How to create a custom user control from another task WITH PARAMETER - c#

i just have a strange problem and i didn't get why it happens. Could you please help me to find out why it happens and how i can fix it?
My error is: "The Calling Thread Cannot Access This Object Because A Different Thread Owns It".
My point is that getting some values from databese (it takes a long time therefore i use Task.Run()) and creating custom UI Component with the values and add into a wrap panel.
Firstly, i have an event which is window loaded:
private async void Window_Loaded(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
await this.ShowAllMatchesAsync(); // This code workfully works
} // But after right here, it reports an error and doesn't show any code because it is in interrupt mode :(
I have a list which gets value by using async process:
private async Task ShowAllMatchesAsync()
{
List<Match> allMatches = await new GetValues().GetAllMatchValuesAsync(0); // This workfully works. So, allMatches value has some values which i need it to create UI Using Control:
// UI_MatchCard is a User Control which i have created
// This class needs a Match parameter, in this way it automatically creates MatchCard according to match value which i defined as parameter.
UI_MatchCard matchCard = new UI_MatchCard(allMatches[0]); // I just want to show first match of allMatches for this case.
// WP_Matches is a Wrap panel. I use it to add UI_MatchCard
this.WP_Matches.Dispatcher.Invoke(() => { this.WP_Matches.Children.Add(matchCard); });
// It workfully works here. I mean, it adds an UI_Matcherd to WP_Matches (this wrap panel) and count of Wp_Matches equals to 1 after adding it :)
}
When all process is done, it reports an error after processing where i told you (The last line of Windows_Loaded event).
The strange thing is that if I don't add an UI_MatchCard:
this.WP_Matches.Dispatcher.Invoke(() => { this.WP_Matches.Children.Add(matchCard); });
And if I add another UI component (like textblock)
this.WP_Matches.Dispatcher.Invoke(() => { this.WP_Matches.Children.Add(new TextBlock()); });
It doesn't report anything and workfully works. Also, if i add my UI_MatchCard without any parameter:
UI_MatchCard matchCard = new UI_MatchCard(); // Without any parameter
this.WP_Matches.Dispatcher.Invoke(() => { this.WP_Matches.Children.Add(matchCard); });
It workfully works again. But as you guess it doesn't show my match values. It just show blank match because i didn't enter the parameter.
Also these are what i have tried:
Changing Invoke methodes:
this.Dispatcher.Invoke(() => { this.WP_Matches.Children.Add(matchCard); });
Application.Current.Dispatcher.Invoke(() => { this.WP_Matches.Children.Add(matchCard); });
And Task.ContinueWith() method.
How can i find out why it happens? Could you please help me?

Related

How to wait for some operation in another class to start next operation in c#?

I know you don't understand the question title. Let me tell you the whole scenario.
I have a class named as Processor. Processor can get notifiable steps or send notification to other application API depending on some condition. Like as below:
Method: SendOrStartProcess(Operation operation)
Method Implementation:
If(operation.steps.any(o=>o.canProcess)){
_service.notify(operations); //This is fine
}
else{
var totalSteps = await _service.getAdjustableSteps(); //It returns the adjustable steps and will invoke event which is subscribed by another class named as GetAdjustableStepsEnd. It can be invoked immediately or after some time.
//Set totalSteps in operationsc.steps and save in database and that's it.
}
Now, I have another class named as "OperationHandler" which subscirbed the GetAdjustableStepsEnd event.
public OperationHandler(IUnityContainer container)
{
_agent.GetAdjustableStepsEnd += GetAdjustableStepsEnd ;
}
public async void GetAdjustableStepsEnd (object sender, GetAdjustableStepsEndEventArgs e)
{
// Here i will call again the above method _processor.SendOrStartProcess(e.Operations);
}
//Now the problem is if event invokes after some time then it is fine because meanwhile i set the status in database. But if it invoked just after the getAdjustableSteps then i call SendOrStartProcess again and it sends getAdjustableSteps again because record is not set in the database. How to overcome this situation. I can not put lock on it because this is used by many clients.

Find out which winforms controls are accessed from a background thread

We have built a huge winforms project, already in progress for multiple years.
Sometimes, our users get an exception which looks like this one.
The resolution of this problem seems to be:
don't acces UI components from a background thread
.
But since our project is a very big project with a lot of different threads, we don't succeed in finding all these.
Is there a way to check (with some tool or debugging option) which components are called from a background thread?
To clarify:
I created a sample winforms project with a single Form, containing two Button
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
button1.Text = "Clicked!";
}
private void button2_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Task.Run(() =>
{
button2.BackColor = Color.Red; //this does not throw an exception
//button2.Text = "Clicked"; //this throws an exception when uncommented
});
}
}
The background color of button2 is set to red when the button is clicked. This happens in a background thread (which is considered bad behavior). However, it doesn't (immediately) throw an exception. I would like a way to detect this as 'bad behavior'. Preferably by scanning my code, but if it's only possible by debugging, (so pausing as soon as a UI component is accessed from a background thread) it's also fine.
I've got 2 recommendations to use together, the first is a Visual Studio Plugin called DebugSingleThread.
You can freeze all the threads and work on one at a time (obviously the non-main-UI threads) and see each threads access to controls. Tedious I know but not so bad with the second method.
The second method is to get the steps in order to reproduce the problem. If you know the steps to reproduce it, it will be easier to see whats causing it. To do this I made this User Action Log project on Github.
It will record every action a user makes, you can read about it here on SO: User Activity Logging, Telemetry (and Variables in Global Exception Handlers).
I'd recommend you also log the Thread ID, then when you have been able to reproduce the problem, go to the end of the log and work out the exact steps. Its not as painful as it seems and its great for getting application telemetry.
You might be able to customise this project, eg trap a DataSource_Completed event or add a dummy DataSource property that sets the real Grids DataSource property and raises an INotifyPropertyChanged event - and if its a non-main thread ID then Debugger.Break();.
My gut feeling is you're changing a control's (eg a grid) data source in a background thread (for that non-freeze feel) and thats causing a problem with synchronisation. This is what happened to the other DevExpress customer who experienced this. Its discussed here in a different thread to the one you referenced.
Is your app set to ignore cross threading intentionally?
Cross-thread operations should be blowing up all the time in winforms. It checks for them like crazy in just about every method. for a starting point check out https://referencesource.microsoft.com/#System.Windows.Forms/winforms/Managed/System/WinForms/Control.cs.
Somewhere in your app, somebody might have put this line of code:
Control.CheckForIllegalCrossThreadCalls = False;
Comment that out and run the app, then follow the exceptions.
(Usually you can fix the problem by wrapping the update in an invoke, e.g., in a worker thread if you see textbox1.text=SomeString; change it to `textbox.invoke(()=>{textbox1.text=SomeString;});.
You may also have to add checking for InvokeRequired, use BeginInvoke to avoid deadlocks, and return values from invoke, those are all separate topics.
this is assuming even a moderate refactor is out of the question which for even a medium sized enterprise app is almost always the case.
Note: it's not possible to guarantee successful discovery of this case thru static analysis (that is, without running the app). unless you can solve the halting problem ... https://cs.stackexchange.com/questions/63403/is-the-halting-problem-decidable-for-pure-programs-on-an-ideal-computer etc...
I did this to search for that specific situation but of course, need to adjust it to your needs, but the purpose of this is to give you at least a possibility.
I called this method SearchForThreads but since it's just an example, you can call it whatever you want.
The main idea here is perhaps adding this Method call to a base class and call it on the constructor, makes it somewhat more flexible.
Then use reflection to invoke this method on all classes deriving from this base, and throw an exception or something if it finds this situation in any class.
There's one pre req, that is the usage of Framework 4.5.
This version of the framework added the CompilerServices attribute that gives us details about the Method's caller.
The documentation for this is here
With it we can open up the source file and dig into it.
What i did was just search for the situation you specified in your question, using rudimentary text search.
But it can give you an insight about how to do this on your solution, since i know very little about your solution, i can only work with the code you put on your post.
public static void SearchForThreads(
[System.Runtime.CompilerServices.CallerMemberName] string memberName = "",
[System.Runtime.CompilerServices.CallerFilePath] string sourceFilePath = "",
[System.Runtime.CompilerServices.CallerLineNumber] int sourceLineNumber = 0)
{
var startKey = "this.Controls.Add(";
var endKey = ")";
List<string> components = new List<string>();
var designerPath = sourceFilePath.Replace(".cs", ".Designer.cs");
if (File.Exists(designerPath))
{
var designerText = File.ReadAllText(designerPath);
var initSearchPos = designerText.IndexOf(startKey) + startKey.Length;
do
{
var endSearchPos = designerText.IndexOf(endKey, initSearchPos);
var componentName = designerText.Substring(initSearchPos, (endSearchPos - initSearchPos));
componentName = componentName.Replace("this.", "");
if (!components.Contains(componentName))
components.Add(componentName);
} while ((initSearchPos = designerText.IndexOf(startKey, initSearchPos) + startKey.Length) > startKey.Length);
}
if (components.Any())
{
var classText = File.ReadAllText(sourceFilePath);
var ThreadPos = classText.IndexOf("Task.Run");
if (ThreadPos > -1)
{
do
{
var endThreadPos = classText.IndexOf("}", ThreadPos);
if (endThreadPos > -1)
{
foreach (var component in components)
{
var search = classText.IndexOf(component, ThreadPos);
if (search > -1 && search < endThreadPos)
{
Console.WriteLine($"Found a call to UI thread component at pos: {search}");
}
}
}
}
while ((ThreadPos = classText.IndexOf("Task.Run", ++ThreadPos)) < classText.Length && ThreadPos > 0);
}
}
}
I hope it helps you out.
You can get the Line number if you split the text so you can output it, but i didn't want to go through the trouble, since i don't know what would work for you.
string[] lines = classText.Replace("\r","").Split('\n');
Try that:
public static void Main(string[] args)
{
// Add the event handler for handling UI thread exceptions to the event.
Application.ThreadException += new ThreadExceptionEventHandler(exception handler);
// Set the unhandled exception mode to force all Windows Forms errors to go through the handler.
Application.SetUnhandledExceptionMode(UnhandledExceptionMode.CatchException);
// Add the event handler for handling non-UI thread exceptions to the event.
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.UnhandledException += // add the handler here
// Runs the application.
Application.Run(new ......);
}
Then you can log the message and the call stack and that should give you enough information to fix the issue.
I recommend you update your GUI to handle this situation automatically for your convenience. You instead use a set of inherited controls.
The general principle here is to override the property Set methods in a way to make them Thread Safe. So, in each overridden property, instead of a straight update of the base control, there's a check to see if an invoke is required (meaning we're on a separate thread the the GUI). Then, the Invoke call updates the property on the GUI thread, instead of the secondary thread.
So, if the inherited controls are used, the form code that is trying to update GUI elements from a secondary thread can be left as is.
Here is the textbox and button ones. You would add more of them as needed and add other properties as needed. Rather than putting code on individual forms.
You don't need to go into the designer, you can instead do a find/replace on the designer files only. For example, in ALL designer.cs files, you would replace System.Windows.Forms.TextBox with ThreadSafeControls.TextBoxBackgroundThread and System.Windows.Forms.Button with ThreadSafeControls.ButtonBackgroundThread.
Other controls can be created with the same principle, based on which control types & properties are being updated from the background thread.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace ThreadSafeControls
{
class TextBoxBackgroundThread : System.Windows.Forms.TextBox
{
public override string Text
{
get
{
return base.Text;
}
set
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
this.Invoke((MethodInvoker)delegate { base.Text = value; });
else
base.Text = value;
}
}
public override System.Drawing.Color ForeColor
{
get
{
return base.ForeColor;
}
set
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
this.Invoke((MethodInvoker)delegate { base.ForeColor = value; });
else
base.ForeColor = value;
}
}
public override System.Drawing.Color BackColor
{
get
{
return base.BackColor;
}
set
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
this.Invoke((MethodInvoker)delegate { base.BackColor = value; });
else
base.BackColor = value;
}
}
}
class ButtonBackgroundThread : System.Windows.Forms.Button
{
public override string Text
{
get
{
return base.Text;
}
set
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
this.Invoke((MethodInvoker)delegate { base.Text = value; });
else
base.Text = value;
}
}
public override System.Drawing.Color ForeColor
{
get
{
return base.ForeColor;
}
set
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
this.Invoke((MethodInvoker)delegate { base.ForeColor = value; });
else
base.ForeColor = value;
}
}
public override System.Drawing.Color BackColor
{
get
{
return base.BackColor;
}
set
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
this.Invoke((MethodInvoker)delegate { base.BackColor = value; });
else
base.BackColor = value;
}
}
}
}

Application is crashing while using pushmodal-async in Xamarin forms

I am using Xamarin forms and there is an option to provide searching in top bar. So we have taken a toolbaritems array and adding items one by one
but while double tapping on search icon the application is crashing. Crash indicating the below line
ToolbarItems.Add (new ToolbarItem ("Info", Constants.SEARCH_ICON, () => Navigation.PushModalAsync (searchPage)));
and the error info showing:
System.InvalidOperationException: Page must not already have a parent.
--- Can you please help me on this?
Double tapping would cause the PushModalAsync to happen twice, very quickly, causing an issue.
Instead, you might want to do something like this that prevents a double navigation and also correctly uses await on the Task returning method, PushModalAsync.
// Define a new variable
bool canNavigate = true;
ToolbarItems.Add (new ToolbarItem ("Info", Constants.SEARCH_ICON, async () => {
if(canNavigate)
{
canNavigate = false;
await Navigation.PushModalAsync (searchPage)
canNavigate = true;
}
}));

Visual Studio during Debugging: The function evaluation requires all threads to run

I'm suddenly getting a strange error while debugging. Up to now the variable in the watch windows has been showing correctly. Now I am always getting this error message in the watch windows:
The function evaluation requires all threads to run
I am not able to check any variable anymore. I am not explicitly working with threads. What can I do to get it working again?
I already disabled, as mentioned in some forums, the function: "Enable property Evaluation and other implicit function Calls" in the option window of the debugger. But without success, and it gives me this error:
Error Implicit Function evaluation disabled by the user
From the msdn forum:
This isn't an error in and of itself, but more of a feature of your debugger.
Some properties require code to be executed in order for the property to be read, but if this requires cross-thread interaction, then other threads may have to run as well. The debugger doesn't do this automatically, but certainly can, with your permission.
Just click the little evaluate icon and it will run your code and evaluate the property.
For further details on this behaviour check this excelent article
I ran into this issue when just trying to get items from a table called "AGENCY" using Entity Framework:
var agencies = db.AGENCY.OrderBy(e => e.FULLNAME);
Hovering over agencies in debug mode, clicking to expand the options, and clicking Results would give the dreaded "The function evaluation requires all threads to run" with a "Do Not Enter" icon at the end that, on which, clicking did nothing.
2 possible solutions:
Add .ToList() at the end:
var agencies = db.AGENCY_TABLE.OrderBy(e => e.FULLNAME).ToList();
List<AGENCY_TABLE> agencies = db.AGENCY_TABLE.OrderBy(e => e.FULLNAME).ToList();
Credit goes to Hp93 for helping me come to this solution. In the comments on MUG4N's answer where I found this solution, it also mentions trying .Any() instead of .ToList(), but this gives a Boolean instead of a <T>, like <AGENCY> is, so it probably wouldn't help.
Workaround - try a different path in the debug options. I found that I could click on the "Non-Public Members" > "_internalQuery" > ObjectQuery > Results View and get my values that way.
MUG4N has indeed provided a correct answer however if you hover over the line of code in debug, you may be looking at something like the below. If so, click the little re-evaluate icon highlighted in the image below...
NB: I obtained this image by pinning, normally the re-evaluate icone are in the middle of the window and not down the left hand column.
You should make thread safe call because accessing Windows form controls are not Thread safe in multithreading.
This is my simple code which makes Thread safe call and sets Progress bar.
public partial class Form1 : Form
{// This delegate enables asynchronous calls for setting
// the text property on a TextBox control.
delegate void StringArgReturningVoidDelegate(string text);
private Thread demoThread = null;
public int Progresscount = 0;
static EventWaitHandle waithandler = new AutoResetEvent(false);
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public static bool CheckForInternetConnection()
{
try
{
using (var client = new WebClient())
{
using (var stream = client.OpenRead("http://www.google.com"))
{
return true;
}
}
}
catch
{
return false;
}
}
public void Progressincrement()
{
waithandler.WaitOne();
while (CheckForInternetConnection()==true)
{
if (Progresscount==100)
{
break;
}
SetLabel("Connected");
Progresscount += 1;
SetProgress(Progresscount.ToString());
Thread.Sleep(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1));
}
if (Progresscount <100)
{
Startthread();
}
SetLabel("Completed");
}
public void Startthread ()
{
this.demoThread= new Thread(new ThreadStart(Progressincrement));
this.demoThread.Start();
SetLabel("Waiting for connection");
while (CheckForInternetConnection() == false) ;
waithandler.Set();
}
private void SetLabel(string text)
{
// InvokeRequired required compares the thread ID of the
// calling thread to the thread ID of the creating thread.
// If these threads are different, it returns true.
if (this.label1.InvokeRequired)
{
StringArgReturningVoidDelegate d = new StringArgReturningVoidDelegate(SetLabel);
this.Invoke(d, new object[] { text });
}
else
{
this.label1.Text = text;
}
}
private void SetProgress(string Value)
{
// InvokeRequired required compares the thread ID of the
// calling thread to the thread ID of the creating thread.
// If these threads are different, it returns true.
if (this.progressBar1.InvokeRequired)
{
StringArgReturningVoidDelegate d = new StringArgReturningVoidDelegate(SetProgress);
this.Invoke(d, new object[] {Value});
}
else
{
this.progressBar1.Value = Convert.ToInt32(Value);
}
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Startthread();
}
private void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
MessageBox.Show("Responsive");
}
}
For more information MSDN
This isn't an error, but more of a feature of your debugger.
The debugger doesn't do this automatically, but certainly can, with users permission. Just click the little space icon and it will run the code and evaluate the property.
I use the next workaround to pass:
var OtherThreadField = "";
Invoke(new MethodInvoker(delegate
{
OtherThreadField = ExecuteNeededMEthod();
}));
Now i have a value for OtherThreadField.
I faced the same issue and solved .The Issue arise due to username and password ,in SQL connection there is user and password but in code there no user and password. so I enable the user and the password and the issue solved
For me, this happened when trying to break on a line that accesses a complex object instance contained by a Settings Class.
A breakpoint on the following if results in Settings.Default.FindSettings with the value being "The function evaluation requires all threads to run." If I press the force eval button, it is null. Stepping with the force eval button click or not enters the if block and initializes the object. If I remove the breakpoint and add a new breakpoint following the if block, the Settings.Default.FindSettings deserializes properly with the expected values.
if (Settings.Default.FindSettings == null)
{
Settings.Default.FindSettings = new FindSettings();
}
After trial and error, I added the following code before the above if block to access the settings prior to breaking. This seems to reliably fix the problem. I do not need it in production so I wrap in conditional compiler directive. I have a comment in the code instead of a non-descript discard:
#if DEBUG
var _ = Settings.Default.FindSettings;
#endif
I am not sure if the above line would be optimized out in production since it has side effects. As I only need it while debugging, I have not checked.

Using async / wait, UI Freezes after setting content

Got some problem and cant't get why it appears.
I'm using .net 4.5 / C# and I try to set Content to a ContentControl after an async function succeeded.
The main focus of what i want to to in that part of the programm is to switch between an own WPF Loading animation (Usercontrol IsLoading) and a PDF Content (Usercontrol PDFDokument). The PDF is internal loaded & rendered inside the "PDFDokument" and works already very well.
If more information is needed, every asking is welcome.
For you to know i would say i'm still at a beginning level of developing. (the first of three years :) )
public ucPDFDocument PDFDokument = new ucPDFDocument();
public ucLoading IsLoading = new ucLoading();
protected async void lstSuchergebnis_DoubleClickItem(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
{
var tempAkte = ((ListViewItem)sender).Content as Akten;
tbctrlResultPanel.SelectedIndex = 1;
PDFDokument.IsDataChangeAllowed(false);
contSwapControls.Content = IsLoading;
await PDF(tempAkte);
contSwapControls.Content = PDFDokument; **<-- after executing this line, the ui freezes**
}
private Task PDF(Akten paramAkte)
{
Akten _tempAkte = paramAkte;
return Task.Run(() => { PDFDokument.LoadPDFDokument(_tempAkte.akt_ID, ref _DaKsManger); });
}
I tried different ways of using that async loading, but nothing solved that problem.
Hope someone got an idea how to solve that :)
Thanks a lot!!!
The only thing that is async is PDF(...), which you await. Setting the content is not being executed in an async manner. The content you are setting happens on the UI thread. (which is the only way to do so, since you are modifying the UI, which can only happen on the thread it is created on)

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