How Do I Call an Async Method from a Synchronous Main Method in C#?

Calling Async Methods from Main: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction

The question arises when a developer needs to invoke an asynchronous method from a traditional synchronous context such as the Main method. This situation often pops up when exploring the realm of async programming in C#.

Problem

Given the following asynchronous method:

public class test
{
    public async Task Go()
    {
        // ... various async operations
    }
}

The dilemma arises when trying to call Go from the Main method, the program's synchronous entry point.

Solution

In C# 7.1 and later versions, calling an async method from Main is straightforward:

static async Task Main(string[] args)
{
    test t = new test();
    await t.Go();
    Console.WriteLine("finished");
    Console.ReadKey();
}

This code ensures that Go's asynchronous operations complete before the program finishes.

For C# versions prior to 7.1, a different approach is necessary:

static void Main(string[] args)
{
    test t = new test();
    t.Go().Wait();
    Console.WriteLine("finished");
    Console.ReadKey();
}

Calling Wait() blocks the current thread until Go's asynchronous operations conclude.

Benefits of Async Methods

Eliminating callbacks, which can make code complex and difficult to maintain, is a key advantage of asynchronous programming using the async keyword. It enables a clean and sequential execution flow while allowing other operations to proceed concurrently.

The above is the detailed content of How Do I Call an Async Method from a Synchronous Main Method in C#?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!