Is Application.DoEvents() my only choice (in this case)?

Question

I have some commercial equipment that I can connect to with a .Net library supplied by the equipment manufacturer - so I have no control over the library or the equipment, only my code.

The manufacturer has set their system up so that if you are not connected to the equipment via their library then it works fine. However, when you do connect with their library there is an implicit requirement that you service Windows message pump at a rate set by how fast the equipment is running. This is because their library implements an event system that you can subscribe to that tracks operation of the equipment, but they assume that your application code will be WinForms based. (But there is nothing explicitly stating this in their documentation - only that all 2 of their .Net example programs are WinForms based.) I have confirmed with their tech support that the expectation is that you will use a WinForms application.

In my case I am writing a C#, non-WinForms based application (actually a Windows Service, so I do not have a UI thread) and even though I am connecting to the equipment I am not subscribing to any of the events. As a result I have found that I need reference the WinForms assembly and call Application.DoEvents() at a fast enough rate to service all of those events that I do not subscribe to.

So my questions are these:

1. In this case is calling Application.DoEvents() my only option?
2. Or is there a more modern way of doing this?
3. What are the ramifications of calling DoEvents() on a 20mS rate?
4. Unrelated, but if I wrote a WPF based application would that program be likely to service the message pump?

Edit

I should add that if you connect to the equipment and do not service the windows message pump (even if not subscribed to any of their events), then the equipment falls starts to behave unpredictably.

Edit 2

Also the thread I use to interface to the library is about 2 or 3 generations removed from the initial windows service thread.

Answer 1

You can have a message pump without forms just call the version of Application.Run() that takes a ApplicationContext or no parameters on a thread.

EDIT: I would recommend the ApplicaitonContext version so you can call ApplicationContext.ExitThread() in the OnStop() of your service.

Answer 2

This is fine, the usual caveats for DoEvents do not apply here because you don't have a UI. There are no ramifications, the rate is realistic. Application.Run() also pumps the message loop but you'll have a harder time controlling the thread since the call doesn't return. Yes, WPF pumps the message loop too but there's little point in using it since you don't have a UI.

You should initialize the service thread by calling SetApartmentState() to select STA. This ensures that any COM server works properly.

Oh, one caveat that jumps to mind: you do need to do something to prevent the thread from burning 100% core. It is automatic with Application.Run() but not with DoEvents in a 'game loop'. I think you already do since you can specify a 20 msec rate. Otherwise, calling WaitHandle.WaitOne(20) on the service stop request event is the typical approach.