How to delay the execution of a function in c#

Question

In my application, I need to delay the execution of a method for some time. For that I have used System.Windows.Forms.Timer.

I have used the below code to initialize and start the timer.

Timer timer = new Timer();
timer.Tick += Timer_Tick;
timer.Interval = 3000;
timer.Start();

In the Timer.Tick event I have called the method which should be delayed as given below.

 private void Timer_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
    {
        DoSomethingElse();
        timer.Stop();
    }

This works perfectly, but I don't know whether it is the exact method to delay the execution.

Is there any other efficient way to achieve this?

There are many possible ways to delay execution of some code. Which is best depends on context, which you haven't provided. The marked duplicate will provide some insight regarding comparison of blocking a thread (e.g. with `Thread.Sleep()`) and using some form of asynchronous signaling/callback (e.g. with one of the several timer classes .NET offers). A modern C# idiom not addressed in the duplicate would be to use an `async` method and `await Task.Delay(...)`. — Peter Duniho, Mar 03 '17 at 08:19
See also e.g. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4705535/how-to-delay-program-for-a-certain-number-of-milliseconds-or-until-a-key-is-pre and https://stackoverflow.com/questions/10963465/how-to-call-a-method-after-so-many-seconds — Peter Duniho, Mar 03 '17 at 08:19

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 03 '17 at 04:26

0

you could start a task and delay, however, the way you are doing it, you will get a callback on your UI thread so you can interact with windows forms ok if that's what your delayed function does.

answered Mar 03 '17 at 04:26

Keith Nicholas

43,549
15
93
156

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 03 '17 at 05:39

0

You can use Thread.Sleep() in .Net 4.0. But, It will block the current thread.

answered Mar 03 '17 at 05:39

Sudharsan

11
4

thanks for your suggestion. I'll try it. – Mohanram Anbukkarasu Mar 03 '17 at 05:48
What about using System.Threading.Timer?? Can you share your idea?? – Mohanram Anbukkarasu Mar 03 '17 at 05:56
As you just want to delay the method call, you don't need timer. You can use timer if you want to execute some task at specified intervals. – Sudharsan Mar 03 '17 at 07:46

score -3 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 03 '17 at 04:25

-3

Try using Task.Delay. You can use it like this:

Task.Delay(1000).Wait();
DoSomething();

Hope it helps!

answered Mar 03 '17 at 04:25

mindOfAi

4,412
2
16
27

Thanks for your suggestion. Can you explain why this one better than Timer.Tick?? – Mohanram Anbukkarasu Mar 03 '17 at 04:28
I would suggest to use Timer if you have a block of code or a method that you want to execute continuously (i.e. execute method every 5 seconds). But, if you only need to delay something for a single time, I suggest you use Task.Delay. No setup needed, unlike Timer. – mindOfAi Mar 03 '17 at 04:31
I have to call this method when the user press any key. So that, every time when the user press a key the method should be called with a short delay. – Mohanram Anbukkarasu Mar 03 '17 at 04:37
You'd have to setup the timer (configuring, creating an event, and starting it). Calling Task.Delay() is much simpler and less code. The performances aren't really that different. I just use timer whenever I want to continuously execute something. – mindOfAi Mar 03 '17 at 04:44
Thank you so much for your concern. I'll try this. – Mohanram Anbukkarasu Mar 03 '17 at 04:48
Does Task.Delay(1000).Wait() work in .Net 4 and below frameworks?? – Mohanram Anbukkarasu Mar 03 '17 at 04:54
I don't think so. – mindOfAi Mar 03 '17 at 04:58
What about using System.Threading.Timer?? Can you share your idea?? – Mohanram Anbukkarasu Mar 03 '17 at 05:56

How to delay the execution of a function in c#

3 Answers3