How to resolve the algorithm Determine if only one instance is running step by step in the C# programming language
Published on 12 May 2024 09:40 PM
How to resolve the algorithm Determine if only one instance is running step by step in the C# programming language
Table of Contents
Problem Statement
This task is to determine if there is only one instance of an application running. If the program discovers that an instance of it is already running, then it should display a message indicating that it is already running and exit.
Let's start with the solution:
Step by Step solution about How to resolve the algorithm Determine if only one instance is running step by step in the C# programming language
Program 1:
- This program creates a TCP server on port 12345.
- It uses
TcpListener
to start the server. - If the port is already in use (i.e., another instance is already running), it catches the
SocketException
with error codeSocketError.AddressAlreadyInUse
and prints "Already running."
Program 2:
- This program creates a class called
RunOnce
, which helps prevent multiple instances of a process from running simultaneously. - It uses a Mutex to check if another instance is already running.
- The
using
statement ensures that the Mutex is automatically released when the program exits. - The main program checks if another instance is running using
AlreadyRunning
before proceeding with the program logic. This is achieved by usingRunOnce
in ausing
clause and checking itsAlreadyRunning
property.
Detailed Explanation of RunOnce:
- The
RunOnce
class takes a name as its constructor argument. This name is used to create a named Mutex, which allows only one instance of the process with the same name to run at a time. - The
AlreadyRunning
property indicates if another instance of the process is already running. - The
Dispose()
method releases the Mutex. - The
Main()
method of the second program demonstrates how to useRunOnce
. It creates aRunOnce
instance with the name "App Name" and checks ifAlreadyRunning
is true. If it is, it prints "Already running" and terminates. Otherwise, it executes the program logic.
Source code in the csharp programming language
using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.Sockets;
class Program {
static void Main(string[] args) {
try {
TcpListener server = new TcpListener(IPAddress.Any, 12345);
server.Start();
}
catch (SocketException e) {
if (e.SocketErrorCode == SocketError.AddressAlreadyInUse) {
Console.Error.WriteLine("Already running.");
}
}
}
}
// Use this class in your process to guard against multiple instances
//
// This is valid for C# running on Windows, but not for C# with Linux.
//
using System;
using System.Threading;
/// <summary>
/// RunOnce should be instantiated in the calling processes main clause
/// (preferably using a "using" clause) and then calling process
/// should then check AlreadyRunning and do whatever is appropriate
/// </summary>
public class RunOnce : IDisposable
{
public RunOnce( string name )
{
m_name = name;
AlreadyRunning = false;
bool created_new = false;
m_mutex = new Mutex( false, m_name, out created_new );
AlreadyRunning = !created_new;
}
~RunOnce()
{
DisposeImpl( false );
}
public bool AlreadyRunning
{
get { return m_already_running; }
private set { m_already_running = value; }
}
private void DisposeImpl( bool is_disposing )
{
GC.SuppressFinalize( this );
if( is_disposing )
{
m_mutex.Close();
}
}
#region IDisposable Members
public void Dispose()
{
DisposeImpl( true );
}
#endregion
private string m_name;
private bool m_already_running;
private Mutex m_mutex;
}
class Program
{
// Example code to use this
static void Main( string[] args )
{
using ( RunOnce ro = new RunOnce( "App Name" ) )
{
if ( ro.AlreadyRunning )
{
Console.WriteLine( "Already running" );
return;
}
// Program logic
}
}
}
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