I know there are a few answers on this topic on SO, but I can not get any of the solutions working for me. I am trying to open a new window, from an ICommand fired from within a datatemplate. Both of the following give the aforementioned error when the new window is instantiated (within "new MessageWindowP"):
Using TPL/FromCurrentSynchronizationContext Update: works
public class ChatUserCommand : ICommand
{
public void Execute(object sender)
{
if (sender is UserC)
{
var user = (UserC)sender;
var scheduler = TaskScheduler.FromCurrentSynchronizationContext();
Task.Factory.StartNew(new Action<object>(CreateMessageWindow), user,CancellationToken.None, TaskCreationOptions.None,scheduler);
}
}
private void CreateMessageWindow(object o)
{
var user = (UserC)o;
var messageP = new MessageWindowP();
messageP.ViewModel.Participants.Add(user);
messageP.View.Show();
}
}
Using ThreadStart: Update: not recommended, see Jon's answer
public class ChatUserCommand : ICommand
{
public void Execute(object sender)
{
if (sender is UserC)
{
var user = (UserC)sender;
var t = new ParameterizedThreadStart(CreateMessageWindow);
var thread = new Thread(t);
thread.SetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);
thread.Start(sender);
}
}
private void CreateMessageWindow(object o)
{
var user = (UserC)o;
var messageP = new MessageWindowP();
messageP.ViewModel.Participants.Add(user);
messageP.View.Show();
}
}
Thanks
EDIT. Based on the responses so far, I'd like to point out that I have also tried BeginInvoke on the current dispatcher, as well as executing the code in the original method (that's how the code started). See below:
BeginInvoke Update: not recommended see Jon's answer
public class ChatUserCommand : ICommand
{
public void Execute(object sender)
{
if (sender is UserC)
{
var user = (UserC)sender;
Dispatcher.CurrentDispatcher.BeginInvoke(new Action<object>(CreateMessageWindow), sender);
}
}
private void CreateMessageWindow(object o)
{
var user = (UserC)o;
var messageP = new MessageWindowP();
messageP.ViewModel.Participants.Add(user);
messageP.View.Show();
}
}
In same thread Update: works if you are on UI thread already
public class ChatUserCommand : ICommand
{
public void Execute(object sender)
{
if (sender is UserC)
{
var user = (UserC)sender;
var messageP = new MessageWindowP();
messageP.ViewModel.Participants.Add(user);
messageP.View.Show();
}
}
}
BeginInvoke, using reference to dispatcher of first/main window Update: works
public void Execute(object sender)
{
if (sender is UserC)
{
var user = (UserC)sender;
GeneralManager.MainDispatcher.BeginInvoke(
DispatcherPriority.Normal,
new Action(() => this.CreateMessageWindow(user)));
}
}
where GeneralManager.MainDispatcher is a reference to the Dispatcher of the first window I create:
[somewhere far far away]
mainP = new MainP();
MainDispatcher = mainP.View.Dispatcher;
I'm at a loss.
The calling thread must not only be STA, but it must also have a message loop. There's only one thread in your application that already has a message loop, and that's your main thread. So you should use Dispatcher.BeginInvoke
to open your window from your main thread.
E.g. if you have a reference to your main application window (MainWindow
), you can do
MainWindow.BeginInvoke(
DispatcherPriority.Normal,
new Action(() => this.CreateMessageWindow(user)));
Update: Be careful: you cannot blindly call Dispatcher.CurrentDispatcher
because it doesn't do what you think it does. The documentation says that CurrentDispatcher
:
Gets the Dispatcher for the thread currently executing and creates a new Dispatcher if one is not already associated with the thread.
That's why you must use the Dispatcher
associated with an already-existing UI control (like your main window as in the example above).