Thread signaling basics
The way this works in a nutshell.
AutoResetEvent waitHandle = new AutoResetEvent(false);
--- The false means that that wait handle is unsignaled if a waitHandle.WaitOne() is called it will stop the thread.The thread you want to wait for another event to complete add
waitHandle.WaitOne();
In the thread that needs to be completed,at the end when completed add
waitHandle.Set();
waitHandle.WaitOne();
Waits for signal
waitHandle.Set();
signals completion.
Here is a custom-made console application example for you. Not really a good real world scenario, but the usage of thread signaling is there.
using System;
using System.Threading;
class Program
{
static void Main()
{
bool isCompleted = false;
int diceRollResult = 0;
// AutoResetEvent is one type of the WaitHandle that you can use for signaling purpose.
AutoResetEvent waitHandle = new AutoResetEvent(false);
Thread thread = new Thread(delegate() {
Random random = new Random();
int numberOfTimesToLoop = random.Next(1, 10);
for (int i = 0; i < numberOfTimesToLoop - 1; i++) {
diceRollResult = random.Next(1, 6);
// Signal the waiting thread so that it knows the result is ready.
waitHandle.Set();
// Sleep so that the waiting thread have enough time to get the result properly - no race condition.
Thread.Sleep(1000);
}
diceRollResult = random.Next(1, 6);
isCompleted = true;
// Signal the waiting thread so that it knows the result is ready.
waitHandle.Set();
});
thread.Start();
while (!isCompleted) {
// Wait for signal from the dice rolling thread.
waitHandle.WaitOne();
Console.WriteLine("Dice roll result: {0}", diceRollResult);
}
Console.Write("Dice roll completed. Press any key to quit...");
Console.ReadKey(true);
}
}
For understanding concepts like signaling, see Thread Synchronization which would be a good place to start.
It's got examples too. You can then drill down into specific .net types based on what you're trying to do.. signal between threads within a process or across processes etc..