I am new to OSGi and came across several examples about OSGi services.
For example:
import org.osgi.framework.*;
import org.osgi.service.log.*;
public class MyActivator implements BundleActivator {
public void start(BundleContext context) throws Exception {
ServiceReference logRef =
context.getServiceReference(LogService.class.getName());
}
}
My question is, why do you use
getServiceReference(LogService.class.getName())
instead of
getServiceReference("LogService")
If you use LogService.class.getName() you have to import the Interface. This also means that you have to import the package org.osgi.services.log in your MANIFEST.MF.
Isn't that completely counterproductive if you want to reduce dependencies to push loose coupling? As far as I know one advantage of services is that the service consumer doesn't have to know the service publisher. But if you have to import one specific Interface you clearly have to know who's providing it. By only using a string like "LogService" you would not have to know that the Interface is provided by org.osgi.services.log.LogService.
What am I missing here?
Looks like you've confused implementation and interface
Using the actual interface for the name (and importing the interface , which you'll end up doing anyway) reenforces the interface contract that services are designed around. You don't care about the implemenation of a LogService but you do care about the interface. Every LogService will need to implement the same interface, hence your use of the interface to get the service. For all you know the LogService is really a wrapper around SLF4J provided by some other bundle. All you see is the interface. That's the loose coupling you're looking for. You don't have to ship the interface with every implementation. Leave the interface it's own bundle and have multiple implementations of that interface.
Side note: ServiceTracker is usually easier to use, give it a try!
Added benefits: Using the interface get the class name avoids spelling mistakes, excessive string literals, and makes refactoring much easier.
After you've gotten the ServiceReference, your next couple lines will likely involve this:
Object logSvc = content.getService(logRef)
// What can you do with logSvc now?!? It's an object, mostly useless
// Cast to the interface ... YES! Now you need to import it!
LogSerivce logger = (LogService)logSvc;
logger.log(LogService.LOG_INFO, "Interfaces are a contract between implementation and consumer/user");
If you use the LogService, you're coupled to it anyway. If you write middleware you likely get the name parameterized through some XML file or via an API. And yes, "LogService" will fail terribly, you need to use the fully qualified name: "org.osgi.service.log.LogService". Main reason to use the LogService.class.getName() pattern is to get correct renaming when you refactor your code and minimize spelling errors. The next OSGi API will very likely have:
ServiceReference<S> getServiceReference(Class<S> type)
calls to increase type safety.
Anyway, I would never use these low level API unless you develop middleware. If you actually depend on a concrete class DS is infinitely simpler, and even more when you use it with the bnd annotations (http://enroute.osgi.org/doc/217-ds.html).
#Component
class Xyz implements SomeService {
LogService log;
#Reference
void setLog( LogService log) { this.log = log; }
public void foo() { ... someservice ... }
}
If you develop middleware you get the service classes usually without knowing the actual class, via a string or class object. The OSGi API based on strings is used in those cases because it allows us to be more lazy by not creating a class loader until the last moment in time. I think the biggest mistake we made in OSGi 12 years ago is not to include the DS concepts in the core ... :-(
You cannot use value "LogService"
as a class name to get ServiceReference, because you have to use fully qualified class name
"org.osgi.services.log.LogService".
If you import package this way:
org.osgi.services.log;resolution:=optional
and you use ServiceTracker to track services in BundleActivator.start() method I suggest to use "org.osgi.services.log.LogService" instead of LogService.class.getName() on ServiceTracker initializazion. In this case you'll not get NoClassDefFoundError/ClassNotFountException on bundle start.
As basszero mentioned you should consider to use ServiceTracker. It is fairly easy to use and also supports a much better programming pattern. You must never assume that a ServiceReference you got sometime in the past is still valid. The service the ServiceReference points to might have gone away. The ServiceTracker will automatically notify you when a service is registered or unregistered.
Related
I am developing a modular WPF application with Prism in .Net Core 5.0 (using MVVM, DryIoc) and I would like to have a module that is not a WPF module, i.e., a module with functionality that can be used by any other module. I don't want any project reference, because I want to keep the loosely coupled idea of the modules.
My first question is: is it conceptually correct? Or is it mandatory that a module has a screen? I guess it should be ok.
The second and more important (for me) is, what would be the best way to create the instance?
This is the project (I know I should review the names in this project):
HotfixSearcher is the main class, the one I need to get instantiated. In this class, for example, I subscribe to some events.
And this is the class that implements the IModule interface (the module class):
namespace SearchHotfix.Library
{
public class HotfixSearcherModule : IModule
{
public HotfixSearcherModule()
{
}
public void OnInitialized(IContainerProvider containerProvider)
{
//Create Searcher instance
var searcher = containerProvider.Resolve<IHotfixSearcher>();
}
public void RegisterTypes(IContainerRegistry containerRegistry)
{
containerRegistry.RegisterSingleton<IHotfixSearcher, HotfixSearcher>();
}
}
}
That is the only way I found to get the class instantiated, but I am not a hundred per cent comfortable with creating an instance that is not used, I think it does not make much sense.
For modules that have screens, the instances get created when navigating to them using the RequestNavigate method:
_regionManager.RequestNavigate(RegionNames.ContentRegion, "ContentView");
But since this is only a library with no screens, I can't find any other way to get this instantiated.
According to Prism documentation, subscribing to an event shoud be enough but I tried doing that from within my main class HotfixSearcher but it does not work (breakpoints on constructor or on the event handler of the event to which I subscribe are never hit).
When I do this way, instead, the instance is created, I hit the constructor breakpoint, and obviously the instance is subscribed to the event since it is done in the constructor.
To sum up, is there a way to get rid of that var searcher = containerProvider.Resolve<IHotfixSearcher>(); and a better way to achieve this?
Thanks in advance!
Or is it mandatory that a module has a screen?
No, of course not, modules have nothing to do with views or view models. They are just a set of registrations with the container.
what would be the best way to create the instance?
Let the container do the work. Normally, you have (at least) one assembly that only contains public interfaces (and the associated enums), but no modules. You reference that from the module and register the module's implementations of the relevant interfaces withing the module's Initialize method. Some other module (or the main app) can then have classes that get the interfaces as constructor parameters, and the container will resolve (i.e. create) the concrete types registered in the module, although they are internal or even private and completely unknown outside the module.
This is as loose a coupling as it gets if you don't want to sacrifice strong typing.
is there a way to get rid of that var searcher = containerProvider.Resolve<IHotfixSearcher>(); and a better way to achieve this?
You can skip the var searcher = part :-) But if the HotfixSearcher is never injected anywhere, it won't be created unless you do it yourself. OnInitialized is the perfect spot for this, because it runs after all modules had their chance to RegisterTypes so all dependencies should be registered.
If HotfixSearcher is not meant to be injected, you can also drop IHotfixSearcher and resolve HotfixSearcher directly:
public void OnInitialized(IContainerProvider containerProvider)
{
containerProvider.Resolve<HotfixSearcher>();
}
I am not a hundred per cent comfortable with creating an instance that is not used, I think it does not make much sense.
It is used, I suppose, although not through calling one of its methods. It's used by sending it an event. That's just fine. Think of it like Task.Run - it's fine for the task to exist in seeming isolation, too.
Recently I was looking at some source code provided by community leaders in their open source implementations. One these projects made use of IOC. Here is sample hypothetical code:
public class Class1
{
private ISomeInterface _someObject;
public Class1(ISomeInterface someObject)
{
_someObject = someObject;
}
// some more code and then
var someOtherObject = new SomeOtherObject();
}
My question is not about what the IOCs are for and how to use them in technical terms but rather what are the guidelines regarding object creation. All that effort and then this line using "new" operator. I don't quite understand. Which object should be created by IOC and for which ones it is permissible to be created via the new operator?
As a general rule of thumb, if something is providing a service which may want to be replaced either for testing or to use a different implementation (e.g. different authentication services) then inject the dependency. If it's something like a collection, or a simple data object which isn't providing behaviour which you'd ever want to vary, then it's fine to instantiate it within the class.
Usually you use IoC because:
A dependency that can change in the future
To code against interfaces, not concrete types
To enable mocking these dependencies in Unit Testing scenarios
You could avoid using IoC in the case where you don't control the dependency, for example an StringBuilder is always going to be an StringBuilder and have a defined behavior, and you usually don't really need to mock that; while you might want to mock an HttpRequestBase, because it's an external dependency on having an internet connection, for example, which is a problem during unit tests (longer execution times, and it's something out of your control).
The same happens for database access repositories and so on.
I'm trying to remove some logging dependencies and stumbled across Castle Windsor's logging facility. However, I'm kind of skeptical about whether I should use it or not.
public class MyClass
{
public Castle.Core.Logging.ILogger Logger { get; set; }
...
}
Windsor's logging facility requires that you expose your logger as a property. Is that really a good practice? I feel like I'm almost breaking encapsulation because normally when I reuse a component, I don't care about it's logging mechanism and I don't normally want to see it exposed.
If I use a custom wrapper that uses a static class to create the log, I can keep it private. For example:
public class MyClass
{
private static MyCustomWrapper.ILogger Logger = LogManager.GetLogger(typeof(MyClass));
...
}
I've searched the web for reasons why I should use the logging facility, but I'm only finding articles on how to use it, but not why I should use it. I feel like I'm missing the point. Having the logging component exposed is kind of scarying me away.
Windsor's logging facility requires that you expose your logger as a property.
Not necessarily. You can also put your logger as a constructor (i.e. mandatory) dependency. The logger is usually declared as a property (i.e optional dependency) because there might be no logger. That is, the component should be able to function without a logger.
If I use a custom wrapper that uses a static class to create the log
That's a service locator, that code couples MyClass to LogManager, which is IMHO worse than what you were trying to get away from.
I am working in a project that has two main parts: a class library assembly and the main application. Both are using Castle Windsor for IoC and both manually setup their list of of components in code (to aid refactoring and prevent the need for a config file). Currently the main application has code like this:
public static void Main()
{
// Perform library IoC setup
LibraryComponent.Init();
// Perform application IoC setup
IoC.Register<IXyz, Abc>("abc");
// etc, etc, ...
// Start the application code ...
}
However the call to initialise the library doesn't seem like a good solution. What is the best way to setup a class library that uses an IoC container to decouple its internal components?
Edit:
Lusid proposed using a static method on each public component in the library that would in turn make the call to initialise. One possible way to make this a bit nicer would be to use something like PostSharp to do this in an aspect-oriented way. However I was hoping for something a bit more elegant ;-)
Lusid also proposed using the AppDomain.AssemblyLoad event to perform custom steps at load time, however I am really after a way to avoid the client assembly from requiring any setup code.
Thanks!
I'm not sure if I'm understanding exactly the problem you are trying to solve, but my first guess is that you are looking for a way to decouple the need to call the Init method from your main application.
One method I've used in the past is a static constructor on a static class in the class library:
static public class LibraryComponent {
static LibraryComponent() {
Init();
}
}
If you have multiple class libraries, and would like a quick and dirty way of evaluating all of them as they are loaded, here's a (kinda hairy) way:
[STAThread]
static void Main()
{
AppDomain.CurrentDomain.AssemblyLoad += new AssemblyLoadEventHandler(CurrentDomain_AssemblyLoad);
}
static void CurrentDomain_AssemblyLoad(object sender, AssemblyLoadEventArgs args)
{
IEnumerable<Type> types = args.LoadedAssembly.GetTypes()
.Where(t => typeof(IMyModuleInterface).IsAssignableFrom(t));
foreach (Type t in types)
{
doSomethingWithType(t);
}
}
The Where clause could be anything you want, of course. The code above would find any class deriving from IMyModuleInterface in each assembly that gets loaded into the current AppDomain, and then I can do something with it, whether it be registering dependencies, maintaining an internal list, whatever.
Might not be exactly what you are looking for, but hopefully it helps in some way.
You could have a registration module. Basically LibraryComponent.Init() function takes an IRegistrar to wire everything up.
The IRegistrar could basically have a function Register(Type interface, Type implementation). The implimentor would map that function back to their IOC container.
The downside is that you can't rely on anything specific to the container your using.
Castle Windsor actually has a concept called facilities that are basically just ways of wrapping standardised pieces of configuration. In this model, you would simply add the two facilities to the container and they would do the work.
Of course, this wouldn't really be better than calling a library routine to do the work unless you configured the facilities in a configuration file (consider binsor). If you are really allergic to configuration files, your current solution is probably the best.
Suppose that the ApplicationSettings class is a general repository of settings that apply to my application such as TimeoutPeriod, DefaultUnitOfMeasure, HistoryWindowSize, etc... And let's say MyClass makes use of one of those settings - DefaultUnitOfMeasure.
My reading of proper use of Inversion of Control Containers - and please correct me if I'm wrong on this - is that you define the dependencies of a class in its constructor:
public class MyClass {
public MyClass(IDataSource ds, UnitOfMeasure default_uom) {...}
}
and then call instantiate your class with something like
var mc = IoC.Container.Resolve<MyClass>();
Where IDataSource has been assigned a concrete implementation and default_uom has been wired up to instantiate from the ApplicationSettings.DefaultUnitOfMeasure property. I've got to wonder however, if all these hoops are really that necessary to jump through. What trouble am I setting myself up for should I do
public class MyClass {
public MyClass(IDataSource ds) {
UnitOfMeasure duom = IoC.Container.Resolve<UnitOfMeasure>("default_uom");
}
}
Yes, many of my classes end up with a dependency on IoC.Container but that is a dependency that most of my classes will have anyways. It seems like I maybe should make full use of it as long as the classes are coupled. Please Agile gurus, tell me where I'm wrong.
IoC.Container.Resolve("default_uom");
I see this as a classic anti-pattern, where you are using the IoC container as a service locater - the key issues that result are:
Your application no longer fails-fast if your container is misconfigured (you'll only know about it the first time it tries to resolve that particular service in code, which might not occur except for a specific set of logic/circumstances).
Harder to test - not impossible of course, but you either have to create a real (and semi-configured) instance of the windsor container for your tests or inject the singleton with a mock of IWindsorContainer - this adds a lot of friction to testing, compared to just being able to pass the mock/stub services directly into your class under test via constructors/properties.
Harder to maintain this kind of application (configuration isn't centralized in one location)
Violates a number of other software development principles (DRY, SOC etc.)
The concerning part of your original statement is the implication that most of your classes will have a dependency on your IoC singleton - if they're getting all the services injected in via constructors/dependencies then having some tight coupling to IoC should be the exception to the rule - In general the only time I take a dependency on the container is when I'm doing something tricky i.e. trying to avoid a circular dependency problems, or wish to create components at run-time for some reason, and even then I can often avoid taking a dependency on anything more then a generic IServiceProvider interface, allowing me to swap in a home-bake IoC or service locater implementation if I need to reuse the components in an environment outside of the original project.
I usually don't have many classes depending on my IoC container. I usually try to wrap the IoC stuff in a facade object that I inject into other classes, usually most of my IoC injection is done only in the higher layers of my application though.
If you do things your way you can't test MyClass without creating a IoC configuration for your tests. This will make your tests harder to maintain.
Another problem is that you're going to have powerusers of your software who want to change the configuration editing your IoC config files. This is something I'd want to avoid. You could split up your IoC config into a normal config file and the IoC specific stuff. But then you could just as well use the normal .Net config functionality to read the configuration.
Yes, many of my classes end up with a dependency on IoC.Container but that is a dependency that most of my classes will have anyways.
I think this is the crux of the issue. If in fact most of your classes are coupled to the IoC container itself chances are you need to rethink your design.
Generally speaking your app should only refer to the container class directly once during the bootstrapping. After you have that first hook into the container the rest of the object graph should be entirely managed by the container and all of those objects should be oblivious to the fact that they were created by an IoC container.
To comment on your specific example:
public class MyClass {
public MyClass(IDataSource ds) {
UnitOfMeasure duom = IoC.Container.Resolve<UnitOfMeasure>("default_uom");
}
}
This makes it harder to re-use your class. More specifically it makes it harder to instantiate your class outside of the narrow usage pattern you are confining it to. One of the most common places this will manifest itself is when trying to test your class. It's much easier to test that class if the UnitOfMeasure can be passed to the constructor directly.
Also, your choice of name for the UOM instance ("default_uom") implies that the value could be overridden, depending on the usage of the class. In that case, you would not want to "hard-code" the value in the constructor like that.
Using the constructor injection pattern does not make your class dependent on the IoC, just the opposite it gives clients the option to use the IoC or not.