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MessageBox and while loop C#

I'm modifying existing C# code in order to pilote a piston. Every 30ms, I have a direct feedback of the position of this piston, through an event. The value is stored in a global variable I use to get the current position of the piston.
What I'm trying to achieve: for a given distance input (A->C), I want the piston to travel at full speed for 95% of the distance (A->B), and then slower for the remaining 5% (B->C).
I have access to a command that defines the speed and the destination of the piston : pos(velocity, destination).
However, if I write that code:
pos(fullSpeed,B);
pos(reducedSpeed, C);
the piston directly goes from fullSpeed to reducedSpeed
I tried to use a while loop to compare the current position of the piston with the goal destination, however, upon entering the while loop, the variable storing the piston position does not update anymore.
However, I noticed that by throwing a MessageBox in between, the position value keeps on getting updated, and I can simply click "ok" to launch the second command.
pos(fullSpeed,B);
MessageBox.show("Wait");
pos(reducedSpeed, C);
I would like to know why the "while" loop stops the update of the position variable but the MessageBox does not. I mean, as long as I don't click the "ok" button, the box is here preventing me from doing anything, which for me ressembles a while loop behaviour. Is there another way for me to do this instead of the MessageBox ?
I have little to no knowledge when it comes to C# and no support. I have tried to look in the documentation, but I did not find an answer (I have probably missed it). Any lead is more than welcome.
EDIT: I have no documentation for that code, and it is barely commented. Here is what I gathered (really hope it helps):
To move the piston, taht function is called:
MyEdc.Move.Pos(control, speed, destination, ref MyTan);
control simply define what we pilote (a distance or a load, it is an enum), and I have no idea what MyTan does. Only thing I know is that the MyEdc.Move.Pos returns an error code.
If I look at the definition of "pos", I am redirected to class
public DoPEmove Move;
containing among other things:
public DoPE.ERR Pos(DoPE.CTRL MoveCtrl, double Speed, double Destination, ref short Tan);
DoPE.ERR is also an type enum. However, I cannot reach the definition of a function named "Pos". Coud it be within the .dll included ?
The following is the code that allows me to access the position of the piston (without the global variables):
private int OnData(ref DoPE.OnData Data, object Parameter)
{
if (Data.DoPError == DoPE.ERR.NOERROR)
{
DoPE.Data Sample = Data.Data;
Int32 Time = Environment.TickCount;
if ((Time - LastTime) >= 300 /*ms*/)
{
LastTime = Time;
string text;
text = String.Format("{0}", Sample.Time.ToString("0.000"));
guiTime.Text = text;
text = String.Format("{0}", Sample.Sensor[(int)DoPE.SENSOR.SENSOR_S].ToString("0.000"));
guiPosition.Text = text;
text = String.Format("{0}", Sample.Sensor[(int)DoPE.SENSOR.SENSOR_F].ToString("0.000"));
guiLoad.Text = text;
text = String.Format("{0}", Sample.Sensor[(int)DoPE.SENSOR.SENSOR_E].ToString("0.000"));
guiExtension.Text = text;
}
}
return 0;
}
Which is called using
MyEdc.Eh.OnDataHdlr += new DoPE.OnDataHdlr(OnData);
I realise how little I know on how the soft operates, and how frustrating this is for you. If you think this is a lost cause, no problem, I'll try Timothy Jannace solution, and if it does not help me, I'll stick with the MessageBox solution. I just wanted to know why the MessageBox allowed me to sort of achieve my objectif, but the while loop did not, and how to use it in my advantage here.

I tried to use a while loop to compare the current position of the
piston with the goal destination, however, upon entering the while
loop, the variable storing the piston position does not update
anymore.
While you are in the while loop, your app can no longer receive and process the feedback event.
One possible solution would be to use async/await like this:
private const int fullSpeed = 1;
private const int reducedSpeed = 2;
private int currentPistonPositon = 0; // global var updated by event as you described
private async void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
int B = 50;
int C = 75;
pos(fullSpeed, B);
await Task.Run(() =>
{ // pick one below?
// assumes that "B" and "currentPistonPosition" can actually be EXACTLY the same value
while (currentPistonPositon != B)
{
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(25);
}
// if this isn't the case, then perhaps when it reaches a certain threshold distance?
while (Math.Abs(currentPistonPositon - B) > 0.10)
{
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(25);
}
});
pos(reducedSpeed, C);
}
Note the button1_Click method signature has been marked with async. The code will wait for the while loop inside the task to complete while still processing event messages because of the await. Only then will it move on to the second pos() call.
Thank you for your answer ! It works like a charm ! (good catch on the
EXACT value). I learnt a lot, and I am sure the async/await combo is
going to be very usefull in the future ! – MaximeS
If that worked well, then you might want to consider refactoring the code and making your own "goto position" method like this:
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
int B = 50;
int C = 75;
GotoPosition(fullSpeed, B);
GotoPosition(reducedSpeed, C);
}
private async void GotoPosition(int speed, int position)
{
pos(speed, position);
await Task.Run(() =>
{
while (Math.Abs(currentPistonPositon - position) > 0.10)
{
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(25);
}
});
}
Readability would be greatly improved.
You could even get fancier and introduce a timeout concept into the while loop. Now your code could do something like below:
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
int B = 50;
int C = 75;
if (GotoPosition(fullSpeed, B, TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(750)).Result)
{
if (GotoPosition(reducedSpeed, C, TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(1500)).Result)
{
// ... we successfully went to B at fullSpeed, then to C at reducedSpeed ...
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("Piston Timed Out");
}
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("Piston Timed Out");
}
}
private async Task<bool> GotoPosition(int speed, int position, TimeSpan timeOut)
{
pos(speed, position); // call the async API
// wait for the position to be reached, or the timeout to occur
bool success = true; // assume we have succeeded until proven otherwise
DateTime dt = DateTime.Now.Add(timeOut); // set our timeout DateTime in the future
await Task.Run(() =>
{
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(50); // give the piston a chance to update maybe once before checking?
while (Math.Abs(currentPistonPositon - position) > 0.10) // see if the piston has reached our target position
{
if (DateTime.Now > dt) // did we move past our timeout DateTime?
{
success = false;
break;
}
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(25); // very small sleep to reduce CPU usage
}
});
return success;
}

If you're using events you are probably having concurrency issues. Especially with events being raised every 30ms!
A very simple way to handle concurrency is to use a lock object to prevent different threads from using contested resources simultaneously:
class MyEventHandler
{
private object _lockObject;
MyEventHandler()
{
_lockObject = new object();
}
public int MyContestedResource { get; }
public void HandleEvent( object sender, MyEvent event )
{
lock ( _lockObject )
{
// do stuff with event here
MyContestedResource++;
}
}
}
Keep in mind that is very simple and by no means perfect in every scenario. If you provide more information about how the events are raised and what you're doing with them people will be able to provide more help.
EDIT:
Using that signature you posted for the Pos method I was able to find documentation on the library you are using: https://www.academia.edu/24938060/Do_PE
The reason you only see the method signature when you goto definition is because the library has been compiled into a dll. Actually, it probably wouldn't be that useful to see the code anyway because it looks like the library is a C# wrapper around native (c or c++) code.
Anyways, I hope the documentation is helpful to you. If you look at page 20 there are some pointers on doing movement. This is going to be a challenge for a new programmer but you can do it. I would suggest you avoid using the event handler to drive your logic and instead stick with using the synchronous versions of commands. Using the synchronous commands your code should operate the same way it reads.

I believe what you'll want to do is add a call to:
Application.DoEvents();
This will allow your application to process posted messages (events), which will allow that global variable to be updated.
I just wanted to know why the MessageBox allowed me to sort of achieve my objectif, but the while loop did not, and how to use it in my advantage here.
The reason that works is because you're giving the WndProc a chance to process events which have been sent to the application. It's not an intended feature of that call to MessageBox.Show();, but it is a consequence. You can do the same thing with a call to Application.DoEvents(); without the interruption of the message box.

Theaded Console.Getkey() seems to requires multiple key presses to register the key that is pressed

I am creating a console application that shows simple animations with text. I have a thread that waits for the user to press "Up Arrow", "Down Arrow" and "Enter/Carriage Return/Return". It seems that the user must press any of these keys multiple times for the key to be registered, however sometimes the key is registered instantly. I assume, as you would too; that this is a problem with my code. I had a power failure last week and it wiped out part of my project, whilst rewriting my code this problem appeared.
I have tried using
if(Console.KeyAvailable == true && Console.Readkey().key == [one of the three keys])
to no avail.
I tried removing (Memory memory) from the class leaving it just
private static void GetKeyboardInput() {}
but this didn't seem to have any effect. BTW, when I did that the thread was declared like this
Thread getkey = new Thread(GetKeyboardInput);
perhaps I am doing this part wrong?
Here is some of my code neutered for size...
// declare listener thread and start it.
Thread GetKey = new Thread(() => GetKeyboardInput(memory));
GetKey.Start();
while (GetKey.ThreadState == ThreadState.Running)
{ Animate(memory); } // this is the text animation, ---> Menuitem <---
// the arrows move in and out from the menu item
Animate(memory); runs in the current tread, so it isn't the culprit, correct?
// This is the code that the thread runs
// Memory class contains all stored values for this program
private static void GetKeyboardInput(Memory memory)
{
while (Console.ReadKey().Key != ConsoleKey.Enter)
{
if (Console.ReadKey().Key == ConsoleKey.UpArrow)
{
// move up. There is more code here but not relevant
}
if (Console.ReadKey().Key == ConsoleKey.DownArrow)
{
// Move Down. Same as before
}
}
Thread.CurrentThread.Abort();
}
I expect that in less than 1000ms after a key is pressed that the revelant code within the if statements gets executed and the screen will show a change to the user, if any.
Actual results are that sometimes the program reacts to user input instanly, and other times the user has to press the key multiple times to register a change. This is not session dependent either, at any time during execution both of these above problems will/can be present.

The problem is that you're calling Console.ReadKey() multiple times: once to check that it's not enter, again to check whether it's UpArrow, yet again to check whether it was DownArrow. You probably want to read it once, and store it in a variable.
// This is the code that the thread runs
// Memory class contains all stored values for this program
private static void GetKeyboardInput(Memory memory)
{
while (true)
{
var key = Console.ReadKey().Key;
if (key == ConsoleKey.Enter)
{
break;
}
else if (key == ConsoleKey.UpArrow)
{
// move up. There is more code here but not relevant
// meaning these values effect the animation and nothing else
}
else if (key == ConsoleKey.DownArrow)
{
// Move Down. Same as before
}
}
// No need to call Thread.Abort - exiting this method does the same
}

Execute specific blocks of code based on which key on the keyboard is pressed

I am very new to the programming world and recently dove into c#. I don't want to waste your time so I'll get right to it. I wanted to create a program just to test my knowledge, and thought I could attempt to execute specific blocks of code based on which key on the keyboard is pressed by the user. I tried doing this by creating an event handler that contained if statements, but then realized I didn't know how to have the event handler active in the program.
For example, and as you can see in the below snippet, after the WriteLine in Line 5 lets say I wanted to raise the EventKeyPress event so that it waits for user input and reads the key they have pressed and reacts accordingly, how would I do that?
Again, I'm almost a complete beginner and have searched around for explanations about event handlers for hours and still can't wrap my head around what I am supposed to do or if I am even using the event handler correctly. Thanks in advance!
static void Main();
{
if (search == "Ball")
{
Console.WriteLine("Press enter to exit or backspace to return to the search bar")
// RIGHT HERE
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("Sorry, I don't recognize {0}", search);
}
void EventKeyPress(object sender, KeyPressEventArgs e)
{
for (int i = 0; i < 1;)
{
if (e.KeyChar == (char)Keys.Enter)
{
// exit app
}
else if (e.KeyChar == (char)Keys.Back)
{
// go back to search
}
else
{
i = 0; // error
}
}
}
}

So, you're asking for something that involves Threading which is not a beginner thing to accomplish at all. The best way to do this for a beginner is to ask for a prompt, then accept as an input. For example.
Console.WriteLine("Hello, what's your name?");
string nameStr = Console.ReadLine();
Console.WriteLine($"Hello, {nameStr}");
You can then use your variable and apply it to an if/while or whatever kind of conditional.
if (nameStr == "Matt"){
//Do This Code.
}
Once you have that code, add a sequential method that will ask the user to return to the main menu or whatever you want it to do.
Main.ReturnMenu(); //Or whatever you want to use.

Alternative to calling Application.DoEvents() in a loop needed

The c# code below is by no means ideal and I'm really just looking for advice and suggestions as to how I could best refactor this and make the code safer.
Basically there is a class variable that stores the security check stage value (initialised to 0). When a button in my application is pressed the code below is run to check that the user has permission to access their account screen. Depending upon a method parameter the appropriate handler method is called, which shows a PIN entry user control to the user (this user control is a custom control that appears full screen and top-most). While the handler code is running the code shown below is calling Application.DoEvents in a do while loop to keep everything responsive while the user is entering their PIN. If the do while loop wasn't there the screen that the user is trying to access would appear on top of the PIN entry screen before we have a chance to valid that the user PIN is correct. When the PIN entry has passed the security check stage variable is set to 1, allowing the account screen to be shown.
try
{
this.Cursor = Cursors.WaitCursor;
Application.DoEvents();
SecurityCheckStage = 0;
Security = new tskSecurity(true);
Security.TaskUpdate += new TaskUpdateHandler(_handler);
TaskManager.AddTask(Security, true);
this.Cursor = Cursors.Default;
// Wait until security check has passed before showing account screen
do
{
Application.DoEvents();
System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(100);
}
while (SecurityCheckStage == 0);
if (SecurityCheckStage == 1) ShowAccountScreen();
return false;
}
catch
{
throw;
}
finally
{
this.Cursor = Cursors.Default;
}
I am aware that calling Application.DoEvents() in a loop is not good practice, so I really want to rework this code to make it better.
Any help would be much appreciated. Please bear in mind that the solution to the problem must work with the .NET 3.5 Framework.

Use a System.Windows.Forms.Timer... for example:
//...
timer.Tick += TimerEventProcessor;
timer.Start();
//..
private void TimerEventProcessor(Object sender, EventArgs myEventArgs)
{
if (SecurityCheckStage == 1)
{
var timer = (Timer) sender;
timer.Stop();
ShowAccountScreen();
}
}

Is it possible to show a wait message while a semaphore is locked in C#?

I'm currently making a program to simulate a set of ATMs in visual C#. It's supposed to stop somebody accessing their account if it has already been accessed from a different location. Is it possible to show a message that the account has already been accessed while a semaphore is waiting?
Here is the part of the code where the semaphore is used:
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
count++;
if (count == 1)
{
account = findAccount();
if (findAccount() != 5)
{
textBox1.Text = "Please Enter Your Pin";
}
else
{
textBox1.Text = "Please Enter Your Account Number";
count = 0;
}
textBox2.Clear();
}
if (count == 2)
{
if (findPin(account) == true)
{
semaphore.WaitOne();
textBox1.Text = "1: Take Out Cash \r\n2: Balance \r\n3: Exit";
}
else
{
semaphore.Release();
textBox1.Text = "Please Enter Your Account Number";
count = 0;
}
textBox2.Clear();
}
if (count == 3)
{
atm();
}
if (count == 4)
{
withdraw();
}
if (count == 5)
{
int value = Convert.ToInt32(textBox2.Text);
customWithdrawl(value);
}
}

Consider doing two calls to WaitOne. The first call will have a timeout of zero and return a bool that will tell you whether or not you got the semaphore, or someone else still owns it. Two things can happen from there:
1) If someone else owns it, pop up a message that says "Someone else owns the semaphore" and call WaitOne again, but without a timeout (like you're doing now). After the 2nd call to WaitOne returns, close the window that you popped up a second ago..
2) If your call to waitOne with 0 timeout returns true, then you got the semaphore on the 1st try. No need to pop up a window.
Example:
if( semaphore.WaitOne(0) ) //This returns immediately
{
//We own the semaphore now.
DoWhateverYouNeedToDo();
}
else
{
//Looks like someone else already owns the semaphore.
PopUpNotification();
semaphore.WaitOne(); //This one will block until the semaphore is available
DoWhateverYouNeedToDo();
CloseNotification();
}
semaphore.Release();
Note, there are some other issues lurking here.
You probably want to use a try/finally block to release the semaphore to ensure that it gets released across all exception paths.
It's also probably a bad idea to call semaphore.WaitOne() from the GUI thread because the application will become non-responsive while it waits. In fact, you may not see the result of PopUpNotification() if you've hung the GUI thread while doing the 2nd Wait. Consider doing the long wait on a 2nd thread and raising an event back on the GUI thread once you own the semaphore
Consider the following design to resolve Issue 2:
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
if(AcquireSemaphoreAndGenerateCallback())
{
//Semaphore was acquired right away. Go ahead and do whatever we need to do
DoWhateverYouNeedToDo();
semaphore.Release()
}
else
{
//Semaphore was not acquired right away. Callback will occur in a bit
//Because we're not blocking the GUI thread, this text will appear right away
textBox1.Text = "Waiting on the Semaphore!";
//Notice that the method returns right here, so the GUI will be able to redraw itself
}
}
//This method will either acquire the semaphore right away and return true, or
//have a worker thread wait on the semaphore and return false. In the 2nd case,
//"CallbackMethod" will run on the GUI thread once the semaphore has been acquired
private void AcquireSemaphoreAndGenerateCallback()
{
if( semaphore.WaitOne(0) ) //This returns immediately
{
return true; //We have the semaphore and didn't have to wait!
}
else
{
ThreadPool.QueueUserWorkItem(new WaitCallback(Waiter));
return false; //Indicate that we didn't acquire right away
}
}
//Wait on the semaphore and invoke "CallbackMethod" once we own it. This method
//is meant to run on a background thread.
private void Waiter(object unused)
{
//This is running on a separate thread
Semaphore.WaitOne(); //Could take a while
//Because we're running on a separate thread, we need to use "BeginInvoke" so
//that the method we're calling runs on the GUI thread
this.BeginInvoke(new Action(CallbackMethod));
}
private void CallbackMethod()
{
textBox1.Text = string.Empty; //Get rid of the "Waiting For Semaphore" text. Can't do this if we're not running on the GUI thread
DoWhateverYouNeedToDo();
semaphore.Release();
}
Now, this solution could also be fraught with peril. It's kind of hard to follow the execution of the program because it jumps around from method to method. If you have an exception, it could be difficult to recover from and make sure all of your program state is correct. You also have to keep track of things like the account number and the pin numbers through all of these method calls. In order to do that, Waiter and CallbackMethod should probably take some parameter that tracks this state that gets passed along to each step. There's also no way to abort waiting (a time out). It will probably work, but shouldn't make it into any production code because it would be too difficult to maintain or extend.
If you really wanted to do it right, you should consider encapsulating the ATM logic in an object that will raise events that the GUI can subscribe to. You could have a method like ATM.LogInAsync(Account,Pin) that you could call. This method would return immediately, but some time later, an event on the ATM class like "LogInComplete" would fire. This event would have a custom EventArgs object that would contain data to trace which log-in has occurred (mainly the Account number). This is called the Event-based Asynchronous Pattern
Alternatively, if you're using C# 5.0, you can use the new Async/Await syntax in the AcquireSemaphoreAndGenerateCallback() method. That's probably the easiest way because the compiler will handle most of the complexities for you

Yes, you may show your message/form/messagebox right before the Wait method. Then when it receives the signal to unblock, you hide your message.