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Error when raising custom event

I have a class that will write a log. The class needs to raise an event (under specific circumstances not indicated below), that will be comsumed by a class to react on it. I have the code below but as soon as I try to raise the event, I get an error on the line as indicated, that
Object reference not set to an instance of an object
Any idea what I'm missing?
//1. Class where event is registered
public class LogEvent
{
public delegate void WriteLogEventHandler(object Sender, WriteLogEventArgs e);
public event WriteLogEventHandler WriteLog;
public class WriteLogEventArgs : EventArgs
{
public string Message { get; set; }
public WriteLogEventArgs(string message) : base()
{
Message = message;
}
}
//Raise the event.
internal void OnWriteLog(WriteLogEventArgs e)
{
WriteLog(this, e); //Error here. Seems like WriteLog is null
}
//2. Class where event is raised.
public class Logs
{
public static void WriteLog(string message)
{
LogEvent.WriteLogEventArgs args = new LogEvent.WriteLogEventArgs(message);
new LogEvent().OnWriteLog(args);
}
}
//3. Class where event should be consumed
public class MyClass()
{
private LogEvent _logEvent;
public MyClass()
{
//Subscribe to event:
_logEvent = new LogEvent();
_logEvent.WriteLog += (sender, args) => { DoSomething(args.Message); };
}
public void DoSomething(string message)
{ ... }
}

Two issues:
You're raising the event whether or not anyone has subscribed to it. Don't do that - you will get a NullReferenceException if you call WriteLog(this, e) when WriteLog is null. In C# 6 it's easy to avoid this:
WriteLog?.Invoke(this, e);
You're subscribing to the event on a different LogEvent instance than the one which is raising the event. This is more of a design issue than anything else - it makes no sense for an individual log event to have a list of subscribers. Instead, you should have a Logger or similar which has the subscribers (via an event), then each LogEvent is passed to those subscribers. You'd create one Logger, subscribe to it, then call WriteLog on the same instance.

Custom event and invocation on main thread

I was given a generic API class, that contains a custom event which always needs to be invoked by the main UI thread.
My job is to banish these invocation call from the custom class, to make it "painless".
It should be synchronized like the default events in WinForms (eg the Timer "Elapsed" event, which also needs no invocation when it published values to a text box)
Is it possible to solve this, since the custom class needs to know where to invoke?
Here's the (important part of the) code:
public class ContactSensorHelper
{
public event OnReleaseStateChanged ReleaseStateChanged;
public delegate void OnReleaseStateChanged(ContactSensorEventArgs e);
private ContactSensorEventArgs.ReleaseState recentReleaseState;
public void ReportStateChanged()
{
if (ReleaseStateChanged != null)
ReleaseStateChanged(new ContactSensorEventArgs()
{
State = recentReleaseState
});
}
public class ContactSensorEventArgs : EventArgs
{
//......
public ReleaseState State { get; set; }
//......
public enum ReleaseState
{
FullReleased,
PartlyReleased,
NotReleased
}
}
}
The call from main UI:
public void SensorInit()
{
//....
sensorHelper.ReleaseStateChanged += releaseStateChanged;
//....
}
private void releaseStateChanged(ContactSensorEventArgs e)
{
//example
textBox1.Text = e.State.ToString(); // Thread exception (obviously)
}
Does anybody have me a hint to start?

You could do this by using your own event calling, and storing a reference to the thread, when the event is attached.
With the event add/remove syntax, you can have the caller attach to the event like before, but internally you store a list, with a reference to the thread (using an AsyncOperation) and the delegate to be called (used a Tuple containing both in the example)
Below is an example. I tested it, and it worked as expected when testing, but you might have to add some locking of the list to make it thread safe in case events are added/removed simultaneously.
public class ContactSensorHelper:IDisposable
{
public delegate void OnReleaseStateChanged(ContactSensorEventArgs e);
private ContactSensorEventArgs.ReleaseState recentReleaseState;
public void ReportStateChanged()
{
if (statechangedList.Count > 0)
{
var e = new ContactSensorEventArgs()
{
State = recentReleaseState
};
statechangedList.ForEach(t =>
t.Item1.Post(o => t.Item2((ContactSensorEventArgs)o), e));
}
}
List<Tuple<AsyncOperation, OnReleaseStateChanged>> statechangedList = new List<Tuple<AsyncOperation,OnReleaseStateChanged>>();
public event OnReleaseStateChanged ReleaseStateChanged
{
add
{
var op = AsyncOperationManager.CreateOperation(null);
statechangedList.Add(Tuple.Create(op, value));
}
remove
{
var toremove = statechangedList.Where(t => t.Item2 == value).ToArray();
foreach (var t in toremove)
{
t.Item1.OperationCompleted();
statechangedList.Remove(t);
}
}
}
public void Dispose()
{
statechangedList.ForEach(t => t.Item1.OperationCompleted());
statechangedList.Clear();
}
public class ContactSensorEventArgs : EventArgs
{
//......
public ReleaseState State { get; set; }
//......
public enum ReleaseState
{
FullReleased,
PartlyReleased,
NotReleased
}
}
}

Why, when attempting to unsubscribe from an event, is the event handler object not recognised?

This has turned out to be quite a lengthy question, so thank you in advance to all those who give up their time to read it and comment/answer :)
Edits
This Question has been majorly simplified.
Example code is now a complete, simple program
I am using an observer pattern implemented through interfaces:
public interface IObserver<in T>where T:EventArgs
{
void Update(object sender, T e);
}
public interface ISubject<in T, TU>where TU:EventArgs
{
event EventHandler<TU> Notify;
T State { set; }
void Attach(Action<object,TU> callback);
void Detach(Action<object, TU> callback);
}
I have created two simple classes which implement these interfaces
The MyObserver object will simply output a string to the console window when a Notify event is raised in the MySubject object.
public class MyObserver:IObserver<TestEventArgs>
{
private ISubject<bool, TestEventArgs> _subject;
public MyObserver(ISubject<bool, TestEventArgs> subject)
{
_subject = subject;
}
public void Subscribe()
{
_subject.Attach(Update);
}
public void Unsubscribe()
{
_subject.Detach(Update);
}
public void Update(object sender, TestEventArgs e)
{
Console.WriteLine(e.TestMessage);
}
}
public class MySubject:ISubject<bool, TestEventArgs>
{
public void ObservableEvent(string message)
{
InvokeNotify(message);
}
private void InvokeNotify(string message)
{
EventHandler<TestEventArgs> handler = Notify;
if(handler != null)
{
handler(this, new TestEventArgs(message));
}
}
public event EventHandler<TestEventArgs> Notify;
public bool State
{
set { throw new NotImplementedException(); }
}
public void Attach(Action<object, TestEventArgs> callback)
{
Notify += new EventHandler<TestEventArgs>(callback);
}
public void Detach(Action<object, TestEventArgs> callback)
{
Notify -= new EventHandler<TestEventArgs>(callback);
}
}
public class TestEventArgs:EventArgs
{
public TestEventArgs(string message)
{
TestMessage = message;
}
public string TestMessage { get; private set; }
}
This test program shows that:
before myObserver has subscribed to the event no message is output to the Console window.
after myObserver has subscribed to the Notify event the message is output to the Console window.
after myObserver has UNsubscribed from the Notify event the message is still output to the Console window
static void Main(string[] args)
{
MySubject mySubject = new MySubject();
MyObserver myObserver = new MyObserver(mySubject);
//we have not subscribed to the event so this should not be output to the console
mySubject.ObservableEvent("First Test");
myObserver.Subscribe();
//we are now subscribing to the event. This should be displayed on the console window
mySubject.ObservableEvent("Second Test");
myObserver.Unsubscribe();
//We have unsubscribed from the event. I would not expect this to be displayed
//...but it is!
mySubject.ObservableEvent("Third Test");
Console.ReadLine();
}
The issue I'm having is that the unsubscribe process is not working.
I really don't understand why.
Questions
Why is the unsubscribe process not working?
What happens when comparing 2 event handlers? How are they defined as equal or not? This may lead to an answer to why the invocation list Contains method always returns false.

I suspect your problem is that this code:
public void Attach(Action<object, TestEventArgs> callback)
{
Notify += new EventHandler<TestEventArgs>(callback);
}
Actually allocates a new object, as does the corresponding Detach code. So what's being detached isn't the same thing as what's being attached.
I'm not sure, but you might be able to fix it by changing your Attach and Detach so that they're:
void Attach(EventHandler<TU> callback);
void Detach(EventHandler<TU> callback);
And in the client code:
public void Attach(EventHandler<TestEventArgs> callback)
{
Notify += callback;
}
public void Detach(EventHandler<TestEventArgs> callback)
{
Notify -= callback;
}
I haven't actually tried to compile this, but it looks like it should work.
Or, if the compiler can do the type conversion:
public void Attach(Action<object, TestEventArgs> callback)
{
Notify += callback;
}
Might be worth a shot.

C#: Triggering an Event when an object is added to a Queue

I need to be able to trigger a event whenever an object is added to a Queue<Delegate>.
I created a new class that extends Queue:
public delegate void ChangedEventHandler(object sender, EventArgs e);
public class QueueWithChange<Delegate> : Queue<Delegate>
{
public event ChangedEventHandler Changed;
protected virtual void OnChanged(EventArgs e) {
if (Changed != null)
{
Changed(this, e);
}
}
}
And then attached the event from another class, like such:
QueueWithChange<TimerDelegate> eventQueue = new QueueWithChange<TimerDelegate>();
//
eventQueue.Changed += new ChangedEventHandler(delegate(object s, EventArgs ex) {
//This event is not being triggered, so this code is unreachable atm...and that is my problem
if (eventQueue.Count > 0)
{
eventQueue.Dequeue().Invoke(new DispatcherTimer() { Interval = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(5) });
actionTimer.Stop();
}
});
But whenever I enqueue an object (eventQueue.Enqueue(something)), the attached event is not being fired.
What am I missing here?

If you mean the non-generic Queue class, then you can just override Enqueue:
public override void Enqueue(object obj)
{
base.Enqueue(obj);
OnChanged(EventArgs.Empty);
}
However, if you mean the generic Queue<T> class, then note that there is no suitable virtual method to override. You might do better to encapsulate the queue with your own class:
(** important edit: removed base-class!!! **)
class Foo<T>
{
private readonly Queue<T> queue = new Queue<T>();
public event EventHandler Changed;
protected virtual void OnChanged()
{
if (Changed != null) Changed(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
public virtual void Enqueue(T item)
{
queue.Enqueue(item);
OnChanged();
}
public int Count { get { return queue.Count; } }
public virtual T Dequeue()
{
T item = queue.Dequeue();
OnChanged();
return item;
}
}
However, looking at your code, it seems possible that you are using multiple threads here. If that is the case, consider a threaded queue instead.

I just did write up on what I call a TriggeredQueue. It's inspired the answer by Marc Gravell.
You can find my post here: http://joesauve.com/triggeredqueuet
And the Gist here: http://gist.github.com/jsauve/b2e8496172fdabd370c4
It has four events:
WillEnqueue
WillDequeue
DidEnqueue
DidDequeue
You can hook into any of these like so:
YourQueue.WillEnqueue += (sender, e) => {
// kick off some process
};
YourQueue.DidEnqueue += (sender, e) => {
// kick off some process
// e.Item provides access to the enqueued item, if you like
};
YourQueue.WillDequeue += (sender, e) => {
// kick off some process
};
YourQueue.DidDequeue += (sender, e) => {
// kick off some process
// e.Item provides access to the dequeued item, if you like
};
One neat trick is that you can use the DidDequeue method to kick off some process to ensure that the queue is full by making a web request or loading some data from a filesystem, etc. I use this class in Xamarin mobile apps to ensure that data and images are pre-cached in order to provide a smooth user experience, instead of loading images AFTER they scroll onto the screen (like you might see in Facebook and countless other apps).

try
public new void Enqueue(Delegate d)
{
base.Enqueue(d);
OnChanged(EventArgs.Empty);
}

You have to override Enqueue, to call OnChanged.

C# event handling (compared to Java)

I am currently having a hardtime understanding and implementing events in C# using delagates. I am used to the Java way of doing things:
Define an interface for a listener type which would contain a number of method definitions
Define adapter class for that interface to make things easier if I'm not interested in all the events defined in a listener
Define Add, Remove and Get[] methods in the class which raises the events
Define protected fire methods to do the dirty work of looping through the list of added listeners and calling the correct method
This I understand (and like!) - I know I could do this exactly the same in c#, but it seems that a new (better?) system is in place for c#. After reading countless tutorials explaining the use of delegates and events in c# I still am no closer to really understanding what is going on :S
In short, for the following methods how would I implement the event system in c#:
void computerStarted(Computer computer);
void computerStopped(Computer computer);
void computerReset(Computer computer);
void computerError(Computer computer, Exception error);
^ The above methods are taken from a Java application I once made which I'm trying to port over to c#.
Many many thanks!

You'd create four events, and methods to raise them, along with a new EventArgs-based class to indicate the error:
public class ExceptionEventArgs : EventArgs
{
private readonly Exception error;
public ExceptionEventArgs(Exception error)
{
this.error = error;
}
public Error
{
get { return error; }
}
}
public class Computer
{
public event EventHandler Started = delegate{};
public event EventHandler Stopped = delegate{};
public event EventHandler Reset = delegate{};
public event EventHandler<ExceptionEventArgs> Error = delegate{};
protected void OnStarted()
{
Started(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
protected void OnStopped()
{
Stopped(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
protected void OnReset()
{
Reset(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
protected void OnError(Exception e)
{
Error(this, new ExceptionEventArgs(e));
}
}
Classes would then subscribe to the event using either a method or a an anonymous function:
someComputer.Started += StartEventHandler; // A method
someComputer.Stopped += delegate(object o, EventArgs e)
{
Console.WriteLine("{0} has started", o);
};
someComputer.Reset += (o, e) => Console.WriteLine("{0} has been reset");
A few things to note about the above:
The OnXXX methods are protected so that derived classes can raise the events. This isn't always necessary - do it as you see fit.
The delegate{} piece on each event declaration is just a trick to avoid having to do a null check. It's subscribing a no-op event handler to each event
The event declarations are field-like events. What's actually being created is both a variable and an event. Inside the class you see the variable; outside the class you see the event.
See my events/delegates article for much more detail on events.

You'll have to define a single delegate for that
public delegate void ComputerEvent(object sender, ComputerEventArgs e);
ComputerEventArgs would be defined like this:
public class ComputerEventArgs : EventArgs
{
// TODO wrap in properties
public Computer computer;
public Exception error;
public ComputerEventArgs(Computer aComputer, Exception anError)
{
computer = aComputer;
error = anError;
}
public ComputerEventArgs(Computer aComputer) : this(aComputer, null)
{
}
}
The class that fires the events would have these:
public YourClass
{
...
public event ComputerEvent ComputerStarted;
public event ComputerEvent ComputerStopped;
public event ComputerEvent ComputerReset;
public event ComputerEvent ComputerError;
...
}
This is how you assign handlers to the events:
YourClass obj = new YourClass();
obj.ComputerStarted += new ComputerEvent(your_computer_started_handler);
Your handler is:
private void ComputerStartedEventHandler(object sender, ComputerEventArgs e)
{
// do your thing.
}

The main difference is that in C# the events are not interface-based. Instead, the event publisher declares the delegate which you can think of as a function pointer (although not exactly the same :-)). The subscriber then implements the event prototype as a regular method and adds a new instance of the delegate to the event handler chain of the publisher. Read more about delegates and events.
You can also read short comparison of C# vs. Java events here.

First of all, there is a standard method signature in .Net that is typically used for events. The languages allow any sort of method signature at all to be used for events, and there are some experts who believe the convention is flawed (I mostly agree), but it is what it is and I will follow it for this example.
Create a class that will contain the event’s parameters (derived from EventArgs).
public class ComputerEventArgs : EventArgs
{
Computer computer;
// constructor, properties, etc.
}
Create a public event on the class that is to fire the event.
class ComputerEventGenerator // I picked a terrible name BTW.
{
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> ComputerStarted;
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> ComputerStopped;
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> ComputerReset;
...
}
Call the events.
class ComputerEventGenerator
{
...
private void OnComputerStarted(Computer computer)
{
EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> temp = ComputerStarted;
if (temp != null) temp(this, new ComputerEventArgs(computer)); // replace "this" with null if the event is static
}
}
Attach a handler for the event.
void OnLoad()
{
ComputerEventGenerator computerEventGenerator = new ComputerEventGenerator();
computerEventGenerator.ComputerStarted += new EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs>(ComputerEventGenerator_ComputerStarted);
}
Create the handler you just attached (mostly by pressing the Tab key in VS).
private void ComputerEventGenerator_ComputerStarted(object sender, ComputerEventArgs args)
{
if (args.Computer.Name == "HAL9000")
ShutItDownNow(args.Computer);
}
Don't forget to detach the handler when you're done. (Forgetting to do this is the biggest source of memory leaks in C#!)
void OnClose()
{
ComputerEventGenerator.ComputerStarted -= ComputerEventGenerator_ComputerStarted;
}
And that's it!
EDIT: I honestly can't figure out why my numbered points all appear as "1." I hate computers.

there are several ways to do what you want. The most direct way would be to define delegates for each event in the hosting class, e.g.
public delegate void ComputerStartedDelegate(Computer computer);
protected event ComputerStartedDelegate ComputerStarted;
public void OnComputerStarted(Computer computer)
{
if (ComputerStarted != null)
{
ComputerStarted.Invoke(computer);
}
}
protected void someMethod()
{
//...
computer.Started = true; //or whatever
OnComputerStarted(computer);
//...
}
any object may 'listen' for this event simply by:
Computer comp = new Computer();
comp.ComputerStarted += new ComputerStartedDelegate(
this.ComputerStartedHandler);
protected void ComputerStartedHandler(Computer computer)
{
//do something
}
The 'recommended standard way' of doing this would be to define a subclass of EventArgs to hold the Computer (and old/new state and exception) value(s), reducing 4 delegates to one. In this case that would be a cleaner solution, esp. with an Enum for the computer states in case of later expansion. But the basic technique remains the same:
the delegate defines the signature/interface for the event handler/listener
the event data member is a list of 'listeners'
listeners are removed using the -= syntax instead of +=

In c# events are delegates. They behave in a similar way to a function pointer in C/C++ but are actual classes derived from System.Delegate.
In this case, create a custom EventArgs class to pass the Computer object.
public class ComputerEventArgs : EventArgs
{
private Computer _computer;
public ComputerEventArgs(Computer computer) {
_computer = computer;
}
public Computer Computer { get { return _computer; } }
}
Then expose the events from the producer:
public class ComputerEventProducer
{
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> Started;
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> Stopped;
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> Reset;
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> Error;
/*
// Invokes the Started event */
private void OnStarted(Computer computer) {
if( Started != null ) {
Started(this, new ComputerEventArgs(computer));
}
}
// Add OnStopped, OnReset and OnError
}
The consumer of the events then binds a handler function to each event on the consumer.
public class ComputerEventConsumer
{
public void ComputerEventConsumer(ComputerEventProducer producer) {
producer.Started += new EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs>(ComputerStarted);
// Add other event handlers
}
private void ComputerStarted(object sender, ComputerEventArgs e) {
}
}
When the ComputerEventProducer calls OnStarted the Started event is invoked which in turn will call the ComputerEventConsumer.ComputerStarted method.

The delegate declares a function signature, and when it's used as an event on a class it also acts as a collection of enlisted call targets. The += and -= syntax on an event is used to adding a target to the list.
Given the following delegates used as events:
// arguments for events
public class ComputerEventArgs : EventArgs
{
public Computer Computer { get; set; }
}
public class ComputerErrorEventArgs : ComputerEventArgs
{
public Exception Error { get; set; }
}
// delegates for events
public delegate void ComputerEventHandler(object sender, ComputerEventArgs e);
public delegate void ComputerErrorEventHandler(object sender, ComputerErrorEventArgs e);
// component that raises events
public class Thing
{
public event ComputerEventHandler Started;
public event ComputerEventHandler Stopped;
public event ComputerEventHandler Reset;
public event ComputerErrorEventHandler Error;
}
You would subscribe to those events with the following:
class Program
{
static void Main(string[] args)
{
var thing = new Thing();
thing.Started += thing_Started;
}
static void thing_Started(object sender, ComputerEventArgs e)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
Although the arguments could be anything, the object sender and EventArgs e is a convention that's used very consistently. The += thing_started will first create an instance of the delegate pointing to target method, then add it to the event.
On the component itself you would typically add methods to fire the events:
public class Thing
{
public event ComputerEventHandler Started;
public void OnStarted(Computer computer)
{
if (Started != null)
Started(this, new ComputerEventArgs {Computer = computer});
}
}
You must test for null in case no delegates have been added to the event. When you make the method call however all delegates which have been added will be called. This is why for events the return type is void - there is no single return value - so to feed back information you would have properties on the EventArgs which the event handlers would alter.
Another refinement would be to use the generic EventHandler delegate rather than declaring a concrete delegate for each type of args.
public class Thing
{
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> Started;
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> Stopped;
public event EventHandler<ComputerEventArgs> Reset;
public event EventHandler<ComputerErrorEventArgs> Error;
}

Thank you all so much for your answers! Finally I'm starting to understand what is going on. Just one thing; It seems that if each event had a different number/type of arguments I'd need to create a different :: EventArgs class to deal with it:
public void computerStarted(Computer computer);
public void computerStopped(Computer computer);
public void computerReset(Computer computer);
public void breakPointHit(Computer computer, int breakpoint);
public void computerError(Computer computer, Exception exception);
This would require three classses to deal with the events!? (Well two custom, and one using the default EventArgs.Empty class)
Cheers!

Ok, FINAL clarification!: So this is pretty much the best I can do code-wise to implement those events?
public class Computer {
public event EventHandler Started;
public event EventHandler Stopped;
public event EventHandler Reset;
public event EventHandler<BreakPointEvent> BreakPointHit;
public event EventHandler<ExceptionEvent> Error;
public Computer() {
Started = delegate { };
Stopped = delegate { };
Reset = delegate { };
BreakPointHit = delegate { };
Error = delegate { };
}
protected void OnStarted() {
Started(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
protected void OnStopped() {
Stopped(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
protected void OnReset() {
Reset(this, EventArgs.Empty);
}
protected void OnBreakPointHit(int breakPoint) {
BreakPointHit(this, new BreakPointEvent(breakPoint));
}
protected void OnError(System.Exception exception) {
Error(this, new ExceptionEvent(exception));
}
}
}