void ConcreteHandler(IMyInterface<int> p)
{
Console.WriteLine("I'm here");
}
void Main()
{
var myValue = new MyClass();
var deleg = Delegate.CreateDelegate(typeof(MyHandler<int>), this, "ConcreteHandler");
myValue.GetType().GetProperty("EventFired").SetValue(myValue, deleg);
// Test delegate invocation:
myValue.EventFired.Invoke(new MyClass());
}

Since the question asks about setting an event and the code refers to delegate, here is the code for setting an event using reflection (via extension method):
public delegate void MyHandler<T>(IMyInterface<T> pParam);
public interface IMyInterface<T>
{
event MyHandler<T> EventFired;
}
public class ClassA : IMyInterface<int>
{
public event MyHandler<int> EventFired;
private int _Count = 0;
public void Fire()
{
var handler = EventFired;
if (handler != null) handler(this);
}
public override string ToString()
{
return "Call: " + (++_Count).ToString();
}
}
public static class Extension
{
public static void Add<T>(this IMyInterface<T> i, System.Reflection.MethodInfo method, object method_instance = null)
{
if (method.IsGenericMethodDefinition) method = method.MakeGenericMethod(typeof(T));
Delegate d = Delegate.CreateDelegate(typeof(MyHandler<>).MakeGenericType(typeof(T)), method_instance, method);
i.GetType().GetEvent("EventFired").GetAddMethod().Invoke(i, new object[] { d });
}
}
public class Program
{
public static void Print<T>(IMyInterface<T> val)
{
string output = val.ToString();
Console.WriteLine(output);
System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine(output);
}
static void Main(string[] args)
{
ClassA ca = new ClassA();
ca.EventFired += Print<int>;
ca.Add(typeof(Program).GetMethod("Print", System.Reflection.BindingFlags.Static | System.Reflection.BindingFlags.Public));
ca.Fire();
}
}

Sorry for the title, I meant not an event but a delegate property.
I found the solution meanwhile :
public void MyDelegate<T>(IMyInterface<T> pParam)
{
}
void myFunction()
{
//admit vMyObject is IMyInterface<ClassA>
var vMyObject = vObj as IMyInterface<ClassA>;
//get the generic type => ClassA
var vTypeGeneric = vTypeReturn.GenericTypeArguments.FirstOrDefault();
//build the type handler for the event MyHandler<ClassA>
Type vAsyncOP = typeof(MyHandler<>).MakeGenericType(vTypeGeneric);
// SOLUTION here :
// Create MyDelegate<vTypeGeneric>
// Then instanciate it with CreateDelegate and typeof(IMyInterface<vTypeGeneric>)
var vMyDelegate= this.GetType().GetMethod("MyDelegate");
var vMyDelegateGeneric = vMyDelegate.MakeGenericMethod(vTypeGeneric);
Type vTypeHandlerGeneric = typeof(IMyInterface<>).MakeGenericType(vTypeGeneric);
// this => bind to method in the class
var vMethodDelegate = vMyDelegateGeneric.CreateDelegate(vTypeHandlerGeneric, this);
// Set delegate Property
var vEventFired = vMyObject.GetType().GetProperty("EventFired");
vEventFired.SetValue(value, vDelegate);
}

Raising complex event using Moq in C#

The following code should be self explanetory: we have an adaptor, who consumes events from the transport (layer), which holds the MessageRegistrar (object type because we can't tell it's type, and basically because this is legacy code :-) ). The transport layer have a concrete which have an event.
I want to test a case where the event is triggered, so..
After hours of trying to figure why it won't pass, I present the following challenge:
[TestFixture]
public class AdaptorTests
{
public delegate void TracksEventHandler(object sender, List<int> trklst);
public class MyEventHolder
{
public virtual event TracksEventHandler EventName;
}
public interface ITransport
{
object MessageRegistrar { get; }
}
public class MyTransport : ITransport
{
private readonly MyEventHolder m_eventHolder;
public MyTransport(MyEventHolder eventHolder)
{
m_eventHolder = eventHolder;
}
public virtual object MessageRegistrar
{
get { return m_eventHolder; }
}
}
public class MyAdaptor
{
private readonly ITransport m_transport;
public MyAdaptor(ITransport transport)
{
EventTriggered = false;
m_transport = transport;
}
public void Connect()
{
MyEventHolder eventHolder = m_transport.MessageRegistrar as MyEventHolder;
if (eventHolder != null)
eventHolder.EventName += EventHolderOnEventName;
}
private void EventHolderOnEventName(object sender, List<int> trklst)
{
EventTriggered = true;
}
public bool EventTriggered { get; private set; }
}
[Test]
public void test1()
{
Mock<MyEventHolder> eventHolderMock = new Mock<MyEventHolder> {CallBase = true};
Mock<MyTransport> transportMock = new Mock<MyTransport>(eventHolderMock.Object) {CallBase = true};
MyAdaptor adaptor = new MyAdaptor(transportMock.Object);
adaptor.Connect();
MyEventHolder eventHolder = transportMock.Object.MessageRegistrar as MyEventHolder;
Mock.Get(eventHolder).Raise(eh => eh.EventName += null, new List<int>());
Assert.IsTrue(adaptor.EventTriggered);
}
[Test]
public void test2()
{
Mock<MyEventHolder> eventHolderMock = new Mock<MyEventHolder> { CallBase = true };
Mock<MyTransport> transportMock = new Mock<MyTransport>(eventHolderMock.Object) { CallBase = true };
MyAdaptor adaptor = new MyAdaptor(transportMock.Object);
adaptor.Connect();
MyEventHolder eventHolder = transportMock.Object.MessageRegistrar as MyEventHolder;
Mock.Get(eventHolder).Raise(eh => eh.EventName += null, null, new List<int>());
Assert.IsTrue(adaptor.EventTriggered);
}
}
My question is: why wont the test (at least one of them) pass?
EDIT #151217-0822 Addded 'adaptor.Connect()' to the original post (still won't fix the issue).
WORKAROUND
Credits to #Patrick Quirk: Thanks!!
For those encountering the same issue: after I understood what Patrick-Quirk detected, and trying couple of failed workarounds, I've ended up adding the following verified fix: 'eventHolder.FireEventNameForTestings(new List());':
public class MyEventHolder
{
public virtual event TracksEventHandler EventName;
public virtual void FireEventNameForTestings(List<int> trklst)
{
TracksEventHandler handler = EventName;
if (handler != null)
handler(this, trklst);
}
}
[Test]
public void test3()
{
Mock<MyEventHolder> eventHolderMock = new Mock<MyEventHolder> { CallBase = true };
Mock<MyTransport> transportMock = new Mock<MyTransport>(eventHolderMock.Object) { CallBase = true };
MyAdaptor adaptor = new MyAdaptor(transportMock.Object);
adaptor.Connect();
MyEventHolder eventHolder = transportMock.Object.MessageRegistrar as MyEventHolder;
eventHolder.FireEventNameForTestings(new List<int>());
Assert.IsTrue(adaptor.EventTriggered);
}
HTH..

It seems that CallBase and Raise() have an unexpected (to me) interaction.
When you are attaching an event handler to a virtual event on a mock, you go through this code in Moq:
if (invocation.Method.IsEventAttach())
{
var delegateInstance = (Delegate)invocation.Arguments[0];
// TODO: validate we can get the event?
var eventInfo = this.GetEventFromName(invocation.Method.Name.Substring(4));
if (ctx.Mock.CallBase && !eventInfo.DeclaringType.IsInterface)
{
invocation.InvokeBase();
}
else if (delegateInstance != null)
{
ctx.AddEventHandler(eventInfo, (Delegate)invocation.Arguments[0]);
}
return InterceptionAction.Stop;
}
You can see that if CallBase is true, then it will add your handler to the concrete object's event (via invocation.InvokeBase()). If CallBase is false, it will add it to an invocation list on the mock (via AddEventHandler). Now let's look at the code for Raise(), which gets the event object from the Expression and then calls DoRaise():
internal void DoRaise(EventInfo ev, EventArgs args)
{
// ... parameter validation
foreach (var del in this.Interceptor.InterceptionContext.GetInvocationList(ev).ToArray())
{
del.InvokePreserveStack(this.Object, args);
}
}
See the call to GetInvocationList()? That retrieves the invocation list from the mock that I mentioned above. This code never invokes the actual event on the base object.
So, it seems there's no way to raise an event on a mocked object where CallBase is set to true.
The only workaround I see, if you require CallBase being true, is to add a method to your concrete MyEventHolder to trigger your event. Obviously what you posted is a simplified example so I can't give you more guidance than that, but hopefully I've shown you why what you have does not work.