I am developing a Blazor server app, where all clients will have a list of things, any one of these clients can update thing which should then trigger a callback telling all clients to call DbContext.Entry(thing).Reload() so they're up to date. This works all great and well until I refresh the page, then I get the Cannot access a disposed object error and I can't figure out how to get around it.
I have the follow services:
services.AddDbContextPool<MainDbContext>(...);
services.AddSingleton<RefreshService>();
RefreshService.cs:
public class RefreshService {
public Func<long, Task> OnRefreshThing { get; set; }
public void RefreshThing(long thingId) => OnRefreshThing?.Invoke(thingId);
}
Index.blazor:
protected override void OnInitialized() {
RefreshService.OnRefreshIssue += OnRefreshIssue;
}
private async Task OnRefreshThing(long thingId) {
// This works perfectly until I refresh the page & try to call it again
Thing thing = await MainDbContext.Things.FindAsync(thingId); // exception is thrown here
await MainDbContext.Entry(thing).ReloadAsync();
}
And here's an example of what triggers the error:
Thing thing = Things.Where(t => t.ThingId == 1);
thing.Name = "New name";
RefreshService.RefreshThing(thing.ThingId);
You can modify the RefreshService to be Scoped not Singleton
The AddDbContextPool does not dispose the instance of the dbcontext completely, it resets the instance to its default state and it could be because of the reset that it can't access it again
Related
Whenever I use addListenerForSingleValueEvent with setPersistenceEnabled(true), I only manage to get a local offline copy of DataSnapshot and NOT the updated DataSnapshot from the server.
However, if I use addValueEventListener with setPersistenceEnabled(true), I can get the latest copy of DataSnapshot from the server.
Is this normal for addListenerForSingleValueEvent as it only searches DataSnapshot locally (offline) and removes its listener after successfully retrieving DataSnapshot ONCE (either offline or online)?
Update (2021): There is a new method call (get on Android and getData on iOS) that implement the behavior you'll like want: it first tries to get the latest value from the server, and only falls back to the cache when it can't reach the server. The recommendation to use persistent listeners still applies, but at least there's a cleaner option for getting data once even when you have local caching enabled.
How persistence works
The Firebase client keeps a copy of all data you're actively listening to in memory. Once the last listener disconnects, the data is flushed from memory.
If you enable disk persistence in a Firebase Android application with:
Firebase.getDefaultConfig().setPersistenceEnabled(true);
The Firebase client will keep a local copy (on disk) of all data that the app has recently listened to.
What happens when you attach a listener
Say you have the following ValueEventListener:
ValueEventListener listener = new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot snapshot) {
System.out.println(snapshot.getValue());
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(FirebaseError firebaseError) {
// No-op
}
};
When you add a ValueEventListener to a location:
ref.addValueEventListener(listener);
// OR
ref.addListenerForSingleValueEvent(listener);
If the value of the location is in the local disk cache, the Firebase client will invoke onDataChange() immediately for that value from the local cache. If will then also initiate a check with the server, to ask for any updates to the value. It may subsequently invoke onDataChange() again if there has been a change of the data on the server since it was last added to the cache.
What happens when you use addListenerForSingleValueEvent
When you add a single value event listener to the same location:
ref.addListenerForSingleValueEvent(listener);
The Firebase client will (like in the previous situation) immediately invoke onDataChange() for the value from the local disk cache. It will not invoke the onDataChange() any more times, even if the value on the server turns out to be different. Do note that updated data still will be requested and returned on subsequent requests.
This was covered previously in How does Firebase sync work, with shared data?
Solution and workaround
The best solution is to use addValueEventListener(), instead of a single-value event listener. A regular value listener will get both the immediate local event and the potential update from the server.
A second solution is to use the new get method (introduced in early 2021), which doesn't have this problematic behavior. Note that this method always tries to first fetch the value from the server, so it will take longer to completely. If your value never changes, it might still be better to use addListenerForSingleValueEvent (but you probably wouldn't have ended up on this page in that case).
As a workaround you can also call keepSynced(true) on the locations where you use a single-value event listener. This ensures that the data is updated whenever it changes, which drastically improves the chance that your single-value event listener will see the current value.
So I have a working solution for this. All you have to do is use ValueEventListener and remove the listener after 0.5 seconds to make sure you've grabbed the updated data by then if needed. Realtime database has very good latency so this is safe. See safe code example below;
public class FirebaseController {
private DatabaseReference mRootRef;
private Handler mHandler = new Handler();
private FirebaseController() {
FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().setPersistenceEnabled(true);
mRootRef = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference();
}
public static FirebaseController getInstance() {
if (sInstance == null) {
sInstance = new FirebaseController();
}
return sInstance;
}
Then some method you'd have liked to use "addListenerForSingleEvent";
public void getTime(final OnTimeRetrievedListener listener) {
DatabaseReference ref = mRootRef.child("serverTime");
ref.addValueEventListener(new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
if (listener != null) {
// This can be called twice if data changed on server - SO DEAL WITH IT!
listener.onTimeRetrieved(dataSnapshot.getValue(Long.class));
}
// This can be called twice if data changed on server - SO DEAL WITH IT!
removeListenerAfter2(ref, this);
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
removeListenerAfter2(ref, this);
}
});
}
// ValueEventListener version workaround for addListenerForSingleEvent not working.
private void removeListenerAfter2(DatabaseReference ref, ValueEventListener listener) {
mHandler.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
HelperUtil.logE("removing listener", FirebaseController.class);
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
}
}, 500);
}
// ChildEventListener version workaround for addListenerForSingleEvent not working.
private void removeListenerAfter2(DatabaseReference ref, ChildEventListener listener) {
mHandler.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
HelperUtil.logE("removing listener", FirebaseController.class);
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
}
}, 500);
}
Even if they close the app before the handler is executed, it will be removed anyways.
Edit: this can be abstracted to keep track of added and removed listeners in a HashMap using reference path as key and datasnapshot as value. You can even wrap a fetchData method that has a boolean flag for "once" if this is true it would do this workaround to get data once, else it would continue as normal.
You're Welcome!
You can create transaction and abort it, then onComplete will be called when online (nline data) or offline (cached data)
I previously created function which worked only if database got connection lomng enough to do synch. I fixed issue by adding timeout. I will work on this and test if this works. Maybe in the future, when I get free time, I will create android lib and publish it, but by then it is the code in kotlin:
/**
* #param databaseReference reference to parent database node
* #param callback callback with mutable list which returns list of objects and boolean if data is from cache
* #param timeOutInMillis if not set it will wait all the time to get data online. If set - when timeout occurs it will send data from cache if exists
*/
fun readChildrenOnlineElseLocal(databaseReference: DatabaseReference, callback: ((mutableList: MutableList<#kotlin.UnsafeVariance T>, isDataFromCache: Boolean) -> Unit), timeOutInMillis: Long? = null) {
var countDownTimer: CountDownTimer? = null
val transactionHandlerAbort = object : Transaction.Handler { //for cache load
override fun onComplete(p0: DatabaseError?, p1: Boolean, data: DataSnapshot?) {
val listOfObjects = ArrayList<T>()
data?.let {
data.children.forEach {
val child = it.getValue(aClass)
child?.let {
listOfObjects.add(child)
}
}
}
callback.invoke(listOfObjects, true)
}
override fun doTransaction(p0: MutableData?): Transaction.Result {
return Transaction.abort()
}
}
val transactionHandlerSuccess = object : Transaction.Handler { //for online load
override fun onComplete(p0: DatabaseError?, p1: Boolean, data: DataSnapshot?) {
countDownTimer?.cancel()
val listOfObjects = ArrayList<T>()
data?.let {
data.children.forEach {
val child = it.getValue(aClass)
child?.let {
listOfObjects.add(child)
}
}
}
callback.invoke(listOfObjects, false)
}
override fun doTransaction(p0: MutableData?): Transaction.Result {
return Transaction.success(p0)
}
}
In the code if time out is set then I set up timer which will call transaction with abort. This transaction will be called even when offline and will provide online or cached data (in this function there is really high chance that this data is cached one).
Then I call transaction with success. OnComplete will be called ONLY if we got response from firebase database. We can now cancel timer (if not null) and send data to callback.
This implementation makes dev 99% sure that data is from cache or is online one.
If you want to make it faster for offline (to don't wait stupidly with timeout when obviously database is not connected) then check if database is connected before using function above:
DatabaseReference connectedRef = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference(".info/connected");
connectedRef.addValueEventListener(new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot snapshot) {
boolean connected = snapshot.getValue(Boolean.class);
if (connected) {
System.out.println("connected");
} else {
System.out.println("not connected");
}
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(DatabaseError error) {
System.err.println("Listener was cancelled");
}
});
When workinkg with persistence enabled, I counted the times the listener received a call to onDataChange() and stoped to listen at 2 times. Worked for me, maybe helps:
private int timesRead;
private ValueEventListener listener;
private DatabaseReference ref;
private void readFB() {
timesRead = 0;
if (ref == null) {
ref = mFBDatabase.child("URL");
}
if (listener == null) {
listener = new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
//process dataSnapshot
timesRead++;
if (timesRead == 2) {
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
}
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
}
};
}
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
ref.addValueEventListener(listener);
}
Whenever I use addListenerForSingleValueEvent with setPersistenceEnabled(true), I only manage to get a local offline copy of DataSnapshot and NOT the updated DataSnapshot from the server.
However, if I use addValueEventListener with setPersistenceEnabled(true), I can get the latest copy of DataSnapshot from the server.
Is this normal for addListenerForSingleValueEvent as it only searches DataSnapshot locally (offline) and removes its listener after successfully retrieving DataSnapshot ONCE (either offline or online)?
Update (2021): There is a new method call (get on Android and getData on iOS) that implement the behavior you'll like want: it first tries to get the latest value from the server, and only falls back to the cache when it can't reach the server. The recommendation to use persistent listeners still applies, but at least there's a cleaner option for getting data once even when you have local caching enabled.
How persistence works
The Firebase client keeps a copy of all data you're actively listening to in memory. Once the last listener disconnects, the data is flushed from memory.
If you enable disk persistence in a Firebase Android application with:
Firebase.getDefaultConfig().setPersistenceEnabled(true);
The Firebase client will keep a local copy (on disk) of all data that the app has recently listened to.
What happens when you attach a listener
Say you have the following ValueEventListener:
ValueEventListener listener = new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot snapshot) {
System.out.println(snapshot.getValue());
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(FirebaseError firebaseError) {
// No-op
}
};
When you add a ValueEventListener to a location:
ref.addValueEventListener(listener);
// OR
ref.addListenerForSingleValueEvent(listener);
If the value of the location is in the local disk cache, the Firebase client will invoke onDataChange() immediately for that value from the local cache. If will then also initiate a check with the server, to ask for any updates to the value. It may subsequently invoke onDataChange() again if there has been a change of the data on the server since it was last added to the cache.
What happens when you use addListenerForSingleValueEvent
When you add a single value event listener to the same location:
ref.addListenerForSingleValueEvent(listener);
The Firebase client will (like in the previous situation) immediately invoke onDataChange() for the value from the local disk cache. It will not invoke the onDataChange() any more times, even if the value on the server turns out to be different. Do note that updated data still will be requested and returned on subsequent requests.
This was covered previously in How does Firebase sync work, with shared data?
Solution and workaround
The best solution is to use addValueEventListener(), instead of a single-value event listener. A regular value listener will get both the immediate local event and the potential update from the server.
A second solution is to use the new get method (introduced in early 2021), which doesn't have this problematic behavior. Note that this method always tries to first fetch the value from the server, so it will take longer to completely. If your value never changes, it might still be better to use addListenerForSingleValueEvent (but you probably wouldn't have ended up on this page in that case).
As a workaround you can also call keepSynced(true) on the locations where you use a single-value event listener. This ensures that the data is updated whenever it changes, which drastically improves the chance that your single-value event listener will see the current value.
So I have a working solution for this. All you have to do is use ValueEventListener and remove the listener after 0.5 seconds to make sure you've grabbed the updated data by then if needed. Realtime database has very good latency so this is safe. See safe code example below;
public class FirebaseController {
private DatabaseReference mRootRef;
private Handler mHandler = new Handler();
private FirebaseController() {
FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().setPersistenceEnabled(true);
mRootRef = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference();
}
public static FirebaseController getInstance() {
if (sInstance == null) {
sInstance = new FirebaseController();
}
return sInstance;
}
Then some method you'd have liked to use "addListenerForSingleEvent";
public void getTime(final OnTimeRetrievedListener listener) {
DatabaseReference ref = mRootRef.child("serverTime");
ref.addValueEventListener(new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
if (listener != null) {
// This can be called twice if data changed on server - SO DEAL WITH IT!
listener.onTimeRetrieved(dataSnapshot.getValue(Long.class));
}
// This can be called twice if data changed on server - SO DEAL WITH IT!
removeListenerAfter2(ref, this);
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
removeListenerAfter2(ref, this);
}
});
}
// ValueEventListener version workaround for addListenerForSingleEvent not working.
private void removeListenerAfter2(DatabaseReference ref, ValueEventListener listener) {
mHandler.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
HelperUtil.logE("removing listener", FirebaseController.class);
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
}
}, 500);
}
// ChildEventListener version workaround for addListenerForSingleEvent not working.
private void removeListenerAfter2(DatabaseReference ref, ChildEventListener listener) {
mHandler.postDelayed(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
HelperUtil.logE("removing listener", FirebaseController.class);
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
}
}, 500);
}
Even if they close the app before the handler is executed, it will be removed anyways.
Edit: this can be abstracted to keep track of added and removed listeners in a HashMap using reference path as key and datasnapshot as value. You can even wrap a fetchData method that has a boolean flag for "once" if this is true it would do this workaround to get data once, else it would continue as normal.
You're Welcome!
You can create transaction and abort it, then onComplete will be called when online (nline data) or offline (cached data)
I previously created function which worked only if database got connection lomng enough to do synch. I fixed issue by adding timeout. I will work on this and test if this works. Maybe in the future, when I get free time, I will create android lib and publish it, but by then it is the code in kotlin:
/**
* #param databaseReference reference to parent database node
* #param callback callback with mutable list which returns list of objects and boolean if data is from cache
* #param timeOutInMillis if not set it will wait all the time to get data online. If set - when timeout occurs it will send data from cache if exists
*/
fun readChildrenOnlineElseLocal(databaseReference: DatabaseReference, callback: ((mutableList: MutableList<#kotlin.UnsafeVariance T>, isDataFromCache: Boolean) -> Unit), timeOutInMillis: Long? = null) {
var countDownTimer: CountDownTimer? = null
val transactionHandlerAbort = object : Transaction.Handler { //for cache load
override fun onComplete(p0: DatabaseError?, p1: Boolean, data: DataSnapshot?) {
val listOfObjects = ArrayList<T>()
data?.let {
data.children.forEach {
val child = it.getValue(aClass)
child?.let {
listOfObjects.add(child)
}
}
}
callback.invoke(listOfObjects, true)
}
override fun doTransaction(p0: MutableData?): Transaction.Result {
return Transaction.abort()
}
}
val transactionHandlerSuccess = object : Transaction.Handler { //for online load
override fun onComplete(p0: DatabaseError?, p1: Boolean, data: DataSnapshot?) {
countDownTimer?.cancel()
val listOfObjects = ArrayList<T>()
data?.let {
data.children.forEach {
val child = it.getValue(aClass)
child?.let {
listOfObjects.add(child)
}
}
}
callback.invoke(listOfObjects, false)
}
override fun doTransaction(p0: MutableData?): Transaction.Result {
return Transaction.success(p0)
}
}
In the code if time out is set then I set up timer which will call transaction with abort. This transaction will be called even when offline and will provide online or cached data (in this function there is really high chance that this data is cached one).
Then I call transaction with success. OnComplete will be called ONLY if we got response from firebase database. We can now cancel timer (if not null) and send data to callback.
This implementation makes dev 99% sure that data is from cache or is online one.
If you want to make it faster for offline (to don't wait stupidly with timeout when obviously database is not connected) then check if database is connected before using function above:
DatabaseReference connectedRef = FirebaseDatabase.getInstance().getReference(".info/connected");
connectedRef.addValueEventListener(new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot snapshot) {
boolean connected = snapshot.getValue(Boolean.class);
if (connected) {
System.out.println("connected");
} else {
System.out.println("not connected");
}
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(DatabaseError error) {
System.err.println("Listener was cancelled");
}
});
When workinkg with persistence enabled, I counted the times the listener received a call to onDataChange() and stoped to listen at 2 times. Worked for me, maybe helps:
private int timesRead;
private ValueEventListener listener;
private DatabaseReference ref;
private void readFB() {
timesRead = 0;
if (ref == null) {
ref = mFBDatabase.child("URL");
}
if (listener == null) {
listener = new ValueEventListener() {
#Override
public void onDataChange(DataSnapshot dataSnapshot) {
//process dataSnapshot
timesRead++;
if (timesRead == 2) {
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
}
}
#Override
public void onCancelled(DatabaseError databaseError) {
}
};
}
ref.removeEventListener(listener);
ref.addValueEventListener(listener);
}
I recently migrated my web application from ASP.net to.NETCore, I have already registered the DBcontext using DI in my startup.cs
services.AddDbContext<MyContextDB>
(options =>
options.UseSqlServer(Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")),
....
public partial class MyContextDB: IdentityDbContext<USER>, IMyContextDB
...
protected override void OnConfiguring(DbContextOptionsBuilder optionsBuilder)
{
optionsBuilder.UseLazyLoadingProxies();
}
I have also avoided the use of "using" to retrieve data through the context , and I verified that I don't have any call to manually "Dispose()" the context
However I keep getting this exception whenever I reach this part of the application :
public class Licence : ILicence
{
private static IOptionsMonitor<LicenceConfiguration> _appSettings;
private readonly MyContextDB _context;
public Licence(MyContextDB context, IOptionsMonitor<LicenceConfiguration> optionsAccessor)
{
_context = context;
_appSettings = optionsAccessor;
}
public LICENCECODE GetLicenceCode(string key)
{
LICENCECODE LicenceCode = null;
LicenceCode = _context.LICENCECODE.SingleOrDefault(l => l.LICENCEKEY == key);
return LicenceCode;
}
}
"Cannot access a disposed object. A common cause of this error is
disposing a context that was resolved from dependency injection and
then later trying to use the same context instance elsewhere in your
application. This may occur if you are calling Dispose() on the
context, or wrapping the context in a using statement. If you are
using dependency injection, you should let the dependency injection
container take care of disposing context instances.\r\nObject name:
'MyContextDB'."
I've been through every article available on the internet about this exception but yet I can't identify the actual cause of it.
Could you please help me resolve it
The exception is raised specifically when this call is made :
public async Task<LICENCECODE> GetLicenceCode(string key)
{
LICENCECODE LicenceCode = null;
LicenceCode = await _context.LICENCECODE.SingleOrDefaultAsync(l => l.LICENCEKEY == key);
return LicenceCode;
}
PS: I tried to change the method to async because I thought that could be the cause of the issue but unfortunately it's still happening.
the call to that method is from another Model class
validLicence = _licence.CheckLicence(type.Name, ref message, out maxCount);
....
and then inside
CheckLicence
LICENCECODE LicenceCode = GetLicenceCode(LicenceKey).Result;
I guess it depends on how you are using your Licence class, but it might have to do with the lifetime of the request ending before you complete your work in Licence. This could for example happen if your controller action is asynchronous.
Try registering the class with transient lifetime instead:
services.AddTransient<ILicence, Licence>();
I have an endpoint which is receiving IPN activity from PayPal. Here is the POST Action that is taken straight from their docs with manual modifications:
[HttpPost]
public IActionResult Receive()
{
IPNContext ipnContext = new IPNContext()
{
IPNRequest = Request
};
using (StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(ipnContext.IPNRequest.Body, Encoding.ASCII))
{
ipnContext.RequestBody = reader.ReadToEnd();
}
List<KeyValuePair<string, string>> ipnVarsWithCmd = ipnContext.RequestBody.Split('&')
.Select(x => new KeyValuePair<string, string>(x.Split('=')[0], x.Split('=')[1])).ToList();
//Fire and forget verification task -- ** THIS **
Task.Run(() => VerifyTask(ipnContext, ipnVarsWithCmd));
//Reply back a 200 code
return Ok();
}
The issue is the indicated line. This is a "fire and forget" route, and is executed asynchronously. When the Action is complete, and returns Ok, I am assuming that the injected Entity Framework context from the controller:
public class IPNController : Controller
{
private readonly EFContext _context;
public IPNController(EFContext context)
{
_context = context;
}
}
... gets Disposed? According to my logs, it looks like it.
Meanwhile, I have that second thread doing the actual legwork of the IPN request which needs that EFContext to be around.
Is there a pattern I am missing here? (Bearing in mind whilst I'm not new to .NET I am to .NET Core)
Or is there a way I can "get it back" so I can use it?
Update:
You might find my initialisation of the context useful:
public class Startup
{
public Startup(IConfiguration configuration)
{
Configuration = configuration;
}
public IConfiguration Configuration { get; }
// This method gets called by the runtime. Use this method to add services to the container.
public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
services.AddDbContext<EFContext>(options =>
options.UseSqlServer(Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")));
}
}
Change:
Task.Run(() => VerifyTask(ipnContext, ipnVarsWithCmd));
to
await Task.Run(() => VerifyTask(ipnContext, ipnVarsWithCmd));
and method declaration to:
public async Task<IActionResult> Receive()
Also wrap IPNContext to using block to let it dispose when it is not needed.
I have seen many examples using Entity Framework in MVC3 applications, they are very simple demos which only have one mvc3 web project with edmx inside it.
So, they can use the best practice for open and close connection by "using" statement:
using(var context = new SchoolEntities())
{
// do some query and return View with result.
}
And, It can use lazy load (navigation properties) inside the "using" statment correctly, because the context is not yet
disposed:
foreach(var item in student.Course)
{
// do something with the navigation property Course
}
All things seems to be perfect until it becomes an n-tier application.
I created DAL, BLL, and a MVC3 UI.
The DAL have edmx inside it, and operator classes like SchoolDA.cs:
public class StudentDA()
{
public Student FindStudent(int studentId)
{
using(var context = new SchoolContext())
{
// do query, return a student object.
}
}
}
Then, in the BLL, if I use:
var student = studentDa.FindStudent(103);
then invoke it's navigation property:
student.Course
I will get an error (of course):
The ObjectContext instance has been disposed and can no longer be used for operations that require a connection.
So, I have to change StudentDA.cs like this:
public class StudentDA() : IDisposable
{
private SchoolEntites context;
public StudentDA()
{
context = new SchoolEntities();
}
public void Dispose()
{
context.Dispose();
}
public Student FindStudent(int studentId)
{
// do query, return a student object.
}
}
Then, the BLL will change like this:
public Student FindStudent(int id)
{
using(var studentDa = new StudentDA())
{
// this can access navigation properties without error, and close the connection correctly.
return studentDa.FindStudent(id);
}
}
All things seem to be perfect again until it meet Update() method.
Now, if I want to update a student object which is taken from BLL.FindStudent(), the context.SaveChanges() will return 0, because the context is already disposed in the BLL.FindStudent(), and nothing will be updated to database.
var optStudent = new StudentBO();
var student = optStudent.FindStudent(103);
student.Name = "NewValue";
optStudent.Update(student);
Does anyone have idea on how to use EntityFramework in 3 tire application? or how can I manage the context correctly. I will use navigation propertites very often in the web layer, but I can't always remain connection open to consume the server memory.
There are multiple ways to handle EF context's lifetime. In web apps, usually context is unique for an HttpRequest. For example, if you want to handle this manually in a web application and have a per Thread/HttpRequest EF context, you can do so with the following (Code copied from http://www.west-wind.com/weblog/posts/2008/Feb/05/Linq-to-SQL-DataContext-Lifetime-Management):
internal static class DbContextManager
{
public static DbContext Current
{
get
{
var key = "MyDb_" + HttpContext.Current.GetHashCode().ToString("x")
+ Thread.CurrentContext.ContextID.ToString();
var context = HttpContext.Current.Items[key] as MyDbContext;
if (context == null)
{
context = new MyDbContext();
HttpContext.Current.Items[key] = context;
}
return context;
}
}
}
And then you can easily use:
var ctx = DbContextManager.Current
But I suggest you leave the lifetime management to an IoC framework like Autofac, Castle Windsor, or Ninject which automatically handle the creation/disposal of your registered obejcts along with many other features.
Thanks for your answer Kamyar. I came across this whilst looking for a simple strategy to manage the ObjectContext lifetime without having to use an IoC framework, which seems a bit overkill for my needs.
I also came across your other post here, for disposing of the context at the end of the request.
Thought this might be useful for others coming across this, so just posting my implementation of your code here:
Context manager class -
internal static class MyDBContextManager
{
//Unique context key per request and thread
private static string Key
{
get
{
return string.Format("MyDb_{0}{1}", arg0: HttpContext.Current.GetHashCode().ToString("x"),
arg1: Thread.CurrentContext.ContextID);
}
}
//Get and set request context
private static MyDBContext Context
{
get { return HttpContext.Current.Items[Key] as MyDBContext; }
set { HttpContext.Current.Items[Key] = value; }
}
//Context per request
public static MyDBContext Current
{
get
{
//if null, create new context
if (Context == null)
{
Context = new MyDBContext();
HttpContext.Current.Items[Key] = Context;
}
return Context;
}
}
//Dispose any created context at the end of a request - called from Global.asax
public static void Dispose()
{
if (Context != null)
{
Context.Dispose();
}
}
}
Global.asax (MVC) -
public override void Init()
{
base.Init();
EndRequest +=MvcApplication_EndRequest;
}
private void MvcApplication_EndRequest(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
MyDBContextManager.Dispose();
}