StackOverflow2013

Note that there are some explanatory texts on larger screens.

plurals

POHow to show messages depending of the program's nature
text
Body
copied!<p>Please, sorry for the long text.</p> <p>I have a library of C# Classes which retrieves information from various systems, invokes external functions, validates this info and generates results of the validation to a file. This library can indistinctly be invoked from: 1) a DOS console program, 2) from a Windows form or 3) from a windows service program.</p> <p>Users have asked me for modifying the library so it can run in a verbose way, i.e. to show the date and time at certain steps, to briefly explain what a certain step or method is doing, etc. They also asked me for introducing exception handling and show error messages.</p> <p>If I execute in console mode, I should show the messages on the console, if I execute from a Windows form I should send the messages to a message box or to a text box, and if I run from a Windows Service I should send the messages to a log file.</p> <p>I have 2 questions:</p> <p>1) How should I modify the C# Classes so I can avoid the constant evaluation: If program is in console mode writeline….. Else if program is in windows forms mode messagebox or textbox.text … Else if program is invoked from a windows service program writelogfile….</p> <p>2) If the above evaluation is unavoidable, how can I know if the library of C# classes is being invoked by a console, windows form windows service program?</p> <p>Thanks!!</p> <hr> <p>Possible solution:</p> <hr> <p>I read a little about MS Enterprise Library and ... it is too much for my modest requirement so I went for the pragmatic solution of Reed.</p> <p>I share the way I solved the user requirements, it is a preliminary model before applying to the real situation so, before accepting the Reed solution, your comments to improve and learn are really welcome.</p> <p>1) I created a little library to define all possible outputs, in this case I defined only the outputs to a console and to a WPF form:</p> <p>namespace diClass { public interface IVerbose { void show(string msg, object textBox); void notify(string msg); }</p> <pre><code>public class ConsoleOutput : IVerbose { public void show(string msg, object textBox) { System.Console.WriteLine(msg); } public void notify(string msg) { System.Console.WriteLine("Notif: " + msg); } } public class WpfOutput : IVerbose { public void show(string msg, object textBox) { TextBox tb = (TextBox)textBox; tb.Text += msg + "\r\n"; System.Windows.Forms.Application.DoEvents(); } public void notify(string msg) { MessageBox.Show(msg); } } public class Output { IVerbose outputType; public IVerbose verboseType { get { return outputType; } set { outputType = value; } } public void show(string msg, object textBox) { outputType.show(msg, textBox); } public void notify(string msg) { outputType.notify(msg); } } </code></pre> <p>}</p> <p>2) Then I defined a console program which uses the above library:</p> <pre><code>class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { IVerbose verboseType = (IVerbose)Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(diClass.ConsoleOutput)); Output o = new Output(); o.verboseType = verboseType; object textBox1 = null; o.show(string.Format("{0}: Reading Accountig data", DateTime.Now.ToString("dd/MM/yy hh:mm:ss")), textBox1); o.notify(string.Format("{0}: Application error", DateTime.Now.ToString("dd/MM/yy hh:mm:ss"))); } } </code></pre> <p>3) Finally I defined a WPF program which also uses the above library:</p> <pre><code>public partial class Window1 : Window { public Window1() { InitializeComponent(); } private void button1_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { IVerbose verboseType = (IVerbose)Activator.CreateInstance(typeof(diClass.WpfOutput)); Output o = new Output(); o.verboseType = verboseType; o.show(string.Format("{0}: Reading Accountig data", DateTime.Now.ToString("dd/MM/yy hh:mm:ss")), textBox1); o.notify(string.Format("{0}: Application error", DateTime.Now.ToString("dd/MM/yy hh:mm:ss"))); } } </code></pre> <p>In programs 2) and 3) the last two lines of code are equal, there is no <em>ifs</em> and, that is what I wanted as answer.</p> <p>Regards.</p>

Querying!

Guidance

An individual column

Larger individual text columns get their own page to allow for proper reading.

SQuiL has stopped working due to an internal error.

If you are curious you may find further information in the browser console, which is accessible through the devtools (F12).

Reload