AsyncResult.AsyncState Property

Definition

Namespace:

System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging

Assembly:

mscorlib.dll

Gets the object provided as the last parameter of a BeginInvoke method call.

public:
 virtual property System::Object ^ AsyncState { System::Object ^ get(); };

public virtual object AsyncState { get; }

member this.AsyncState : obj

Public Overridable ReadOnly Property AsyncState As Object

Property Value

Object

The object provided as the last parameter of a BeginInvoke method call.

Implements

AsyncState

Examples

The following code example demonstrates how the AsyncState property is used to pass information to a callback method. The last parameter of the BeginInvoke method call is a format string, which the callback method uses to format an output message.

The example consists of two classes, the class that contains the method which is called asynchronously, and the class that contains the Main method that makes the call.

For more information on the way this callback example works, and more examples of calling methods asynchronously by using delegates, see Calling Synchronous Methods Asynchronously.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Threading;
using namespace System::Runtime::InteropServices; 

namespace Examples {
namespace AdvancedProgramming {
namespace AsynchronousOperations
{
    public ref class AsyncDemo 
    {
    public:
        // The method to be executed asynchronously.
        String^ TestMethod(int callDuration, [OutAttribute] int% threadId) 
        {
            Console::WriteLine("Test method begins.");
            Thread::Sleep(callDuration);
            threadId = Thread::CurrentThread->ManagedThreadId;
            return String::Format("My call time was {0}.", callDuration);
        }
    };

    // The delegate must have the same signature as the method
    // it will call asynchronously.
    public delegate String^ AsyncMethodCaller(int callDuration, [OutAttribute] int% threadId);
}}}

using System;
using System.Threading;

namespace Examples.AdvancedProgramming.AsynchronousOperations
{
    public class AsyncDemo
    {
        // The method to be executed asynchronously.
        public string TestMethod(int callDuration, out int threadId)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Test method begins.");
            Thread.Sleep(callDuration);
            threadId = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId;
            return String.Format("My call time was {0}.", callDuration.ToString());
        }
    }
    // The delegate must have the same signature as the method
    // it will call asynchronously.
    public delegate string AsyncMethodCaller(int callDuration, out int threadId);
}

Imports System.Threading
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices 

Namespace Examples.AdvancedProgramming.AsynchronousOperations
    Public Class AsyncDemo 
        ' The method to be executed asynchronously.
        Public Function TestMethod(ByVal callDuration As Integer, _
                <Out> ByRef threadId As Integer) As String
            Console.WriteLine("Test method begins.")
            Thread.Sleep(callDuration)
            threadId = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId()
            return String.Format("My call time was {0}.", callDuration.ToString())
        End Function
    End Class

    ' The delegate must have the same signature as the method
    ' it will call asynchronously.
    Public Delegate Function AsyncMethodCaller(ByVal callDuration As Integer, _
        <Out> ByRef threadId As Integer) As String
End Namespace

#using <TestMethod.dll>

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Threading;
using namespace System::Runtime::Remoting::Messaging;
using namespace Examples::AdvancedProgramming::AsynchronousOperations;

// The callback method must have the same signature as the
// AsyncCallback delegate.
void CallbackMethod(IAsyncResult^ ar) 
{
    // Retrieve the delegate.
    AsyncResult^ result = (AsyncResult^) ar;
    AsyncMethodCaller^ caller = (AsyncMethodCaller^) result->AsyncDelegate;

    // Retrieve the format string that was passed as state 
    // information.
    String^ formatString = (String^) ar->AsyncState;

    // Define a variable to receive the value of the out parameter.
    // If the parameter were ref rather than out then it would have to
    // be a class-level field so it could also be passed to BeginInvoke.
    int threadId = 0;

    // Call EndInvoke to retrieve the results.
    String^ returnValue = caller->EndInvoke(threadId, ar);

    // Use the format string to format the output message.
    Console::WriteLine(formatString, threadId, returnValue);
};

void main() 
{
    // Create an instance of the test class.
    AsyncDemo^ ad = gcnew AsyncDemo();

    // Create the delegate.
    AsyncMethodCaller^ caller = gcnew AsyncMethodCaller(ad, &AsyncDemo::TestMethod);
       
    // The threadId parameter of TestMethod is an out parameter, so
    // its input value is never used by TestMethod. Therefore, a dummy
    // variable can be passed to the BeginInvoke call. If the threadId
    // parameter were a ref parameter, it would have to be a class-
    // level field so that it could be passed to both BeginInvoke and 
    // EndInvoke.
    int dummy = 0;

    // Initiate the asynchronous call, passing three seconds (3000 ms)
    // for the callDuration parameter of TestMethod; a dummy variable 
    // for the out parameter (threadId); the callback delegate; and
    // state information that can be retrieved by the callback method.
    // In this case, the state information is a string that can be used
    // to format a console message.
    IAsyncResult^ result = caller->BeginInvoke(3000,
        dummy, 
        gcnew AsyncCallback(&CallbackMethod),
        "The call executed on thread {0}, with return value \"{1}\".");

    Console::WriteLine("The main thread {0} continues to execute...", 
        Thread::CurrentThread->ManagedThreadId);

    // The callback is made on a ThreadPool thread. ThreadPool threads
    // are background threads, which do not keep the application running
    // if the main thread ends. Comment out the next line to demonstrate
    // this.
    Thread::Sleep(4000);
    Console::WriteLine("The main thread ends.");
}

/* This example produces output similar to the following:

The main thread 1 continues to execute...
Test method begins.
The call executed on thread 3, with return value "My call time was 3000.".
The main thread ends.
 */

using System;
using System.Threading;
using System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging;

namespace Examples.AdvancedProgramming.AsynchronousOperations
{
    public class AsyncMain
    {
        static void Main()
        {
            // Create an instance of the test class.
            AsyncDemo ad = new AsyncDemo();

            // Create the delegate.
            AsyncMethodCaller caller = new AsyncMethodCaller(ad.TestMethod);

            // The threadId parameter of TestMethod is an out parameter, so
            // its input value is never used by TestMethod. Therefore, a dummy
            // variable can be passed to the BeginInvoke call. If the threadId
            // parameter were a ref parameter, it would have to be a class-
            // level field so that it could be passed to both BeginInvoke and
            // EndInvoke.
            int dummy = 0;

            // Initiate the asynchronous call, passing three seconds (3000 ms)
            // for the callDuration parameter of TestMethod; a dummy variable
            // for the out parameter (threadId); the callback delegate; and
            // state information that can be retrieved by the callback method.
            // In this case, the state information is a string that can be used
            // to format a console message.
            IAsyncResult result = caller.BeginInvoke(3000,
                out dummy,
                new AsyncCallback(CallbackMethod),
                "The call executed on thread {0}, with return value \"{1}\".");

            Console.WriteLine("The main thread {0} continues to execute...",
                Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId);

            // The callback is made on a ThreadPool thread. ThreadPool threads
            // are background threads, which do not keep the application running
            // if the main thread ends. Comment out the next line to demonstrate
            // this.
            Thread.Sleep(4000);

            Console.WriteLine("The main thread ends.");
        }

        // The callback method must have the same signature as the
        // AsyncCallback delegate.
        static void CallbackMethod(IAsyncResult ar)
        {
            // Retrieve the delegate.
            AsyncResult result = (AsyncResult) ar;
            AsyncMethodCaller caller = (AsyncMethodCaller) result.AsyncDelegate;

            // Retrieve the format string that was passed as state
            // information.
            string formatString = (string) ar.AsyncState;

            // Define a variable to receive the value of the out parameter.
            // If the parameter were ref rather than out then it would have to
            // be a class-level field so it could also be passed to BeginInvoke.
            int threadId = 0;

            // Call EndInvoke to retrieve the results.
            string returnValue = caller.EndInvoke(out threadId, ar);

            // Use the format string to format the output message.
            Console.WriteLine(formatString, threadId, returnValue);
        }
    }
}

/* This example produces output similar to the following:

The main thread 1 continues to execute...
Test method begins.
The call executed on thread 3, with return value "My call time was 3000.".
The main thread ends.
 */

Imports System.Threading
Imports System.Runtime.Remoting.Messaging

Namespace Examples.AdvancedProgramming.AsynchronousOperations

    Public Class AsyncMain 
        
        Shared Sub Main() 

            ' Create an instance of the test class.
            Dim ad As New AsyncDemo()

            ' Create the delegate.
            Dim caller As New AsyncMethodCaller(AddressOf ad.TestMethod)

            ' The threadId parameter of TestMethod is an <Out> parameter, so
            ' its input value is never used by TestMethod. Therefore, a dummy
            ' variable can be passed to the BeginInvoke call. If the threadId
            ' parameter were a ByRef parameter, it would have to be a class-
            ' level field so that it could be passed to both BeginInvoke and 
            ' EndInvoke.
            Dim dummy As Integer = 0

            ' Initiate the asynchronous call, passing three seconds (3000 ms)
            ' for the callDuration parameter of TestMethod; a dummy variable 
            ' for the <Out> parameter (threadId); the callback delegate; and
            ' state information that can be retrieved by the callback method.
            ' In this case, the state information is a string that can be used
            ' to format a console message.
            Dim result As IAsyncResult = caller.BeginInvoke(3000, _
                dummy, _
                AddressOf CallbackMethod, _
                "The call executed on thread {0}, with return value ""{1}"".")

            Console.WriteLine("The main thread {0} continues to execute...", _
                Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId)

            ' The callback is made on a ThreadPool thread. ThreadPool threads
            ' are background threads, which do not keep the application running
            ' if the main thread ends. Comment out the next line to demonstrate
            ' this.
            Thread.Sleep(4000)

            Console.WriteLine("The main thread ends.")
        End Sub

        ' The callback method must have the same signature as the
        ' AsyncCallback delegate.
        Shared Sub CallbackMethod(ByVal ar As IAsyncResult)
            ' Retrieve the delegate.
            Dim result As AsyncResult = CType(ar, AsyncResult)
            Dim caller As AsyncMethodCaller = CType(result.AsyncDelegate, AsyncMethodCaller)

            ' Retrieve the format string that was passed as state 
            ' information.
            Dim formatString As String = CType(ar.AsyncState, String)

            ' Define a variable to receive the value of the <Out> parameter.
            ' If the parameter were ByRef rather than <Out> then it would have to
            ' be a class-level field so it could also be passed to BeginInvoke.
            Dim threadId As Integer = 0

            ' Call EndInvoke to retrieve the results.
            Dim returnValue As String = caller.EndInvoke(threadId, ar)

            ' Use the format string to format the output message.
            Console.WriteLine(formatString, threadId, returnValue)
        End Sub
    End Class
End Namespace

' This example produces output similar to the following:
'
'The main thread 1 continues to execute...
'Test method begins.
'The call executed on thread 3, with return value "My call time was 3000.".
'The main thread ends.

Remarks

For more information about the BeginInvoke method, see Asynchronous Programming Using Delegates.