NetDisco

A .Net Standard library for creating auto-discoverable servers and clients.

Feedback

This project is currently a MVP. Please reach out if you find it useful and esspecially if you have any suggestions.

Getting Started

Create a Object Model library

This is where we'll define the object model to share between the server and client projects.

IMPORTANT: The requests and responses are send over the network using JSON serialization.

1. Create a new Class Library project
2. Add a class that will be the request object

   public class Request
   {
       public string Body { get; set; }
   }

3. Add a class that will be the response objet

   public class Response
   {
       public string Result { get; set; }
   }

Create a Server Application

This is where we'll create the auto-discoverable server using the shared object model

1. Create a new Console App project
2. Install the NetDisco Nuget package
   • How To: Include a NuGet package in your project
3. Add a class that will be the server
   • Add the following using

     using NetDisco;

   • Add the AutoDiscoverableServer<Request, Response> base class
   • Implement the required members Name, Address, Port, HandleError, and ProcessRequest

     public class Server : AutoDiscoverableServer<Request, Response>
     {
         public Server(string name, IPAddress address, int port)
         {
             _Name = name;
             _Address = address;
             _Port = port;
         }
         
         private string _Name = string.Empty;
         public override string Name => _Name;
         
         private IPAddress _Address = IPAddress.None;
         public override IPAddress Address => _Address;
         
         private int _Port = 0;
         public override int Port => _Port;
         
         protected override Response HandleError(Request request, Exception error)
         {
             // Log the error message and build a response.
             
             var result = string.Format("Error processing the request. Error: {0}", error);
             
             return new Response { Result = result };
         }
         
         protected override Response ProcessRequest(Request request)
         {
             // Do work with the request and build a response.
             
             var result = string.Format("Server received the request: Body: {0}", request.Body);
             
             return new Response { Result = result };
         }
     }

4. Update the Main method of Program.cs to instantiate and start the server

   class Program
   {
       static void Main(string[] args)
       {
           var server = new Server("My Server", IPAddress.Parse("AN_IP_ON_YOUR_MACHINE"), 24516);
           server.Start();
           Console.WriteLine("Server Started: {0}", server);
           Console.ReadLine();
       }
   }

Create a Client Application

This is where we'll create the client for the auto-discoverable server using the shared object model

1. Create a new Console App project
2. Install the NetDisco Nuget package
   • How To: Include a NuGet package in your project
3. Add a class that will be the client
   • Add the following using

     using NetDisco;

   • Add the AutoDiscoverableClient<Request, Response> base class
   • Implement the required members Name and HandleError

   public class Client : AutoDiscoverableClient<Request, Response>
   {
       public Client(string name)
       {
           _Name = name;
       }
       
       private string _Name = string.Empty;
       public override string Name => _Name;
       
       protected override Response HandleError(Request request, Exception error)
       {
           // Log the error message and build a response.
           
           return new Response { Result = string.Format("Error sending request: {0}", error) };
       }
       
       public string SendMessage(string message)
       {
           return Send(new Request { Body = message })?.Result;
       }
   }

4. Update the Main method of Program.cs to instantiate the client, send a message, output the response

   class Program
   {
       static void Main(string[] args)
       {
           // This name needs to match the name of the server
           var client = new Client("My Server");
           var reply = client.SendMessage("Hello Auto Discovered World!");
           Console.WriteLine(reply);
           Console.ReadLine();
       }
   }

Watch it Work

1. Run the server without debugging
2. Run the client and watch it auto-discover the server, send a message and write the response from the server.
3. Close the client and server applications
4. Change the port and or IP address of the server
5. Repeat steps 1 and 2 of this section

Links

• GitHub Project
• Nuget Package