I'm trying to achieve bi-directional, named pipe communication on my Win-XP workstation using two simple C# forms solutions. One for the client and one for the server. They appear almost identical and use NamedPipeServerStream and NamedPipeClientStream (.NET 3.5). Both client and server are set to bidirectional comms via PipeDirection.InOut
The order of start-up events is:
1) Start the server. It waits for a connection from the client.
2) Start the client and it immediately finds and connects to the server. The server, likewise, completes its connection to the client.
3) Both client and server launch their "Read" threads which in turn create instances of streamreader. These threads then call ReadLn() and block - waiting for data. In all instances, autoflush is true.
I then use streamwriter.WriteLn() to send string data from the server to the client (or vice-versa). However, the execution never returns from that call. I don't know why and any insights would be greatfully received.
I have spent considerable time studying all that there is on this subject but I'm still missing something.
Client and server code snippets are shown:
SERVER:
private void ListenForClients()
{
// Only one server as this will be a 1-1 connection
m_pipeServerStream = new NamedPipeServerStream(PipeName, PipeDirection.InOut, 1);
// Wait for a client to connect
m_pipeServerStream.WaitForConnection();
// Ccould not create handle - server probably not running
if (!m_pipeServerStream.IsConnected)
return;
// Create a stream writer which flushes after every write
m_pipeServerWriter = new StreamWriter(m_pipeServerStream);
m_pipeServerWriter.AutoFlush = true;
Connected = true;
// Start listening for messages
if (m_pipeServerStream.CanRead)
{
ReadThread = new Thread(new ParameterizedThreadStart(Read));
ReadThread.Start(m_pipeServerStream);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Reads data from the client
/// </summary>
/// <param name="serverObj"></param>
private void Read(object serverObj)
{
NamedPipeServerStream pipeStream = (NamedPipeServerStream)serverObj;
using (StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(pipeStream))
{
while (true)
{
string buffer;
try
{
buffer = sr.ReadLine();
}
catch
{
//read error has occurred
break;
}
//client has disconnected
if (buffer.Length == 0)
break;
//fire message received event
if (MessageReceived != null)
{
MessageReceived(buffer);
}
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Sends a message to the connected client
/// </summary>
/// <param name="message">the message to send</param>
public void SendMessage(string message)
{
if (m_pipeServerWriter != null)
{
m_pipeServerWriter.WriteLine(message);
m_pipeServerWriter.Flush();
}
}
CLIENT:
private void ConnectToServer()
{
// Seek out the one server
m_pipeClientStream = new NamedPipeClientStream(".", PipeName, PipeDirection.InOut);
// Connect to the waiting server
m_pipeClientStream.Connect();
// Ccould not create handle - server probably not running
if (!m_pipeClientStream.IsConnected)
return;
// Create a stream writer which flushes after every write
m_pipeClientWriter = new StreamWriter(m_pipeClientStream);
m_pipeClientWriter.AutoFlush = true;
Connected = true;
// Start listening for messages
if (m_pipeClientStream.CanRead)
{
ReadThread = new Thread(new ParameterizedThreadStart(Read));
ReadThread.Start(m_pipeClientStream);
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Reads data from the server
/// </summary>
private void Read(object serverObj)
{
NamedPipeClientStream pipeStream = (NamedPipeClientStream)serverObj;
using (StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(pipeStream))
{
while (true)
{
string buffer;
try
{
buffer = sr.ReadLine();
}
catch
{
//read error has occurred
break;
}
//client has disconnected
if (buffer.Length == 0)
break;
//fire message received event
if (MessageReceived != null)
{
MessageReceived(buffer);
}
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Sends a message to the connected server
/// </summary>
/// <param name="message"></param>
public void SendMessage(string message)
{
if (m_pipeClientWriter != null)
{
m_pipeClientWriter.WriteLine(message);
m_pipeClientWriter.Flush();
}
}
Try setting the Async flag on the streams:
NamedPipeClientStream(".", PipeName, PipeDirection.InOut, PipeOptions.Asynchronous);
I've now given up and moved to the safe, obvious technique of using two pipes, one for each direction of communication. They work fine.
I am not sure if this will help but I am also experiencing the same problem. First of all, I don't know why any reference to m_pipeServerStream.IsConnected will break the pipe. I tested this with just a simple MessageBox.Show(m_pipeServerStream.IsConnected.ToString()) and that broke my pipe!
Secondly, another weird thing is that your streamreader call will never return if you are using a duplex named pipe. You will need to read it manually like this
const int BufferSize = 4096;
Decoder decoder = Encoding.UTF8.GetDecoder();
StringBuilder msg = new StringBuilder();
char[] chars = new char[BufferSize];
byte[] bytes = new byte[BufferSize];
int numBytes = 0;
MessageBox.Show("before do while loop");
numBytes = pipeServer.Read(bytes, 0, BufferSize);
if (numBytes > 0)
{
int numChars = decoder.GetCharCount(bytes, 0, numBytes);
decoder.GetChars(bytes, 0, numBytes, chars, 0, false);
msg.Append(chars, 0, numChars);
}
MessageBox.Show(numBytes.ToString() + " " + msg.ToString());
MessageBox.Show("Finished reading, now starting writing");
using (StreamWriter swr = new StreamWriter(pipeServer))
{
MessageBox.Show("Sending ok back");
swr.WriteLine("OK");
pipeServer.WaitForPipeDrain();
}
Anyway, it doesn't seem to like the behavior of StreamReader, but this will work for now... I got this off this link http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/csharpgeneral/thread/23dc2951-8b59-48e4-89fe-d2b435db48c6/
I'm not following every single step because I just needed to find out why it keeps hanging at StreamReader.ReadLine(). it's not returning from this function. StreamWriter does not seem to have this problem.
I am actually communicating between native dll and a managed windows service. Imagine my surprise when I found out that it was the managed part that was the problem, not the unmanaged part since they has such good examples in msdn...
I am no expert on Named Pipes or Anonymous Pipes but I will give it my best shot at trying to help others out even though you have a work around to your problem.
Client Server Communications is the best way to think of how this process should be achieved.
Server Starts and Listens for a Connection --> Client initiates a connection to a Server -->Server accepts the connection -->Client makes a request -->Server makes a response --> Connection is closed.
Server Starts and Listens for a Connection:
try
{
namedPipeServerStream = new NamedPipeServerStream(PipeName, PipeDirection.InOut, 1, PipeTransmissionMode.Byte, PipeOptions.Asynchronous);
// Wait for a connection here...
namedPipeServerStream.BeginWaitForConnection(new AsyncCallback(ConnectionCallBack), namedPipeServerStream);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
Client Connects, then makes a Request:
try
{
namedPipeClientStream = new NamedPipeClientStream(".", PipeName, PipeDirection.InOut, PipeOptions.Asynchronous);
// Connect with timeout...
namedPipeClientStream.Connect(TimeOut);
byte[] buffer = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(DataToSend);
namedPipeClientStream.BeginWrite(buffer, 0, buffer.Length, ConnectionCallBack, namedPipeClientStream);
}
catch (TimeoutException ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
ConnectionCallBack is an Asynchronous CallBack. This Method (this is on the Client) is where the Connection is managed:
private void ConnectionCallBack(IAsyncResult iAsyncResult)
{
try
{
// Get the pipe
NamedPipeClientStream namedPipeClientStream = (NamedPipeClientStream)iAsyncResult.AsyncState;
// End the write
namedPipeClientStream.EndWrite(iAsyncResult);
namedPipeClientStream.Flush();
// Get Server Response...
GetServerResponse(namedPipeClientStream);
// Flush Data and Close Pipe...
namedPipeClientStream.Flush();
namedPipeClientStream.Close();
namedPipeClientStream.Dispose();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
}
The Server handles the Client Request and formulates a Response and sends it:
// Response Methods...
public void SendResponse(string ServerResponse)
{
try
{
// Fill Buffer with Server Response Data...
byte[] Buffer = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(ServerResponse);
// Begin Async Write to the Pipe...
namedPipeServerStream.BeginWrite(Buffer, 0, Buffer.Length, SendResponseCallBack, namedPipeServerStream);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
}
private void SendResponseCallBack(IAsyncResult iAsyncResult)
{
try
{
// Get the Pipe Handle...
NamedPipeServerStream namedPipeServerStream = (NamedPipeServerStream)iAsyncResult.AsyncState;
// End the Write and Flush...
namedPipeServerStream.EndWrite(iAsyncResult);
namedPipeServerStream.Flush();
// Close the Connection and Dispose...
namedPipeServerStream.Close();
namedPipeServerStream.Dispose();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
}
This is called from the Client Request Handler:
private void ClientRequestHandler(string clientRequest)
{
try
{
if (this.InvokeRequired)
{
this.Invoke(new InvokedDelegate(ClientRequestHandler), clientRequest);
}
else
{
ProcessClientRequest(clientRequest);
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
}
}
private void ProcessClientRequest(string clientRequest)
{
// Display the Client Request...
richTextBox1.Text = clientRequest;
PipeServer.SendResponse("Server has received Client Request at: " + DateTime.Now);
}
The Client has initiated a Connection to the Server, at the point where the Asynchronous CallBack Method see's this:
// Get Server Response...
GetServerResponse(namedPipeClientStream);
The Connection is still open. The Client Request was made and the Pipe was Flushed and is ready for the Client to Read the Server Response mentioned above:
private void GetServerResponse(NamedPipeClientStream namedPipeClientStream)
{
byte[] buffer = new byte[255];
namedPipeClientStream.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
// Convert byte buffer to string
string ResponseData = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
// Pass message back to calling form
ServerResponse.Invoke(ResponseData);
}
The Response is received and then the Connection is again Flushed and Closed ready for the Client to Initiate another Connection.
The code is a little more complex than just this but essentially this is how it works. While you have a connection initiated, use it. Once you close it, and then try to re-initialise it, you will need to wait for a period of time for it to dispose properly or you will get all sorts of semaphore errors and so on. Don't Smoke your connection when you don't need to!!!
Please see: Code Project - C# Async Named Pipes for an excellent example
Related
I have a question about sending and receiving messages from a TCPListener server to a client over a Network Stream in C#. Right now, my TCPListener instance can receive one message from a client and write it to the server console, and it can accept one input string and send it back to the client. But I wish to improve the function to accept multiple consecutive messages from a client and send multiple consecutive responses back to the client. Does anyone happen to have any pointers if the ReadAsync and WriteAsync functions of a NetworkStream can handle receiving multiple consecutive messages or sending multiple consecutive messages and if there is a better method to achieve this? Also, since the Console.ReadLine function will block in the case the server never receives any user input from ReadLine (and no Enter key is pushed), is there a way to test if there's optional user input from the keyboard? That way I could try to execute the send message commands only if the server received some kind of console input from the user, and could continue receiving client messages otherwise.
public static async Task getMessage(TcpListener server)
{
byte[] bytes = new byte[256];
using (var theStream = await server.AcceptTcpClientAsync())
{
using (var tcpStream = theStream.GetStream())
{
await tcpStream.ReadAsync(bytes, 0, bytes.Length);
var msg = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(bytes);
Console.WriteLine(msg);
var payload = Console.ReadLine();
var bytes2 = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(payload);
await tcpStream.WriteAsync(bytes2, 0, bytes2.Length);
}
}
}
It is interesting to see a server implementation dedicated to only one client!
TCP is a two-way communication protocol so yes, you can, of course, send what you want and when you want and receive anything at the same time.
I tried to put comments in the source to let it explain itself.
But the critical point is declaring the TcpClient and NetworkStream instances as static variables so that the main thread (the thread which reads from the console and sends the payload to the client) can access them
Hope this helps.
public static async Task getMessage(TcpListener server)
{
byte[] bytes = new byte[256];
using (theStream = await server.AcceptTcpClientAsync())
{
using (tcpStream = theStream.GetStream())
{
// We are using an infinite loop which ends when zero bytes have been received.
// Receiving zero bytes means the transmission is over (client disconnected)
while (await tcpStream.ReadAsync(bytes, 0, bytes.Length) > 0)
{
var msg = Encoding.UTF8.GetString(bytes);
Console.WriteLine(msg);
}
Console.WriteLine("Client has disconnected");
}
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Transmists the payload to the client
/// </summary>
/// <param name="payload">The payload to transmit to the client</param>
/// <returns></returns>
static async Task Transmit(string payload)
{
var bytes2 = Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(payload);
await tcpStream.WriteAsync(bytes2, 0, bytes2.Length);
}
// We are declaring the TcpClient and NetworkStream as static variables
// to be able to access them from all the threads.
private static TcpClient theStream;
public static NetworkStream tcpStream;
static void Main(string[] args)
{
TcpListener server = new TcpListener(IPAddress.Loopback, 9876);
server.Start();
// Start the task getMessage() to accept a client and receive
Task.Run(() => getMessage(server));
string payload;
while ((payload = Console.ReadLine()) != "exit")
{
// Check if the client has connected.
if (tcpStream != null)
{
// Check if they are still connected
if (theStream.Client.Connected)
{
Task.Run(() => Transmit(payload));
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("the client connection is lost");
break;
}
}
else
{
Console.WriteLine("The client has not connected yet.");
}
}
Console.WriteLine("Stopping the server");
server.Stop();
}
Update
I figured out what the problem was. I was trying to move too much data over TCP, and it was causing freeze-ups. For some reason, this wasn't manifesting in the editor...who knows for what reason. If anyone else stumbles upon this problem (in a program like Unity, where functions are looping constantly and data is always being processed), consider that you're moving too much irrelevant data.
Original Post
I've run into quite the problem, and I'm hoping I can receive some guidance.
In short, I'm wondering how to use TCP to communicate two Unity apps over the same computer. I've gotten it functioning in editor, but when both apps are built, communication quickly breaks down.
This is really stumping me, because I don't understand why an app would work in the Editor environment, but not in the official build.
When I use TCP to communicate between two Unity apps (on the same computer), it works so long as one of them is kept in the Unity environment. That is, if I build one app, and open the other in the Unity editor, TCP communication works flawlessly.
Here is some more background: One of my apps is functioning as a User Interface, and the other is interfacing with a Looking Glass to provide a holographic display of in-game objects. Originally, they were combined into one App - but I had a lot of trouble getting Unity's multidisplay support to function between two monitors of different resolutions. Looking Glass factory even provides a prefab to do just this, but it is broken in the current SDK. So I have resorted to using sockets to interface between two apps, one for each monitor.
I'm using C#'s TCP listener class: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.net.sockets.tcplistener?view=netframework-4.8
And TCP client class: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/api/system.net.sockets.tcpclient?view=netframework-4.8
Presently, the UI is acting as the TCPListener, and the application that produces holograms is the TCPClient. Within each of these applications, I'm using two Queues - an IncomingMessages queue and an Outgoing Messages queue - which are global variables shared between the main thread and the networking thread.
TCP Listener:
private void Start()
{
incomingMessages = new Queue();
outgoingMessages = new Queue();
Application.runInBackground = true;
thread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(Receive));
thread.Start();
//stuff happens that's irrelevant to this question. And then...
}
void Receive()
{
TcpListener server = null;
try
{
// Set the TcpListener on port 13000.
Int32 port = 13000;
IPAddress localAddr = IPAddress.Parse("127.0.0.1");
// TcpListener server = new TcpListener(port);
server = new TcpListener(localAddr, port);
// Start listening for client requests.
server.Start();
// Buffer for reading data
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[256];
String data = null;
// Enter the listening loop.
Debug.Log("About to reenter main while in Server...");
while (threadContinue)
{
Debug.Log("Waiting for a connection... ");
// Perform a blocking call to accept requests.
// You could also user server.AcceptSocket() here.
TcpClient client = server.AcceptTcpClient();
Debug.Log("Connected!");
data = null;
// Get a stream object for reading and writing
NetworkStream stream = client.GetStream();
int i;
// Loop to receive all the data sent by the client.
while ((i = stream.Read(bytes, 0, bytes.Length)) != 0)
{
// Translate data bytes to a ASCII string.
data = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytes, 0, i);
Debug.Log("Received from Client: " + data);
lock (this)
incomingMessages.Enqueue(data);
string response = supplyData();
byte[] msg = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(response);
// Send back a response.
stream.Write(msg, 0, msg.Length);
Debug.Log("Sent to Client: " + response);
}
// Shutdown and end connection
client.Close();
}
}
catch (SocketException e)
{
Debug.Log("SocketException: ");
Debug.Log(e);
}
finally
{
// Stop listening for new clients.
server.Stop();
}
Debug.Log("Exiting 'Receive'");
}
And here is the TCP Client. It attempts to connect a regular intervals, and also whenever new data is available. This is so that it can receive information from the server regularly and share new data whenever it is available:
void Start()
{
//prepare networking
Application.runInBackground = true;
outgoingMessages = new Queue();
incomingMessages = new Queue();
thread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(Connect));
thread.Start();
//stuff happens that's irrelevant to this question...
}
private void Connect()
{
String server = "127.0.0.1";
Int32 port = 13000;
string message = "";
while (threadContinue == true)
{
if (timeToConnect())
{
lastConnection = ourTime;
if (outgoingMessages.Count > 0)
message = outgoingMessages.Dequeue().ToString();
else
message = "Nothing to report.";
try
{
// Create a TcpClient.
// Note, for this client to work you need to have a TcpServer
// connected to the same address as specified by the server, port
// combination.
client = new TcpClient(server, port);
// Translate the passed message into ASCII and store it as a Byte array.
Byte[] data = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(message);
// Get a client stream for reading and writing.
// Stream stream = client.GetStream();
stream = client.GetStream();
// Send the message to the connected TcpServer.
stream.Write(data, 0, data.Length);
Debug.Log("Sent to Server: " + message);
// Buffer to store the response bytes.
data = new Byte[256];
// String to store the response ASCII representation.
String responseData = String.Empty;
// Read the first batch of the TcpServer response bytes.
Int32 bytes = stream.Read(data, 0, data.Length);
responseData = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(data, 0, bytes);
lock (this)
incomingMessages.Enqueue(responseData);
Debug.Log("Received from Server: " + responseData);
stream.Close();
client.Close();
}
catch (ArgumentNullException e)
{
Debug.Log("ArgumentNullException: ");
Debug.Log(e);
outgoingMessages.Enqueue(message);
}
catch (SocketException e)
{
Debug.Log("SocketException: ");
Debug.Log(e);
outgoingMessages.Enqueue(message);
}
}
}
}
private bool timeToConnect()
{
if ((ourTime - lastConnection > NETWORK_DELAY) || (outgoingMessages.Count > 0))
return true;
return false;
}
Instantiated in separate threads so that Unity's main thread can continue unhindered.
Again - it works in Editor, but when I build it, it breaks.
Update
I figured out what the problem was. I was trying to move too much data over TCP, and it was causing freeze-ups. For some reason, this wasn't manifesting in the editor...just in the exported app. Who knows for what reason. If anyone else stumbles upon this problem...where you're bypassing Unity's multidisplay functionality by building multiple apps that communicate over network...consider that you're burdening your queues with too much data.
I've written a little apllication that creates a named pipe server and a client that connects to it. You can send data to the server, and the server reads it successfully.
The next thing I need to do is receive messages from the server, so I've got another thread that spawns and sits and waits for incoming data.
The problem is that whilst the thread is sat waiting for incoming data, you can no longer send messages to the server as it hangs on the WriteLine call as I assume the pipe is now tied up checking for data.
So is it just that I'm not approaching this properly? Or are named pipes not meant to be used like this? The examples I've seen on named pipes seem to only go one way, a client sends and a server receives, although you can specify the direction of a pipe as In, Out or both.
Any help, pointers or suggestions would be appreciated!
Heres' the code so far:
// Variable declarations
NamedPipeClientStream pipeClient;
StreamWriter swClient;
Thread messageReadThread;
bool listeningStopRequested = false;
// Client connect
public void Connect(string pipeName, string serverName = ".")
{
if (pipeClient == null)
{
pipeClient = new NamedPipeClientStream(serverName, pipeName, PipeDirection.InOut);
pipeClient.Connect();
swClient = new StreamWriter(pipeClient);
swClient.AutoFlush = true;
}
StartServerThread();
}
// Client send message
public void SendMessage(string msg)
{
if (swClient != null && pipeClient != null && pipeClient.IsConnected)
{
swClient.WriteLine(msg);
BeginListening();
}
}
// Client wait for incoming data
public void StartServerThread()
{
listeningStopRequested = false;
messageReadThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(BeginListening));
messageReadThread.IsBackground = true;
messageReadThread.Start();
}
public void BeginListening()
{
string currentAction = "waiting for incoming messages";
try
{
using (StreamReader sr = new StreamReader(pipeClient))
{
while (!listeningStopRequested && pipeClient.IsConnected)
{
string line;
while ((line = sr.ReadLine()) != null)
{
RaiseNewMessageEvent(line);
LogInfo("Message received: {0}", line);
}
}
}
LogInfo("Client disconnected");
RaiseDisconnectedEvent("Manual disconnection");
}
// Catch the IOException that is raised if the pipe is
// broken or disconnected.
catch (IOException e)
{
string error = "Connection terminated unexpectedly: " + e.Message;
LogError(currentAction, error);
RaiseDisconnectedEvent(error);
}
}
You cannot read from one thread and write on another thread to the same pipe object. So while you could create a protocol where the listening position changes depending on the data you're sending, you cannot do both at the same time. You will need a client and server pipe on both sides to do this.
I've developing (or trying to, anyway) a program that uses Asynchronous Socket to, supposedly, pass strings to and fro the server and client, at any time.
This program requires no more than one client be connected to a server. I tried Socket Programming, but I found out it blocks the program until either one receives something.
Since I have only a basic understanding of Asynchronous socket programming, I just went for the simplest one I could find, or at least, the simplest one I could understand.
Here's my code for the Server:
public Socket g_server_conn;
public byte[] g_bmsg;
public bool check = false;
private void net_As_Accept(IAsyncResult iar)
{
Socket server_conn = (Socket)iar.AsyncState;
g_server_conn = server_conn.EndAccept(iar);
g_bmsg = new byte[1024];
check = true;
g_server_conn.BeginReceive(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Receive), g_server_conn);
}
private void net_As_Send(IAsyncResult iar)
{
Socket server_conn = (Socket)iar.AsyncState;
server_conn.EndSend(iar);
}
private void net_As_Receive(IAsyncResult iar)
{
try
{
Socket server_conn = (Socket)iar.AsyncState;
server_conn.EndReceive(iar);
if (g_bmsg.Length != 0)
{
net_Data_Receive(Encoding.ASCII.GetString(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length));
check = false;
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.ToString(), "GG");
}
}
public void net_Data_Send(string msg2snd) // Function for sending through socket
{
MessageBox.Show(msg2snd);
byte[] byData = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(msg2snd);
g_server_conn.BeginSend(byData, 0, byData.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Send), g_server_conn);
g_server_conn.BeginReceive(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Receive), g_server_conn);
}
private void net_Data_Receive(string txt)
{
if (lblBuffer.InvokeRequired)
lblBuffer.Invoke(new MethodInvoker(delegate { net_Data_Receive(txt); }));
else
lblBuffer.Text = txt;
if (txt.StartsWith("&"))
{
// Do something
}
}
And here's my code for the Client:
private void net_As_Connect(IAsyncResult iar)
{
try
{
Socket client_conn = (Socket)iar.AsyncState;
client_conn.EndConnect(iar);
g_bmsg = new byte[1024];
check = true;
string toSendData = "&" + net_Name;
net_Data_Send(toSendData);
g_client_conn.BeginReceive(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Receive), g_client_conn);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
MessageBox.Show(ex.ToString(), "GG");
}
}
private void net_As_Send(IAsyncResult iar)
{
Socket client_conn = (Socket)iar.AsyncState;
client_conn.EndSend(iar);
}
private void net_As_Receive(IAsyncResult iar)
{
if (g_bmsg.Length != 0)
{
net_Data_Receive(Encoding.ASCII.GetString(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length));
check = false;
}
}
public void net_Data_Send(string msg2snd)
{
byte[] byData = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(msg2snd);
g_client_conn.BeginSend(byData, 0, byData.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Send), g_client_conn);
g_client_conn.BeginReceive(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Receive), g_client_conn);
}
private void net_Data_Receive(string txt)
{
if (lblBuffer.InvokeRequired)
lblBuffer.Invoke(new MethodInvoker(delegate { net_Data_Receive(txt); }));
else
lblBuffer.Text = txt;
if (txt.StartsWith("&"))
{
// Do Something
}
else if (txt.StartsWith("$"))
{
// Do something Else
}
}
Now, the Client can connect to the Server fine. The Client can even send in a string containing the user's name to the Server, which will then be displayed on the Server. The Server then sends out the name of its user to the Client, which the client receives and displays. Whatever is sent is stored in a Label (lblBuffer)
But afterwards, say I have the following code:
private void btnSendData_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
string posMov = "Stuff to send";
net_Data_Send(posMov);
}
The Client receives nothing. Putting a Message Box in net_Data_Send(msg2snd) function reveals that the server does in fact send out the message. In fact, putting in the Message Box in that function makes it work (the Client receives it), for reasons I don't know. Since I haven't tried sending a message from the Client to the Server (other than the name when the Client Connects), I assume the Client will have the same problem sending to the Server.
Also, when it does send the second message (by putting a Message Box in the net_Data_Send function), only parts of the Label (lblBuffer) are overwritten. So if I my name is "Anon E. Moose", and the Server sends that when the Client connects, and I try to send out, say, "0.0" (via button press) the Label on the Client would then read "0.0n E. Moose".
What did I do wrong? Can I have some help on this, please?
Perhaps I have a problem with net_Data_Receive and net_Data_Send?
I think you need to call BeginReceive on your client again, it looks like you are only calling it once, so after it has received the server name, it isn't listening for any more data from the server
private void net_As_Receive(IAsyncResult iar)
{
var bytesRead = g_client_conn.EndReceive(iar);
if (bytesRead != 0)
{
net_Data_Receive(Encoding.ASCII.GetString(g_bmsg, 0, bytesRead));
check = false;
}
g_client_conn.BeginReceive(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Receive), g_client_conn);
}
also, as I mentioned in my comment, use the bytesRead value to work out how much of the buffer you need to use.
You will need to work out if the data you have received from the socket is the full amount, or if you need to read more data to make up the current message from the other side.
BeginReceive doesn't just call its callback whenever a new packet (string in your case arrives). In fact. BeginReceive or any raw socket method works in a stream based fasion, not packet based. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bew39x2a.aspx for an example.
What you need to do, is in your 'net_As_Receive' callback method (naming is terrible imo), you need to make a call first to socket.EndRecieve(IAsyncResult), which in turn returns the total bytes currently available. After that, you have to make a decision whether to receive more data or not.
For example:
private StringBuilder packetBuilder;
{
if (packetBuilder == null)
packetBuilder = new StringBuilder();
// finalyze the receive
int length = g_server_conn.EndReceive(iar);
if (length != 0)
{
// get the total bytes received. Note that the length property is of that of the number of bytes received rather than that of the buffer
packetBuilder.Append(Encoding.ASCII.GetString(g_bmsg, 0, length));
net_Data_Receive(packetBuilder.ToString());
check = false;
}
// receive the next part
g_server_conn.BeginReceive(g_bmsg, 0, g_bmsg.Length, SocketFlags.None, new AsyncCallback(net_As_Receive), g_server_conn);
}
Note that this example doesnt care about packages. It will work if your lucky but there is a good change either a part of a string will be shown or 2 different strings will be combined. A good implementation will look for a string end and only show that part while buffering the rest untill a new string end is found. You can also use a StreamReader for making your life much easier
I have a server application and client application with the functionality already working. Let me show you how I connect my client application to my server app:
//SERVER
// instantiate variables such as tempIp, port etc...
// ...
// ...
server = new TcpListener(tempIp, port); //tempIp is the ip address of the server.
// Start listening for client requests.
server.Start();
// Buffer for reading data
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[MaxChunkSize];
String data = null;
// Enter the listening loop.
while (disconect == false)
{
Console.Write("Waiting for a connection... ");
// Perform a blocking call to accept requests.
// You could also user server.AcceptSocket() here.
client = server.AcceptTcpClient(); // wait until a client get's connected...
Console.WriteLine("Connected!");
// Get a stream object for reading and writing
stream = client.GetStream();
// now that the connection is established start listening though data
// sent through the stream..
int i;
try
{
// Loop to receive all the data sent by the client.
while ((i = stream.Read(bytes, 0, bytes.Length)) != 0)
{
// Translate data bytes to a ASCII string.
data = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytes, 0, i);
Console.WriteLine("Received: {0}", data);
// etc..
....
ok now on the client side lets say I want to establish a connection then send some data through the stream
//Client
client = new TcpClient(serverIP, port);
// Get a client stream for reading and writing.
stream = client.GetStream();
//then if I wish to send the string hello world to the server I would do:
sendString(stream, "Hello world");
protected void sendString(NetworkStream stream, string str)
{
sendBytes(stream, textToBytes(str));
}
protected void sendBytes(NetworkStream stream, Byte[] data)
{
// Send the message to the connected TcpServer.
stream.Write(data, 0, data.Length);
}
protected static Byte[] textToBytes(string text)
{
return System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(text);
}
since I am able to send bytes I am able to send files or everything that I want. the technique that I use is that if I send the string file for example to the server then the server will start listening for a file. It will open a stream and write the received bytes to that file. If a different keyword is send the server will start listening on a different method etc..
So when dealing with one server and one client everything works great. Now I want to add more clients and need them to also connect to the server. I know that several connections can be establish on the same port just like we do it with por 80 on websites... I do not know how to manage several connections. so one thing I was thinking was to leave everything as it is. if a connection is established then tell the server to start another thread listening for other connections on the same port. with this technique I will have several threads running plus I just know the basics of multrythreading. If this technique is my best option I will start implementing it. You guys out there are really knowledgeable about all this so it will be nice if someone can point me on the right direction. Or maybe I should listen on several ports. if the server is already connected on port 7777 for example then do not accept connections from that port and start listening on port 7778 for example. I mean there could be so many different ways of achieving what I need and you guys probably know the best way. I just know the basics of networking...
You could use threading:
var client = server.AcceptTcpClient();
var t = new Thread(new ParameterizedThreadStart(AccentClient));
t.Start(client);
The target method would look like this
public void AccentClient(object clientObj)
{
var client = clientObj as TcpClient;
// Do whatever you need to do with the client
}
If you are not familiar with multithreading, it is important you learn at least the basics first.
You could implement a class that encapsulates TCP behavior. Check this class:
public class SimpleListener
{
private System.Net.Sockets.TcpListener _tcpListen;
//declare delegate to handle new connections
public delegate void _new_client(System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient tcpclient);
//declare a clients container (or something like...). OPTION 1
List<System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient> _connected_clients;
//declare an event and event handler (the same for _new_client) for new connections OPTION 2
public event _new_client new_tcp_client;
//public (The list of connected clients).
public List<System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient> ConnectedClients { get { return _connected_clients; } }
public SimpleListener(string ip, int listenport)
{
System.Net.IPAddress ipAd = System.Net.IPAddress.Parse(ip);
_tcpListen = new System.Net.Sockets.TcpListener(new System.Net.IPEndPoint(ipAd,listenport));
_connected_clients = new List<System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient>();
}
//Fire this method to start listening...
public void Listen()
{
_tcpListen.Start();
_set_listen();
}
//... and this method to stop listener and release resources on listener
public void Stop()
{
_tcpListen.Stop();
}
//This method set the socket on listening mode...
private void _set_listen()
{
//Let's do it asynchronously - Set the method callback, with the same definition as delegate _new_client
_tcpListen.BeginAcceptTcpClient(new AsyncCallback(_on_new_client), null);
}
//This is the callback for new clients
private void _on_new_client(IAsyncResult _async_client)
{
try
{
//Lets get the new client...
System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient _tcp_cl = _tcpListen.EndAcceptTcpClient(_async_client);
//Push the new client to the list
_connected_clients.Add(_tcp_cl);
//OPTION 2 : Fire new_tcp_client Event - Suscribers will do some stuff...
if (new_tcp_client != null)
{
new_tcp_client(_tcp_cl);
}
//Set socket on listening mode again... (and wait for new connections, while we can manage the new client connection)
_set_listen();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
//Do something...or not
}
}
}
You could use this in your code:
//SERVER
// instantiate variables such as tempIp, port etc...
// ...
// ...
SimpleListener server = new SimpleListener(tempIp, port); //tempIp is the ip address of the server.
//add handler for new client connections
server.new_tcp_client += server_new_tcp_client;
// Start listening for client requests.
server.Listen();
.... //No need to loop. The new connection is handled on server_new_tcp_client method
void server_new_tcp_client(System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient tcpclient)
{
// Buffer for reading data
Byte[] bytes = new Byte[MaxChunkSize];
String data = null;
Console.WriteLine("Connected!");
// Get a stream object for reading and writing
System.IO.Stream stream = tcpclient.GetStream();
// now that the connection is established start listening though data
// sent through the stream..
int i;
try
{
// Loop to receive all the data sent by the client.
while ((i = stream.Read(bytes, 0, bytes.Length)) != 0)
{
// Translate data bytes to a ASCII string.
data = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytes, 0, i);
Console.WriteLine("Received: {0}", data);
// etc..
....
}