ManualResetEvent Class

Microsoft Silverlight will reach end of support after October 2021. Learn more.

Notifies one or more waiting threads that an event has occurred. This class cannot be inherited.

Inheritance Hierarchy

System.Object
  System.Threading.WaitHandle
    System.Threading.EventWaitHandle
      System.Threading.ManualResetEvent

Namespace:  System.Threading
Assembly:  mscorlib (in mscorlib.dll)

Syntax

'Declaration
<ComVisibleAttribute(True)> _
Public NotInheritable Class ManualResetEvent _
    Inherits EventWaitHandle

[ComVisibleAttribute(true)]
public sealed class ManualResetEvent : EventWaitHandle

The ManualResetEvent type exposes the following members.

Constructors

	Name	Description
	ManualResetEvent	Initializes a new instance of the ManualResetEvent class with a Boolean value that indicates whether to set the initial state to signaled.

Top

Properties

	Name	Description
	SafeWaitHandle	Gets or sets the native operating-system handle. (Inherited from WaitHandle.)

Top

Methods

	Name	Description
	Close	When overridden in a derived class, releases all resources held by the current WaitHandle. (Inherited from WaitHandle.)
	Dispose()	Releases all resources used by the current instance of the WaitHandle class. (Inherited from WaitHandle.)
	Dispose(Boolean)	When overridden in a derived class, releases the unmanaged resources used by the WaitHandle, and optionally releases the managed resources. (Inherited from WaitHandle.)
	Equals(Object)	Determines whether the specified Object is equal to the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
	Finalize	Allows an object to try to free resources and perform other cleanup operations before the Object is reclaimed by garbage collection. (Inherited from Object.)
	GetHashCode	Serves as a hash function for a particular type. (Inherited from Object.)
	GetType	Gets the Type of the current instance. (Inherited from Object.)
	MemberwiseClone	Creates a shallow copy of the current Object. (Inherited from Object.)
	Reset	Sets the state of the event to non-signaled, which causes threads to block. (Inherited from EventWaitHandle.)
	Set	Sets the state of the event to signaled, which allows one or more waiting threads to proceed. (Inherited from EventWaitHandle.)
	ToString	Returns a string that represents the current object. (Inherited from Object.)
	WaitOne()	Blocks the current thread until the current WaitHandle receives a signal. (Inherited from WaitHandle.) In Silverlight for Windows Phone, this member is overridden by WaitOne(). In XNA Framework, this member is overridden by WaitOne().
	WaitOne(Int32)	Blocks the current thread until the current WaitHandle receives a signal, using 32-bit signed integer to specify the time interval. (Inherited from WaitHandle.)
	WaitOne(TimeSpan)	Blocks the current thread until the current instance receives a signal, using a TimeSpan to specify the time interval. (Inherited from WaitHandle.)

Top

Remarks

ManualResetEvent enables threads to communicate with each other by signaling. Typically, this communication concerns a task that one thread must complete before other threads can proceed.

When a thread begins an activity that must complete before other threads proceed, it calls the Reset method to put ManualResetEvent in the non-signaled state. This thread can be thought of as controlling the ManualResetEvent. Threads that call the WaitOne method on the ManualResetEvent will block, waiting for the signal. When the controlling thread completes the activity, it calls the Set method to signal that the waiting threads can proceed. All waiting threads are released.

Once it has been signaled, ManualResetEvent remains signaled until it is manually reset. That is, calls to WaitOne return immediately.

You can control the initial state of a ManualResetEvent by passing a Boolean value to the constructor: true if the initial state is signaled and false otherwise.

ManualResetEvent can also be used with the staticWaitAll and WaitAny methods.

For more information about thread synchronization mechanisms, see EventWaitHandle, AutoResetEvent, and ManualResetEvent in the conceptual documentation.

Examples

The following example demonstrates how to use ManualResetEvent with AutoResetEvent to synchronize the activities of multiple threads, including the UI thread.

The ManualResetEvent is used to release several threads at the same time, in step 2 and step 5b.

For a more detailed description of this example, see the comments in the code or the full introduction to the example that is provided for the EventWaitHandle class.

Note:
To run this example, see Building Examples That Use a Demo Method and a TextBlock Control.

Imports System.Threading

' The following Imports are not required for ManualResetEvent or
' AutoResetEvent; they merely simplify the code.
Imports System.Windows.Controls
Imports System.Windows.Input

Public Class Example

   ' mre is used to block and release threads manually.
   Private Shared mre As New ManualResetEvent(False)

   ' The DemoThread method waits on this AutoResetEvent before each step of the
   ' demo. The MouseLeftButtonUp event handler calls Set to allow each step to
   ' run.
   Private Shared areSyncDemoThread As New AutoResetEvent(False)

   ' All output is displayed here.
   Private Shared outputBlock As TextBlock

   ' This array of AutoResetEvent objects is used to ensure that all the threads
   ' created for the first step of the demo are waiting on the ManualResetEvent
   ' before the step is executed, and to ensure that all the threads are complete
   ' before going on to the next step.
   Private Shared autoResets() As AutoResetEvent = { New AutoResetEvent(False), _
                          New AutoResetEvent(False), New AutoResetEvent(False) }


   ' The Shared Demo method starts the thread that controls the demo and hooks 
   ' up the handler for the MouseLeftButtonUp event.
   Public Shared Sub Demo(ByVal outputBlock As TextBlock)

      Example.outputBlock = outputBlock
      outputBlock.Text &= "Click here to begin the demo." & vbLf & vbLf

      Dim t As New Thread(AddressOf DemoThread)
      t.Start()

      AddHandler outputBlock.MouseLeftButtonUp, AddressOf MouseUp

   End Sub


   ' Each time the TextBlock is clicked, the mouse event handler calls Set() on 
   ' the AutoResetEvent, to signal DemoThread to execute the next step of the 
   ' demo. Optionally, it clears the TextBlock.
   '
   Private Shared clear As Boolean = False
   Private Shared Sub MouseUp(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As MouseButtonEventArgs)

      ' If the clear flag has been set, clear the contents of the TextBlock.
      If clear Then
         outputBlock.Text = ""
         clear = False
      End If
      'outputBlock.Text &= "Click." & vbLf

      ' Signal the next step of the demo to proceed.
      areSyncDemoThread.Set()

   End Sub


   ' Before each step of the demo, DemoThread waits on areSyncDemoThread. When
   ' the MouseLeftButtonUp event handler signals areSyncDemoThread, DemoThread
   ' executes the step. Because areSyncDemoThread is an AutoResetEvent, it 
   ' immediately resets after DemoThread is released.
   Private Shared Sub DemoThread()

      ' Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne()


      ' Step 1: Start 3 named threads that block on a ManualResetEvent.

      For i As Integer = 0 To 2
         Dim t As New Thread(AddressOf ThreadProc)
         t.Name = "Thread_" & i
         t.Start(autoResets(i))
      Next i

      ' Wait until all three threads have finished displaying their "start" 
      ' messages and called mre.WaitOne().
      WaitHandle.WaitAll(autoResets)

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & _
         "3 threads are queued, waiting for the ManualResetEvent. Click to signal" & vbLf & _
         "the ManualResetEvent by calling its Set() method." & vbLf & vbLf)

      ' Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne()


      ' Step 2: Call mre.Set() to release the threads.

      mre.Set()

      ' Wait until all three threads have finished displaying their "end" 
      ' messages.
      WaitHandle.WaitAll(autoResets)

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & _
         "All the threads were released, and the ManualResetEvent remains in the" & vbLf & _
         "signaled state. Click to start more threads." & vbLf & vbLf) 

      ' Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne()


      ' Step 3: Show that mre remains signaled by starting more threads. These
      '         threads will not block, so there is no reason to pass them an
      '         AutoResetEvent.

      Dim twoMoreThreads() As Thread = { New Thread(AddressOf ThreadProc), _
                                         New Thread(AddressOf ThreadProc) }
      For i As Integer = 0 To 1
         twoMoreThreads(i).Name = "Thread_" & (i + 3)
         twoMoreThreads(i).Start(Nothing)
      Next i

      ' Wait until the threads have displayed their messages and finished 
      ' executing.
      For Each t As Thread In twoMoreThreads
         t.Join()
      Next t

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & _
         "As long as the ManualResetEvent remains in the signaled state, threads" & vbLf & _
         "that wait on it do not block. Click to reset the ManualResetEvent." & vbLf) 

      ' Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne()


      ' Step 4: Demonstrate that Reset puts the ManualResetEvent back into the
      '         unsignaled state.

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & _
                                           "Calling mre.Reset()." & vbLf & vbLf)
      mre.Reset()

      ' Start a thread that waits on the ManualResetEvent.
      Dim t5 As New Thread(AddressOf ThreadProc)
      t5.Name = "Thread_5"
      Dim wait As New AutoResetEvent(False)
      t5.Start(wait)

      ' Wait until the thread has displayed its message and is waiting.
      wait.WaitOne()

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & _
         "With the ManualResetEvent in the unsignaled state, threads once again block." & vbLf & _
         "Click to release the thread." & vbLf & vbLf)

      ' Signal the MouseUp event to clear the screen, and wait for a click.
      clear = True
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne()

      mre.Set()
      t5.Join()


      ' Step 5a: Signal an AutoResetEvent that does not have a thread waiting on
      '          it. Note that you can create an AutoResetEvent in the signaled
      '          state by using New AutoResetEvent(True).

      ' Put the AutoResetEvent into the signaled state.
      wait.Set()

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & _
         "If an AutoResetEvent is signaled when there is no thread waiting on it, " & vbLf & _
         "the AutoResetEvent remains in the signaled state until a thread waits on" & vbLf & _
         "it. That thread is immediately released, and the AutoResetEvent returns" & vbLf & _
         "to the unsignaled state. Click here to demonstrate this." & vbLf & vbLf)

      ' Wait for a click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne()


      ' Step 5b: Create and release three threads that all wait on the signaled 
      '          AutoResetEvent. Each thread receives an array that contains two
      '          AutoResetEvent objects, one to signal when the thread is ready
      '          for release and one to wait on.

      ' Reset the ManualResetEvent that will synchronize the release of the three
      ' threads.
      mre.Reset()

      For i As Integer = 0 To 2
         Dim t As New Thread(AddressOf ThreadProcARE)
         t.Name = "Thread_" & (i + 6)
         t.Start(New AutoResetEvent() { autoResets(i), wait })
      Next i

      ' Wait until all three threads are queued, then release them all at once. 
      WaitHandle.WaitAll(autoResets)
      mre.Set()

      ' Wait until one thread has been released by the signaled AutoResetEvent and 
      ' has posted its message to the TextBlock.
      Dim winner As Integer = WaitHandle.WaitAny(autoResets)

      Dim name As String = "Thread_" & (winner + 6)
      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & name & _
         " was the first thread to wait on the signaled AutoResetEvent. As soon" & vbLf & _
         "as " & name & " was released, the AutoResetEvent was reset, blocking the other two" _
         & vbLf & "threads. Click to release the waiting threads." & vbLf & vbLf)

      ' Wait for a click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne()


      ' Step 6: Release threads and dispose of the Shared resources.

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, _
         "Set() is called twice on the AutoResetEvent, releasing one waiting thread" & vbLf & _ 
         "each time. In order to ensure that both threads are released, a suitable delay" & vbLf & _
         "must elapse between calls to Set(). This is accomplished by calling WaitAny()" & vbLf & _
         "on the autoResets array." & vbLf & vbLf)
      wait.Set()
      WaitHandle.WaitAny(autoResets)
      wait.Set()

      ' To ensure that both threads have ended before DemoThread ends, WaitAny()  
      ' is called to wait for the last thread to end. When DemoThread ends, the
      ' variable 'wait' goes out of scope and the AutoResetEvent it holds is reclaimed
      ' by garbage collection. If the thread is not released before this, it will not
      ' be released (and therefore will not run) and it will not be reclaimed by 
      ' collection until the application ends. You might think that the end of
      ' DemoThread and the end of the application are synonymous, but in fact the
      ' application is still running as long as the browser window remains active.
      ' The questions of whether it is important for the last thread to run before 
      ' the application ends, or whether it is a problem to temporarily leak the
      ' thread, will have different answers from application to application.
      WaitHandle.WaitAny(autoResets)

      ' Dispose of the shared (class-level) wait handles. This is important only
      ' if the program will go on running, and the wait handles will not be used.
      mre.Close()
      areSyncDemoThread.Close()
      For Each are As AutoResetEvent In autoResets
         are.Close()
      Next

      ' Unhook the mouse button event.
      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(unhookHelper)

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, vbLf & _
         "To run the demo again, refresh the page." & vbLf)

   End Sub


   ' Thread Procedures:

   ' This thread procedure is executed by most of the named threads created in 
   ' this example.
   Private Shared Sub ThreadProc(ByVal state As Object)

      Dim are As AutoResetEvent = CType(state, AutoResetEvent)
      Dim name As String = Thread.CurrentThread.Name

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, _
                                name & " starts and calls mre.WaitOne()" & vbLf)

      ' Signal that the thread is about to wait.
      If are IsNot Nothing Then are.Set()

      ' Wait until the ManualResetEvent is signaled.
      mre.WaitOne()

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, name & " ends." & vbLf)

      ' Signal that the thread is about to exit.
      If are IsNot Nothing Then are.Set()
   End Sub


   ' This thread procedure is used by the last step, which shows the behavior
   ' of an AutoResetEvent that has been left in the signaled state.
   Private Shared Sub ThreadProcARE(ByVal state As Object)

      ' Get two AutoResetEvent objects, one to signal when this thread is ready
      ' for release, and one to wait on. The second AutoResetEvent may already
      ' be in the signaled state.
      Dim are() As AutoResetEvent = CType(state, AutoResetEvent())
      Dim name As String = Thread.CurrentThread.Name

      ' Signal that this thread is ready for release.
      are(0).Set()

      ' All threads are started at once, when mre is signaled.
      mre.WaitOne()

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, _
                         name & " waits on the AutoResetEvent" & vbLf)

      ' Wait on the previously signaled AutoResetEvent.
      are(1).WaitOne()

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, name & " ends." & vbLf)

      ' Signal that this thread is ready to end.
      are(0).Set()

   End Sub


   ' Helper methods:

   ' In order to update the TextBlock object, which is on the UI thread, you must
   ' make a cross-thread call by using the Dispatcher object that is associated 
   ' with the TextBlock. The DisplayOutput helper method and its delegate, 
   ' displayHelper, are used by the BeginInvoke method of the Dispatcher object
   ' to append text to the TextBlock. UnhookMouseUp and its delegate, unhookHelper,
   ' unhook the event handler for the MouseLeftButtonUp event.
   '
   Private Shared displayHelper As New Action(Of String)(AddressOf DisplayOutput)
   Private Shared Sub DisplayOutput(ByVal msg As String)
      outputBlock.Text &= msg 
   End Sub

   Private Shared unhookHelper As New Action(AddressOf UnhookMouseUp)
   Private Shared Sub UnhookMouseUp()
      RemoveHandler outputBlock.MouseLeftButtonUp, AddressOf MouseUp
   End Sub

End Class

' This example produces output similar to the following:
'
'Click here to begin the demo.
'
'Thread_0 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
'Thread_1 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
'Thread_2 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
'
'3 threads are queued, waiting for the ManualResetEvent. Click to signal
'the ManualResetEvent by calling its Set() method.
'
'Thread_2 ends.
'Thread_1 ends.
'Thread_0 ends.
'
'All the threads were released, and the ManualResetEvent remains in the
'signaled state. Click to start more threads.
'
'Thread_3 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
'Thread_3 ends.
'Thread_4 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
'Thread_4 ends.
'
'As long as the ManualResetEvent remains in the signaled state, threads
'that wait on it do not block. Click to reset the ManualResetEvent.
'
'Calling mre.Reset()
'
'Thread_5 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
'
'With the ManualResetEvent in the unsignaled state, threads once again block.
'Click to release the thread.
'
'Thread_5 ends.
'
'If an AutoResetEvent is signaled when there is no thread waiting on it, 
'the AutoResetEvent remains in the signaled state until a thread waits on
'it. That thread is immediately released, and the AutoResetEvent returns
'to the unsignaled state. Click here to demonstrate this.
'
'Thread_7 waits on the AutoResetEvent.
'Thread_7 ends.
'Thread_8 waits on the AutoResetEvent.
'Thread_6 waits on the AutoResetEvent.
'
'Thread_7 was the first thread to wait on the signaled AutoResetEvent. As soon
'as Thread_7 was released, the AutoResetEvent was reset, blocking the other
'two threads. Click to release the waiting threads.
'
'Set() is called twice on the AutoResetEvent, releasing one waiting thread 
'each time. In order to ensure that both threads are released, a suitable delay
'must elapse between calls to Set(). This is accomplished by calling WaitAny()
'on the autoResets array.
'
'Thread_8 ends.
'Thread_6 ends.
'
'To run the demo again, refresh the page.

using System;
using System.Threading;

// The following Imports are not required for ManualResetEvent or
// AutoResetEvent; they merely simplify the code.
using System.Windows.Controls;
using System.Windows.Input;

public class Example
{
   // mre is used to block and release threads manually.
   private static ManualResetEvent mre = new ManualResetEvent(false);

   // The DemoThread method waits on this AutoResetEvent before each step of the
   // demo. The MouseLeftButtonUp event handler calls Set to allow each step to
   // run.
   private static AutoResetEvent areSyncDemoThread = new AutoResetEvent(false);

   // All output is displayed here.
   private static TextBlock outputBlock;

   // This array of AutoResetEvent objects is used to ensure that all the threads
   // created for the first step of the demo are waiting on the ManualResetEvent
   // before the step is executed, and to ensure that all the threads are complete
   // before going on to the next step.
   private static AutoResetEvent[] autoResets = { new AutoResetEvent(false), 
                       new AutoResetEvent(false), new AutoResetEvent(false)};


   // The static Demo method starts the thread that controls the demo and hooks 
   // up the handler for the MouseLeftButtonUp event.
   public static void Demo(TextBlock outputBlock)
   {
      Example.outputBlock = outputBlock;
      outputBlock.Text += "Click here to begin the demo.\n\n";

      Thread t = new Thread(DemoThread);
      t.Start();

      outputBlock.MouseLeftButtonUp += new MouseButtonEventHandler(MouseUp);
   }


   // Each time the TextBlock is clicked, the mouse event handler calls Set() on 
   // the AutoResetEvent, to signal DemoThread to execute the next step of the 
   // demo. Optionally, it clears the TextBlock.
   //
   private static bool clear = false;
   private static void MouseUp(object sender, MouseButtonEventArgs e)
   {
      // If the clear flag has been set, clear the contents of the TextBlock.
      if (clear)
      {
         outputBlock.Text = "";
         clear = false;
      }
      //outputBlock.Text += "Click.\n"

      // Signal the next step of the demo to proceed.
      areSyncDemoThread.Set();
   }


   // Before each step of the demo, DemoThread waits on areSyncDemoThread. When
   // the MouseLeftButtonUp event handler signals areSyncDemoThread, DemoThread
   // executes the step. Because areSyncDemoThread is an AutoResetEvent, it 
   // immediately resets after DemoThread is released.
   private static void DemoThread()
   {
      // Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne();


      // Step 1: Start 3 named threads that block on a ManualResetEvent.

      for(int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
      {
         Thread t = new Thread(ThreadProc);
         t.Name = "Thread_" + i;
         t.Start(autoResets[i]);
      }

      // Wait until all three threads have finished displaying their "start" 
      // messages and called mre.WaitOne().
      WaitHandle.WaitAll(autoResets);

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
         "\n3 threads are queued, waiting for the ManualResetEvent. Click to signal\n" + 
         "the ManualResetEvent by calling its Set() method.\n\n");

      // Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne();


      // Step 2: Call mre.Set() to release the threads.

      mre.Set();

      // Wait until all three threads have finished displaying their "end" 
      // messages.
      WaitHandle.WaitAll(autoResets);

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
         "\nAll the threads were released, and the ManualResetEvent remains in the\n" + 
         "signaled state. Click to start more threads.\n\n");

      // Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne();


      // Step 3: Show that mre remains signaled by starting more threads. These
      //         threads will not block, so there is no reason to pass them an
      //         AutoResetEvent.

      Thread[] twoMoreThreads = {new Thread(ThreadProc), new Thread(ThreadProc)};
      for(int i = 0; i < 2; i++)
      {
         twoMoreThreads[i].Name = "Thread_" + (i + 3);
         twoMoreThreads[i].Start(null);
      }

      // Wait until the threads have displayed their messages and finished 
      // executing.
      foreach (Thread t in twoMoreThreads)
      {
         t.Join();
      }

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
         "\nAs long as the ManualResetEvent remains in the signaled state, threads\n" + 
         "that wait on it do not block. Click to reset the ManualResetEvent.\n");

      // Wait for a mouse click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne();


      // Step 4: Demonstrate that Reset puts the ManualResetEvent back into the
      //         unsignaled state.

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, "\nCalling mre.Reset().\n\n");
      mre.Reset();

      // Start a thread that waits on the ManualResetEvent.
      Thread t5 = new Thread(ThreadProc);
      t5.Name = "Thread_5";
      AutoResetEvent wait = new AutoResetEvent(false);
      t5.Start(wait);

      // Wait until the thread has displayed its message and is waiting.
      wait.WaitOne();

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
         "\nWith the ManualResetEvent in the unsignaled state, threads once again block.\n" + 
         "Click to release the thread.\n\n");

      // Signal the MouseUp event to clear the screen, and wait for a click.
      clear = true;
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne();

      // Release the waiting thread, and block until it ends.
      mre.Set();
      t5.Join();


      // Step 5a: Signal an AutoResetEvent that does not have a thread waiting on
      //          it. Note that you can create an AutoResetEvent in the signaled
      //          state by using New AutoResetEvent(True).

      // Put the AutoResetEvent into the signaled state.
      wait.Set();

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
         "\nIf an AutoResetEvent is signaled when there is no thread waiting on it, \n" + 
         "the AutoResetEvent remains in the signaled state until a thread waits on\n" + 
         "it. That thread is immediately released, and the AutoResetEvent returns\n" + 
         "to the unsignaled state. Click here to demonstrate this.\n\n");

      // Wait for a click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne();


      // Step 5b: Create and release three threads that all wait on the signaled 
      //          AutoResetEvent. Each thread receives an array that contains two
      //          AutoResetEvent objects, one to signal when the thread is ready
      //          for release and one to wait on.

      // Reset the ManualResetEvent that will synchronize the release of the three
      // threads.
      mre.Reset();

      for(int i=0; i<=2; i++)
      {
         Thread t = new Thread(ThreadProcARE);
         t.Name = "Thread_"+ (i + 6);
         t.Start(new AutoResetEvent[]{ autoResets[i], wait });
      }

      // Wait until all three threads are queued, then release them all at once. 
      WaitHandle.WaitAll(autoResets);
      mre.Set();

      // Wait until one thread has been released by the signaled AutoResetEvent and 
      // has posted its message to the TextBlock.
      int winner = WaitHandle.WaitAny(autoResets);

      string name = "Thread_" + (winner + 6);
      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, "\n" + name +
         " was the first thread to wait on the signaled AutoResetEvent. As soon\n" +
         "as " + name + " was released, the AutoResetEvent was reset, blocking the other two\n" +
         "threads. Click to release the waiting threads.\n\n");

      // Wait for a click.
      areSyncDemoThread.WaitOne();


      // Step 6: Release threads and dispose of the Shared resources.

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
         "Set() is called twice on the AutoResetEvent, releasing one waiting thread\n" + 
         "each time. In order to ensure that both threads are released, a suitable delay\n" +
         "must elapse between calls to Set(). This is accomplished by calling WaitAny()\n" +
         "on the autoResets array.\n\n");
      wait.Set();
      WaitHandle.WaitAny(autoResets);
      wait.Set();

      // To ensure that both threads have ended before DemoThread ends, WaitAny()  
      // is called to wait for the last thread to end. When DemoThread ends, the
      // variable 'wait' goes out of scope and the AutoResetEvent it holds is reclaimed
      // by garbage collection. If the thread is not released before this, it will not
      // be released (and therefore will not run) and it will not be reclaimed by 
      // collection until the application ends. You might think that the end of
      // DemoThread and the end of the application are synonymous, but in fact the
      // application is still running as long as the browser window remains active.
      // The questions of whether it is important for the last thread to run before 
      // the application ends, or whether it is a problem to temporarily leak the
      // thread, will have different answers from application to application.
      WaitHandle.WaitAny(autoResets);

      // Dispose of the static (class-level) wait handles. This is important only
      // if the program will go on running, and the wait handles will not be used.
      mre.Close();
      areSyncDemoThread.Close();
      foreach (AutoResetEvent are in autoResets)
      {
         are.Close();
      }

      // Unhook the mouse button event.
      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(delegate () {
         outputBlock.MouseLeftButtonUp -= new MouseButtonEventHandler(MouseUp); });

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
         "\nTo run the demo again, refresh the page.\n");
   }


   // Thread Procedures:

   // This thread procedure is executed by most of the named threads created in 
   // this example.
   private static void ThreadProc(object state)
   {
      AutoResetEvent are = (AutoResetEvent) state;
      string name = Thread.CurrentThread.Name;

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
                                   name + " starts and calls mre.WaitOne()\n");

      // Signal that the thread is about to wait.
      if (are != null) { are.Set(); }

      // Wait until the ManualResetEvent is signaled.
      mre.WaitOne();

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, name + " ends.\n");

      // Signal that the thread is about to exit.
      if (are != null) { are.Set(); }
   }


   // This thread procedure is used by the last step, which shows the behavior
   // of an AutoResetEvent that has been left in the signaled state.
   private static void ThreadProcARE(object state)
   {
      // Get two AutoResetEvent objects, one to signal when this thread is ready
      // for release, and one to wait on. The second AutoResetEvent is already
      // in the signaled state.
      AutoResetEvent[] are = (AutoResetEvent[]) state;
      string name = Thread.CurrentThread.Name;

      // Signal that this thread is ready for release.
      are[0].Set();

      // All threads are started at once, when mre is signaled.
      mre.WaitOne();

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, 
                                    name + " waits on the AutoResetEvent.\n");

      // Wait on the previously signaled AutoResetEvent.
      are[1].WaitOne();

      outputBlock.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(displayHelper, name + " ends.\n");

      // Signal that this thread is ready to end.
      are[0].Set();
   }


   // Helper methods:

   // In order to update the TextBlock object, which is on the UI thread, you must
   // make a cross-thread call by using the Dispatcher object that is associated 
   // with the TextBlock. The DisplayOutput helper method and its delegate, 
   // displayHelper, are used by the BeginInvoke method of the Dispatcher object
   // to append text to the TextBlock.
   //
   private static Action<string> displayHelper = new Action<string>(DisplayOutput);
   private static void DisplayOutput(string msg)
   {
      outputBlock.Text += msg;
   }
}

/* This example produces output similar to the following:

Click here to begin the demo.

Thread_0 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
Thread_1 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
Thread_2 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()

3 threads are queued, waiting for the ManualResetEvent. Click to signal
the ManualResetEvent by calling its Set() method.

Thread_2 ends.
Thread_1 ends.
Thread_0 ends.

All the threads were released, and the ManualResetEvent remains in the
signaled state. Click to start more threads.

Thread_3 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
Thread_3 ends.
Thread_4 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()
Thread_4 ends.

As long as the ManualResetEvent remains in the signaled state, threads
that wait on it do not block. Click to reset the ManualResetEvent.

Calling mre.Reset()

Thread_5 starts and calls mre.WaitOne()

With the ManualResetEvent in the unsignaled state, threads once again block.
Click to release the thread.

Thread_5 ends.

If an AutoResetEvent is signaled when there is no thread waiting on it, 
the AutoResetEvent remains in the signaled state until a thread waits on
it. That thread is immediately released, and the AutoResetEvent returns
to the unsignaled state. Click here to demonstrate this.

Thread_7 waits on the AutoResetEvent.
Thread_7 ends.
Thread_8 waits on the AutoResetEvent.
Thread_6 waits on the AutoResetEvent.

Thread_7 was the first thread to wait on the signaled AutoResetEvent. As soon
as Thread_7 was released, the AutoResetEvent was reset, blocking the other
two threads. Click to release the waiting threads.

Set() is called twice on the AutoResetEvent, releasing one waiting thread 
each time. In order to ensure that both threads are released, a suitable delay
must elapse between calls to Set(). This is accomplished by calling WaitAny()
on the autoResets array.

Thread_8 ends.
Thread_6 ends.

To run the demo again, refresh the page.
 */

Version Information

Silverlight

Supported in: 5, 4, 3

Silverlight for Windows Phone

Supported in: Windows Phone OS 7.1, Windows Phone OS 7.0

XNA Framework

Supported in: Xbox 360, Windows Phone OS 7.0

Platforms

For a list of the operating systems and browsers that are supported by Silverlight, see Supported Operating Systems and Browsers.

Thread Safety

This class is thread safe.

See Also

Reference

System.Threading Namespace

WaitHandle

Other Resources

Managed Threading

EventWaitHandle, AutoResetEvent, and ManualResetEvent