Messageloop in Omnithread task

[merijnb 4]

Hey all,

 

I have some stuff which now works as a descendant from TThread. In the execute method there is a normal message loop.
If I want to rework this to omni, how can I approach this?

It boils down to a situation where I can create something like a timer in the omnithread task, then run a message loop and thus will get OnTimer events on scope of the tasks thread.

[Primož Gabrijelčič 223]

For a timer, call Task.SetTimer and timer event will be called automatically. 

 

Something like this:

uses
  OtlTaskControl;

type
  TWorker = class(TOmniWorker)
  protected
    function  Initialize: boolean; override;
  public
    procedure TimerCallback;
  end;

function TWorker.Initialize: boolean;
begin
  Result := inherited Initialize;
  if Result then
    Task.SetTimer(1, 100, TimerCallback);
end;

procedure TWorker.TimerCallback;
begin
  // called every 100 ms
end;

var
  task: IOmniTaskControl;

task := CreateTask(TWorker.Create()).Run;

 

[merijnb 4]

Thanks Primoz,

 

The timer was just an example though, I need a message loop in a thread for several async stuff which is going on there.

[Primož Gabrijelčič 223]

Variant 1: Use a 'procedure' worker (`procedure Worker(const task: IOmniTask)'). Then you can implement your message loop inside.

 

Variant 2: Use a `TOmniWorker` descendant (as in my example). It will implement its own message loop.

 

Variant 2a: Override parts of the TOmniWorker message loop (but I actually don't remember anymore how that is done 😠 ).

 

You can handle most stuff with Variant 2. In addition to timers you can call Task.RegisterWaitObject to connect code to any waitable handle. See demo 31_WaitableObjects for more information. Read more here: http://www.omnithreadlibrary.com/book/chap07.html#lowlevel-iomnitask-registerwaitobject.

[merijnb 4]

On 1/16/2021 at 7:24 PM, Primož Gabrijelčič said:

For a timer, call Task.SetTimer and timer event will be called automatically. 

 

Something like this:

uses
  OtlTaskControl;

type
  TWorker = class(TOmniWorker)
  protected
    function  Initialize: boolean; override;
  public
    procedure TimerCallback;
  end;

function TWorker.Initialize: boolean;
begin
  Result := inherited Initialize;
  if Result then
    Task.SetTimer(1, 100, TimerCallback);
end;

procedure TWorker.TimerCallback;
begin
  // called every 100 ms
end;

var
  task: IOmniTaskControl;

task := CreateTask(TWorker.Create()).Run;

 

Hi Primoz,

 

I've tried this exact code, but the TimerCallback isn't called.
I also tried to create a normal timer in Initialize, but it's also not called. Is there something missing here which causes the message loop not to run or am I missing something else?

 

Nvm: I found my brainfart 🙂

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by merijnb
found what I did wrong :)

[merijnb 4]

On 1/18/2021 at 10:01 AM, Primož Gabrijelčič said:

Variant 1: Use a 'procedure' worker (`procedure Worker(const task: IOmniTask)'). Then you can implement your message loop inside.

 

Variant 2: Use a `TOmniWorker` descendant (as in my example). It will implement its own message loop.

 

Variant 2a: Override parts of the TOmniWorker message loop (but I actually don't remember anymore how that is done 😠 ).

 

You can handle most stuff with Variant 2. In addition to timers you can call Task.RegisterWaitObject to connect code to any waitable handle. See demo 31_WaitableObjects for more information. Read more here: http://www.omnithreadlibrary.com/book/chap07.html#lowlevel-iomnitask-registerwaitobject.

While playing around with this, I still run into something I don't quite get, please see this code:

 

uses
  OtlTaskControl;

type
  TWorker = class(TOmniWorker)
  protected
    fTimer: TTimer; 
  
    procedure OnTimer(Sender: TObject);
    function  Initialize: boolean; override;
  public
    procedure TimerCallback;
  end;

function TWorker.Initialize: boolean;
begin
  Result := inherited Initialize;
  if Result then
  begin
    Task.SetTimer(1, 100, TimerCallback);
	
    fTimer := TTimer.Create(nil);
    fTimer.OnTimer := OnTimer; 
    fTimer.Interval := 1000;
    fTimer.Enabled := true;
 end;
end;

procedure TWorker.TimerCallback;
begin
  // called every 100 ms
end;

procedure TWorker.OnTimer(Sender: TObject);
begin
  // called every 1000 ms
end;

var
  task: IOmniTaskControl;

task := CreateTask(TWorker.Create()).Run;

In this case, the OnTimer event is fired as expected, so the message loop from TOmniWorker seems to be running fine. However, it only works as long as I also do Task.SetTimer, as soon as I remove that line - Task.SetTimer(1, 100, TimerCallback) -, my OnTimer event isn't fired anymore. It seems SetTimer does something needed to get the message loop going? What can I do to get this working without calling Task.SetTimer()?

Thanks in advance!

[Primož Gabrijelčič 223]

By default, an OTL task does not process windows messages (which is requirement for TTimer to work). To enfore windows message processing, call the MsgWait method of your task controller interface before running/scheduling the task. Like this:

task := CreateTask(TWorker.Create()).MsgWait.Run;

Read more here: http://www.omnithreadlibrary.com/book/chap07.html#lowlevel-tomniworker-msgwait

[CoMPi74 3]

@Primož Gabrijelčič Trying to compile following code: 

  fController := CreateTask(TWorker.Create).MsgWait.Run;

 I got an error with a message:

 

[dcc32 Error] Unit1.pas(269): E2250 There is no overloaded version of 'CreateTask' that can be called with these arguments.

 

 

Any clue?

 

 

[Primož Gabrijelčič 223]

Use 

fController := CreateTask(TWorker.Create()).MsgWait.Run;

Note the extra (). I don't know why, but compiler requires them.

[David Heffernan 2353]

I wish the language would require parens for parameterless calls.