How Does the New Async/Await Syntax Impact Fire-and-Forget Operations in C#?

Async/Await and Fire-and-Forget Operations in C#: A Comparison

Traditional C# "fire-and-forget" asynchronous operations, using delegates and asynchronous delegates, execute tasks without blocking the main thread. The introduction of async/await refines this approach.

Let's examine a comparison of the older and newer methods:

// Old approach
Action<string> asyncAction = DoIt;
asyncAction.BeginInvoke("Test", ar => { asyncAction.EndInvoke(ar); ar.AsyncWaitHandle.Close(); }, null);
Console.WriteLine("Old-style main thread finished");

// New approach
DoIt2("Test2");
Console.WriteLine("New-style main thread finished");

Both achieve the same outcome, but async/await simplifies the process, eliminating the need for EndInvoke and manual handle closure. However, await Task.Yield(); might be necessary in certain scenarios.

Performance and Resource Management

The performance difference between these methods is negligible. The key advantage of async/await lies in its improved resource management; it automatically handles cleanup, removing the risk of resource leaks associated with manual handle management.

Asynchronously Invoking Synchronous Methods

To asynchronously execute a synchronous method, A(), without altering its code, wrap it within an asynchronous method:

public static async Task<TResult> InvokeAsync<TResult>(Func<TResult> action)
{
    return await Task.Run(action);
}

Call the wrapper:

var task = InvokeAsync(A);

Avoiding async void

It's best practice to avoid async void methods due to their complexities in exception handling. The Task-based approach above provides a more robust and manageable solution for handling potential errors.

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