Synchronous vs Asynchronous Methods

The decision of whether to use synchronous or asynchronous methods can be crucial and have an impact on the complexity of your code and the user experience.

The following lists discuss some of the characteristics of synchronous and asynchronous methods in PowerTCP.

Synchronous Methods

Are easier to implement and use than asynchronous.
Do not require an event to implement.
Results are returned directly from the method call.
Error handling occurs during the method call.

Asynchronous Methods

Occur on a new thread.
Are slightly more difficult to implement and use than synchronous.
Must have an event to handle the response.
Results are returned to the event handler.
Error handling occurs during the associated event.

Most applications written with PowerTCP will be synchronous. The reasons for this are not purely due to the ease-of-use of synchronous methods. Synchronous methods are ideal for automated processes that can execute a blocking method for a long period of time. In addition, synchronous methods can work well for interactive applications. The Object.DoEvents property controls the processing of user interface messages while a synchronous method is executing. This means that while a synchronous method is executing, other portions of the application will be able to respond to events (for example, button or menu clicks).

Asynchronous methods, on the other hand, provide a great deal of power. When an asynchronous method is called, the method will execute on a thread separate from the calling thread. Such operation is useful when an action is time consuming and other code needs to execute without waiting for the initial operation to complete. In addition, the user interface will be most responsive when asynchronous methods are used.

In This Section

The Server and Tcp Components: Examines use of the Server and Tcp components.
The Udp Component: Examines use of the Udp component.
The Dns, Ping and Trace Components: Examines use of the Dns, Ping and Trace components.
Security: Describes use of security.
Synchronous vs Asynchronous Methods: This topic discusses the benefits and uses for synchronous and asynchronous methods.
Using EndXXX Events: Describes how to use the EndXXX events that are raised upon the completion of a method.
Using Editor Forms: Describes how to use the component designer Editor Forms.

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Documentation version 1.1.2.0.