Develop Reference

Call methods in WPF window from main thread

Use case
I'm developing a small application in C# that is called by another application to retrieve data from the Internet. It runs as a process on its own, but almost all of the interaction with it, is managed by the calling application. Therefor it does not have a GUI. However I'd like to add a progress bar using WPF that is shown during certain data retrievals that could take up to a minute. It's fairly easy to make an estimate of how much work is done and how much is left and therefor I find a progress bar suitable.
Research done
I have a fair understanding of threading after reading large parts of Albahari's pdf on threading (http://www.albahari.info/threading/threading.pdf). I have also read through a lot of posts on SO and MSDN in this matter. Most posts suggest the use of a background worker for the time consuming data retrieval while keeping the GUI in the main thread and therefor suggest solutions using a background worker. That feels awkward in this scenario though, where the main task is data retrieval and not GUI interaction.
I've spend a bunch of hours trying to make sense of different tutorials and forum posts while trying to conform them to my problem, but I have not succeeded and now I'm pretty much back to square one. Basically I'd like to end up with the following two classes outlined below:
ProgressBarWindow
public partial class ProgressBarWindow : Window
{
public ProgressBarWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public void setValue(int value)
{
// This function should be available from the main thread
}
}
Querier
Public class Querier
{
public List<Item> getItems()
{
// call ProgressBarWindow.setValue(0);
...
// call ProgressBarWindow.setValue(100);
// call ProgressBarWindow.Close();
}
}
It's my understanding that UI must run under single threads and therefor my ProgressBarWindow object could not be instantiated in a new thread while at the same time be available to the main thread (kind of).
Dispatcher.BeginInvoke appears to be my savior here but so far I haven't been able to figure out what should go into the Querier class and what to go in the ProgressBarWindow class. How can I make the two threads interact with the same instance of ProgressBarWindow?
Please ask if you need more details and I will try to clarify.

You can use the Progress class to update the UI with the current progress of a long running operation.
First create an instance of Progress in your UI:
Progress<int> progress = new Progress<int>(currentProgress =>
{
progressBar.Value = currentProgress;
//todo do other stuff
});
Then pass it to the long running process:
public List<Item> getItems(IProgress<int> progress)
{
progress.Report(0);
//todo do something
progress.Report(100);
}

Here is a generic function which i generally use:
public static void Invoke(this UIElement element,Action action)
{
element.Dispatcher.Invoke(action, null);
}
And to use it, simply call:
this.Invoke(() => ProgressBarWindow.SetValue(0));
So, in the getItems() function, you would have something along the lines of:
public List<Item> getItems()
{
ProgressBarWindow wnd;
MainWindow.Invoke(() => wnd = new ProgressBarWindow())
MainWindow.Invoke(() => wnd.SetValue(0))
...
MainWindow.Invoke(() => wnd.SetValue(100))
MainWindow.Invoke(() => wnd.Close())
}
Make sure you always have a way to get to the main window is anything (the one running from either App.xml, or App.Run(...). You can then issue any GUI actions through it (even if you have to create a new Loader window for example, as long as it's done within the main thread)

App.xaml
public partial class App : Application
{
private void Application_Startup_1(object sender, StartupEventArgs e)
{
Task.Factory.StartNew<List<int>>(() => Querier.GetItems());
}
}
ProgressBarWindow.xaml.cs
public partial class ProgressWindow : Window
{
public ProgressWindow()
{
InitializeComponent();
Querier.Start +=()=> Visibility = Visibility.Visible;
Querier.Stop += () => Visibility = Visibility.Collapsed;
Querier.ReportProgress +=OnReportProgress;
}
public void OnReportProgress(int value)
{
txtBox.Text = value.ToString();
}
}
ProgressBarWindow.xaml
<Grid>
<TextBox x:Name="txtBox"></TextBox>
</Grid>
Querier
public class Querier
{
public static event Action Start;
public static event Action Stop;
public static event Action<int> ReportProgress;
public static List<int> GetItems()
{
if (Start != null)
App.Current.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(Start,null);
for (int index = 0; index <= 10; index++)
{
Thread.Sleep(200);
if (ReportProgress != null)
App.Current.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(ReportProgress, index*10);
}
if (Stop != null)
App.Current.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(Stop, null);
return Enumerable.Range(1, 100).ToList();
}
}
I am just trying to give an idea hope this will help.

ManualResetEvent WaitOne blocks the owner Thread of my CollectionView

I've written a WPF WizardFramework which performs some actions in the background using some BackgroundWorker. While processing it can happen that I have to update an ObservableCollection which is bound to my UI.
For this case I've written a ThreadableObservableCollection, which provides threadsafe methods for Insert, Remove and RemoveAt. Though I'm using .NET 4.5 I was not able to get BindingOperations.EnableCollectionSynchronization working without many other invalid access exceptions. My Collection looks like:
public class ThreadableObservableCollection<T> : ObservableCollection<T>
{
private readonly Dispatcher _dispatcher;
public ThreadableObservableCollection()
{
_dispatcher = Dispatcher.CurrentDispatcher;
}
public void ThreadsafeInsert(int pos, T item, Action callback)
{
if (_dispatcher.CheckAccess())
{
Insert(pos, item);
callback();
}
else
{
_dispatcher.Invoke(() =>
{
Insert(pos, item);
callback();
});
}
}
[..]
}
This is working as expected, while I am using the wizard in my application. Now I'm using NUnit to write some integrationtests for the application.
There's a listener which waits for the WizardViewModel to finish it's work and looking for some pages which are injected in the Steps-Collection. After the asyncrone work is done I can use Validate to check the viewmodel state.
Unfortunately I'm using a ManualResetEvent to wait for the wizard to close. This looks like following:
public class WizardValidator : IValidator, IDisposable
{
private WizardViewModel _dialog;
private readonly ManualResetEvent _dialogClosed = new ManualResetEvent(false);
[..]
public void ListenTo(WizardViewModel dialog)
{
_dialog = dialog;
dialog.RequestClose += (sender, args) => _dialogClosed.Set();
dialog.StepsDefaultView.CurrentChanged += StepsDefaultViewOnCurrentChanged;
_dialogClosed.WaitOne();
}
[..]
}
Now there's a problem:
While the Application is running the UI Thread is not blocked, the Collection can be updated without any problems. But in my testcases the "main" Thread where I initialize the ViewModel (and because of that the Collections) is an AppDomainThread which is blocked by the testcode. Now my ThreadsafeInsert wants to update the collection but cannot use the AppDomain Thread.
But I have to wait for the wizard to finish, how can I solve this kind of deadlock? Or is there a more elegant solution for this one?
edit:
I worked around this problem with a check if there's a user interface, and only then I invoke on the Application-Thread, otherwise I change the collection intentionally on another thread. This does not prevent the exception, but it is not recognized from the test... the items are inserted nevertheless, only the NotifyCollectionChanged-Handler is not called (which is only used in the UI anyway).
if (Application.Current != null)
{
Application.Current.Dispatcher.Invoke(() =>
{
Steps.Insert(pos, step);
stepsView.MoveCurrentTo(step);
});
}
else
{
new Action(() => Steps.Insert(pos, step)).BeginInvoke(ar => stepsView.MoveCurrentToPosition(pos), null);
}
This is an ugly workaround and I am still interested in a clean solution.
Is there a way to use an alternate Dispatcher to create (e.g.) the whole ViewModel and use this to change my collection?

As I see the main problem that main thread is blocked and other operations are trying to be executed in main thread too? What about not to block main thread, like this:
// helper functions
public void DoEvents()
{
DispatcherFrame frame = new DispatcherFrame();
Dispatcher.CurrentDispatcher.BeginInvoke(DispatcherPriority.Background,
new DispatcherOperationCallback(ExitFrame), frame);
Dispatcher.PushFrame(frame);
}
public object ExitFrame(object f)
{
((DispatcherFrame)f).Continue = false;
return null;
}
// in your code:
while(!_dialogClosed.WaitOne(200))
DoEvents();
If it will not help then I guess need to try some SynchronisationContext workarounds.

I think the problems boil down to the fact that you create ObservableCollection that is tied to Dispatcher object.
Involving Dispatcher object directly is almost never good idea(as you just witnessed). Instead I would suggest you to see how others have implemented ThreadSafeObservableCollection. This is a little example I put together, it should illustrate the point:
public class ThreadSafeObservableCollection<T> : ObservableCollection<T>
{
private readonly object _lock = new object();
public ThreadSafeObservableCollection()
{
BindingOperations.CollectionRegistering += CollectionRegistering;
}
protected override void InsertItem(int index, T item)
{
lock (_lock)
{
base.InsertItem(index, item);
}
}
private void CollectionRegistering(object sender, CollectionRegisteringEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Collection == this)
BindingOperations.EnableCollectionSynchronization(this, _lock);
}
}

What is the best way to update UI in multiThread

I have three class, tow of them was UI class, in the mainForm class, I start a new form by execute
new LoginForm.ShowDialog();
in the LoginForm class, I write code about log in and log out, when the use loged in, I start a new thread to check if something need to be done,and update the databases; and here is the question, I don't know how to update a label that in the MainForm
I search this question and they told me I should to use Delegate.but it really puzzled me a lot cause they don't in a same class so I don't know how to use Delegate cross thread and cross different
Until now, my code is like this
MainForm.cs:
public partial class MainForm : Form
public delegate void testDelegate();
public MainForm()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
public void msg(string s)
{
label.Test = s;
}
}
LoginForm.cs:
JobDoer jD = new JobDoer();
Thread t2 = new Thread(new ThreadStart(jD.run));
t2.Start();
JobDoer:
public void run()
{
//tD();
tD = new MainForm.testDelegate(MainForm.msg);
//this.
Thread.Sleep(1000);
return;
}
what should I do next?

Taken from: Best Way to Invoke Any Cross-Threaded Code?
You also could use an extension method and lambdas to make your code much cleaner.
using System.ComponentModel;
public static class ISynchronizeInvokeExtensions
{
public static void InvokeEx<T>(this T #this, Action<T> action) where T : ISynchronizeInvoke
{
if (#this.InvokeRequired)
{
#this.Invoke(action, new object[] { #this });
}
else
{
action(#this);
}
}
}
So now you can use InvokeEx on any ISynchronizeInvoke and be able to access the properties and fields of implementing class.
this.InvokeEx(f => f.listView1.Items.Clear());

For this kind of thing theres the
System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker class.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/framework/winforms/controls/how-to-implement-a-form-that-uses-a-background-operation.
It handles the thread sync for you, plus it has a usefull prgress update event

C# Control.Invoke a method group

I am using threads to run long operations in my program's UI so that it doesn't lock up. However, in those tasks I need to update controls, which is impossible not from the thread they were created on. It is suggested to use control.BeginInvoke(Delegate) to execute the method you want.
However, to do that you have to declare a delegate type and only then you can call them.
So, it goes like this: if I want to execute method void Update(), i have to go:
delegate void CallbackVoid();
void Update() {...}
...(in task code)...
this.BeginInvoke(new CallbackVoid(Update));
This is rather tiresome to do for every single method out there. Can't I just somehow do it naturally, like:
void Update() {...}
this.BeginInvoke(Update);

One option which simplified things is to add an extension method:
public static void BeginInvokeAction(this Control control, Action action)
{
control.BeginInvoke(action);
}
Then you can just use:
this.BeginInvokeAction(action);
The reason this works is that we're now providing a concrete delegate type for the compiler to convert the method group to.

UPDATED: WORKS FOR WPF!!!
You can use short syntax with anonymous methods, without even declaring your methods
Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(DispatcherPriority.Background, new MethodInvoker(() =>
{
//Your Update code
}));

Try the following:
if (this.controlname.InvokeRequired && !this.controlname.IsDisposed)
{
Invoke(new MethodInvoker(delegate()
{
//Update control on GUI here!
}));
else if(!this.controlname.IsDisposed)
{
//AND here!
}

BeginInvoke is asynchronous, Invoke is synchronous, which one you use depends on what you're trying to do. If you need the call to complete before you move on, then you want synchronous calls.
Here's my favorite construct for synchronous invokes:
static void InvokeIfRequired(Control control, Action action)
{
if (control.InvokeRequired)
{
control.Invoke(action);
}
else
{
action.Invoke();
}
}
Used:
void MyTestFunction()
{
InvokeIfRequired(myControl, () =>
{
MyFunction();
MyOtherFunction();
});
// Or more simply:
InvokeIfRequired(myControl, () => MyFunction());
}
There is a little overhead in the creation of the Action, but it simplifies the code quite a bit to not have to think about the details everywhere.

Solve a cross-threading Exception in WinForms

Presently I'm working with WinForms(in C#) and I have to run the application in the background. For this purpose I'm using asynchronous. When I run the application it's showing an exception like
"Cross-thread operation not valid: Control '' accessed from a thread other than the thread it was created on."
How can I solve this error?

When making method calls to a control, if the caller is on a different thread than the one the control was created on, you need to call using Control.Invoke. Here is a code sample:
// you can define a delegate with the signature you want
public delegate void UpdateControlsDelegate();
public void SomeMethod()
{
//this method is executed by the background worker
InvokeUpdateControls();
}
public void InvokeUpdateControls()
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
{
this.Invoke(new UpdateControlsDelegate(UpdateControls));
}
else
{
UpdateControls();
}
}
private void UpdateControls()
{
// update your controls here
}
Hope it helps.

Most often, the best way to do this sort of thing with WinForms is to use BackgroundWorker, which will run your work on a background thread, but provide you with a nice clean way to report status back to the UI.
In a lot of everyday .NET programming, explicitly creating threads or calling .Invoke is a sign that you're not using the framework to its full advantage (of course, there are lots of legitimate reasons to do low-level stuff too, it's just that they're less common that people sometimes realise).

You need to check if Invoke is required for the control you're trying to update. Something like this:
Action<Control, string> setterCallback = (toSet, text) => toSet.Text = text;
void SetControlText(Control toSet, string text) {
if (this.InvokeRequired) {
this.Invoke(setterCallback, toSet, text);
}
else {
setterCallback(toSet, text);
}
}

Updated from Invoke to begin Invoke
// you can define a delegate with the signature you want
public delegate void UpdateControlsDelegate();
public void SomeMethod()
{
//this method is executed by the background worker
InvokeUpdateControls();
}
public void InvokeUpdateControls()
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
{
this.BeginInvoke(new UpdateControlsDelegate(UpdateControls));
}
else
{
UpdateControls();
}
}
private void UpdateControls()
{
// update your controls here
}

A pattern you might find useful is to do a check at the top of functions that interact with the GUI to see whether you are running on the correct thread or not and have the function invoke itself if required. Like this:
public delegate void InvocationDelegate();
public void DoGuiStuff(){
if (someControl.InvokeRequired){
someControl.Invoke(InvocationDelegate(DoGuiStuff));
return;
}
//GUI manipulation here
}
Using this pattern - if you are on the correct thread when the method is called it doesn't invoke itself, but if you are on a different thread it will invoke itself and then return (so the GUI manipulation logic is only ever called once either way).

The UI changes can be done with Control.Invoke() methods, this cross thread exception can be solved using below code snippet.
void UpdateWorker()
{
//Here ddUser is the user control
//Action to be performed should be called within { } as like below code
if (this.ddUser.InvokeRequired)
ddUser.Invoke(new MethodInvoker(() => { ddUser.Size = new Size(100, 100); }));
}

I knew the topic is 10 years old, but I would like to improve the solution for generic through lambda selector instead of defining of each type of setter
private void SetControlSafety<C, V>(C control, Expression<Func<C, V>> selector, V value)
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
this.Invoke(MyUtils.GetSetter(selector), control, value);
else
DataCrawlerUtils.GetSetter(selector)(control, value);
}
Or static
public static void SetControlSafety<C, V>(C control, Expression<Func<C, V>> selector, V value) where C : Control
{
if (control.InvokeRequired)
control.Invoke(DataCrawlerUtils.GetSetter(selector), control, value);
else
DataCrawlerUtils.GetSetter(selector)(control, value);
}
GetSetter method from here to assign value to a property has been selected through lambda
public static Action<T, TProperty> GetSetter<T, TProperty>(
Expression<Func<T, TProperty>> pExpression
)
{
var parameter1 = Expression.Parameter(typeof(T));
var parameter2 = Expression.Parameter(typeof(TProperty));
// turning an expression body into a PropertyInfo is common enough
// that it's a good idea to extract this to a reusable method
var member = (MemberExpression)pExpression.Body;
var propertyInfo = (PropertyInfo)member.Member;
// use the PropertyInfo to make a property expression
// for the first parameter (the object)
var property = Expression.Property(parameter1, propertyInfo);
// assignment expression that assigns the second parameter (value) to the property
var assignment = Expression.Assign(property, parameter2);
// then just build the lambda, which takes 2 parameters, and has the assignment
// expression for its body
var setter = Expression.Lambda<Action<T, TProperty>>(
assignment,
parameter1,
parameter2
);
return setter.Compile();
}
Then the using is pretty simple
SetControlSafety(txtStatus, x => x.Text, "Loading resources...");

BeginInvoke
It is a good way to prevent a cross-thread exception. I read it in a book "The C# Programmer’s Study Guide (MCSD"
You can use BeginInvoke
BeginInvoke method is used to change values of UI control from other threads. It does it in a thread-safe way. It requires a delegate; it tells which UI control needs to change its value.
private async void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Task task = Task.Run(() =>
{
this.BeginInvoke(new Action(() =>
{
label1.Text = "Hello";
}));
});
await task;
}
The value of label1.Text shall be changed to “Hello” and no exception will arise because it’s a threadsafe operation.