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https://github.com/alex-oswald/WindowsFormsLifetime
Windows Forms hosting extensions for the .NET Generic Host
https://github.com/alex-oswald/WindowsFormsLifetime
csharp dotnet winforms
Last synced: 11 days ago
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Windows Forms hosting extensions for the .NET Generic Host
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/alex-oswald/WindowsFormsLifetime
- Owner: alex-oswald
- License: mit
- Created: 2020-02-09T22:19:34.000Z (over 4 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2024-04-28T05:35:30.000Z (6 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-04-28T07:41:17.924Z (6 months ago)
- Topics: csharp, dotnet, winforms
- Language: C#
- Homepage:
- Size: 103 KB
- Stars: 111
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 17
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE.txt
Awesome Lists containing this project
- awesome - alex-oswald/WindowsFormsLifetime - Windows Forms hosting extensions for the .NET Generic Host (C\#)
README
# WindowsFormsLifetime
[](https://dev.azure.com/oswaldtechnologies/WindowsFormsLifetime/_build/latest?definitionId=21&branchName=main)
[](https://www.nuget.org/packages/OswaldTechnologies.Extensions.Hosting.WindowsFormsLifetime/)
[](https://www.nuget.org/packages/OswaldTechnologies.Extensions.Hosting.WindowsFormsLifetime/)
A Windows Forms hosting extension for the [.NET Generic Host](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/extensions/generic-host).
This library enables you to configure the generic host to use the lifetime of Windows Forms. When configured,
the generic host will start an `IHostedService` that runs Windows Forms in a separate UI specific thread.
- The Generic Host will use Windows Forms as it's lifetime (when the main form closes, the host shuts down)
- All the benefits of .NET and the Generic Host, dependency injection, configuration, logging...
- Easier multi-threading in Windows Forms
## Quick Start
Install the `OswaldTechnologies.Extensions.Hosting.WindowsFormsLifetime` package from NuGet.
Using Powershell
```powershell
Install-Package OswaldTechnologies.Extensions.Hosting.WindowsFormsLifetime
```
Using the .NET CLI
```
dotnet add package OswaldTechnologies.Extensions.Hosting.WindowsFormsLifetime
```
Create a new **Windows Forms App**.
Replace the contents of `Program.cs` with the following.
```csharp
using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;
using WinFormsApp1;
using WindowsFormsLifetime;
var builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder(args);
builder.UseWindowsFormsLifetime();
var app = builder.Build();
app.Run();
```
**Run the app!**
**Your Windows Forms app is now running with the Generic Host!**
### Passing options
You can further configure the Windows Forms lifetime by passing `Action`.
For example, with the default options:
```csharp
builder.UseWindowsFormsLifetime(options =>
{
options.HighDpiMode = HighDpiMode.SystemAware;
options.EnableVisualStyles = true;
options.CompatibleTextRenderingDefault = false;
options.SuppressStatusMessages = false;
options.EnableConsoleShutdown = true;
});
```
`EnableConsoleShutdown`
Allows the use of Ctrl+C to shutdown the host while the console is being used.
### Instantiating and Showing Forms
Add more forms to the DI container.
```csharp
var builder = Host.CreateApplicationBuilder(args);
builder.UseWindowsFormsLifetime();
builder.Services.AddTransient();
var app = builder.Build();
app.Run();
```
To get a form, use the `IFormProvider`. The form provider fetches an instance of the form from the DI
container on the GUI thread. `IFormProvider` has the method, `GetFormAsync`, used to fetch a form
instance.
In this example, we inject `IFormProvider` into the main form, and use that to instantiate a new
instance of `Form2`, then show the form.
```csharp
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private readonly ILogger _logger;
private readonly IFormProvider _formProvider;
public Form1(ILogger logger, IFormProvider formProvider)
{
InitializeComponent();
_logger = logger;
_formProvider = formProvider;
}
private async void button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
_logger.LogInformation("Show Form2");
var form = await _formProvider.GetFormAsync();
form.Show();
}
}
```
### Invoking on the GUI thread
Sometimes you need to invoke an action on the GUI thread. Say you want to spawn a form from a background
service. Use the `IGuiContext` to invoke actions on the GUI thread.
In this example, a form is fetched and shown, in an action that is invoked on the GUI thread. Then a second
form is shown. This example shows how the GUI does not lock up during this process.
```csharp
public class HostedService1 : BackgroundService
{
private readonly ILogger _logger;
private readonly IFormProvider _fp;
private readonly IGuiContext _guiContext;
public HostedService1(
ILogger logger,
IFormProvider formProvider,
IGuiContext guiContext)
{
_logger = logger;
_fp = formProvider;
_guiContext = guiContext;
}
protected override async Task ExecuteAsync(CancellationToken stoppingToken)
{
int count = 0;
while (!stoppingToken.IsCancellationRequested)
{
await Task.Delay(5000, stoppingToken);
if (count < 5)
{
await _guiContext.InvokeAsync(async () =>
{
var form = await _fp.GetFormAsync();
form.Show();
});
}
count++;
_logger.LogInformation("HostedService1 Tick 1000ms");
}
}
}
```
## Only use the Console while debugging
I like to configure my `csproj` so that the `Console` runs only while my configuration is set to `Debug`,
and doesn't run when set to `Release`. Here is an example of how to do this. Setting the `OutputType` to
`Exe` will run the console, while setting it to `WinExe` will not.
```xml
Exe
WinExe
```
## Credits
The layout of the `WindowsFormsLifetime` class is based on .NET Core's
[ConsoleLifetime](https://github.com/dotnet/extensions/blob/b83b27d76439497459fe9cf7337d5128c900eb5a/src/Hosting/Hosting/src/Internal/ConsoleLifetime.cs).
[ExecutionContext vs SynchronizationContext](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/pfxteam/executioncontext-vs-synchronizationcontext/)
[Implementing a SynchronizationContext.SendAsync method](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/pfxteam/implementing-a-synchronizationcontext-sendasync-method/)