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Any tool that says how long each method takes to run?

Answer 1

+2 A:

Those kind of applications are known as "profilers"

Here's one for example: example

Oren A 2010-09-22 20:48:14

Answer 2

+9 A:

If you are using Visual Studio Team System there is a builtin profiler in 'Performance Tools'. There is a ton of useful background on this at this blog.

I've found this extremely useful in identifying the 20% of my code that runs 80% of the time, and hence what I should worry about optimizing.

Another simple technique that can be surprisingly effective is to run your release code in the debugger, and interrupt it a few times (10 or so can be enough) while it's in the 'busy' state that you are trying to diagnose. You may find recurring callstack info that directs you to the general area of concern. Again, the 80/20 rule in effect.

Steve Townsend 2010-09-22 20:50:27

+1 I've been using that interrupt method since before profilers were conceived of. I was mystified that so few people knew it. I would say it actually pinpoints the area of concern, and the 80/20 rule is more like 99.9/0.1

Mike Dunlavey 2010-09-23 01:58:02

Sadly, that 80/20 link is particularly vacuous.

Mike Dunlavey 2010-09-23 12:38:05

@Mike Dunlavey - do you have a better one? I will edit in if so. Thanks

Steve Townsend 2010-09-23 13:00:52

References on this are alomst non-existent for some reason: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3743504/any-references-on-dynamic-code-analysis/3745797#3745797

Mike Dunlavey 2010-09-23 14:36:14

@Mike - is your article online?

Steve Townsend 2010-09-23 14:43:46

I just emailed you a copy. I'm afraid you'll find it rather dry.

Mike Dunlavey 2010-09-23 15:25:37

@Mike - thanks.

Steve Townsend 2010-09-23 16:09:49

Answer 3

+1 A:

The System.Diagnostics namespace offers a helpful class called Stopwatch, which can be used to time parts of your code (think of it as a "poor man's profiler").

This is how you would use it:

Stopwatch stopwatch = new Stopwatch();
stopwatch.Start(); // Start timing

// This is what we want to time
DoSomethingWeSuspectIsSlow();

stopwatch.Stop();
Console.WriteLine("It took {0} ms.", stopwatch.ElapsedMilliseconds);

Martin Törnwall 2010-09-22 20:53:04

or, create a class that implements idisposable, which starts the timer on contruction, stops and writes on dispose. Then you can time any block of code by wrapping it with a using statement!

John Gardner 2010-09-22 21:02:34

Also make sure that the method has been invoked at least once before timing it, so that you don't measure the time for JIT-compilation.

Fredrik Mörk 2010-09-22 21:05:06

@John Gardner - your construct is also v useful for getting perf timings out of a running Prod system. Accumulate the timings for parts of the workitem with a tag that identifies them, and dump at the end of the workitem.

Steve Townsend 2010-09-22 21:05:13

Answer 4

+1 A:

See our SD C# Profiler. It can provide function timings of the function by itself and/or all of its callees.

Ira Baxter 2010-09-22 21:21:03

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