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Mar 31, 2005, 6:27pm

Why does this not work properly?

This is only a sample for a real project, the timer works. The timer writes
saying hello world but the bot does not say hello world nor does it write
said hello world to the console. Any attempt to call the SDK from the timer
cause it to exit the sub? Events all work whats up wtih the timer?

Imports System.Timers
Imports AWSDKLib3
Imports AWSDKLib3.AW_SDK_CONSTANTS

Module Module1

Dim sdk As AwSdk3

Sub Main()
Dim aTimer As New System.Timers.Timer(100)
AddHandler aTimer.Elapsed, AddressOf OnTimedEvent

sdk = New AwSdk3
sdk.aw_init(AW_BUILD)
sdk.QuickStart('logininfo here)
sdk.aw_state_change()
sdk.aw_say("Hi!")
aTimer.Enabled = True
aTimer.AutoReset = True
Do
sdk.aw_wait(-1)
Loop

End Sub

Private Sub OnTimedEvent(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As
ElapsedEventArgs)

Console.WriteLine("Saying Hello World!...")
sdk.aw_say("Hello World!")
Console.WriteLine("Said Hello World!...")

End Sub
End Module

Mar 31, 2005, 8:09pm

Hi Richard-

I'm going to guess that it's because the SDK is in an aw_wait when you're
trying to do the say command, and it seems that the wrapper or SDK is
synchronizing SDK calls. Try changing that aw_wait in your main loop to use
a non-infinite wait time (preferably one that is relatively short).

Are you certain the sub is exiting, and not blocking (waiting) on the aw_say
call? Is it throwing an exception?

If you're going to have a multi-threaded app (yours is multi-threaded
already because you are using a timer) you should be synchronizing to make
it thread-safe yourself anyway. You could do something like using
SyncLock(sdk) around any groups of SDK calls (and do something analagous
around any data or other resources that might be shared between threads).

Of course, this is only my guess as to what's happening; I've never used the
particular wrapper you are using.

--
Rich

[View Quote]

Mar 31, 2005, 9:15pm

Well i used aw_wait -1 because thats what they used in the C++ aw sdk
examples which are designed for console applications i just modded it to be
VB.NET.. Theres no exceptions it just aborts the sub the moment it hits
AwSdk? Ill have a play..

Mar 31, 2005, 10:27pm

Timers are window messages....? Part of the windows Callback system.

- MR

[View Quote]

Mar 31, 2005, 11:24pm

The timer he's using uses an event to signal, specifically the Elapsed event
(this is not a system event). Either way, the handler would run in a
different thread from the main loop (in this case a system thread). In fact
his code uses at least 3 threads, one in the main execution thread, one to
operate the timer, and one for the timer's callback (plus however many the
SDK adds).

--
Rich

[View Quote]

Mar 31, 2005, 11:26pm

How can you tell it is "aborting" the sub and not blocking at the call?

--
Rich

[View Quote]

Mar 31, 2005, 11:41pm

If its the AX timer I am thinking about...

The timer is a registered timer on the OS, which automatically calls it
based on the clock frequency of the motherboard, the os SYSTEM thread then
will call the defined function as required.

The handler for the sdk events and timer is just a defined code entry point
called by a pointer, or in the case of AX, an inherited event, based on when
aw_wait is called and each message is dispatched in turn.

- MR

[View Quote]

Apr 1, 2005, 12:20am

This is Visual Studio 2003 using .NET Framework 1.1

Whats the difference between:

System.Timers.Timer

and

System.Threading.Timer

Apr 1, 2005, 12:24am

Threading.timer is safe for multithreading applications.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/cpref/html/frlrfsystemthreadingtimerclasstopic.asp

Changing its attributes and such i would imagine.

- MR

[View Quote]

Apr 1, 2005, 12:37am

I stuck in break points and I would assume if it was blocking it would
highlight the Sdk.aw_say line before runnning that line which it doesn't it
does the console.writeline i hit play then it rights to the console but
never raises the line involving the sdk nor anything after it.

[View Quote]

Apr 1, 2005, 1:52am

Sounds more like the thread's going to sleep to me. If you let it run, does
it print that first line each time the timer elapses, or does it only enter
the handler and print once?

While your debugger is running, turn on Debug->Windows->Threads. If the
handler is entered repeatedly (and if you have a breakpoint there), what
happens in your Threads window?

--
Rich

[View Quote]

Apr 1, 2005, 2:03am

I don't use VB.NET (I prefer the 'real' RAD VB and C++), but does your timer
usually work in this situation? I see an infinate loop with the AW waits,
probably a WFSO in there to do the wait duration, and your timer, at which
point the AWSDK probably has a set of threads running for its winsock
handlers.

Try seing if it freezes on any other SDK events.

- MR


[View Quote]

Apr 1, 2005, 2:08am

When using the System.Timers.Timer timer (as Richard is using), the
application's process gets handles to 2 new threads, one when the timer
starts, and one the first time the timer elapses. It gets no new handles to
system timer objects or any other system objects, as far as I can tell.
Maybe there is a system timer being used that is buried somewhere in a
library such that the process never gets a handle for it, but it's much more
likely that the timer is implemented as a thread sleep on that first
timer-related thread.

--
Rich

[View Quote]

Apr 1, 2005, 7:58am

[View Quote] > Why does this not work properly?
>
> This is only a sample for a real project, the timer works. The timer writes
> saying hello world but the bot does not say hello world nor does it write
> said hello world to the console. Any attempt to call the SDK from the timer
> cause it to exit the sub? Events all work whats up wtih the timer?
>

I'm not a VB expert but I know some about the SDK itself :)
As Rich (scifair) found properly, you were calling the aw_wait(-1) which means it will wait forever for an event.
While you are INSIDE the SDK handling, your timer kicks in and you try to invoke an SDK routine .

As a rule of thumb - if you are using timer to invoke any SDK routine, you should put the aw_wait(0) into the timer itself, so you will not interrupt the SDK itself.

Hope this helps,

--
Andras
"It's MY computer" (tm Steve Gibson)

Apr 1, 2005, 8:50pm

Its constantly writing the the line "Saying hello..." but never anything
after that, it enters the sub over and over.

Apr 2, 2005, 12:24am

Good to know. Did you look at the threads window in the debugger? Is it
creating a new one each time it does this, or is it re-using the same
thread?

--
Rich

[View Quote]

Apr 3, 2005, 10:58am

aw_wait 0 aw_wait 1 all have the same effect

Apr 3, 2005, 10:59am

Partial work around but it seems a bit messy to me?

Imports System.Timers
Imports System.Threading
Imports AWSDKLib3
Imports AWSDKLib3.AW_SDK_CONSTANTS

Module Module1
Dim sdk As AwSdk3
Dim awwaitthread As Thread

Sub Main()
Dim aTimer As New System.Timers.Timer(100)
AddHandler aTimer.Elapsed, AddressOf OnTimedEvent

sdk = New AwSdk3
sdk.aw_init(AW_BUILD)
sdk.QuickStart('login code here)
sdk.aw_state_change()
sdk.aw_say("Hi!")
aTimer.Enabled = True
aTimer.AutoReset = True
awwaitthread = New Thread(AddressOf awwait)
awwaitthread.Start()

End Sub

Private Sub OnTimedEvent(ByVal source As Object, ByVal e As
ElapsedEventArgs)

Console.WriteLine("Saying Hello World!...")
sdk.aw_say("Hello World!")
Console.WriteLine("Said Hello World!...")

End Sub
Public Sub Awwait()
Do
sdk.aw_wait(1)
Loop
End Sub
End Module

Apr 3, 2005, 11:01am

sdk.aw_wait 0 works too

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