ARTICLE

Client Server Multithreaded Application

Posted by Indika M W in Articles | Multithreading in C# on November 08, 2002

Tags: .NET, C#, Client Server, Client Server Application, Client Server Multithreaded Application., Command-Line Prompt, Multithreaded Application, MultiThreading, Threading, Threads, VS.NET

This is simple Client/Server (multi-threading) program that transfers data. Server can handle multiple clients.

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Reader Level: Beginner

Download Files:

ClientServerMT.zip

This is simple Client/Server (multi-threading) program that transfers data. Server can handle multiple clients.

I have used VS.NET to implement this program. Double click on ClientServer.Zip and extract all the files and folders to a folder in C drive.

Run the project using VS.NET:

Double click on Client.sln (Project file) and Server.sln (Project file). Then run the project (press F5).

Run using command-line prompt.

Copy Server (Form1.cs) files in to a folder (Server) in C drive. Then copy Client (From1.cs, LoginInfo.cs) in to another folder (Client) in C drive and compile it using

C:\FolderName> csc *.cs

This will create a Form1.exe file inside the folder. You have to compile files in both folders separately. Then run the Server and Client by double clicking on each Form.exe file.

Important: Make sure that you enter the correct IP address of your computer. To find out the IP address of your computer type c:\>ipconfig and press enter. Port number is 8002. This will display the IP address of your computer. Enter that value in the Form1.cs

private string ipAddress = "Your IP Address";

For example:

private string ipAddress = "192.168.5.106";

Fill all the details and press enter to connect to the server.Have Fun!!!!

post comment

the server code need some modification to work
this the working code

/* Author: Indika M Wickramanayake

Date: 7th November 2002

Email: indikamw@hotmail.com

using System;

using System.Collections;

using System.Windows.Forms;

using System.Threading;

using System.Net.Sockets;

using System.IO;

namespace Server

{

/* This stores data about each client */

public struct ClientData

{ public Socket structSocket;

public Thread structThread;

}

/// <summary>

/// Summary description for Form1.

/// </summary>

public class Form1 : System.Windows.Forms.Form

{

private System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu mainMenu1;

private System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem menuItem1;

private System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem menuItemExit;

private System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar statusBar1;

private TcpListener tcpLsn;

private Hashtable dataHolder = new Hashtable();

private static long connectId=0;

private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox textBox1;

private Thread tcpThd;

private string ipAddress = "169.254.148.164";

delegate void SetTextCallBack(string text);

/// <summary>

/// Required designer variable.

/// </summary>

private System.ComponentModel.Container components = null;

public Form1()

{ InitializeComponent();

tcpLsn = new TcpListener(System.Net.IPAddress.Parse(ipAddress),8002);

tcpLsn.Start();

statusBar1.Text = "Listen at: " + tcpLsn.LocalEndpoint.ToString();

tcpThd = new Thread(new ThreadStart(WaitingForClient));

tcpThd.Start();

}

/// <summary>

/// Clean up any resources being used.

/// </summary>

protected override void Dispose( bool disposing )

{

if( disposing )

{

if (components != null)

{

components.Dispose();

}

base.Dispose( disposing );

}

#region Windows Form Designer generated code

/// <summary>

/// Required method for Designer support - do not modify

/// the contents of this method with the code editor.

/// </summary>

private void InitializeComponent()

{

this.mainMenu1 = new System.Windows.Forms.MainMenu();

this.menuItem1 = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();

this.menuItemExit = new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem();

this.statusBar1 = new System.Windows.Forms.StatusBar();

this.textBox1 = new System.Windows.Forms.TextBox();

this.SuspendLayout();

// mainMenu1

this.mainMenu1.MenuItems.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem[] {

this.menuItem1});

// menuItem1

this.menuItem1.Index = 0;

this.menuItem1.MenuItems.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.MenuItem[] {

this.menuItemExit});

this.menuItem1.Text = "File";

// menuItemExit

this.menuItemExit.Index = 0;

this.menuItemExit.Text = "Exit";

this.menuItemExit.Click += new System.EventHandler(this.menuItemExit_Click);

// statusBar1

this.statusBar1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(0, 251);

this.statusBar1.Name = "statusBar1";

this.statusBar1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(292, 22);

this.statusBar1.TabIndex = 1;

this.statusBar1.Text = "Start the Server";

// textBox1

this.textBox1.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(16, 32);

this.textBox1.Multiline = true;

this.textBox1.Name = "textBox1";

this.textBox1.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(264, 128);

this.textBox1.TabIndex = 2;

this.textBox1.Text = "";

// Form1

this.AutoScaleBaseSize = new System.Drawing.Size(5, 13);

this.ClientSize = new System.Drawing.Size(292, 273);

this.Controls.AddRange(new System.Windows.Forms.Control[] {

this.textBox1,

this.statusBar1});

this.Menu = this.mainMenu1;

this.Name = "Form1";

this.Text = "Form1";

this.Load += new System.EventHandler(this.Form1_Load);

this.ResumeLayout(false);

}

#endregion

/// <summary>

/// The main entry point for the application.

/// </summary>

[STAThread]

static void Main()

{ Application.Run(new Form1());}

public void WaitingForClient()

{

ClientData CData;

while(true)

{ /* Accept will block until someone connects */

CData.structSocket = tcpLsn.AcceptSocket();

Interlocked.Increment(ref connectId);

CData.structThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(ReadSocket));

lock(this)

{ // it is used to keep connected Sockets and active thread

dataHolder.Add(connectId, CData);

upDateDataGrid("Connected > "+connectId+" "+DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString());

}

CData.structThread.Start();

}

public void ReadSocket()

{

/* realId will be not changed for each thread, but connectId is

* changed. it can't be used to delete object from Hashtable*/

long realId = connectId;

Byte[] receive;

ClientData cd = (ClientData)dataHolder[realId];

Socket s = cd.structSocket;

int ret = 0;

while (true)

{

if(s.Connected)

{ receive = new Byte[100] ;

try

{ /* Receive will block until data coming ret is 0 or Exception

* happen when Socket connection is broken*/

ret = s.Receive(receive,receive.Length,0);

if (ret>0)

{ foreach(ClientData clntData in dataHolder.Values)

{ if(clntData.structSocket.Connected)

clntData.structSocket.Send(receive,ret,SocketFlags.None);

}

else { break; }

}

catch (Exception e)

{ upDateDataGrid(e.ToString());

if( !s.Connected ) break;

}

CloseTheThread(realId);

}

private void CloseTheThread(long realId)

{

try

{ ClientData clientData = (ClientData)dataHolder[realId];

clientData.structThread.Abort();

}

catch(Exception e)

{ lock(this)

{ dataHolder.Remove(realId);

upDateDataGrid("Disconnected > "+realId+" "+DateTime.Now.ToLongTimeString());

}

public void upDateDataGrid(string displayString)

{

if (this.textBox1.InvokeRequired)

{

SetTextCallBack t = new SetTextCallBack(upDateDataGrid);

this.Invoke(t, new object[] { displayString });

}

else

{

textBox1.AppendText(displayString + "\r\n");

}

private void Form1_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

{ }

private void menuItemExit_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)

{

if (tcpLsn!=null)

{ tcpLsn.Stop(); }

foreach (ClientData cd in dataHolder.Values)

{ if(cd.structSocket.Connected) cd.structSocket.Close();

if(cd.structThread.IsAlive) cd.structThread.Abort();

}

if(tcpThd.IsAlive) tcpThd.Abort();

Application.Exit();

}

Posted by ahmed sheimy on May 24, 2010

im having the same problem.

Posted by qais on Aug 29, 2008

hi InDika how r u .friend i run ur this program when i give ip and port in client and try to connect to the server the exception rises here public void upDateDataGrid(string displayString) { textBox1.AppendText(displayString + DateTime.Now); } Cross-thread operation not valid: Control 'textBox1' accessed from a thread other than the thread it was created on. this eroor generated in server code

Posted by Muhammad Umair on Feb 27, 2008

hi, i can login from client program . and the server side is showing that conect id and time. but in client side i can not see any greeting message like welcome to chat indika. i think the writeToServer() function is not working . can u tell why its not working and what is the possible solution. thanks for post . and hope to hear from u soon.

Posted by wrade63 on Jul 04, 2007

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