Timer

System.Threading.Timer works, but its API is cumbersome. You construct it with a callback, due time, and period as separate parameters. Starting and stopping requires calling Change with magic values like Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan. There's no event-based pattern, and the state management is error-prone.

MADE.Threading.Timer wraps this into a modern API with properties for Interval and DueTime, a Tick event, and simple Start/Stop methods.

Basic usage

using MADE.Threading;

var timer = new Timer
{
    Interval = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1),
};

timer.Tick += (sender, args) =>
{
    // Runs every minute
    ProcessPendingItems();
};

timer.Start();

To stop the timer:

timer.Stop();

Comparison with System.Threading.Timer

Here's the same functionality using the standard timer:

private System.Threading.Timer processTimer;

public void StartTimer()
{
    if (processTimer == null)
    {
        processTimer = new System.Threading.Timer(
            _ => ProcessPendingItems(),
            null,
            0,
            (int)Math.Ceiling(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1).TotalMilliseconds));
    }
    else
    {
        processTimer.Change(0,
            (int)Math.Ceiling(TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1).TotalMilliseconds));
    }
}

public void StopTimer()
{
    processTimer?.Change(Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan, Timeout.InfiniteTimeSpan);
}

The MADE implementation is more concise, easier to read, and harder to get wrong.

Configuring the due time

By default, the timer fires immediately when started. Set DueTime to delay the first tick:

var timer = new Timer
{
    Interval = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(5),
    DueTime = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30), // Wait 30 seconds before first tick
};

Using the ITimer interface

ITimer is available for dependency injection and testing:

public class PollingService
{
    private readonly ITimer timer;

    public PollingService(ITimer timer)
    {
        this.timer = timer;
        this.timer.Interval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30);
        this.timer.Tick += OnTimerTick;
    }

    public void Start() => timer.Start();
    public void Stop() => timer.Stop();

    private void OnTimerTick(object sender, object e)
    {
        // Poll for updates
    }
}

In tests, you can mock ITimer to control when ticks occur without waiting for real time to pass.