This article takes you to a simpler/alternative approach in making a Singleton Design Pattern implementation using System.Lazy class rather that using our traditional approach.
Singleton Design Pattern implementation without lazy initialization:
- This code is thread safe enabled
/// <summary>
/// Singleton class
/// </summary>
public class AppConfig
{
private AppConfig()
{
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets the current date time.
/// </summary>
/// <value>
/// The current date time.
/// </value>
public DateTime CurrentDateTime
{
get
{
return DateTime.Now;
}
}
/// <summary>
/// The _config
/// </summary>
private static AppConfig _config;
/// <summary>
/// The pad lock for maintaining a thread lock.
/// </summary>
private static readonly Object padLock = new object();
/// <summary>
/// Gets the instance.
/// </summary>
/// <value>
/// The instance.
/// </value>
public static AppConfig Instance
{
get
{
if (_config == null)
{
lock (padLock) // making thread-safe
{
//{
if (_config == null) //second level check to make sure, within the short span, another concurent thread didnt initialize the object.
{
_config = new AppConfig();
}
}
}
//}
return _config;
}
}
}
This approach ensures that only one instance is created and only when the instance is needed. Also, the variable is declared to be volatile to ensure that assignment to the instance variable completes before the instance variable can be accessed. Lastly, this approach uses a padLock instance to lock on, rather than locking on the type itself, to avoid deadlocks.
Another variant using Lazy initialization using static constructor and thread safe since initialization is handled during runtime within readonly variable declaration. This will be thread-safe any ways.
/// <summary>
/// a Simpler version of Singleton class with lazy initialization.
/// </summary>
public class AppConfigLazy1
{
// static holder for instance, will not get initialized until first use, due to static contructor.
private static readonly AppConfigLazy1 _instance = new AppConfigLazy1();
/// <summary>
/// Prevents a default instance of the <see cref="AppConfigLazy1"/> class from being created.
/// </summary>
private AppConfigLazy1()
{
}
/// <summary>
/// for Lazy Initializes the <see cref="AppConfigLazy1"/> class.
/// </summary>
static AppConfigLazy1()
{
}
public static AppConfigLazy1 Instance
{
get
{
return _instance;
}
}
}
Now with .NET 4.0 onwards there is a better way of doing this using .NET Runtime methods using System.Lazy type. System.Lazy type is mainly used in Entity Framework context, but we can use the same in implementing lazy loading where ever we have to deal with memory intensive object or collection of objects.
System.Lazy type guarantees thread-safe lazy-construction. (By default, all public and protected members of the Lazy
.NET Framework Support in: 4.6, 4.5, 4
/// <summary>
/// a Simpler version of Singleton class with lazy initialization.
/// </summary>
public class AppConfigLazy2
{
// static holder for instance, need to use lambda to construct since constructor private
private static readonly Lazy<AppConfigLazy2> _instance = new Lazy<AppConfigLazy2>(() => new AppConfigLazy2());
/// <summary>
/// Prevents a default instance of the <see cref="AppConfigLazy2"/> class from being created.
/// </summary>
private AppConfigLazy2()
{
}
public static AppConfigLazy2 Instance
{
get
{
return _instance.Value;
}
}
/// <summary>
/// Gets the current date time.
/// </summary>
/// <value>
/// The current date time.
/// </value>
public DateTime CurrentDateTime
{
get
{
return DateTime.Now;
}
}
}
That’s more than one way doing Singleton Pattern Implementation right?, hope that was helpful to you Some reference links are given below:
Nithin Mohan – A passionate hardcore application programmer, software architect, and technology evangelist with over 15 years of experience in Web, Mobile, and Cloud applications design and development.
