Project Description
The Mantra "Never block the UI thread!" results in cumbersome helpers like the Backgroundworker with worker and callback delegates.
The AsyncExecutor offers an alternative: It allows to switch between UI and worker thread in a single method! I.e. no cumbersome callback etc.
Summary
In a method like this:
PersonCollection.Clear();
StatusMessage = "Loading Persons...";
List<string> persons = provider.GetPersons();
foreach (var name in persons)
{
PersonCollection.Add(new Person { Name = name });
}
StatusMessage = "Finished loading persons";
the method provider.GetPersons might take some time (e.g. seconds).
During this time the UI thread is blocked. That shall be avoided under all circumstances.
A BackgroundWorker could be used to address this.
But it is cumbersome to use: It uses delegates for worker and callback. It's not type safe. There is only a single result of the worker. Etc.
The AsyncExecutor allows to simplify this to use a single method with statements in the method which are used to indicate a thread switch.
It's even possible to switch e.g. in a loop - which is VERY cumbersome using a background worker.