AspAlliance.com LogoASPAlliance: Articles, reviews, and samples for .NET Developers
URL:
http://aspalliance.com/articleViewer.aspx?aId=277&pId=-1
Using Multi-threading in a VB.NET Console application
page
by Steve Schofield
Feedback
Average Rating: 
Views (Total / Last 10 Days): 11829/ 11

Using Multi-threading in VB.NET console app

This sample is my .10 version of implementing multi-threading in a console application.   I've used this technique to increase the performance of administrative scripts that do remoting.   The current sample is hardcoded to use 2 threads, one of the things I'm not sure how to implement making the thread count configurable. If you know, let me @ (steve@adminblogs.com). I imagine there is some "magic" object that could be implemented but I don't know how to do that yet.  

This application does the following items

  • Selects data from a SQL database
  • Stores the data into an in-memory datatable
  • Uses multi-threading to loop through the datatable updating the "VAL" column

My Wishes to make this code cleaner

  • Implement a method of dynamically increase or decrease the thread count.

Requirements for this sample

  • .NET v1.1
  • SQL 2000 or MSDE
  • VS.NET 2003

How to get started

Database Portion

1 - Create Table called Multithread

CREATE DATABASE [Multithread] ON (NAME = N'Multithread_Data', FILENAME = N'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\data\Multithread_Data.MDF' , SIZE = 1, FILEGROWTH = 10%) LOG ON (NAME = N'Multithread_Log', FILENAME = N'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\data\Multithread_Log.LDF' , SIZE = 1, FILEGROWTH = 10%)
 COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS
 GO

2 - Create Table called computerList with three columns (id, COL, VAL)

 CREATE TABLE [dbo].[computerList] (
 [id] [int] IDENTITY (1, 1) NOT NULL ,
 [col] [varchar] (50) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL ,
 [val] [varchar] (50) COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS NULL
 ) ON [PRIMARY]
 GO
 
 ALTER TABLE [dbo].[computerList] ADD
 CONSTRAINT [PK_computerList] PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED
 (
 [id]
 ) ON [PRIMARY]
 GO

3 - Create a stored procedure called computerList_table_col_sel

 CREATE PROCEDURE computerList_table_col_sel AS
 
 SELECT COL, VAL
 FROM computerList
 GO

4 - Add an odd number of records to the computerList table, leave the VAL column empty

Module Portion - Module1.vb

This is the module that holds the code that implements multi-threading

Imports System.Configuration
Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Imports multithread.dbTools

Module Module1

Private m_intCount As Integer
Private m_intStep As Integer

Private Delegate Sub m_delMyDelegate(ByVal strValue As String, ByRef drRow As DataRow)

<MTAThread()> Sub Main()

Dim objDT As New dbTools
Dim dt As New DataTable

dt = objDT.ExecuteDataTable("computerList_table_col_sel")

Dim ds1 As New DataSet
ds1.Tables.Add(dt)

ds1.WriteXml("c:\dataBefore.xml")
ds1.Tables.Remove(dt)
ds1.Dispose()

Dim intX As Integer = 0
Dim intS As Integer = 0

m_intCount = dt.Rows.Count

If m_intCount > 0 Then
DetermineStep(m_intCount)
End If

For intX = 0 To dt.Rows.Count Step m_intStep

Dim strCN1 As String
Dim objDR1 As DataRow
Dim strCN2 As String
Dim objDR2 As DataRow

Try

strCN1 = CType(dt.Rows(intX)("COL"), String)
objDR1 = dt.Rows(intX)

Catch

End Try

Try

intS = intX + 1
strCN2 =
CType(dt.Rows(intS)("COL"), String)
objDR2 = dt.Rows(intS)

Catch

End Try

Dim delThread1 As m_delMyDelegate = AddressOf GetComputerInfo
Dim delThread2 As m_delMyDelegate = AddressOf GetComputerInfo

Dim ar1 As IAsyncResult
Dim ar2 As IAsyncResult

Dim intThreadCount As Integer
Dim a_WaitHandles(1) As System.Threading.WaitHandle

If Not strCN1 Is Nothing Then
ar1 = delThread1.BeginInvoke(intX, objDR1, Nothing, Nothing)
End If

If Not strCN2 Is Nothing Then
ar2 = delThread2.BeginInvoke(intS, objDR2, Nothing, Nothing)
End If

a_WaitHandles(0) = ar1.AsyncWaitHandle
a_WaitHandles(1) = ar2.AsyncWaitHandle

System.Threading.WaitHandle.WaitAll(a_WaitHandles, 10000, False)

If ar1.IsCompleted Then delThread1.EndInvoke(objDR1, ar1)
If ar2.IsCompleted Then delThread2.EndInvoke(objDR2, ar2)

m_intCount = m_intCount - m_intStep

DetermineStep(m_intCount)

Next

Dim ds2 As New DataSet

ds2.Tables.Add(dt)
ds2.WriteXml("c:\dataAfter.xml")
ds2.Dispose()
dt.Dispose()

End Sub

Sub GetComputerInfo(ByVal strValue As String, ByRef drRow As DataRow)
drRow.Item("VAL") = System.DateTime.Now
End Sub

Function DetermineStep(ByVal intCount As Integer) As Integer

Try

If intCount >= 2 Then
m_intStep = 2
Else

m_intStep = intCount

End If

Catch

End Try

End Function

End Module

Utility Class - Class1.vb

This is the a utility class I use that does common items, returns DataTables, DataSets etc..

Imports System.Data.SqlClient
Imports System.Configuration

Public Class dbTools

Public Shared Function ExecuteDataTable(ByVal strSQL As String) As DataTable

Dim myConn As New SqlConnection(ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings("CONN"))
Dim command1 As New SqlCommand(strSQL, myConn)
Dim adapter1 As New SqlDataAdapter
Dim table1 As New DataTable

adapter1.SelectCommand = command1
adapter1.Fill(table1)
adapter1.Dispose()
command1.Dispose()
Return table1

End Function

End Class

Here is the results of the XML files 

BEFORE

c:\dataBefore.xml

<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<NewDataSet>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC1</COL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC2</COL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC3</COL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC4</COL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC5</COL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC6</COL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC7</COL>
  </Table1>
</NewDataSet>

AFTER

c:\dataAfter.xml

<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>
<NewDataSet>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC1</COL>
    <VAL>11/16/2003 12:30:27 PM</VAL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC2</COL>
    <VAL>11/16/2003 12:30:27 PM</VAL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC3</COL>
    <VAL>11/16/2003 12:30:27 PM</VAL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC4</COL>
    <VAL>11/16/2003 12:30:27 PM</VAL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC5</COL>
    <VAL>11/16/2003 12:30:27 PM</VAL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC6</COL>
    <VAL>11/16/2003 12:30:31 PM</VAL>
  </Table1>
  <Table1>
    <COL>PC7</COL>
    <VAL>11/16/2003 12:30:31 PM</VAL>
  </Table1>
</NewDataSet>


Product Spotlight
Product Spotlight 

©Copyright 1998-2024 ASPAlliance.com  |  Page Processed at 2024-03-28 12:09:41 PM  AspAlliance Recent Articles RSS Feed
About ASPAlliance | Newsgroups | Advertise | Authors | Email Lists | Feedback | Link To Us | Privacy | Search