Here is code from MSDN. I don't understand why the work isn't just done in the regular Dispose() method here. What is the purpose of having the Dispose(bool) method? Who would ever call Dispose(false) here?
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
// Use SupressFinalize in case a subclass
// of this type implements a finalizer.
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
// If you need thread safety, use a lock around these
// operations, as well as in your methods that use the resource.
if (!_disposed)
{
if (disposing) {
if (_resource != null)
_resource.Dispose();
Console.WriteLine("Object disposed.");
}
// Indicate that the instance has been disposed.
_resource = null;
_disposed = true;
}
}
The finalizer would call Dispose(false) - in which case you don't touch any of the other managed resources (which may already have been finalized).
Personally I don't follow this pattern often - because I only very, very rarely need a finalizer, and it's also rare for me to write a non-sealed IDisposable implementation. If you're writing a sealed class without a finalizer, I would go for a simple implementation.
This is to allow the finalizer to work property, as well as to allow subclasses which derive from your class to dispose properly.
If you want more detailed info, I wrote a 5 part blog series on IDisposable, and covered the subclassing issue in detail in the Subclass from an IDisposable Class article.
Regarding the answer,
Your Dispose(disposing) method shouldn't explicitly free resources if it is called from finalizer, since these resources can be already freed by GC.
It's missing an important word. This should really say:
Your Dispose(disposing) method shouldn't explicitly free finalizable (i.e. managed) resources if it is called from finalizer, since these resources can be already freed by GC. Only native resources should be released in a Finalizer.
I'm pretty sure that the poster meant this but just wasn't explicit enough in the post : )
Your Dispose(disposing) method shouldn't explicitly free resources if it is called from finalizer, since these resources can be already freed by GC.
So, Dispose(disposing) should check whether it was called manually or from GC and acts appopriately.
Related
In this answer I found,
Cleanup the unmanaged resources in the Finalize method and the
managed ones in the Dispose method, when the Dispose/Finalize pattern
has been used in your code.
And later I found this nice article about finalize and dispose and got a clear idea about them. The article has the following code(Page 3), to explain the concepts:
class Test : IDisposable
{
private bool isDisposed = false;
~Test()
{
Dispose(false);
}
protected void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
if (disposing)
{
// Code to dispose the managed resources of the class
}
// Code to dispose the un-managed resources of the class
isDisposed = true;
}
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
}
But below that, the same note (which I included in the beginning of this question) appears.
The Dispose/Finalize Pattern
Microsoft recommends that you implement both Dispose and Finalize when working with unmanaged resources. The correct sequence then would
be for a developer to call Dispose. The Finalize implementation would
run and the resources would still be released when the object is
garbage collected even if a developer neglected to call the Dispose
method explicitly. Francesco Balena writes in his blog "the
Dispose/Finalize pattern should be used only when your type invokes
unmanaged code that allocates unmanaged resources (including unmanaged
memory) and returns a handle that you must use eventually to release
the resource. Both dispose and finalize must chain up to their parent
objects by calling their parent's respective methods after they have
disposed or finalized their own members".
Simply put, cleanup the unmanaged resources in the Finalize method and the managed ones in the Dispose method, when the
Dispose/Finalize pattern has been used in your code.
Now I am confused again. In the entire article and in the code sample, it is shown that unmanaged resources should be freed in Dispose(). But then what is the relevance of that comment?
Edit:
As it is confirmed that this line :
Simply put, cleanup the unmanaged resources in the Finalize method and
the managed ones in the Dispose method, when the Dispose/Finalize
pattern has been used in your code
is erroneous, I edited this answer.
See its very simple.
If you are dealing with unmanaged resources - Implement both Dispose and Finalize. Dispose is to be called by developers to free up the resources as soon as they see it that its no longer needed for them. If they forget to call Dispose then Framework calls the finalize in its own GC cycle (usually will take its own sweet time).
If your object uses disposable objects internally - You implement Dispose() if you created and retained a reference to any object of a type which implements Dispose() and which you haven't already disposed.
If neither of the above is the case (you are NOT dealing with unmanaged resources nor your object uses disposable objects internally) - Then don't do anything. Don't implement Finalize nor Dispose.
Some classic examples:
System.IO.FileStream object manages the lock/stream handles to files. So it implements both dispose and finalize. If the developer disposes it then the other program can access it right away. If he forgets to dispose it then Framework finalize it and close the handles later in its GC cycle.
System.Text.StringBuilder dose not have any unmanaged resource. So no dispose no finalize.
As far as the pattern is concerned what it means to
// Code to dispose the managed resources of the class
is that call the Dispose methods of any .NET objects that you have as components inside that class
And
// Code to dispose the un-managed resources of the class
Means to close the raw handles and pointers. Here is your updated code with examples
class Test : IDisposable
{
private bool isDisposed = false;
~Test()
{
Dispose(false);
}
protected void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
if (!isDisposed)
{
if (disposing)
{
// Code to dispose the managed resources of the class
internalComponent1.Dispose();
internalComponent2.Dispose();
}
// Code to dispose the un-managed resources of the class
CloseHandle(handle);
handle = IntPtr.Zero;
isDisposed = true;
}
}
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
}
Here is an old question explaining it
If a Foo has resources which will benefit from deterministic cleanup, but none that can be usefully cleaned up in a finalizer, it should implement IDisposable but should not override Finalize or have a destructor. If a class holds multiple resources, and at least one can be cleaned up in a finalizer, then each discrete resource that could be cleaned up in a finalizer should be encapsulated into its own Finalizer/destructor-equipped object (which may be defined in a protected nested class), and the class that would contain those resources should hold references to the wrapper objects. Once that is done, the outer class will fit the pattern for classes with a Dispose method but no finalizer/destructor.
I have few Question for which I am not able to get a proper answer .
1) Why should we call SuppressFinalize in the Dispose function when we don't have a destructor .
2) Dispose and finalize are used for freeing resources before the object is garbage collected. Whether it is managed or unmanaged resource we need to free it , then why we need a condition inside the dispose function , saying pass 'true' when we call this overridden function from IDisposable:Dispose and pass false when called from a finalize.
See the below code I copied from net.
class Test : IDisposable
{
private bool isDisposed = false;
~Test()
{
Dispose(false);
}
protected void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
if (disposing)
{
// Code to dispose the managed resources of the class
}
// Code to dispose the un-managed resources of the class
isDisposed = true;
}
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
}
what if I remove the boolean protected Dispose function and implement the as below.
class Test : IDisposable
{
private bool isDisposed = false;
~Test()
{
Dispose();
}
public void Dispose()
{
// Code to dispose the managed resources of the class
// Code to dispose the un-managed resources of the class
isDisposed = true;
// Call this since we have a destructor . what if , if we don't have one
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
}
I'm going out on a limb here, but... most people don't need the full-blown dispose pattern. It's designed to be solid in the face of having direct access to unmanaged resources (usually via IntPtr) and in the face of inheritance. Most of the time, neither of these is actually required.
If you're just holding a reference to something else which implements IDisposable, you almost certainly don't need a finalizer - whatever holds the resource directly is responsible for dealing with that. You can make do with something like this:
public sealed class Foo : IDisposable
{
private bool disposed;
private FileStream stream;
// Other code
public void Dispose()
{
if (disposed)
{
return;
}
stream.Dispose();
disposed = true;
}
}
Note that this isn't thread-safe, but that probably won't be a problem.
By not having to worry about the possibility of subclasses holding resources directly, you don't need to suppress the finalizer (because there isn't one) - and you don't need to provide a way of subclasses customising the disposal either. Life is simpler without inheritance.
If you do need to allow uncontrolled inheritance (i.e. you're not willing to bet that subclasses will have very particular needs) then you need to go for the full pattern.
Note that with SafeHandle from .NET 2.0, it's even rarer that you need your own finalizer than it was in .NET 1.1.
To address your point about why there's a disposing flag in the first place: if you're running within a finalizer, other objects you refer to may already have been finalized. You should let them clean up themselves, and you should only clean up the resources you directly own.
Here are the main facts
1) Object.Finalize is what your class overrides when it has a Finalizer. the ~TypeName() destructor method is just shorthand for 'override Finalize()' etc
2) You call GC.SuppressFinalize if you are disposing of resources in your Dispose method before finalization (i.e. when coming out of a using block etc). If you do not have a Finalizer, then you do not need to do this. If you have a Finalizer, this ensures that the object is taken off of the Finalization queue (so we dont dispose of stuff twice as the Finalizer usually calls the Dispose method as well)
3) You implement a Finalizer as a 'fail safe' mechanism. Finalizers are guaranteed to run (as long as the CLR isnt aborted), so they allow you to make sure code gets cleaned up in the event that the Dispose method was not called (maybe the programmer forgot to create the instance within a 'using' block etc.
4) Finalizers are expensive as Types that have finalizers cant be garbage collected in a Generation-0 collection (the most efficient), and are promoted to Generation-1 with a reference to them on the F-Reachable queue, so that they represent a GC root. it's not until the GC performs a Generation-1 collection that the finalizer gets called, and the resources are released - so implement finalizers only when very important - and make sure that objects that require Finalization are as small as possible - because all objects that can be reached by your finalizable object will be promoted to Generation-1 also.
Keep the first version, it is safer and is the correct implementation of the dispose pattern.
Calling SuppressFinalize tells the GC that you have done all the destruction/disposing yourself (of resources held by your class) and that it does not need to call the destructor.
You need the test in case the code using your class has already called dispose and you shouldn't tell the GC to dispose again.
See this MSDN document (Dispose methods should call SuppressFinalize).
1. Answer for the first question
Basically, you don't have to call SuppressFinalize method if your class doesn't have a finalize method (Destructor). I believe people call SupressFinalize even when there is no finalize method because of lack of knowledge.
2. Answer for the second question
Purpose of the Finalize method is to free un-managed resources. The most important thing to understand is that, Finalize method is called when the object is in the finalization queue. Garbage collector collects all the objects that can be destroy. Garbage Collector adds objects those have got finalization to the finalization queue before destroy. There is another .net background process to call the finalize method for the objects those are in the finalization queue. By the time that background process execute the finalize method, that particular object's other managed reference may have been destroyed. Because there is no specific order when it comes to the finalization execution. So, the Dispose Pattern wants to make sure that finalize method do not try to access managed objects. That's why managed objects are going in side "if (disposing)" clause which is unreachable for the finalize method.
You should always call SuppressFinalize() because you might have (or have in the future) a derived class that implements a Finalizer - in which case you need it.
Let's say you have a base class that doesn't have a Finalizer - and you decided not to call SuppressFinalize(). Then 3 months later you add a derived class that adds a Finalizer. It is likely that you will forget to go up to the base class and add a call to SuppressFinalize(). There is no harm in calling it if there is no finalizer.
My suggested IDisposable pattern is posted here: How to properly implement the Dispose Pattern
I have been programming in .NET for four years (mostly C#) and I use IDiposable extensively, but I am yet to find a need for a finaliser. What are finalisers for?
A finalizer is a last ditch attempt to ensure that something is cleaned up correctly, and is usually reserved for objects that wrap unmanaged resources, such as unmanaged handles etc that won't get garbage collected.
It is rare indeed to write a finalizer. Fortunately (and unlike IDisposable), finalizers don't need to be propagated; so if you have a ClassA with a finalizer, and a ClassB which wraps ClassA, then ClassB does not need a finalizer - but quite likely both ClassA and ClassB would implement IDisposable.
For managed code, IDisposable is usually sufficient. Even if you don't clean up correctly, eventually the managed objects will get collected (assuming they are released).
Finalizers are only for freeing unmanaged resources like GDI bitmap handles for example. If you don't allocate any unmanaged resources then you don't need finalizers. In general it's a bad idea to touch any managed object in a finalizer because the order of finalization is not guaranteed.
One other useful technique using a finalizer is to assert that Dispose has been called when the application is required to do so. This can help catch coding errors in a DEBUG build:
void Dispose()
{
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
#if DEBUG
~MyClass()
{
Debug.Fail("Dispose was not called.");
}
#endif
Finalizers are meant as a mechanism to release resources not controlled by garbage collector, like an unmanaged handle. While Dispose might do it, it isn't guaranteed that the consumer will call it.
Finalizers are for cleaning up resources if they were not disposed.
IE, nothing enforces that you ever call Dispose(), but Finalizers are called automatically by the garbage collector.
This functionality should not be relied upon, as there is no guarantee when (or if) garbage collection will get to your object.
Wikipedia says:
...a finalizer is a piece of code that
ensures that certain necessary actions
are taken when an acquired resource...
is no longer being used [because the
owning object has been garbage
collected]
And if you're not using a finaliser when you're writing IDisposables you've quite possibly got memory leaks, because there's no guarantee an owner is actually going to call Dispose().
MS themselves recommend you write something similar to this into your implementers:
public void Dispose()
{
this.Dispose(true);
}
protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
if (!this.isDisposed)
{
if (disposing)
{
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
}
//Dispose of resources here
this.isDisposed = true;
}
~DisposableSafe()
{
this.Dispose(false);
}
private bool isDisposed = false;
Personally, I can't stand the copy-paste so I tend to wrap that in an abstract class for reuse.
I use a default IDisposable implementation template (pattern) for my code.
snippet:
public void Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
protected virtual void Dispose(bool isDisposing)
{
if (!this.disposed)
{
if (isDisposing)
{
//cleanup managed resources
}
//cleanup unmanaged resources
this.disposed = true;
}
}
My question: why is the call "GC.SuppressFinalize(this)" in the Dispose public method? I would place "GC.SuppressFinalize(this)" in the "if (isDisposing)" section of the protected method, after disposing managed resources.
Like this:
protected virtual void Dispose(bool isDisposing)
{
if (!this.disposed)
{
if (isDisposing)
{
//cleanup managed resources
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
//cleanup unmanaged resources
this.disposed = true;
}
}
I suppose its a clear case of Template Design pattern.
Your abstract class is Designed to take care of all important/necessary tasks required (Here, GC.SuppressFinalize(this)), and allowing a derived class to override only some part of the code.
There are 2 cases here:
Snippet 1, SuppressFinalize, in Dispose
Snippet 2, SuppressFinalize, in Dispose(true)
Here, Snippet 1, makes sure that GC.SuppressFinalize is always executed. While snippet 2, leaves the execution of GC.SuppressFinalize at the mercy of derived class.
So, by putting GC.SuppressFinalize, in Dispose method, you as a designer of your class will always make sure that irrespective of whatever code written by derived classes, GC.SuppressFinalize will be executed.
This is only the benefit of writing SuppressFinalize in Dispose rather then Dispose(true).
The Dispose(bool isDisposing) method isn't part of the IDisposable interface.
You would normally call Dispose(true) from your Dispose method, and call Dispose(false) from your finalizer, as a fallback in the case where the object hasn't already been disposed.
Calling SuppressFinalize tells the GC that there's no need to call your object's finalizer, presumably because all your cleanup was done when Dispose was called.
If you don't have a finalizer on your class, then you don't need to call SuppressFinalize at all, since there's no finalizer to suppress!
Joe Duffy has some great guidelines on disposal, finalization, garbage collection etc.
I think either layout could have been chosen, but probably they wanted to emphasize "put all deallocation code in this method" in the protected Dispose method, so they put the other artifact of disposing (Suppressing finalization) elsewhere.
Also, suppose a derived class had another reason for calling the protected Dispose method, but did still want finalization to occur (for whatever imagined reason, I don't know).
Cause .Dispose is when managed code (your code) disposes of the object thereby opting out of finalisation. People usually create another route into Dispose(bool disposing) via a finaliser and the call wouldn't make any sense for the finaliser to make.
The idea is that your cleanup code should only be called once. However there are two points of entry: the Dispose method and object finalizers. When Dispose is called, you opt-out of finalization so that your cleanup code is only called once. The code here might illustrate it better.
Quote:
// NOTE: Leave out the finalizer altogether if this class doesn't
// own unmanaged resources itself, but leave the other methods
// exactly as they are.
I have a C# object with a critical resource that needs to be flushed very specific points in time making it a bad candidate to leave around for the garbage collector to take care of whenever it gets around to it, how should I handle this? Is there something like C++'s delete operator that will let me manually kill the instance of this object when needed?
You are looking for IDisposable. Here is an example class that implements this.
class MyDisposableObject : IDisposable
{
public MyDisposableObject()
{
}
~MyDisposableObject()
{
Dispose(false);
}
private bool disposed;
private void Dispose(bool disposing)
{
if (!this.disposed)
{
if (disposing)
{
// Dispose of your managed resources here.
}
// Dispose of your unmanaged resources here.
this.disposed = true;
}
}
void IDisposable.Dispose()
{
Dispose(true);
GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
}
}
To use it, you can do something like this:
public void DoingMyThing()
{
using (MyDisposableObject obj = new MyDisposableObject())
{
// Use obj here.
}
}
The using keyword makes sure that the Dispose() method on IDisposable gets called at the end of its scope.
The IDisposable interface exists for deterministic destruction. There's a pattern for implementing it correctly on MSDN.
In tandem, you should also consider using the using statement when your object's lifetime does not span multiple scopes.
This is precisely what the IDiposable interface is for. You release the critical resources in the Dispose() method, and then leave the object around for the garbage disposer to deal with deallocating the memory.
Google for the IDisposable interface. This is the only mechanism available to you. It's tailor made if your critical resource is unmanaged. If it's a managed resource, could you be more specific about what needs to be "flushed".
The IDisposable interface was added to support deterministic destruction in C++/CLI, and you can use it from any .NET language. It's what you want.
If you are talking about a specific managed resource that you feel "MUST" be released at a specific time, you could specifcally call the Garbage Collectors' Collect method, after de-referencing the object, but there are performance considerations to be thought of, as normally the garbage collector knows when to collect items. And in general it is a bad idea.
As others are mentioning above, the IDisposable pattern is helpful for releasing unmanaged resources when needed.
NOTE: I'm going to repeat, you COULD call GC.Collect() but it is NOT a good thing, but a valid answer for the question!