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update the GUI from another thread in C#

Anonymous User219709-Oct-2014
What is the simplest way to update a Label from another thread?

I have a Form on thread1, from that I'm starting another thread (thread2). While thread2 is processing some files I would like to update a Label on the Form with the current status of thread2's work.

How can I do that?
c#asp.net c# 
Updated on 09-Oct-2014
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Anonymous User

Anonymous User

09-Oct-2014
For .NET 3.0 you should use this code.
privatedelegatevoidSetPropertyThreadSafeDelegate<TResult>(Control @this, Expression<Func<TResult>> property, TResult value);
 
        publicstaticvoid SetPropertyThreadSafe<TResult>(this Control @this, Expression<Func<TResult>> property, TResult value)
        {
            var propertyInfo = (property.Body as MemberExpression).Member as PropertyInfo;
 
            if (propertyInfo == null ||
                !@this.GetType().IsSubclassOf(propertyInfo.ReflectedType) ||
                @this.GetType().GetProperty(propertyInfo.Name, propertyInfo.PropertyType) == null)
            {
                thrownewArgumentException("The lambda expression 'property' must reference a valid property on this Control.");
            }
 
            if (@this.InvokeRequired)
            {
                @this.Invoke(newSetPropertyThreadSafeDelegate<TResult>(SetPropertyThreadSafe), newobject[] { @this, property, value });
            }
            else
            {
                @this.GetType().InvokeMember(propertyInfo.Name, BindingFlags.SetProperty, null, @this, newobject[] { value });
            }
        }

which uses LINQ and lambda expressions to allow much cleaner, simpler and safer syntax:

myLabel.SetPropertyThreadSafe(() => myLabel.Text, status);

Not only is the property name now checked at compile time, the property's type is as well, so it's impossible to (for example) assign a string value to a boolean property, and hence cause a runtime exception.

Unfortunately this doesn't stop anyone from doing stupid things such as passing in another Control's property and value, so the following will happily compile:

myLabel.SetPropertyThreadSafe(() => aForm.ShowIcon, false);

Hence I added the runtime checks to ensure that the passed-in property does actually belong to the Control that the method's being called on. Not perfect, but still a lot better than the .NET 2.0 version.

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