Creating ASP.NET Applications Using Wait Handles
The callback and polling models for handling asynchronous operations are useful when your application is processing only one asynchronous operation at a time. The Wait models provide a more flexible way of processing multiple asynchronous operations. There are two Wait models, named for the WaitHandle methods used to implement them: the Wait (Any) model and the Wait (All) model.
To use either Wait model, you need to use the AsyncWaitHandle property of the IAsyncResult object returned by the BeginExecuteNonQuery, BeginExecuteReader, or BeginExecuteXmlReader methods. The WaitAny and WaitAll methods both require you to send the WaitHandle objects as an argument, grouped together in an array.
Both Wait methods monitor the asynchronous operations, waiting for completion. The WaitAny method waits for any of the operations to complete or time out. Once you know a particular operation is complete, you can process its results and then continue waiting for the next operation to complete or time out. The WaitAll method waits for all of the processes in the array of WaitHandle instances to complete or time out before continuing.
The Wait models' benefit is most striking when you need to run multiple operations of some length on different servers, or when your server is powerful enough to process all the queries at the same time. In the examples presented here, three queries emulate long processes by adding WAITFOR commands of varying lengths to inconsequential SELECT queries.
Example: Wait (Any) Model
The following example illustrates the Wait (Any) model. Once three asynchronous processes are started, the WaitAny method is called to wait for the completion of any one of them. As each process completes, the EndExecuteReader method is called and the resulting SqlDataReader object is read. At this point, a real-world application would likely use the SqlDataReader to populate a portion of the page. In this simple example, the time the process completed is added to a text box corresponding to the process. Taken together, the times in the text boxes illustrate the point: Code is executed each time a process completes.
To set up this example, create a new ASP.NET Web Site project. Place a Button control and four TextBox controls on the page (accepting the default name for each control).
Add the following code to the form's class, modifying the connection string as necessary for your environment.
[Visual Basic]
' Add these to the top of the class
Imports System
Imports System.Data
Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Imports System.Threading
' Add this code to the page's class:
Private Function GetConnectionString() As String
' To avoid storing the connection string in your code,
' you can retrieve it from a configuration file.
' If you have not included "Asynchronous Processing=true"
' in the connection string, the command will not be able
' to execute asynchronously.
Return "Data Source=(local);Integrated Security=SSPI;" & _
"Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;" & _
"Asynchronous Processing=true"
End Function
Sub Button1_Click( _
ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
' In a real-world application, you might be connecting to
' three different servers or databases. For the example,
' we connect to only one.
Dim connection1 As New SqlConnection(GetConnectionString())
Dim connection2 As New SqlConnection(GetConnectionString())
Dim connection3 As New SqlConnection(GetConnectionString())
' To keep the example simple, all three asynchronous
' processes select a row from the same table. WAITFOR
' commands are used to emulate long-running processes
' that complete after different periods of time.
Dim commandText1 As String = _
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:01';" & _
"SELECT * FROM Production.Product " & _
"WHERE ProductNumber = 'BL-2036'"
Dim commandText2 As String = _
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:05';" & _
"SELECT * FROM Production.Product " & _
"WHERE ProductNumber = 'BL-2036'"
Dim commandText3 As String = _
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:10';" & _
"SELECT * FROM Production.Product " & _
"WHERE ProductNumber = 'BL-2036'"
Dim waitHandles(2) As WaitHandle
Try
' For each process, open a connection and begin execution.
' Use the IAsyncResult object returned by
' BeginExecuteReader to add a WaitHandle for the process
' to the array.
connection1.Open()
Dim command1 As New SqlCommand(commandText1, connection1)
Dim result1 As IAsyncResult = _
command1.BeginExecuteReader()
waitHandles(0) = result1.AsyncWaitHandle
connection2.Open()
Dim command2 As New SqlCommand(commandText2, connection2)
Dim result2 As IAsyncResult = _
command2.BeginExecuteReader()
waitHandles(1) = result2.AsyncWaitHandle
connection3.Open()
Dim command3 As New SqlCommand(commandText3, connection3)
Dim result3 As IAsyncResult = _
command3.BeginExecuteReader()
waitHandles(2) = result3.AsyncWaitHandle
Dim index As Integer
For countWaits As Integer = 1 To 3
' WaitAny waits for any of the processes to complete.
' The return value is either the index of the
' array element whose process just completed, or
' the WaitTimeout value.
index = WaitHandle.WaitAny(waitHandles, 60000, False)
' This example doesn't actually do anything with the
' data returned by the processes, but the code opens
' readers for each just to demonstrate the concept.
' Instead of using the returned data to fill the
' controls on the page, the example adds the time
' the process was completed to the corresponding
' text box.
Select Case index
Case 0
Dim reader1 As SqlDataReader
reader1 = command1.EndExecuteReader(result1)
If reader1.Read Then
TextBox1.Text = _
"Completed " & _
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()
End If
reader1.Close()
Case 1
Dim reader2 As SqlDataReader
reader2 = command2.EndExecuteReader(result2)
If reader2.Read Then
TextBox2.Text = _
"Completed " & _
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()
End If
reader2.Close()
Case 2
Dim reader3 As SqlDataReader
reader3 = command3.EndExecuteReader(result3)
If reader3.Read Then
TextBox3.Text = _
"Completed " & _
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()
End If
reader3.Close()
Case WaitHandle.WaitTimeout
Throw New Exception("Timeout")
End Select
Next
Catch ex As Exception
TextBox4.Text = ex.ToString
End Try
connection1.Close()
connection2.Close()
connection3.Close()
End Sub
[C#]
// Add the following using statements, if they are not already there.
using System;
using System.Data;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Security;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;
using System.Threading;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
// Add this code to the page's class
string GetConnectionString()
// To avoid storing the connection string in your code,
// you can retrieve it from a configuration file.
// If you have not included "Asynchronous Processing=true"
// in the connection string, the command will not be able
// to execute asynchronously.
{
return "Data Source=(local);Integrated Security=SSPI;" +
"Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;" +
"Asynchronous Processing=true";
}
void Button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
// In a real-world application, you might be connecting to
// three different servers or databases. For the example,
// we connect to only one.
SqlConnection connection1 =
new SqlConnection(GetConnectionString());
SqlConnection connection2 =
new SqlConnection(GetConnectionString());
SqlConnection connection3 =
new SqlConnection(GetConnectionString());
// To keep the example simple, all three asynchronous
// processes select a row from the same table. WAITFOR
// commands are used to emulate long-running processes
// that complete after different periods of time.
string commandText1 = "WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:01';" +
"SELECT * FROM Production.Product " +
"WHERE ProductNumber = 'BL-2036'";
string commandText2 = "WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:05';" +
"SELECT * FROM Production.Product " +
"WHERE ProductNumber = 'BL-2036'";
string commandText3 = "WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:10';" +
"SELECT * FROM Production.Product " +
"WHERE ProductNumber = 'BL-2036'";
try
// For each process, open a connection and begin
// execution. Use the IAsyncResult object returned by
// BeginExecuteReader to add a WaitHandle for the
// process to the array.
{
connection1.Open();
SqlCommand command1 =
new SqlCommand(commandText1, connection1);
IAsyncResult result1 = command1.BeginExecuteReader();
WaitHandle waitHandle1 = result1.AsyncWaitHandle;
connection2.Open();
SqlCommand command2 =
new SqlCommand(commandText2, connection2);
IAsyncResult result2 = command2.BeginExecuteReader();
WaitHandle waitHandle2 = result2.AsyncWaitHandle;
connection3.Open();
SqlCommand command3 =
new SqlCommand(commandText3, connection3);
IAsyncResult result3 = command3.BeginExecuteReader();
WaitHandle waitHandle3 = result3.AsyncWaitHandle;
WaitHandle[] waitHandles = {
waitHandle1, waitHandle2, waitHandle3
};
int index;
for (int countWaits = 0; countWaits <= 2; countWaits++)
{
// WaitAny waits for any of the processes to
// complete. The return value is either the index
// of the array element whose process just
// completed, or the WaitTimeout value.
index = WaitHandle.WaitAny(waitHandles,
60000, false);
// This example doesn't actually do anything with
// the data returned by the processes, but the
// code opens readers for each just to demonstrate
// the concept.
// Instead of using the returned data to fill the
// controls on the page, the example adds the time
// the process was completed to the corresponding
// text box.
switch (index)
{
case 0:
SqlDataReader reader1;
reader1 =
command1.EndExecuteReader(result1);
if (reader1.Read())
{
TextBox1.Text =
"Completed " +
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString();
}
reader1.Close();
break;
case 1:
SqlDataReader reader2;
reader2 =
command2.EndExecuteReader(result2);
if (reader2.Read())
{
TextBox2.Text =
"Completed " +
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString();
}
reader2.Close();
break;
case 2:
SqlDataReader reader3;
reader3 =
command3.EndExecuteReader(result3);
if (reader3.Read())
{
TextBox3.Text =
"Completed " +
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString();
}
reader3.Close();
break;
case WaitHandle.WaitTimeout:
throw new Exception("Timeout");
break;
}
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
TextBox4.Text = ex.ToString();
}
connection1.Close();
connection2.Close();
connection3.Close();
}
Example: Wait (All) Model
The following example illustrates the Wait (All) model. Once three asynchronous processes are started, the WaitAll method is called to wait for the processes to complete or time out.
Like the example of the Wait (Any) model, the time the process completed is added to a text box corresponding to the process. Again, the times in the text boxes illustrate the point: Code following the WaitAny method is executed only after all processes are complete.
To set up this example, create a new ASP.NET Web Site project. Place a Button control and four TextBox controls on the page (accepting the default name for each control).
Add the following code to the form's class, modifying the connection string as necessary for your environment.
[Visual Basic]
' Add these to the top of the class
Imports System
Imports System.Data
Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Imports System.Threading
' Add this code to the page's class:
Private Function GetConnectionString() As String
' To avoid storing the connection string in your code,
' you can retrieve it from a configuration file.
' If you have not included "Asynchronous Processing=true"
' in the connection string, the command will not be able
' to execute asynchronously.
Return "Data Source=(local);Integrated Security=SSPI;" & _
"Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;" & _
"Asynchronous Processing=true"
End Function
Sub Button1_Click( _
ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs)
' In a real-world application, you might be connecting to
' three different servers or databases. For the example,
' we connect to only one.
Dim connection1 As New SqlConnection(GetConnectionString())
Dim connection2 As New SqlConnection(GetConnectionString())
Dim connection3 As New SqlConnection(GetConnectionString())
' To keep the example simple, all three asynchronous
' processes select a row from the same table. WAITFOR
' commands are used to emulate long-running processes
' that complete after different periods of time.
Dim commandText1 As String = _
"UPDATE Production.Product " & _
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint + 1 " & _
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null;" & _
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:01';" & _
"UPDATE Production.Product " & _
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint - 1 " & _
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null"
Dim commandText2 As String = _
"UPDATE Production.Product " & _
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint + 1 " & _
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null;" & _
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:05';" & _
"UPDATE Production.Product " & _
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint - 1 " & _
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null"
Dim commandText3 As String = _
"UPDATE Production.Product " & _
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint + 1 " & _
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null;" & _
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:10';" & _
"UPDATE Production.Product " & _
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint - 1 " & _
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null"
Dim waitHandles(2) As WaitHandle
Try
' For each process, open a connection and begin execution.
' Use the IAsyncResult object returned by
' BeginExecuteReader to add a WaitHandle for the process
' to the array.
connection1.Open()
Dim command1 As New SqlCommand(commandText1, connection1)
Dim result1 As IAsyncResult = _
command1.BeginExecuteNonQuery()
waitHandles(0) = result1.AsyncWaitHandle
connection2.Open()
Dim command2 As New SqlCommand(commandText2, connection2)
Dim result2 As IAsyncResult = _
command2.BeginExecuteNonQuery()
waitHandles(1) = result2.AsyncWaitHandle
connection3.Open()
Dim command3 As New SqlCommand(commandText3, connection3)
Dim result3 As IAsyncResult = _
command3.BeginExecuteNonQuery()
waitHandles(2) = result3.AsyncWaitHandle
' WaitAll waits for all of the processes to complete.
' The return value is True if all processes completed,
' False if any process timed out.
Dim result As Boolean = _
WaitHandle.WaitAll(waitHandles, 60000, False)
If result Then
Dim rowCount1 As Long = _
command1.EndExecuteNonQuery(result1)
TextBox1.Text = _
"Completed " & _
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()
Dim rowCount2 As Long = _
command2.EndExecuteNonQuery(result2)
TextBox2.Text = _
"Completed " & _
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()
Dim rowCount3 As Long = _
command3.EndExecuteNonQuery(result3)
TextBox3.Text = _
"Completed " & _
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString()
Else
Throw New Exception("Timeout")
End If
Catch ex As Exception
TextBox4.Text = ex.ToString
End Try
connection1.Close()
connection2.Close()
connection3.Close()
End Sub
[C#]
// Add the following using statements, if they are not already there.
using System;
using System.Data;
using System.Configuration;
using System.Web;
using System.Web.Security;
using System.Web.UI;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls;
using System.Web.UI.WebControls.WebParts;
using System.Web.UI.HtmlControls;
using System.Threading;
using System.Data.SqlClient;
// Add this code to the page's class
string GetConnectionString()
// To avoid storing the connection string in your code,
// you can retrieve it from a configuration file.
// If you have not included "Asynchronous Processing=true"
// in the connection string, the command will not be able
// to execute asynchronously.
{
return "Data Source=(local);Integrated Security=SSPI;" +
"Initial Catalog=AdventureWorks;" +
"Asynchronous Processing=true";
}
void Button1_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
// In a real-world application, you might be connecting to
// three different servers or databases. For the example,
// we connect to only one.
SqlConnection connection1 =
new SqlConnection(GetConnectionString());
SqlConnection connection2 =
new SqlConnection(GetConnectionString());
SqlConnection connection3 =
new SqlConnection(GetConnectionString());
// To keep the example simple, all three asynchronous
// processes execute UPDATE queries that result in
// no change to the data. WAITFOR
// commands are used to emulate long-running processes
// that complete after different periods of time.
string commandText1 =
"UPDATE Production.Product " +
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint + 1 " +
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null;" +
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:01';" +
"UPDATE Production.Product " +
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint - 1 " +
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null";
string commandText2 =
"UPDATE Production.Product " +
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint + 1 " +
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null;" +
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:05';" +
"UPDATE Production.Product " +
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint - 1 " +
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null";
string commandText3 =
"UPDATE Production.Product " +
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint + 1 " +
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null;" +
"WAITFOR DELAY '0:0:10';" +
"UPDATE Production.Product " +
"SET ReorderPoint = ReorderPoint - 1 " +
"WHERE ReorderPoint Is Not Null";
try
// For each process, open a connection and begin
// execution. Use the IAsyncResult object returned by
// BeginExecuteReader to add a WaitHandle for the
// process to the array.
{
connection1.Open();
SqlCommand command1 =
new SqlCommand(commandText1, connection1);
IAsyncResult result1 = command1.BeginExecuteNonQuery();
WaitHandle waitHandle1 = result1.AsyncWaitHandle;
connection2.Open();
SqlCommand command2 =
new SqlCommand(commandText2, connection2);
IAsyncResult result2 = command2.BeginExecuteNonQuery();
WaitHandle waitHandle2 = result2.AsyncWaitHandle;
connection3.Open();
SqlCommand command3 =
new SqlCommand(commandText3, connection3);
IAsyncResult result3 = command3.BeginExecuteNonQuery();
WaitHandle waitHandle3 = result3.AsyncWaitHandle;
WaitHandle[] waitHandles = {
waitHandle1, waitHandle2, waitHandle3
};
bool result;
// WaitAll waits for all of the processes to
// complete. The return value is True if the processes
// all completed successfully, False if any process
// timed out.
result = WaitHandle.WaitAll(waitHandles, 60000, false);
if(result)
{
long rowCount1 =
command1.EndExecuteNonQuery(result1);
TextBox1.Text = "Completed " +
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString();
long rowCount2 =
command2.EndExecuteNonQuery(result2);
TextBox2.Text = "Completed " +
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString();
long rowCount3 =
command3.EndExecuteNonQuery(result3);
TextBox3.Text = "Completed " +
System.DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString();
}
else
{
throw new Exception("Timeout");
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
TextBox4.Text = ex.ToString();
}
connection1.Close();
connection2.Close();
connection3.Close();
}