Events are messages that indicate an interesting occurrence in another part of the application. When an event is raised, other parts of your application are given the opportunity to respond to that event by executing methods called event handlers.
Events are members of your class. An event represents a message that is sent to other parts of the application. When something noteworthy in the application occurs, your application can raise the event, which sends out the message. The event can wrap any arguments that contain information about the event and send them along with the event. Other parts of the application can handle the event, which means that a method is executed in response to the event.
Any method that handles an event must have the same signature as the event itself; that is, it must take the same kinds of arguments as the event passes. An event can be handled by more than one method, and a single method can handle more than one event.
Delegates
Central to the way in which events work are special classes called delegates. A delegate is essentially a type-safe function pointer. It allows you to pass a reference to the entry point for a method and invoke that method without making an explicit method call. When you declare a delegate, you specify the signature of the method that it can call and the return type.
In Visual C#, if you are creating a delegate to an instance method, you must initialize the delegate within a method. Delegates to static methods can be initialized outside a method.
Once declared and assigned, you can use the delegate to invoke the method in the same manner in which you would make a function call.
To create and invoke a delegate
Declare the delegate and provide a signature identical to the signature of the method(s) you want to invoke with this delegate.
Create an instance of the delegate that points to a method that has the appropriate signature.
Invoke the delegate by referencing its name.
Declaring and Raising Events
Declaring events is directly tied to delegates. In Visual C#, you must explicitly designate the delegate type that your event will use. Visual Basic .NET provides much of this functionality for you behind the scenes: you only need to supply the name of the event and the signature of the method it requires. A default delegate matching this signature is created.
To declare an event with Visual Basic .NET
Use the Event keyword to declare an event. Supply a signature that represents the signature of the type of method that you would like to handle the event. You can use any access modifiers, such as Public, Private, or Protected.
Implementing Event Handlers
Once an event is declared, it must be associated with one or more event handlers before it can be raised. An event handler is a method that is called through a delegate when an event is raised, and you must create associations between events and event handlers to achieve your desired results. If you attempt to raise an event in Visual Basic .NET that does not have any event handlers associated with it, nothing will happen. If you raise an event that has no event handlers in Visual C#, an error will result.
Like other members, there are instance events and Shared (static) events. Creating an event handler for an instance event requires that an association be made between a method and an object's event. The object must be declared in order for the event handler association to be created. Shared (static) events, however, belong to the class itself rather than any one instance of a class. To create an event handler for these events, you do not need to declare an instance of the class beforehand.
Event Handlers in Visual Basic .NET
In Visual Basic .NET, event handlers must be Subs and cannot return a value. You can associate a Sub with a given event by using the AddHandler keyword. AddHandler allows you to specify an event and designate a pointer to the method with which that event will be associated. The pointer is created using the AddressOf operator.
The AddHandler keyword cannot be used declaratively; it must be used inside a method. Thus, the association between the event and the event handler does not exist before the application's execution; it is added at run time. For event handler associations that exist for the lifetime of the object, the AddHandler keyword should be placed in the class's constructor.
Visual Basic .NET also allows you to create event handler associations at design time using the Handles clause. To use the Handles clause, the object must be declared with the WithEvents keyword. The WithEvents keyword informs the containing object that it will be receiving events from the contained object.
Event Handlers in Visual C#
Unlike in Visual Basic .NET, event handlers in Visual C# can return a value, and that value can be assigned to a variable in the same manner as a function call. You associate a method with a given method by creating a new instance of the appropriate delegate, which specifies the appropriate method and uses the += operator to make the association. You can also use the += operator to associate an event with an instance of a delegate that already exists.
Default delegates are provided for the events of the controls and classes of the .NET Framework base class library. If you want to manually add an event handler for one of these events, you do not need to declare a new delegate. Rather, you can create a new instance of the predefined default delegate. For example, the delegate class that is used for events for most of the controls in the System.Windows.Forms namespace is System.EventHandler.
To handle an event in Visual Basic .NET
Use the AddHandler keyword to create an association between an event and a method to handle that event. The AddressOf operator allows you to receive a pointer to the appropriate method. Event handlers must have the same signature as the event being handled.
Alternatively, you can use the Handles keyword to associate a method with an event at design time. The method must be a member method of an object that was declared with the WithEvents keyword.
To handle an event in Visual C#
Create an instance of the appropriate delegate for the event that specified the method that will handle the event, and use the += operator to associate the event with the delegate.
Event Handlers That Handle Multiple Events
You can create event handlers that handle multiple events. A common instance of when you might want to do this is when you have more than one instance of a class or control that raises the same events. For example, you might have a group of buttons on a form that share a similar role in the application. You might create a single method to handle the Click event for all of these buttons and distinguish between them by using the sender parameter.
Associating multiple events with a single handler is simple. You use the AddHandler or += operator in exactly the same way in which you would add a single event handler.
Events with Multiple Handlers
An event can be handled by more than one event handler. When an event is handled by more than one handler, all of the methods handling that event are executed. The order in which the methods execute is the same as the order in which the association was created. Thus, if event x is associated in code with handlers y, z, and q (in that order), when the event is raised, the order of handler execution will be y, z, and q. In Visual C#, if you are returning a value with your event, it will return the value of the last method executed.
To associate an event with multiple handlers, all you have to do is create an association between the event and each handler. In Visual Basic .NET, you can use the Handles clause to declaratively associate several methods with an event. If this method is used, the order of method execution is less predictable and should be tested if it has an effect on the dynamics of the application.
Removing Handlers at Run Time
You can also remove event handler associations at run time. For example, suppose you had a class that modeled a bank account that raised a NotSufficientFunds event every time the account's owner tried to submit a check for an amount greater than the account balance.
You might associate this event with two methods: a ChargeAccount method, which assesses a fee for writing a Not Sufficient Funds (NSF) check, and a Notify method, which notifies the owner of the account that his account is overdrawn. You would call the ChargeAccount method every time an NSF check was passed, but it would be redundant to call the Notify method more than once until the account balance became positive. In this case, you could remove the event handler for the Notify method, and reinsert it when the account balance returned to the positive side.
The method by which you remove an event handler is very similar to the method by which you add one. In Visual Basic. NET, you use the RemoveHandler method to disassociate an event from a delegate obtained with the AddressOf operator. In Visual C#, you use the -= operator to dynamically remove an association between an event and a method. This operator requires a reference to a delegate of the appropriate signature, and it must reference the method to be removed.
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Events are members of your class. An event represents a message that is sent to other parts of the application. When something noteworthy in the application occurs, your application can raise the event, which sends out the message. The event can wrap any arguments that contain information about the event and send them along with the event. Other parts of the application can handle the event, which means that a method is executed in response to the event.
Any method that handles an event must have the same signature as the event itself; that is, it must take the same kinds of arguments as the event passes. An event can be handled by more than one method, and a single method can handle more than one event.
Delegates
Central to the way in which events work are special classes called delegates. A delegate is essentially a type-safe function pointer. It allows you to pass a reference to the entry point for a method and invoke that method without making an explicit method call. When you declare a delegate, you specify the signature of the method that it can call and the return type.
In Visual C#, if you are creating a delegate to an instance method, you must initialize the delegate within a method. Delegates to static methods can be initialized outside a method.
Once declared and assigned, you can use the delegate to invoke the method in the same manner in which you would make a function call.
To create and invoke a delegate
Declare the delegate and provide a signature identical to the signature of the method(s) you want to invoke with this delegate.
Create an instance of the delegate that points to a method that has the appropriate signature.
Invoke the delegate by referencing its name.
Declaring and Raising Events
Declaring events is directly tied to delegates. In Visual C#, you must explicitly designate the delegate type that your event will use. Visual Basic .NET provides much of this functionality for you behind the scenes: you only need to supply the name of the event and the signature of the method it requires. A default delegate matching this signature is created.
To declare an event with Visual Basic .NET
Use the Event keyword to declare an event. Supply a signature that represents the signature of the type of method that you would like to handle the event. You can use any access modifiers, such as Public, Private, or Protected.
Implementing Event Handlers
Once an event is declared, it must be associated with one or more event handlers before it can be raised. An event handler is a method that is called through a delegate when an event is raised, and you must create associations between events and event handlers to achieve your desired results. If you attempt to raise an event in Visual Basic .NET that does not have any event handlers associated with it, nothing will happen. If you raise an event that has no event handlers in Visual C#, an error will result.
Like other members, there are instance events and Shared (static) events. Creating an event handler for an instance event requires that an association be made between a method and an object's event. The object must be declared in order for the event handler association to be created. Shared (static) events, however, belong to the class itself rather than any one instance of a class. To create an event handler for these events, you do not need to declare an instance of the class beforehand.
Event Handlers in Visual Basic .NET
In Visual Basic .NET, event handlers must be Subs and cannot return a value. You can associate a Sub with a given event by using the AddHandler keyword. AddHandler allows you to specify an event and designate a pointer to the method with which that event will be associated. The pointer is created using the AddressOf operator.
The AddHandler keyword cannot be used declaratively; it must be used inside a method. Thus, the association between the event and the event handler does not exist before the application's execution; it is added at run time. For event handler associations that exist for the lifetime of the object, the AddHandler keyword should be placed in the class's constructor.
Visual Basic .NET also allows you to create event handler associations at design time using the Handles clause. To use the Handles clause, the object must be declared with the WithEvents keyword. The WithEvents keyword informs the containing object that it will be receiving events from the contained object.
Event Handlers in Visual C#
Unlike in Visual Basic .NET, event handlers in Visual C# can return a value, and that value can be assigned to a variable in the same manner as a function call. You associate a method with a given method by creating a new instance of the appropriate delegate, which specifies the appropriate method and uses the += operator to make the association. You can also use the += operator to associate an event with an instance of a delegate that already exists.
Default delegates are provided for the events of the controls and classes of the .NET Framework base class library. If you want to manually add an event handler for one of these events, you do not need to declare a new delegate. Rather, you can create a new instance of the predefined default delegate. For example, the delegate class that is used for events for most of the controls in the System.Windows.Forms namespace is System.EventHandler.
To handle an event in Visual Basic .NET
Use the AddHandler keyword to create an association between an event and a method to handle that event. The AddressOf operator allows you to receive a pointer to the appropriate method. Event handlers must have the same signature as the event being handled.
Alternatively, you can use the Handles keyword to associate a method with an event at design time. The method must be a member method of an object that was declared with the WithEvents keyword.
To handle an event in Visual C#
Create an instance of the appropriate delegate for the event that specified the method that will handle the event, and use the += operator to associate the event with the delegate.
Event Handlers That Handle Multiple Events
You can create event handlers that handle multiple events. A common instance of when you might want to do this is when you have more than one instance of a class or control that raises the same events. For example, you might have a group of buttons on a form that share a similar role in the application. You might create a single method to handle the Click event for all of these buttons and distinguish between them by using the sender parameter.
Associating multiple events with a single handler is simple. You use the AddHandler or += operator in exactly the same way in which you would add a single event handler.
Events with Multiple Handlers
An event can be handled by more than one event handler. When an event is handled by more than one handler, all of the methods handling that event are executed. The order in which the methods execute is the same as the order in which the association was created. Thus, if event x is associated in code with handlers y, z, and q (in that order), when the event is raised, the order of handler execution will be y, z, and q. In Visual C#, if you are returning a value with your event, it will return the value of the last method executed.
To associate an event with multiple handlers, all you have to do is create an association between the event and each handler. In Visual Basic .NET, you can use the Handles clause to declaratively associate several methods with an event. If this method is used, the order of method execution is less predictable and should be tested if it has an effect on the dynamics of the application.
Removing Handlers at Run Time
You can also remove event handler associations at run time. For example, suppose you had a class that modeled a bank account that raised a NotSufficientFunds event every time the account's owner tried to submit a check for an amount greater than the account balance.
You might associate this event with two methods: a ChargeAccount method, which assesses a fee for writing a Not Sufficient Funds (NSF) check, and a Notify method, which notifies the owner of the account that his account is overdrawn. You would call the ChargeAccount method every time an NSF check was passed, but it would be redundant to call the Notify method more than once until the account balance became positive. In this case, you could remove the event handler for the Notify method, and reinsert it when the account balance returned to the positive side.
The method by which you remove an event handler is very similar to the method by which you add one. In Visual Basic. NET, you use the RemoveHandler method to disassociate an event from a delegate obtained with the AddressOf operator. In Visual C#, you use the -= operator to dynamically remove an association between an event and a method. This operator requires a reference to a delegate of the appropriate signature, and it must reference the method to be removed.
RELATED POST
DAY 1 MICROSOFT DOT NET FRAME WORK
DAY 2 MICROSOFT DOT NET BASE CLASS LIBRARY
DAY 3 MICROSOFT DOT NET CLASSES AND STRECTURES
DAY 4 METHODS IN FRAME WORK
DAY 5 INPUT VALIDATIONS IN DOT NET PART ONE
DAY 6 INPUT VALIDATIONS IN DOT NET PART TWO
DAY 7 DATA TYPES IN DOT NET
DAY 8 DATA TYPES IN DOT NET PART TWO
DAY 9 IMPLEMENTING PROPERTIES IN DOT NET
DAY 10 DELEGATES AND EVENTS
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