Timers Prior to Async/Await Pattern of C# 5.0

There Are Multiple Ways to Use Task.Delay() When a Timer is Required

For scenarios before .NET 4.5, several timer classes are available, including System.Windows.Forms.Timer, System.Timers.Timer, and System.Threading.Timer.

The development team designed System.Windows.Forms.Timer specifically for use within a rich client user interface. Programmers can drag it onto a form as a non-visual control and regulate the behavior from within the Properties window. Most importantly, it will always safely fire an event from a thread that can interact with the user interface.

The other two timers are very similar. System.Timers.Timer is a wrapper for System.Threading.Timer, abstracting and layering on functionality. Specifically, System.Threading.Timer does not derive from System.ComponentModel.Component, and therefore, you cannot use it as a component within a component container, something that implements System.ComponentModel.IContainer. Another difference is that System.Threading.Timer enables the passing of state, an object parameter, from the call to start the timer and then into the call that fires the timer notification. The remaining differences concern API usability, with System.Timers.Timer supporting a synchronization object and having slightly more intuitive calls. Both System.Timers.Timer and System.Threading.Timer are designed for use in server-type processes but System.Timers.Timer includes a synchronization object to allow it to interact with the UI. Furthermore, both timers use the system thread pool. Table D.1 provides an overall comparison of the various timers.

Contents

• Table D.1: Overview of the Various Timer Characteristics
• Listing D.1: Using System.Timers.Timer
• Listing D.2: Using System.Threading.Timer
• OUTPUT D.1
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Table D.1: Overview of the Various Timer Characteristics

Feature Description	Systems.Timers. Timer	System. Threading.Timer	System.Windows. Forms.Timer
Feature Description	System.Timers.Timer	System.Threading. Timer	System.Windows. Forms.Timer
Supports adding and removing listeners after the timer is instantiated	Yes	No	Yes
Supports callbacks on the user interface thread	Yes	No	Yes
Calls back from threads obtained from the thread pool	Yes	Yes	No
Supports drag-and-drop in the Windows Forms Designer	Yes	No	Yes
Suitable for running in a multithreaded server environment	Yes	Yes	No
Includes support for passing arbitrary states from the timer initialization to the callback	No	Yes	No
Implements IDisposable	Yes	Yes	Yes
Supports on-off callbacks as well as periodic repeating callbacks	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accessible across application domain boundaries	Yes	Yes	Yes
Supports IComponent; hostable in an IContainer	Yes	No	Yes

Using System.Windows.Forms.Timer is a relatively obvious choice for user interface programming with Windows Forms. The only caution is that a long-running operation on the user interface thread may delay the arrival of a timer’s expiration. Choosing between the other two options is less obvious, and generally, the difference between the two is insignificant. If hosting within an IContainer is necessary, System.Timers.Timer is the right choice. However, if no specific System.Timers.Timer feature is required, choose System.Threading.Timer by default simply because it is a slightly lighter-weight implementation.

Listing D.1 and Listing D.2 provide sample code for using System.Timers.Timer and System.Threading.Timer, respectively. Their code is very similar, including the fact that both support instantiation within a using statement because both support IDispose. The output for both listings is identical, appearing in Output D.1. The purpose of each is to display a timestamp associated with a counting value indicating the number of times the timer fired. Once complete, the output verifies that the timer thread is not the same as the Main thread and the count’s final value.

Listing D.1: Using System.Timers.Timer

using System;
using System.Timers;
using System.Threading;
// Because Timer exists in both the System.Timers and
// System.Threading namespaces, you disambiguate "Timer"
// using an alias directive.
using Timer = System.Timers.Timer;
class UsingSystemTimersTimer
{
    private static int _Count=0;
    private static readonly ManualResetEvent _ResetEvent =
       new ManualResetEvent(false);
    private static int _AlarmThreadId;
    public static void Main()
    {
        using( Timer timer = new Timer() )
        {
            // Initialize Timer
            timer.AutoReset = true;
            timer.Interval = 1000;
            timer.Elapsed +=
                new ElapsedEventHandler(Alarm);
            timer.Start();
            // Wait for Alarm to fire for the 10th time.
            _ResetEvent.WaitOne();
         }
        // Verify that the thread executing the alarm
        // Is different from the thread executing Main
        if(_AlarmThreadId ==
            Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId)
        {
            throw new ApplicationException(
                "Thread Ids are the same.");
        }
        if(_Count < 9)
        {
            throw new ApplicationException(
                " _Count < 9");
        };
        Console.WriteLine(
        Console.WriteLine(
            "Final Count = {0}", _Count);
    }
    static void Alarm(
        object sender, ElapsedEventArgs eventArgs)
    {
        _Count++;
        Console.WriteLine("{0}:- {1}",
            eventArgs.SignalTime.ToString("T"),
            _Count);
        if (_Count >= 9)
        {
            _AlarmThreadId =
                Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId;
            _ResetEvent.Set();
        }
    }
}Code language: PHP (php)

In Listing D.1, you have using directives for both System.Threading and System.Timers. This makes the Timer type ambiguous. Therefore, use an alias to explicitly associate Timer with System.Timers.Timer.

One noteworthy characteristic of System.Threading.Timer is that it takes the callback delegate and interval within the constructor.

Listing D.2: Using System.Threading.Timer

using System;
using System.Threading;
class UsingSystemThreadingTimer {
  private static int _Count = 0;
  private static readonly AutoResetEvent _ResetEvent =
    new AutoResetEvent(false);
  private static int _AlarmThreadId;
  public static void Main() {
    // Timer(callback, state, dueTime, period)
    using(Timer timer =
      new Timer(Alarm, null, 0, 1000)) {
      // Wait for Alarm to fire for the 10th time.
      _ResetEvent.WaitOne();
    }
    // Verify that the thread executing the alarm
    // Is different from the thread executing Main
    if (_AlarmThreadId ==
      Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId) {
      throw new ApplicationException(
        "Thread Ids are the same.");
    }
    if (_Count < 9) {
      throw new ApplicationException(
        " _Count < 9");
    };
    Console.WriteLine(
      "(Alarm Thread Id) {0} != {1} (Main Thread Id)",
      _AlarmThreadId,
      Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId);
    Console.WriteLine(
      "Final Count = {0}", _Count);
  }
  static void Alarm(object state) {
    _Count++;
    Console.WriteLine("{0}:- {1}",
      DateTime.Now.ToString("T"),
      _Count);
    if (_Count >= 9) {
      _AlarmThreadId =
        Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId;
      _ResetEvent.Set();
    }
  }
}Code language: PHP (php)

OUTPUT D.1

12:19:36 AM:- 1
12:19:37 AM:- 2
12:19:38 AM:- 3
12:19:39 AM:- 4
12:19:40 AM:- 5
12:19:41 AM:- 6
12:19:42 AM:- 7
12:19:43 AM:- 8
12:19:44 AM:- 9
(Alarm Thread Id) 4 != 1 (Main Thread Id)
Final Count = 9Code language: PHP (php)

You can change the interval of time due after instantiation on System.Threading.Timer via the Change() method. However, you cannot change the callback listeners after instantiation. Instead, you must create a new instance.

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