C# Making Async Calls using the iControlAssembly

Problem this snippet solves:

This C# example application shows three different ways to make iControl calls Asynchronously using the An iControlAssembly library. Each way serves a slightly different purpose depending on the needs of the application.

Code :

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using iControl;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Threading;

namespace iControlAssemblyAsyncExample
{
    class AsyncExample
    {
        private static Thread mainThread;

        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Stopwatch sw = null;
            Interfaces m_Interfaces = null;
            IAsyncResult ar = null;
            string[] poolList = null;

            ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // Synchronously connect to the BigIP Appliance
            Console.WriteLine("Establishing connection to Appliance.");
            sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
            m_Interfaces = new Interfaces("hostname", "username", "password");
            Console.WriteLine("Connection completed in {0} ms\n", sw.ElapsedMilliseconds);

            ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // Synchronously Retrieve the Pool List
            Console.WriteLine("Beginning syncronous Pool list retrieval.");
            sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
            poolList = m_Interfaces.LocalLBPool.get_list();
            Console.WriteLine("Syncronous retrieval completed in {0} ms\n", sw.ElapsedMilliseconds);

            ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // Asynchronously retrieve the Pool List, do something and then wait
            // for the Async call to complete.
            Console.WriteLine("Beginning async retrieval with wait.");
            sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
            ar = m_Interfaces.LocalLBPool.Beginget_list(null, null);

            // Do some work, which may or may not take longer than
            // the Async call to execute.
            Console.WriteLine("Done some work after {0} ms.  Now waiting.",sw.ElapsedMilliseconds);
            
            ar.AsyncWaitHandle.WaitOne();   // Wait indefinitely for the Async Call to complete
            ar.AsyncWaitHandle.Close();

            poolList = m_Interfaces.LocalLBPool.Endget_list(ar);
            Console.WriteLine("Asyncronous retrieval completed in {0} ms\n", sw.ElapsedMilliseconds);

            ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // Asynchronously Retrieve the Pool List while doing something indefinitely.
            Console.Write("Beginning inline async retrieval");
            sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
            ar = m_Interfaces.LocalLBPool.Beginget_list(null, null);
            while (ar.IsCompleted == false)
            {
                Console.Write("."); // Continually to something until the Async
                Thread.Sleep(15);   // call has completed.
            }
            poolList = m_Interfaces.LocalLBPool.Endget_list(ar);
            Console.WriteLine("\nAsyncronous retrieval completed in {0} ms\n", sw.ElapsedMilliseconds);

            ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
            // Asynchronously Retrieve the Pool List with a Callback
            AsyncCallback myCallBackRoutine = new AsyncCallback(MyAsyncCallback);
            mainThread = Thread.CurrentThread;

            Console.WriteLine("Beginning Callback Async retrieval");
            sw = Stopwatch.StartNew();
            ar = m_Interfaces.LocalLBPool.Beginget_list(myCallBackRoutine, m_Interfaces);
            try
            {
                while (true)
                {
                    Console.Write("."); // Do something useful while we 
                    Thread.Sleep(15);   // wait for the Callback to complete.
                }
            }
            catch (ThreadInterruptedException)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("\nAsyncronous Callback retrieval completed in {0} ms\n", sw.ElapsedMilliseconds);
            }

            Console.WriteLine("Press ANY key to exit.");
            Console.ReadKey();
            
        }

        private static void MyAsyncCallback(IAsyncResult ar)
        {
            Interfaces m_Interfaces = (Interfaces)ar.AsyncState;

            string[] poolList = m_Interfaces.LocalLBPool.Endget_list(ar);

            int c = 0;
            while (c < 7)
            {
                Console.Write("X"); // Do something useful while the main
                Thread.Sleep(15);   // thread is doing what it needs to
                c++;
            }
            
            mainThread.Interrupt();

        }
    }
}