Introduction to Async and Await in C#

Dr M AOUDE ULFG

February 25, 2024

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The Evolution of Asynchronous Programming in C#

Asynchronous programming has come a long way in C#. Prior to the

introduction of async and await, developers had to rely on callbacks,
events, and other techniques like the BeginXXX/EndXXX pattern or
BackgroundWorker.
These methods often led to complex and difficult-to-maintain code. With
the release of C# 5.0, async and await keywords were introduced,
simplifying asynchronous programming and making it more accessible to
developers.

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The Importance of Async and Await in Modern
Applications

Async and await are essential for creating responsive and scalable
applications. Modern applications often handle multiple tasks
simultaneously, such as fetching data from the internet, processing files, or
performing complex calculations.
By using async and await, developers can offload these tasks to a separate
thread, allowing the main thread to remain responsive and handle user
interactions.

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Understanding the Async and Await Keywords

The async and await keywords are fundamental to asynchronous

programming in C#. They work together to simplify the process of writing
non-blocking code, making it easier to read and maintain. Let’s take a
closer look at its explanation:

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Async Keyword

The async keyword is used to mark a method as asynchronous. It indicates

that the method can perform a non-blocking operation and return a Task
or Task< TResult > object. Here are some features of the async
keyword:
It can be applied to methods, lambda expressions, and anonymous
methods.
It cannot be used with properties or constructors.
An async method should contain at least one await expression.
An async method can have multiple await expressions, allowing for
multiple non-blocking operations.
Async methods can be chained together, allowing for complex
asynchronous workflows.

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Await Keyword
The await keyword is used within an async method to temporarily suspend
its execution and yield control back to the calling method until the
awaited task is completed. This allows other tasks to continue executing
in the meantime, ensuring that the application remains responsive. Some
features of the await keyword include:
It can only be used within an async method.
It can be applied to any expression that returns a Task or
Task<TResult> object.
It unwraps the result of the Task<TResult> object, allowing you to
work with the result directly.
It automatically handles exceptions thrown by the awaited task,
allowing you to catch and handle them in the calling async method.
It can be used with using, foreach, and lock statements in C# 8.0
and later.
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 Creating Async Methods

To create an async method, you need to use the async modifier in the
method signature and return a Task or Task<T>:
1 public async Task < string > FetchDataAsync ()
2 {
3 // Perform asynchronous operation
4 }
5

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 Calling Async Methods with Await

To call an async method and wait for its result, use the await keyword:
1 public async Task ProcessDataAsync ()
2 {
3 string data = await FetchDataAsync () ;
4 // Continue processing data
5 }
6

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 Handling Exceptions with Async and Await

When using async and await, handle exceptions using the standard
try-catch block:
1 public async Task ProcessDataAsync ()
2 {
3 try
4 {
5 string data = await FetchDataAsync () ;
6 // Continue processing data
7 }
8 catch ( Exception ex )
9 {
10 // Handle exception
11 }
12 }
13

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 Using Async and Await with Task.Run

To offload CPU-bound work to a separate thread, use Task.Run with

async and await:
1 public async Task P er f o r mC p u B ou n d W or k A sy n c ()
2 {
3 await Task . Run (() = >
4 {
5 // Perform CPU - bound work
6 }) ;
7 }
8

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Understanding Sync vs. Async in C#

Synchronous programming executes tasks one after another, blocking the

execution flow until each task is completed. On the other hand,
asynchronous programming allows tasks to run concurrently, freeing up the
execution flow to continue with other tasks or operations.

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Getting Started with Async and Await in C#

Now that we have a basic understanding of asynchronous programming,

let’s explore how C# incorporates async and await keywords to simplify
writing asynchronous code.

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The Basics of Async and Await Keywords

The async and await keywords in C# are used to create and manage
asynchronous methods. Using these keywords makes writing asynchronous
code almost as straightforward as writing synchronous code.

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 Example: Asynchronous Method

1 public async Task DoSomeWorkAsync ()

2 {
3 // Call an asynchronous method and await its
completion
4 await L o n g R u n n i n g O p e r a t i o n A sy n c () ;
5 }
6

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How to Create an Async Method in C#

To create an async method in C#, follow these steps:

Declare the method with the async keyword.
Ensure the method returns a Task or Task<T> type.
Use the await keyword when calling other async methods within the
method.

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 Example: Async Method

1 public async Task < int > CalculateSumAsync ( int a , int b )

2 {
3 // Simulate a time - consuming operation
4 await Task . Delay (1000) ;
5 return a + b ;
6 }
7

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Returning Values from Async Methods

Async methods can return values by using the Task<T> type, where T
represents the return value type. Here’s an example:

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 Example: Async Method with Return Value

1 public async Task < string > FetchDataAsync ()

2 {
3 // Call an asynchronous method to fetch data from a
remote source
4 Http R e sp o n se M e ssage response = await httpClient .
GetAsync ( " https :// ul . edu . lb / data " ) ;
5 string content = await response . Content .
ReadAsStri ngAsyn c () ;
6 return content ;
7 }
8

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Handling Exceptions in Async Methods

Handling exceptions in async methods is similar to handling them in

synchronous methods. Simply use a try-catch block to catch and handle
exceptions.

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 Example: Async Method with Exception Handling

1 public async Task HandleExceptionAsync ()

2 {
3 try
4 {
5 // Call an asynchronous method that might throw an
exception
6 await DoSomeWorkAsync () ;
7 }
8 catch ( Exception ex )
9 {
10 // Handle the exception
11 Console . WriteLine ( $ " Error : { ex . Message } " ) ;
12 }
13 }
14

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 Async and Await in a Console Application

In this example, we will take two methods that are not dependent on each
other.
1 class Program
2 {
3 static void Main ( string [] args )
4 {
5 Method1 () ;
6 Method2 () ;
7 Console . ReadKey () ;
8 }
9 }
10

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1 public static async Task Method1 ()
2 {
3 await Task . Run (() = >
4 {
5 for ( int i = 0; i < 100; i ++)
6 {
7 Console . WriteLine ( " Method 1 " ) ;
8 // Do something
9 Task . Delay (100) . Wait () ;
10 }
11 }) ;
12 }
13

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1 public static void Method2 ()
2 {
3 for ( int i = 0; i < 25; i ++)
4 {
5 Console . WriteLine ( " Method 2 " ) ;
6 // Do something
7 Task . Delay (100) . Wait () ;
8 }
9 }
10 }
11

In the code above, Method1 and Method2 are not dependent on each
other, and we call them from the Main method.
Here, we can see Method1 and Method2 are not waiting for each other.

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Example: Understanding Async and Await in C#

Please have a look at the below example. It’s a very simple example.
Inside the Main method, first, we print that Main method started, then we
call the SomeMethod. Inside the SomeMethod, first, we print that
SomeMethod started and then the thread execution is sleep for 10. After
10 seconds, it will wake up and execute the other statement inside the
SomeMethod method. Then it will come back to the Main method, where
we called SomeMethod. And finally, it will execute the last print statement
inside the Main method.

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1 using System . Threading ;
2 namespace A s y n c h ro n ou s Pr og r am m in g
3 {
4 class Program
5 {
6 static void Main ( string [] args )
7 {
8 Console . WriteLine ( " Main Method Started ...... " ) ;
9 SomeMethod () ;
10 Console . WriteLine ( " Main Method End " ) ;
11 Console . ReadKey () ;
12 }
13 public static void SomeMethod ()
14 {
15 Console . WriteLine ( " Some Method Started ...... " ) ;
16 Thread . Sleep ( TimeSpan . FromSeconds (10) ) ;
17 Console . WriteLine ( " \ n " ) ;
18 Console . WriteLine ( " Some Method End " ) ;
19 }
20 }
21 }
22

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Example: Understanding Async and Await in C#

When you execute the above code, you will see that after printing
SomeMethod Started. . . . . . , the console window is frozen for 10 seconds.
This is because here we are not using asynchronous programming. One
thread i.e. the Main thread is responsible for executing the code And when
we call Thread.Sleep method the current thread is blocked for 10 seconds.
This is a bad user experience.

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Now, let us see how we can overcome this problem by using asynchronous
programming. Please have a look at the below image. The Thread.Sleep()
is a synchronous method. So, we have changed this to Task.Delay() which
is an asynchronous method. The Task.Delay() method exactly does the
same thing as Thread.Sleep() does.
And, if we want to wait for the task i.e. Task.Delay to be done, then we
have to use the await operator. As we said earlier the await operator is
going to release the current thread that is running from having to wait for
this operation. Therefore, that thread is going to be available for all our
tasks. And then after 10 seconds, the thread will be called to the place
(i.e. Task.Delay()) in order to run the rest code of the SomeMethod. As
we have used await keyword inside the SomeMethod, we must have to
make the SomeMethod as asynchronous as using the async keyword.

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 Asynchronous Programming Example
1 namespace A s y n ch ro n ou s Pr og r am m in g
2 {
3 class Program
4 {
5 static async Task Main ( string [] args )
6 {
7 Console . WriteLine ( " Main Method Started ...... " ) ;
8 await SomeMethod () ;
9 Console . WriteLine ( " Main Method End " ) ;
10 Console . ReadKey () ;
11 }
12 public static async Task SomeMethod ()
13 {
14 Console . WriteLine ( " Some Method Started ...... " ) ;
15 // Use Task . Delay for non - blocking delay
16 await Task . Delay ( TimeSpan . FromSeconds (10) ) ;
17 Console . WriteLine ( " \ n " ) ;
18 Console . WriteLine ( " Some Method End " ) ;
19 }
20 }
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Asynchronous Method Calls Example

In this example, Method1 returns the total length as an integer value, and
we pass a parameter as a length in Method3, which comes from Method1.
Here, we have to use await keyword before passing a parameter in
Method3, and for it, we have to use the async keyword from the calling
method.
If we use C# 7 or less, we cannot use the async keyword in the Main
method for the console Application because it will give the error below.
We will create a new method called callMethod, and in this method, we
will call all our Methods Method1, Method2, and Method3, respectively.

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 Asynchronous Method Calls Example

1 namespace A s y n c h ro n ou s Pr og r am m in g
2 {
3 class Program
4 {
5 static void Main ( string [] args )
6 {
7 callMethod () ;
8 Console . ReadKey () ;
9 }
10 public static async void callMethod ()
11 {
12 Task < int > task = Method1 () ;
13 Method2 () ;
14 int count = await task ;
15 Method3 ( count ) ;
16 }
17

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 Asynchronous Method Calls Example
1 public static async Task < int > Method1 ()
2 {
3 int count = 0;
4 await Task . Run (() = >
5 {
6 for ( int i = 0; i < 100; i ++)
7 {
8 Console . WriteLine ( " Method 1 " ) ;
9 count += 1;
10 }
11 }) ;
12 return count ;
13 }
14 public static void Method2 ()
15 {
16 for ( int i = 0; i < 25; i ++)
17 {
18 Console . WriteLine ( " Method 2 " ) ;
19 }
20 }
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 Asynchronous Method Calls Example

1 public static void Method3 ( int count )

2 {
3 Console . WriteLine ( " Total count is " + count ) ;
4 }
5 }
6 }

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Real-time Example

Some APIs that contain async methods are:

HttpClient
SyndicationClient
StorageFile
StreamWriter
StreamReader
XmlReader
MediaCapture
BitmapEncoder
BitmapDecoder
etc.

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 Real Asynchronous Programming Example
1 using System . IO ;
2 using System . Threading . Tasks ;
3 class Program
4 {
5 static void Main ()
6 {
7 Task task = new Task ( CallMethod ) ;
8 task . Start () ;
9 task . Wait () ;
10 Console . ReadLine () ;
11 }
12 static async void CallMethod ()
13 {
14 string filePath = " E :\\ myFile . txt " ;
15 Task < int > task = ReadFile ( filePath ) ;
16 Console . WriteLine ( " Other Work 1 " ) ;
17 Console . WriteLine ( " Other Work 2 " ) ;
18 Console . WriteLine ( " Other Work 3 " ) ;
19 int length = await task ;
20
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 Real Asynchronous Programming Example

1 Console . WriteLine ( " Total length : " + length ) ;

2 Console . WriteLine ( " After work 1 " ) ;
3 Console . WriteLine ( " After work 2 " ) ;
4 }
5 static async Task < int > ReadFile ( string file )
6 {
7 int length = 0;
8 Console . WriteLine ( " File reading is starting " ) ;
9 using ( StreamReader reader = new StreamReader ( file ) )
10 {
11 string s = await reader . ReadToEndAsync () ;
12 length = s . Length ;
13 }
14 Console . WriteLine ( " File reading is completed " ) ;
15 return length ;
16 }
17 }
18

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