Create pre-computed tasks

In this article, you'll learn how to use the System.Threading.Tasks.Task.FromResult method to retrieve the results of asynchronous download operations that are held in a cache. The System.Threading.Tasks.Task.FromResult method returns a finished System.Threading.Tasks.Task object that holds the provided value as its System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Result property. This method is useful when you perform an asynchronous operation that returns a System.Threading.Tasks.Task object, and the result of that System.Threading.Tasks.Task object is already computed.

Example

The following example downloads strings from the web. It defines the DownloadStringAsync method. This method downloads strings from the web asynchronously. This example also uses a System.Collections.Concurrent.ConcurrentDictionary object to cache the results of previous operations. If the input address is held in this cache, DownloadStringAsync uses the System.Threading.Tasks.Task.FromResult method to produce a System.Threading.Tasks.Task object that holds the content at that address. Otherwise, DownloadStringAsync downloads the file from the web and adds the result to the cache.

sample · csharpdocs/standard/parallel-programming/snippets/cs/DownloadCache.cs

csharp

using System;
using System.Collections.Concurrent;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Diagnostics;
using System.Linq;
using System.Net.Http;
using System.Threading.Tasks;

public static class DownloadCache
{
    private static readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, string> s_cachedDownloads = new();
    private static readonly HttpClient s_httpClient = new();

    public static Task<string> DownloadStringAsync(string address)
    {
        if (s_cachedDownloads.TryGetValue(address, out string? content))
        {
            return Task.FromResult(content);
        }

        return Task.Run(async () =>
        {
            content = await s_httpClient.GetStringAsync(address);
            s_cachedDownloads.TryAdd(address, content);

            return content;
        });
    }

    public static async Task Main()
    {
        string[] urls = new[]
        {
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/aspnet/core",
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet",
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/architecture/dapr-for-net-developers",
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/azure",
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/desktop/wpf",
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/devops/create-dotnet-github-action",
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/machine-learning",
            "https://learn.microsoft.com/xamarin",
            "https://dotnet.microsoft.com/",
            "https://www.microsoft.com"
        };

        Stopwatch stopwatch = Stopwatch.StartNew();
        IEnumerable<Task<string>> downloads = urls.Select(DownloadStringAsync);

        static void StopAndLogElapsedTime(
            int attemptNumber, Stopwatch stopwatch, Task<string[]> downloadTasks)
        {
            stopwatch.Stop();

            int charCount = downloadTasks.Result.Sum(result => result.Length);
            long elapsedMs = stopwatch.ElapsedMilliseconds;

            Console.WriteLine(
                $"Attempt number: {attemptNumber}\n" +
                $"Retrieved characters: {charCount:#,0}\n" +
                $"Elapsed retrieval time: {elapsedMs:#,0} milliseconds.\n");
        }

        await Task.WhenAll(downloads).ContinueWith(
            downloadTasks => StopAndLogElapsedTime(1, stopwatch, downloadTasks));

        // Perform the same operation a second time. The time required
        // should be shorter because the results are held in the cache.
        stopwatch.Restart();

        downloads = urls.Select(DownloadStringAsync);

        await Task.WhenAll(downloads).ContinueWith(
            downloadTasks => StopAndLogElapsedTime(2, stopwatch, downloadTasks));
    }
    // Sample output:
    //     Attempt number: 1
    //     Retrieved characters: 754,585
    //     Elapsed retrieval time: 2,857 milliseconds.

    //     Attempt number: 2
    //     Retrieved characters: 754,585
    //     Elapsed retrieval time: 1 milliseconds.
}

sample · vbdocs/standard/parallel-programming/snippets/vb/DownloadCache.vb

Imports System.Collections.Concurrent
Imports System.Net.Http

Module Snippets
    Class DownloadCache
        Private Shared ReadOnly s_cachedDownloads As ConcurrentDictionary(Of String, String) =
            New ConcurrentDictionary(Of String, String)()
        Private Shared ReadOnly s_httpClient As HttpClient = New HttpClient()

        Public Function DownloadStringAsync(address As String) As Task(Of String)
            Dim content As String = Nothing

            If s_cachedDownloads.TryGetValue(address, content) Then
                Return Task.FromResult(Of String)(content)
            End If

            Return Task.Run(
                Async Function()
                    content = Await s_httpClient.GetStringAsync(address)
                    s_cachedDownloads.TryAdd(address, content)
                    Return content
                End Function)
        End Function
    End Class

    Public Sub StopAndLogElapsedTime(
            attemptNumber As Integer,
            stopwatch As Stopwatch,
            downloadTasks As Task(Of String()))

        stopwatch.Stop()

        Dim charCount As Integer = downloadTasks.Result.Sum(Function(result) result.Length)
        Dim elapsedMs As Long = stopwatch.ElapsedMilliseconds

        Console.WriteLine(
            $"Attempt number: {attemptNumber}{vbCrLf}" &
            $"Retrieved characters: {charCount:#,0}{vbCrLf}" &
            $"Elapsed retrieval time: {elapsedMs:#,0} milliseconds.{vbCrLf}")
    End Sub

    Sub Main()
        Dim cache As DownloadCache = New DownloadCache()
        Dim urls As String() = {
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/aspnet/core",
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet",
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/architecture/dapr-for-net-developers",
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/azure",
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/desktop/wpf",
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/devops/create-dotnet-github-action",
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/dotnet/machine-learning",
                "https://learn.microsoft.com/xamarin",
                "https://dotnet.microsoft.com/",
                "https://www.microsoft.com"
            }
        Dim stopwatch As Stopwatch = Stopwatch.StartNew()
        Dim downloads As IEnumerable(Of Task(Of String)) =
                urls.Select(AddressOf cache.DownloadStringAsync)
        Task.WhenAll(downloads).ContinueWith(
                Sub(downloadTasks)
                    StopAndLogElapsedTime(1, stopwatch, downloadTasks)
                End Sub).Wait()

        stopwatch.Restart()
        downloads = urls.Select(AddressOf cache.DownloadStringAsync)
        Task.WhenAll(downloads).ContinueWith(
                Sub(downloadTasks)
                    StopAndLogElapsedTime(2, stopwatch, downloadTasks)
                End Sub).Wait()
    End Sub
    ' Sample output:
    '     Attempt number 1
    '     Retrieved characters: 754,585
    '     Elapsed retrieval time: 2,857 milliseconds.
    '
    '     Attempt number 2
    '     Retrieved characters: 754,585
    '     Elapsed retrieval time: 1 milliseconds.
End Module

In the preceding example, the first time each url is downloaded, its value is stored in the cache. The System.Threading.Tasks.Task.FromResult method enables the DownloadStringAsync method to create System.Threading.Tasks.Task objects that hold these pre-computed results. Subsequent calls to download the string return the cached values, and is much faster.

#Example

#See also

Example

See also