Lazy<T> Class

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System

Assembly:: System.Runtime.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Source:: Lazy.cs

Source:: Lazy.cs

Source:: Lazy.cs

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Provides support for lazy initialization.

generic <typename T>
public ref class Lazy

public class Lazy<T>

[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(false)]
[System.Serializable]
public class Lazy<T>

type Lazy<'T> = class

[<System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(false)>]
[<System.Serializable>]
type Lazy<'T> = class

Public Class Lazy(Of T)

Type Parameters

T

The type of object that is being lazily initialized.

Inheritance: Object
Lazy<T>

Derived: System.Lazy<T,TMetadata>

Attributes: ComVisibleAttribute SerializableAttribute

Examples

The following example demonstrates the use of the Lazy<T> class to provide lazy initialization with access from multiple threads.

Note

The example uses the Lazy<T>(Func<T>) constructor. It also demonstrates the use of the Lazy<T>(Func<T>, Boolean) constructor (specifying true for isThreadSafe) and the Lazy<T>(Func<T>, LazyThreadSafetyMode) constructor (specifying LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication for mode). To switch to a different constructor, just change which constructors are commented out.

For an example that demonstrates exception caching using the same constructors, see the Lazy<T>(Func<T>) constructor.

The example defines a LargeObject class that will be initialized lazily by one of several threads. The four key sections of code illustrate the creation of the initializer, the factory method, the actual initialization, and the constructor of the LargeObject class, which displays a message when the object is created. At the beginning of the Main method, the example creates the thread-safe lazy initializer for LargeObject:

lazyLargeObject = new Lazy<LargeObject>(InitLargeObject);

// The following lines show how to use other constructors to achieve exactly the
// same result as the previous line:
//lazyLargeObject = new Lazy<LargeObject>(InitLargeObject, true);
//lazyLargeObject = new Lazy<LargeObject>(InitLargeObject,
//                               LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication);

let lazyLargeObject = Lazy<LargeObject> initLargeObject

// The following lines show how to use other constructors to achieve exactly the
// same result as the previous line:
//     let lazyLargeObject = Lazy<LargeObject>(initLargeObject, true)
//     let lazyLargeObject = Lazy<LargeObject>(initLargeObject,
//                               LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication)

lazyLargeObject = New Lazy(Of LargeObject)(AddressOf InitLargeObject)

' The following lines show how to use other constructors to achieve exactly the
' same result as the previous line: 
'lazyLargeObject = New Lazy(Of LargeObject)(AddressOf InitLargeObject, True)
'lazyLargeObject = New Lazy(Of LargeObject)(AddressOf InitLargeObject, _
'                               LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication)

The factory method shows the creation of the object, with a placeholder for further initialization:

static LargeObject InitLargeObject()
{
    LargeObject large = new LargeObject(Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId);
    // Perform additional initialization here.
    return large;
}

let initLargeObject () =
    let large = LargeObject Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
    // Perform additional initialization here.
    large

Private Shared Function InitLargeObject() As LargeObject
    Dim large As New LargeObject(Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId)
    ' Perform additional initialization here.
    Return large
End Function

Note that the first two code sections could be combined by using a lambda function, as shown here:

lazyLargeObject = new Lazy<LargeObject>(() =>
{
    LargeObject large = new LargeObject(Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId);
    // Perform additional initialization here.
    return large;
});

let lazyLargeObject = Lazy<LargeObject>(fun () ->
    let large = LargeObject Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
    // Perform additional initialization here.
    large)

lazyLargeObject = New Lazy(Of LargeObject)(Function () 
    Dim large As New LargeObject(Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId) 
    ' Perform additional initialization here.
    Return large
End Function)

The example pauses, to indicate that an indeterminate period may elapse before lazy initialization occurs. When you press the Enter key, the example creates and starts three threads. The ThreadProc method that's used by all three threads calls the Value property. The first time this happens, the LargeObject instance is created:

LargeObject large = lazyLargeObject.Value;

// IMPORTANT: Lazy initialization is thread-safe, but it doesn't protect the
//            object after creation. You must lock the object before accessing it,
//            unless the type is thread safe. (LargeObject is not thread safe.)
lock(large)
{
    large.Data[0] = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId;
    Console.WriteLine("Initialized by thread {0}; last used by thread {1}.",
        large.InitializedBy, large.Data[0]);
}

let large = lazyLargeObject.Value

// IMPORTANT: Lazy initialization is thread-safe, but it doesn't protect the
//            object after creation. You must lock the object before accessing it,
//            unless the type is thread safe. (LargeObject is not thread safe.)
lock large (fun () ->
    large.Data[0] <- Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
    printfn $"Initialized by thread {large.InitializedBy} last used by thread {large.Data[0]}.")

Dim large As LargeObject = lazyLargeObject.Value

' IMPORTANT: Lazy initialization is thread-safe, but it doesn't protect the  
'            object after creation. You must lock the object before accessing it,
'            unless the type is thread safe. (LargeObject is not thread safe.)
SyncLock large
    large.Data(0) = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
    Console.WriteLine("Initialized by thread {0}; last used by thread {1}.", _
        large.InitializedBy, large.Data(0))
End SyncLock

The constructor of the LargeObject class, which includes the last key section of code, displays a message and records the identity of the initializing thread. The output from the program appears at the end of the full code listing.

int initBy = 0;
public LargeObject(int initializedBy)
{
    initBy = initializedBy;
    Console.WriteLine("LargeObject was created on thread id {0}.", initBy);
}

type LargeObject(initBy) =
    do 
        printfn $"LargeObject was created on thread id %i{initBy}."

Private initBy As Integer = 0
Public Sub New(ByVal initializedBy As Integer)
    initBy = initializedBy
    Console.WriteLine("LargeObject was created on thread id {0}.", initBy)
End Sub

Note

For simplicity, this example uses a global instance of Lazy<T>, and all the methods are static (Shared in Visual Basic). These are not requirements for the use of lazy initialization.

using System;
using System.Threading;

class Program
{
    static Lazy<LargeObject> lazyLargeObject = null;

    static LargeObject InitLargeObject()
    {
        LargeObject large = new LargeObject(Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId);
        // Perform additional initialization here.
        return large;
    }

    static void Main()
    {
        // The lazy initializer is created here. LargeObject is not created until the
        // ThreadProc method executes.
        lazyLargeObject = new Lazy<LargeObject>(InitLargeObject);

        // The following lines show how to use other constructors to achieve exactly the
        // same result as the previous line:
        //lazyLargeObject = new Lazy<LargeObject>(InitLargeObject, true);
        //lazyLargeObject = new Lazy<LargeObject>(InitLargeObject,
        //                               LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication);

        Console.WriteLine(
            "\r\nLargeObject is not created until you access the Value property of the lazy" +
            "\r\ninitializer. Press Enter to create LargeObject.");
        Console.ReadLine();

        // Create and start 3 threads, each of which uses LargeObject.
        Thread[] threads = new Thread[3];
        for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
        {
            threads[i] = new Thread(ThreadProc);
            threads[i].Start();
        }

        // Wait for all 3 threads to finish.
        foreach (Thread t in threads)
        {
            t.Join();
        }

        Console.WriteLine("\r\nPress Enter to end the program");
        Console.ReadLine();
    }

    static void ThreadProc(object state)
    {
        LargeObject large = lazyLargeObject.Value;

        // IMPORTANT: Lazy initialization is thread-safe, but it doesn't protect the
        //            object after creation. You must lock the object before accessing it,
        //            unless the type is thread safe. (LargeObject is not thread safe.)
        lock(large)
        {
            large.Data[0] = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId;
            Console.WriteLine("Initialized by thread {0}; last used by thread {1}.",
                large.InitializedBy, large.Data[0]);
        }
    }
}

class LargeObject
{
    public int InitializedBy { get { return initBy; } }

    int initBy = 0;
    public LargeObject(int initializedBy)
    {
        initBy = initializedBy;
        Console.WriteLine("LargeObject was created on thread id {0}.", initBy);
    }

    public long[] Data = new long[100000000];
}

/* This example produces output similar to the following:

LargeObject is not created until you access the Value property of the lazy
initializer. Press Enter to create LargeObject.

LargeObject was created on thread id 3.
Initialized by thread 3; last used by thread 3.
Initialized by thread 3; last used by thread 4.
Initialized by thread 3; last used by thread 5.

Press Enter to end the program
 */

open System
open System.Threading

type LargeObject(initBy) =
    do 
        printfn $"LargeObject was created on thread id %i{initBy}."
    member _.InitializedBy = initBy
    member val Data = Array.zeroCreate<int64> 100000000

let initLargeObject () =
    let large = LargeObject Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
    // Perform additional initialization here.
    large

// The lazy initializer is created here. LargeObject is not created until the
// ThreadProc method executes.
let lazyLargeObject = Lazy<LargeObject> initLargeObject

// The following lines show how to use other constructors to achieve exactly the
// same result as the previous line:
//     let lazyLargeObject = Lazy<LargeObject>(initLargeObject, true)
//     let lazyLargeObject = Lazy<LargeObject>(initLargeObject,
//                               LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication)

let threadProc (state: obj) =
    let large = lazyLargeObject.Value

    // IMPORTANT: Lazy initialization is thread-safe, but it doesn't protect the
    //            object after creation. You must lock the object before accessing it,
    //            unless the type is thread safe. (LargeObject is not thread safe.)
    lock large (fun () ->
        large.Data[0] <- Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
        printfn $"Initialized by thread {large.InitializedBy} last used by thread {large.Data[0]}.")

printfn """
LargeObject is not created until you access the Value property of the lazy
initializer. Press Enter to create LargeObject."""
stdin.ReadLine() |> ignore

// Create and start 3 threads, each of which uses LargeObject.

let threads = Array.zeroCreate 3
for i = 0 to 2 do
    threads[i] <- Thread(ParameterizedThreadStart threadProc)
    threads[i].Start()

// Wait for all 3 threads to finish.
for t in threads do
    t.Join()

printfn "\nPress Enter to end the program"
stdin.ReadLine() |> ignore

// This example produces output similar to the following:
//     LargeObject is not created until you access the Value property of the lazy
//     initializer. Press Enter to create LargeObject.
//     
//     LargeObject was created on thread id 3.
//     Initialized by thread 3 last used by thread 3.
//     Initialized by thread 3 last used by thread 4.
//     Initialized by thread 3 last used by thread 5.
//     
//     Press Enter to end the program

Imports System.Threading

Friend Class Program
    Private Shared lazyLargeObject As Lazy(Of LargeObject) = Nothing

    Private Shared Function InitLargeObject() As LargeObject
        Dim large As New LargeObject(Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId)
        ' Perform additional initialization here.
        Return large
    End Function


    Shared Sub Main()
        ' The lazy initializer is created here. LargeObject is not created until the 
        ' ThreadProc method executes.
        lazyLargeObject = New Lazy(Of LargeObject)(AddressOf InitLargeObject)

        ' The following lines show how to use other constructors to achieve exactly the
        ' same result as the previous line: 
        'lazyLargeObject = New Lazy(Of LargeObject)(AddressOf InitLargeObject, True)
        'lazyLargeObject = New Lazy(Of LargeObject)(AddressOf InitLargeObject, _
        '                               LazyThreadSafetyMode.ExecutionAndPublication)


        Console.WriteLine(vbCrLf & _
            "LargeObject is not created until you access the Value property of the lazy" _
            & vbCrLf & "initializer. Press Enter to create LargeObject.")
        Console.ReadLine()

        ' Create and start 3 threads, each of which uses LargeObject.
        Dim threads(2) As Thread
        For i As Integer = 0 To 2
            threads(i) = New Thread(AddressOf ThreadProc)
            threads(i).Start()
        Next i

        ' Wait for all 3 threads to finish. 
        For Each t As Thread In threads
            t.Join()
        Next t

        Console.WriteLine(vbCrLf & "Press Enter to end the program")
        Console.ReadLine()
    End Sub


    Private Shared Sub ThreadProc(ByVal state As Object)
        Dim large As LargeObject = lazyLargeObject.Value

        ' IMPORTANT: Lazy initialization is thread-safe, but it doesn't protect the  
        '            object after creation. You must lock the object before accessing it,
        '            unless the type is thread safe. (LargeObject is not thread safe.)
        SyncLock large
            large.Data(0) = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
            Console.WriteLine("Initialized by thread {0}; last used by thread {1}.", _
                large.InitializedBy, large.Data(0))
        End SyncLock
    End Sub
End Class

Friend Class LargeObject
    Public ReadOnly Property InitializedBy() As Integer
        Get
            Return initBy
        End Get
    End Property

    Private initBy As Integer = 0
    Public Sub New(ByVal initializedBy As Integer)
        initBy = initializedBy
        Console.WriteLine("LargeObject was created on thread id {0}.", initBy)
    End Sub

    Public Data(99999999) As Long
End Class

' This example produces output similar to the following:
'
'LargeObject is not created until you access the Value property of the lazy
'initializer. Press Enter to create LargeObject.
'
'LargeObject was created on thread id 3.
'Initialized by thread 3; last used by thread 3.
'Initialized by thread 3; last used by thread 5.
'Initialized by thread 3; last used by thread 4.
'
'Press Enter to end the program
'

Remarks

Use lazy initialization to defer the creation of a large or resource-intensive object, or the execution of a resource-intensive task, particularly when such creation or execution might not occur during the lifetime of the program.

To prepare for lazy initialization, you create an instance of Lazy<T>. The type argument of the Lazy<T> object that you create specifies the type of the object that you want to initialize lazily. The constructor that you use to create the Lazy<T> object determines the characteristics of the initialization. Lazy initialization occurs the first time the Lazy<T>.Value property is accessed.

In most cases, choosing a constructor depends on your answers to two questions:

Will the lazily initialized object be accessed from more than one thread? If so, the Lazy<T> object might create it on any thread. You can use one of the simple constructors whose default behavior is to create a thread-safe Lazy<T> object, so that only one instance of the lazily instantiated object is created no matter how many threads try to access it. To create a Lazy<T> object that is not thread safe, you must use a constructor that enables you to specify no thread safety.

Caution

Making the Lazy<T> object thread safe does not protect the lazily initialized object. If multiple threads can access the lazily initialized object, you must make its properties and methods safe for multithreaded access.
Does lazy initialization require a lot of code, or does the lazily initialized object have a parameterless constructor that does everything you need and doesn't throw exceptions? If you need to write initialization code or if exceptions need to be handled, use one of the constructors that takes a factory method. Write your initialization code in the factory method.

The following table shows which constructor to choose, based on these two factors:

Object will be accessed by	If no initialization code is required (parameterless constructor), use	If initialization code is required, use
Multiple threads	Lazy<T>()	Lazy<T>(Func<T>)
One thread	Lazy<T>(Boolean) with `isThreadSafe` set to `false`.	Lazy<T>(Func<T>, Boolean) with `isThreadSafe` set to `false`.

You can use a lambda expression to specify the factory method. This keeps all the initialization code in one place. The lambda expression captures the context, including any arguments you pass to the lazily initialized object's constructor.

Exception caching When you use factory methods, exceptions are cached. That is, if the factory method throws an exception the first time a thread tries to access the Value property of the Lazy<T> object, the same exception is thrown on every subsequent attempt. This ensures that every call to the Value property produces the same result and avoids subtle errors that might arise if different threads get different results. The Lazy<T> stands in for an actual T that otherwise would have been initialized at some earlier point, usually during startup. A failure at that earlier point is usually fatal. If there is a potential for a recoverable failure, we recommend that you build the retry logic into the initialization routine (in this case, the factory method), just as you would if you weren't using lazy initialization.

Alternative to locking In certain situations, you might want to avoid the overhead of the Lazy<T> object's default locking behavior. In rare situations, there might be a potential for deadlocks. In such cases, you can use the Lazy<T>(LazyThreadSafetyMode) or Lazy<T>(Func<T>, LazyThreadSafetyMode) constructor, and specify LazyThreadSafetyMode.PublicationOnly. This enables the Lazy<T> object to create a copy of the lazily initialized object on each of several threads if the threads call the Value property simultaneously. The Lazy<T> object ensures that all threads use the same instance of the lazily initialized object and discards the instances that are not used. Thus, the cost of reducing the locking overhead is that your program might sometimes create and discard extra copies of an expensive object. In most cases, this is unlikely. The examples for the Lazy<T>(LazyThreadSafetyMode) and Lazy<T>(Func<T>, LazyThreadSafetyMode) constructors demonstrate this behavior.

Important

When you specify LazyThreadSafetyMode.PublicationOnly, exceptions are never cached, even if you specify a factory method.

Equivalent constructors In addition to enabling the use of LazyThreadSafetyMode.PublicationOnly, the Lazy<T>(LazyThreadSafetyMode) and Lazy<T>(Func<T>, LazyThreadSafetyMode) constructors can duplicate the functionality of the other constructors. The following table shows the parameter values that produce equivalent behavior.

To create a Lazy<T> object that is	For constructors that have a `LazyThreadSafetyMode` `mode` parameter, set `mode` to	For constructors that have a Boolean `isThreadSafe` parameter, set `isThreadSafe` to	For constructors with no thread safety parameters
Fully thread safe; uses locking to ensure that only one thread initializes the value.	ExecutionAndPublication	`true`	All such constructors are fully thread safe.
Not thread safe.	None	`false`	Not applicable.
Fully thread safe; threads race to initialize the value.	PublicationOnly	Not applicable.	Not applicable.

Other capabilities For information about the use of Lazy<T> with thread-static fields, or as the backing store for properties, see Lazy Initialization.

Constructors

Lazy<T>()	Initializes a new instance of the Lazy<T> class. When lazy initialization occurs, the parameterless constructor of the target type is used.
Lazy<T>(Boolean)	Initializes a new instance of the Lazy<T> class. When lazy initialization occurs, the parameterless constructor of the target type and the specified initialization mode are used.
Lazy<T>(Func<T>, Boolean)	Initializes a new instance of the Lazy<T> class. When lazy initialization occurs, the specified initialization function and initialization mode are used.
Lazy<T>(Func<T>, LazyThreadSafetyMode)	Initializes a new instance of the Lazy<T> class that uses the specified initialization function and thread-safety mode.
Lazy<T>(Func<T>)	Initializes a new instance of the Lazy<T> class. When lazy initialization occurs, the specified initialization function is used.
Lazy<T>(LazyThreadSafetyMode)	Initializes a new instance of the Lazy<T> class that uses the parameterless constructor of `T` and the specified thread-safety mode.
Lazy<T>(T)	Initializes a new instance of the Lazy<T> class that uses a preinitialized specified value.

Properties

IsValueCreated	Gets a value that indicates whether a value has been created for this Lazy<T> instance.
Value	Gets the lazily initialized value of the current Lazy<T> instance.

Methods

Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified object is equal to the current object. (Inherited from Object)
GetHashCode()	Serves as the default hash function. (Inherited from Object)
GetType()	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object)
MemberwiseClone()	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object)
ToString()	Creates and returns a string representation of the Value property for this instance.

Applies to

Thread Safety

By default, all public and protected members of the Lazy<T> class are thread safe and may be used concurrently from multiple threads. These thread-safety guarantees may be removed optionally and per instance, using parameters to the type's constructors.

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