Summary: I would like to call an asynchronous method in a constructor. Is this possible?
Details: I have a method called getwritings() that parses JSON data. Everything works fine if I just call getwritings() in an async method and put await to left of it. However , when I create a LongListView in my page and try to populate it I'm finding that getWritings() is surprisingly returning null and the LongListView is empty.
To address this problem, I tried changing the return type of getWritings() to Task<List<Writing>> and then retrieving the result in the constructor via getWritings().Result. However, doing that ends up blocking the UI thread.
public partial class Page2 : PhoneApplicationPage
{
List<Writing> writings;
public Page2()
{
InitializeComponent();
getWritings();
}
private async void getWritings()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
writings.Add(writing);
}
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
}
}
The best solution is to acknowledge the asynchronous nature of the download and design for it.
In other words, decide what your application should look like while the data is downloading. Have the page constructor set up that view, and start the download. When the download completes update the page to display the data.
I have a blog post on asynchronous constructors that you may find useful. Also, some MSDN articles; one on asynchronous data-binding (if you're using MVVM) and another on asynchronous best practices (i.e., you should avoid async void).
You can also do just like this:
Task.Run(() => this.FunctionAsync()).Wait();
Note: Be careful about thread blocking!
I'd like to share a pattern that I've been using to solve these kinds of problems. It works rather well I think. Of course, it only works if you have control over what calls the constructor.
public class MyClass
{
public static async Task<MyClass> Create()
{
var myClass = new MyClass();
await myClass.Initialize();
return myClass;
}
private MyClass()
{
}
private async Task Initialize()
{
await Task.Delay(1000); // Do whatever asynchronous work you need to do
}
}
Basically what we do is we make the constructor private and make our own public static async method that is responsible for creating an instance of MyClass. By making the constructor private and keeping the static method within the same class we have made sure that no one could "accidentally" create an instance of this class without calling the proper initialization methods.
All the logic around the creation of the object is still contained within the class (just within a static method).
var myClass1 = new MyClass() // Cannot be done, the constructor is private
var myClass2 = MyClass.Create() // Returns a Task that promises an instance of MyClass once it's finished
var myClass3 = await MyClass.Create() // asynchronously creates and initializes an instance of MyClass
Implemented on the current scenario it would look something like:
public partial class Page2 : PhoneApplicationPage
{
public static async Task<Page2> Create()
{
var page = new Page2();
await page.getWritings();
return page;
}
List<Writing> writings;
private Page2()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private async Task getWritings()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
writings.Add(writing);
}
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
}
}
Instead of doing
var page = new Page2();
you would be using:
var page = await Page2.Create();
A quick way to execute some time-consuming operation in any constructor is by creating an action and run them asynchronously.
new Action( async() => await InitializeThingsAsync())();
Running this piece of code will neither block your UI nor leave you with any loose threads. And if you need to update any UI (considering you are not using MVVM approach), you can use the Dispatcher to do so as many have suggested.
A Note: This option only provides you a way to start an execution of a method from the constructor if you don't have any init or onload or navigated overrides. Most likely this will keep on running even after the construction has been completed. Hence the result of this method call may NOT be available in the constructor itself.
My preferred approach:
// caution: fire and forget
Task.Run(async () => await someAsyncFunc());
Try to replace this:
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
with this
Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(() => myLongList.ItemsSource = writings);
To put it simply, referring to Stephen Cleary https://stackoverflow.com/a/23051370/267000
your page on creation should create tasks in constructor and you should declare those tasks as class members or put it in your task pool.
Your data are fetched during these tasks, but these tasks should awaited in the code i.e. on some UI manipulations, i.e. Ok Click etc.
I developped such apps in WP, we had a whole bunch of tasks created on start.
You could try AsyncMVVM.
Page2.xaml:
<PhoneApplicationPage x:Class="Page2"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation">
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Writings}" />
</PhoneApplicationPage>
Page2.xaml.cs:
public partial class Page2
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new ViewModel2();
}
ViewModel2.cs:
public class ViewModel2: AsyncBindableBase
{
public IEnumerable<Writing> Writings
{
get { return Property.Get(GetWritingsAsync); }
}
private async Task<IEnumerable<Writing>> GetWritingsAsync()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
yield return writing;
}
}
}
Don't ever call .Wait() or .Result as this is going to lock your app.
Don't spin up a new Task either, just call the ContinueWith
public class myClass
{
public myClass
{
GetMessageAsync.ContinueWith(GetResultAsync);
}
async Task<string> GetMessageAsync()
{
return await Service.GetMessageFromAPI();
}
private async Task GetResultAsync(Task<string> resultTask)
{
if (resultTask.IsFaulted)
{
Log(resultTask.Exception);
}
eles
{
//do what ever you need from the result
}
}
}
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/asynchronous-programming-patterns/consuming-the-task-based-asynchronous-pattern
A little late to the party, but I think many are struggling with this...
I've been searching for this as well. And to get your method/action running async without waiting or blocking the thread, you'll need to queue it via the SynchronizationContext, so I came up with this solution:
I've made a helper-class for it.
public static class ASyncHelper
{
public static void RunAsync(Func<Task> func)
{
var context = SynchronizationContext.Current;
// you don't want to run it on a threadpool. So if it is null,
// you're not on a UI thread.
if (context == null)
throw new NotSupportedException(
"The current thread doesn't have a SynchronizationContext");
// post an Action as async and await the function in it.
context.Post(new SendOrPostCallback(async state => await func()), null);
}
public static void RunAsync<T>(Func<T, Task> func, T argument)
{
var context = SynchronizationContext.Current;
// you don't want to run it on a threadpool. So if it is null,
// you're not on a UI thread.
if (context == null)
throw new NotSupportedException(
"The current thread doesn't have a SynchronizationContext");
// post an Action as async and await the function in it.
context.Post(new SendOrPostCallback(async state => await func((T)state)), argument);
}
}
Usage/Example:
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private async Task Initialize()
{
// replace code here...
await Task.Delay(1000);
}
private async Task Run(string myString)
{
// replace code here...
await Task.Delay(1000);
}
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
// you don't have to await nothing.. (the thread must be running)
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(Initialize);
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(Run, "test");
// In your case
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(getWritings);
}
}
This works for Windows.Forms and WPF
In order to use async within the constructor and ensure the data is available when you instantiate the class, you can use this simple pattern:
class FooClass : IFooAsync
{
FooClass
{
this.FooAsync = InitFooTask();
}
public Task FooAsync { get; }
private async Task InitFooTask()
{
await Task.Delay(5000);
}
}
The interface:
public interface IFooAsync
{
Task FooAsync { get; }
}
The usage:
FooClass foo = new FooClass();
if (foo is IFooAsync)
await foo.FooAsync;
Brian Lagunas has shown a solution that I really like. More info his youtube video
Solution:
Add a TaskExtensions method
public static class TaskExtensions
{
public static async void Await(this Task task, Action completedCallback = null ,Action<Exception> errorCallBack = null )
{
try
{
await task;
completedCallback?.Invoke();
}
catch (Exception e)
{
errorCallBack?.Invoke(e);
}
}
}
Usage:
public class MyClass
{
public MyClass()
{
DoSomething().Await();
// DoSomething().Await(Completed, HandleError);
}
async Task DoSomething()
{
await Task.Delay(3000);
//Some works here
//throw new Exception("Thrown in task");
}
private void Completed()
{
//some thing;
}
private void HandleError(Exception ex)
{
//handle error
}
}
The answer is simple, If you are developing an UWP app, then add the async function to the Page_Loaded method of the page.
if you want it to wait task to be done you can improve madlars codes like below. (I tried on .net core 3.1 it worked )
var taskVar = Task.Run(async () => await someAsyncFunc());
taskVar.Wait();
You could put the async calls in a separate method and call that method in the constructor.
Although, this may lead to a situation where some variable values not being available at the time you expect them.
public NewTravelPageVM(){
GetVenues();
}
async void GetVenues(){
var locator = CrossGeolocator.Current;
var position = await locator.GetPositionAsync();
Venues = await Venue.GetVenues(position.Latitude, position.Longitude);
}
Related
until now I only have small applications, but now I can not handle these classes c# uwp
I want to break the code into several classes, each class will deal with a few parameters. classes will send parameter values to the main page. but when I try to display those parameters, they are always zero, even though the text file appears modified.
i have main page
namespace airflow
{
public sealed partial class MainPage : Page
{
}
public MainPage()
{
}
private async void main_page_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
param_perimetrala read = new param_perimetrala();
ora_start_perimetrala = read.start_perimetrala;
var mesaj = new MessageDialog(ora_start_perimetrala.ToString());
var res = await mesaj.ShowAsync();
}
}
and a class
namespace airflow
{
public class param_perimetrala
{
public static int ora_start_perimetrala;
public int minut_start_perimetrala;
public int ora_stop_perimetrala;
public int minut_stop_perimetrala;
public int ore_ciclu_perimetrala;
public int minut_ciclu_perimetrala;
public int contor_ore_perimetrala = 0;
public int contor_minute_perimetrala = 0;
public int contor_sec_perimetrala = 0;
public async void readfile_perimetrala()
{
StorageFolder folder = ApplicationData.Current.LocalFolder;
StorageFile perimetrala_file = await folder.CreateFileAsync("parametrii_perimetrala.txt", CreationCollisionOption.OpenIfExists);
var readFile_perimetrala = await FileIO.ReadLinesAsync(perimetrala_file);
int count = 0;
foreach (var line in readFile_perimetrala)
{
string[] split_perimetrala = line.Split(new string[] { "=" }, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
var temp = split_perimetrala[1];
if (count == 0)
{
ora_start_perimetrala = Int32.Parse(temp);
}
if (count == 1)
{
minut_start_perimetrala = Int32.Parse(temp);
}
if (count == 2)
{
ora_stop_perimetrala = Int32.Parse(temp);
}
count = count + 1;
}
}
public int start_perimetrala
{
get { return ora_start_perimetrala; }
set { ora_start_perimetrala = value; }
}
}
}
how to send ora_start_perimetrala value in mainpage?
enter image description here
In your main_page_Loaded event handler method you are calling read_file_perimetrala but read_file_perimetrala is async void. This means as soon as you get to an await statement, and the await is actually awaitable (not returned immediately) then the method will put the rest of the work aside until the awaited portion is complete. Then it picks back up and runs the rest. During that time of placing it aside the calling thread then continues to run wherever it's needed.
You need to make this a Task and await the call to is also so that you can insure the parameters are filled before continuing work.
Change your readFile_perimetrala to be like so:
public async Task readfile_perimetralaAsync()
Change the entire main_page_Loaded event handler to read like so...
private async void main_page_Loaded(object sender)
{
param_perimetrala read = new param_perimetrala();
await read.readfile_perimetralaAsync();
var mesaj = new MessageDialog(read.start_perimetrala.ToString());
var res = await mesaj.ShowAsync();
}
In your code you're assigning the value to a method but I can tell that you want the int value.
Just some light weight examples to help get started understanding Task and async await. Don't use this as a resource but just enough to get you curious to dig deeper because it's a simple but rather deep subject.
public class TaskExamples
{
public async void DoAsyncVoid()
{
await Task.Delay(200);
}
public async Task DoAsyncTask()
{
await Task.Delay(200);
}
public async Task<int> DoReturnValueTask()
{
await Task.Delay(200);
return 50;
}
public async void CallingTasks()
{
DoAsyncVoid(); //This can't use await because it is 'void' so the next line is ran as soon as this command reaches the first 'true awaitable' await.
await DoAsyncTask(); //This runs before DoAsyncVoid is complete.
var value = await DoReturnValueTask(); //This waits until 'DoAsyncTask' is complete because it is a Task and awaited.
await new MessageDialog(value.ToString()).ShowAsync(); //This waits until 'DoReturnValueTask' is complete and value will be 50 in this case.
//All code here waits until the Dialog is closed because it is also awaited.
}
}
I have a problem with testing an ICommand scenario in a Xamarin project. I have extracted the logic into a demonstration below.
Scenario N1 runs smoothly however I need Scenario N2 to work. The problem with scenario N2 is that as soon as it gets to the
await Task.Run(() => Task.Delay(1000));
it jumps back to the test method Assert where obviously the SetSurveyContext(int x) is not executed yet.
The strangest thing is that if I run this code from the Xamarin framework inside the app everything works fine probably because I am executing the Command in a wrong manner.
Really stuck with this question, I have tried numerous ways to run the command but neither have worked. Please help if someone has come across the same problem. Thanks.
Scenario 1 - working
[Test]
public async Task NewSurvey_SendObjectWithOnlyDate_StaticSurveyResourceIdAndDateSet()
{
var mvmTest = new TesterPage();
await mvmTest.NewSurvey();
Assert.That(mvmTest.setter, Is.EqualTo(3));
}
public partial class TesterPage : ContentPage
{
public int setter = 0;
public TesterPage()
{
InitializeComponent ();
}
public async Task NewSurvey()
{
await PostNewSurvey();
}
private async Task PostNewSurvey()
{
var response = await Another();
SetSurveyContext(response);
}
private async Task<int> Another()
{
await Task.Run(() => Task.Delay(1000));
return 3;
}
private void SetSurveyContext(int x)
{
setter = x;
}
}
Test green, everything runs smoothly.
Scenario N2 - fails
[Test]
public async Task NewSurvey_SendObjectWithOnlyDate_StaticSurveyResourceIdAndDateSet()
{
var mvmTest = new TesterPage();
mvmTest.NewSurveyCommand.Execute(null);
Assert.That(mvmTest.setter, Is.EqualTo(3));
}
public partial class TesterPage : ContentPage
{
public int setter = 0;
public TesterPage ()
{
InitializeComponent ();
NewSurveyCommand = new Command(async () => await NewSurvey());
}
public ICommand NewSurveyCommand { get; private set; }
public async Task NewSurvey()
{
await PostNewSurvey();
}
private async Task PostNewSurvey()
{
var response = await Another();
SetSurveyContext(response);
}
private async Task<int> Another()
{
await Task.Run(() => Task.Delay(1000));
return 3;
}
private void SetSurveyContext(int x)
{
setter = x;
}
}
Because I have solved this problem with #YuriZolotarev in chat, here the solution we found for everyone else who encounters it:
The problem:
When Task.Run() is called in TesterPage.Another() the main thread jumps back to the test method. There it executes Assert.That() immediately, even before SetSurveyContext has set setter to3.
The solution:
We found the solution to create a new private field in TesterPage which should contain the Task started in TesterPage.Another(). This Task can be waited for in the test method via Reflection. Everything could look like this:
[Test]
public async Task NewSurvey_SendObjectWithOnlyDate_StaticSurveyResourceIdAndDateSet()
{
var mvmTest = new TesterPage();
mvmTest.NewSurveyCommand.Execute(null);
// Use Reflection to wait for the task
(GetInstanceField(typeof(TesterPage), mvmTest, "runningTask") as Task).Wait();
Assert.That(mvmTest.setter, Is.EqualTo(3));
}
// A helper method to simplify Reflection
internal static object GetInstanceField(Type type, object instance, string fieldName)
{
BindingFlags bindFlags = BindingFlags.Instance | BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.NonPublic
| BindingFlags.Static;
FieldInfo field = type.GetField(fieldName, bindFlags);
return field.GetValue(instance);
}
public partial class TesterPage : ContentPage
{
public int setter = 0;
private Task runningTask; // The field our Task object is saved in
public TesterPage ()
{
InitializeComponent ();
NewSurveyCommand = new Command(async () => await (runningTask = NewSurvey()));
}
public ICommand NewSurveyCommand { get; private set; }
public async Task NewSurvey()
{
await PostNewSurvey();
}
private async Task PostNewSurvey()
{
var response = await Another();
SetSurveyContext(response);
}
private async Task<int> Another()
{
await Task.Run(() => Task.Delay(1000));
return 3;
}
private void SetSurveyContext(int x)
{
setter = x;
}
}
Summary: I would like to call an asynchronous method in a constructor. Is this possible?
Details: I have a method called getwritings() that parses JSON data. Everything works fine if I just call getwritings() in an async method and put await to left of it. However , when I create a LongListView in my page and try to populate it I'm finding that getWritings() is surprisingly returning null and the LongListView is empty.
To address this problem, I tried changing the return type of getWritings() to Task<List<Writing>> and then retrieving the result in the constructor via getWritings().Result. However, doing that ends up blocking the UI thread.
public partial class Page2 : PhoneApplicationPage
{
List<Writing> writings;
public Page2()
{
InitializeComponent();
getWritings();
}
private async void getWritings()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
writings.Add(writing);
}
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
}
}
The best solution is to acknowledge the asynchronous nature of the download and design for it.
In other words, decide what your application should look like while the data is downloading. Have the page constructor set up that view, and start the download. When the download completes update the page to display the data.
I have a blog post on asynchronous constructors that you may find useful. Also, some MSDN articles; one on asynchronous data-binding (if you're using MVVM) and another on asynchronous best practices (i.e., you should avoid async void).
You can also do just like this:
Task.Run(() => this.FunctionAsync()).Wait();
Note: Be careful about thread blocking!
I'd like to share a pattern that I've been using to solve these kinds of problems. It works rather well I think. Of course, it only works if you have control over what calls the constructor.
public class MyClass
{
public static async Task<MyClass> Create()
{
var myClass = new MyClass();
await myClass.Initialize();
return myClass;
}
private MyClass()
{
}
private async Task Initialize()
{
await Task.Delay(1000); // Do whatever asynchronous work you need to do
}
}
Basically what we do is we make the constructor private and make our own public static async method that is responsible for creating an instance of MyClass. By making the constructor private and keeping the static method within the same class we have made sure that no one could "accidentally" create an instance of this class without calling the proper initialization methods.
All the logic around the creation of the object is still contained within the class (just within a static method).
var myClass1 = new MyClass() // Cannot be done, the constructor is private
var myClass2 = MyClass.Create() // Returns a Task that promises an instance of MyClass once it's finished
var myClass3 = await MyClass.Create() // asynchronously creates and initializes an instance of MyClass
Implemented on the current scenario it would look something like:
public partial class Page2 : PhoneApplicationPage
{
public static async Task<Page2> Create()
{
var page = new Page2();
await page.getWritings();
return page;
}
List<Writing> writings;
private Page2()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private async Task getWritings()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
writings.Add(writing);
}
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
}
}
Instead of doing
var page = new Page2();
you would be using:
var page = await Page2.Create();
A quick way to execute some time-consuming operation in any constructor is by creating an action and run them asynchronously.
new Action( async() => await InitializeThingsAsync())();
Running this piece of code will neither block your UI nor leave you with any loose threads. And if you need to update any UI (considering you are not using MVVM approach), you can use the Dispatcher to do so as many have suggested.
A Note: This option only provides you a way to start an execution of a method from the constructor if you don't have any init or onload or navigated overrides. Most likely this will keep on running even after the construction has been completed. Hence the result of this method call may NOT be available in the constructor itself.
My preferred approach:
// caution: fire and forget
Task.Run(async () => await someAsyncFunc());
Try to replace this:
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
with this
Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(() => myLongList.ItemsSource = writings);
To put it simply, referring to Stephen Cleary https://stackoverflow.com/a/23051370/267000
your page on creation should create tasks in constructor and you should declare those tasks as class members or put it in your task pool.
Your data are fetched during these tasks, but these tasks should awaited in the code i.e. on some UI manipulations, i.e. Ok Click etc.
I developped such apps in WP, we had a whole bunch of tasks created on start.
You could try AsyncMVVM.
Page2.xaml:
<PhoneApplicationPage x:Class="Page2"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation">
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Writings}" />
</PhoneApplicationPage>
Page2.xaml.cs:
public partial class Page2
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new ViewModel2();
}
ViewModel2.cs:
public class ViewModel2: AsyncBindableBase
{
public IEnumerable<Writing> Writings
{
get { return Property.Get(GetWritingsAsync); }
}
private async Task<IEnumerable<Writing>> GetWritingsAsync()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
yield return writing;
}
}
}
Don't ever call .Wait() or .Result as this is going to lock your app.
Don't spin up a new Task either, just call the ContinueWith
public class myClass
{
public myClass
{
GetMessageAsync.ContinueWith(GetResultAsync);
}
async Task<string> GetMessageAsync()
{
return await Service.GetMessageFromAPI();
}
private async Task GetResultAsync(Task<string> resultTask)
{
if (resultTask.IsFaulted)
{
Log(resultTask.Exception);
}
eles
{
//do what ever you need from the result
}
}
}
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/asynchronous-programming-patterns/consuming-the-task-based-asynchronous-pattern
A little late to the party, but I think many are struggling with this...
I've been searching for this as well. And to get your method/action running async without waiting or blocking the thread, you'll need to queue it via the SynchronizationContext, so I came up with this solution:
I've made a helper-class for it.
public static class ASyncHelper
{
public static void RunAsync(Func<Task> func)
{
var context = SynchronizationContext.Current;
// you don't want to run it on a threadpool. So if it is null,
// you're not on a UI thread.
if (context == null)
throw new NotSupportedException(
"The current thread doesn't have a SynchronizationContext");
// post an Action as async and await the function in it.
context.Post(new SendOrPostCallback(async state => await func()), null);
}
public static void RunAsync<T>(Func<T, Task> func, T argument)
{
var context = SynchronizationContext.Current;
// you don't want to run it on a threadpool. So if it is null,
// you're not on a UI thread.
if (context == null)
throw new NotSupportedException(
"The current thread doesn't have a SynchronizationContext");
// post an Action as async and await the function in it.
context.Post(new SendOrPostCallback(async state => await func((T)state)), argument);
}
}
Usage/Example:
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private async Task Initialize()
{
// replace code here...
await Task.Delay(1000);
}
private async Task Run(string myString)
{
// replace code here...
await Task.Delay(1000);
}
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
// you don't have to await nothing.. (the thread must be running)
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(Initialize);
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(Run, "test");
// In your case
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(getWritings);
}
}
This works for Windows.Forms and WPF
In order to use async within the constructor and ensure the data is available when you instantiate the class, you can use this simple pattern:
class FooClass : IFooAsync
{
FooClass
{
this.FooAsync = InitFooTask();
}
public Task FooAsync { get; }
private async Task InitFooTask()
{
await Task.Delay(5000);
}
}
The interface:
public interface IFooAsync
{
Task FooAsync { get; }
}
The usage:
FooClass foo = new FooClass();
if (foo is IFooAsync)
await foo.FooAsync;
Brian Lagunas has shown a solution that I really like. More info his youtube video
Solution:
Add a TaskExtensions method
public static class TaskExtensions
{
public static async void Await(this Task task, Action completedCallback = null ,Action<Exception> errorCallBack = null )
{
try
{
await task;
completedCallback?.Invoke();
}
catch (Exception e)
{
errorCallBack?.Invoke(e);
}
}
}
Usage:
public class MyClass
{
public MyClass()
{
DoSomething().Await();
// DoSomething().Await(Completed, HandleError);
}
async Task DoSomething()
{
await Task.Delay(3000);
//Some works here
//throw new Exception("Thrown in task");
}
private void Completed()
{
//some thing;
}
private void HandleError(Exception ex)
{
//handle error
}
}
The answer is simple, If you are developing an UWP app, then add the async function to the Page_Loaded method of the page.
if you want it to wait task to be done you can improve madlars codes like below. (I tried on .net core 3.1 it worked )
var taskVar = Task.Run(async () => await someAsyncFunc());
taskVar.Wait();
You could put the async calls in a separate method and call that method in the constructor.
Although, this may lead to a situation where some variable values not being available at the time you expect them.
public NewTravelPageVM(){
GetVenues();
}
async void GetVenues(){
var locator = CrossGeolocator.Current;
var position = await locator.GetPositionAsync();
Venues = await Venue.GetVenues(position.Latitude, position.Longitude);
}
Summary: I would like to call an asynchronous method in a constructor. Is this possible?
Details: I have a method called getwritings() that parses JSON data. Everything works fine if I just call getwritings() in an async method and put await to left of it. However , when I create a LongListView in my page and try to populate it I'm finding that getWritings() is surprisingly returning null and the LongListView is empty.
To address this problem, I tried changing the return type of getWritings() to Task<List<Writing>> and then retrieving the result in the constructor via getWritings().Result. However, doing that ends up blocking the UI thread.
public partial class Page2 : PhoneApplicationPage
{
List<Writing> writings;
public Page2()
{
InitializeComponent();
getWritings();
}
private async void getWritings()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
writings.Add(writing);
}
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
}
}
The best solution is to acknowledge the asynchronous nature of the download and design for it.
In other words, decide what your application should look like while the data is downloading. Have the page constructor set up that view, and start the download. When the download completes update the page to display the data.
I have a blog post on asynchronous constructors that you may find useful. Also, some MSDN articles; one on asynchronous data-binding (if you're using MVVM) and another on asynchronous best practices (i.e., you should avoid async void).
You can also do just like this:
Task.Run(() => this.FunctionAsync()).Wait();
Note: Be careful about thread blocking!
I'd like to share a pattern that I've been using to solve these kinds of problems. It works rather well I think. Of course, it only works if you have control over what calls the constructor.
public class MyClass
{
public static async Task<MyClass> Create()
{
var myClass = new MyClass();
await myClass.Initialize();
return myClass;
}
private MyClass()
{
}
private async Task Initialize()
{
await Task.Delay(1000); // Do whatever asynchronous work you need to do
}
}
Basically what we do is we make the constructor private and make our own public static async method that is responsible for creating an instance of MyClass. By making the constructor private and keeping the static method within the same class we have made sure that no one could "accidentally" create an instance of this class without calling the proper initialization methods.
All the logic around the creation of the object is still contained within the class (just within a static method).
var myClass1 = new MyClass() // Cannot be done, the constructor is private
var myClass2 = MyClass.Create() // Returns a Task that promises an instance of MyClass once it's finished
var myClass3 = await MyClass.Create() // asynchronously creates and initializes an instance of MyClass
Implemented on the current scenario it would look something like:
public partial class Page2 : PhoneApplicationPage
{
public static async Task<Page2> Create()
{
var page = new Page2();
await page.getWritings();
return page;
}
List<Writing> writings;
private Page2()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private async Task getWritings()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
writings.Add(writing);
}
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
}
}
Instead of doing
var page = new Page2();
you would be using:
var page = await Page2.Create();
A quick way to execute some time-consuming operation in any constructor is by creating an action and run them asynchronously.
new Action( async() => await InitializeThingsAsync())();
Running this piece of code will neither block your UI nor leave you with any loose threads. And if you need to update any UI (considering you are not using MVVM approach), you can use the Dispatcher to do so as many have suggested.
A Note: This option only provides you a way to start an execution of a method from the constructor if you don't have any init or onload or navigated overrides. Most likely this will keep on running even after the construction has been completed. Hence the result of this method call may NOT be available in the constructor itself.
My preferred approach:
// caution: fire and forget
Task.Run(async () => await someAsyncFunc());
Try to replace this:
myLongList.ItemsSource = writings;
with this
Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(() => myLongList.ItemsSource = writings);
To put it simply, referring to Stephen Cleary https://stackoverflow.com/a/23051370/267000
your page on creation should create tasks in constructor and you should declare those tasks as class members or put it in your task pool.
Your data are fetched during these tasks, but these tasks should awaited in the code i.e. on some UI manipulations, i.e. Ok Click etc.
I developped such apps in WP, we had a whole bunch of tasks created on start.
You could try AsyncMVVM.
Page2.xaml:
<PhoneApplicationPage x:Class="Page2"
xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation">
<ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Writings}" />
</PhoneApplicationPage>
Page2.xaml.cs:
public partial class Page2
{
InitializeComponent();
DataContext = new ViewModel2();
}
ViewModel2.cs:
public class ViewModel2: AsyncBindableBase
{
public IEnumerable<Writing> Writings
{
get { return Property.Get(GetWritingsAsync); }
}
private async Task<IEnumerable<Writing>> GetWritingsAsync()
{
string jsonData = await JsonDataManager.GetJsonAsync("1");
JObject obj = JObject.Parse(jsonData);
JArray array = (JArray)obj["posts"];
for (int i = 0; i < array.Count; i++)
{
Writing writing = new Writing();
writing.content = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "content");
writing.date = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "date");
writing.image = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "url");
writing.summary = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "excerpt");
writing.title = JsonDataManager.JsonParse(array, i, "title");
yield return writing;
}
}
}
Don't ever call .Wait() or .Result as this is going to lock your app.
Don't spin up a new Task either, just call the ContinueWith
public class myClass
{
public myClass
{
GetMessageAsync.ContinueWith(GetResultAsync);
}
async Task<string> GetMessageAsync()
{
return await Service.GetMessageFromAPI();
}
private async Task GetResultAsync(Task<string> resultTask)
{
if (resultTask.IsFaulted)
{
Log(resultTask.Exception);
}
eles
{
//do what ever you need from the result
}
}
}
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/standard/asynchronous-programming-patterns/consuming-the-task-based-asynchronous-pattern
A little late to the party, but I think many are struggling with this...
I've been searching for this as well. And to get your method/action running async without waiting or blocking the thread, you'll need to queue it via the SynchronizationContext, so I came up with this solution:
I've made a helper-class for it.
public static class ASyncHelper
{
public static void RunAsync(Func<Task> func)
{
var context = SynchronizationContext.Current;
// you don't want to run it on a threadpool. So if it is null,
// you're not on a UI thread.
if (context == null)
throw new NotSupportedException(
"The current thread doesn't have a SynchronizationContext");
// post an Action as async and await the function in it.
context.Post(new SendOrPostCallback(async state => await func()), null);
}
public static void RunAsync<T>(Func<T, Task> func, T argument)
{
var context = SynchronizationContext.Current;
// you don't want to run it on a threadpool. So if it is null,
// you're not on a UI thread.
if (context == null)
throw new NotSupportedException(
"The current thread doesn't have a SynchronizationContext");
// post an Action as async and await the function in it.
context.Post(new SendOrPostCallback(async state => await func((T)state)), argument);
}
}
Usage/Example:
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private async Task Initialize()
{
// replace code here...
await Task.Delay(1000);
}
private async Task Run(string myString)
{
// replace code here...
await Task.Delay(1000);
}
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
// you don't have to await nothing.. (the thread must be running)
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(Initialize);
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(Run, "test");
// In your case
ASyncHelper.RunAsync(getWritings);
}
}
This works for Windows.Forms and WPF
In order to use async within the constructor and ensure the data is available when you instantiate the class, you can use this simple pattern:
class FooClass : IFooAsync
{
FooClass
{
this.FooAsync = InitFooTask();
}
public Task FooAsync { get; }
private async Task InitFooTask()
{
await Task.Delay(5000);
}
}
The interface:
public interface IFooAsync
{
Task FooAsync { get; }
}
The usage:
FooClass foo = new FooClass();
if (foo is IFooAsync)
await foo.FooAsync;
Brian Lagunas has shown a solution that I really like. More info his youtube video
Solution:
Add a TaskExtensions method
public static class TaskExtensions
{
public static async void Await(this Task task, Action completedCallback = null ,Action<Exception> errorCallBack = null )
{
try
{
await task;
completedCallback?.Invoke();
}
catch (Exception e)
{
errorCallBack?.Invoke(e);
}
}
}
Usage:
public class MyClass
{
public MyClass()
{
DoSomething().Await();
// DoSomething().Await(Completed, HandleError);
}
async Task DoSomething()
{
await Task.Delay(3000);
//Some works here
//throw new Exception("Thrown in task");
}
private void Completed()
{
//some thing;
}
private void HandleError(Exception ex)
{
//handle error
}
}
The answer is simple, If you are developing an UWP app, then add the async function to the Page_Loaded method of the page.
if you want it to wait task to be done you can improve madlars codes like below. (I tried on .net core 3.1 it worked )
var taskVar = Task.Run(async () => await someAsyncFunc());
taskVar.Wait();
You could put the async calls in a separate method and call that method in the constructor.
Although, this may lead to a situation where some variable values not being available at the time you expect them.
public NewTravelPageVM(){
GetVenues();
}
async void GetVenues(){
var locator = CrossGeolocator.Current;
var position = await locator.GetPositionAsync();
Venues = await Venue.GetVenues(position.Latitude, position.Longitude);
}
Consider the following code:
public class Program {
static void Main(string[] args) {
Generate();
}
static void Generate() {
Task t = null;
t = Task.Run(() => {
MyClass myClass = new MyClass();
myClass.ContinueTask(t);
});
Console.ReadLine();
}
}
public class MyClass {
public void ContinueTask(Task t) {
t.ContinueWith(x => {
Console.WriteLine("Continue here...");
});
}
}
Is it safe to pass t as parameter as so or is it better to directly start a new task inside MyClass?
This is unsafe because t might not be assigned at the point where it is used. In fact this is a data race.
Even if you fixed that it would be bad architecture. Why does ContinueTask need to know that it is continuing with something. This is a not a concern that should be located here. ContinueTask should perform it's work assuming that its antecedent has completed already.
It's hard to tell what you are trying to accomplish. What's wrong with sequencing your code like this:?
static async Task Generate() {
var t = Task.Run(() => {
//... other code ...
});
MyClass myClass = new MyClass();
await t;
myClass.ContinueTask();
Console.ReadLine();
}
await is perfect for sequencing tasks.
reusing the Task object
What do you mean by that? A task cannot be reused. It cannot run twice. All that your ContinueWith does is logically wait for the antecedent and then run the lambda. Here, the task serves as an event basically.
ContinueWith does not modify the task it is being called on. It creates a new task.
I've reduced your code down to this example:
public Task<int> Parse()
{
Task<int> t = null;
t = Task.Run(() => this.Read(t));
return t;
}
public Task<int> Read(Task<int> t)
{
return t.ContinueWith(v => 42);
}
I think that has the same underlying structure.
This causes a dead-lock. I suspect your code does too. So I think it's unsafe.