WCF in Windows Forms Application - winforms

Question

I'm tryin to run a WCF service within a Windows Forms Application. I copied and modified code found in the WCF samples from Microsoft. When running the WCF Sample the service shows up in a port monitor (CurrPorts) I use. When I run my code I can't see my service...
This is my code:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.ServiceModel;
namespace NoName.Server
{
[ServiceContract(Namespace="http://NoName")]
public interface IApplicationService
{
[OperationContract()]
NoName.Entities.MediaParameter[] GetParametersForMediaObject(string mediaObjectId);
[OperationContract()]
NoName.Entities.MediaParameter GetMediaParameter(string parameterId);
}
}
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
namespace NoName.Server
{
public class ApplicationService : IApplicationService
{
public Entities.MediaParameter[] GetParametersForMediaObject(string mediaObjectId)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
public Entities.MediaParameter GetMediaParameter(string parameterId)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
}
I'm running it from a Form as
private void toolStripButton1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
using (ServiceHost host = new ServiceHost(typeof(ApplicationService)))
{
host.Open();
}
}
And the configuration in app.config:
<system.serviceModel>
<services>
<service name="NoName.Server.ApplicationService" behaviorConfiguration="ApplicationServiceBehavior">
<host>
<baseAddresses>
<add baseAddress="http://localhost:8000/NoName/ApplicationService"/>
</baseAddresses>
</host>
<!-- this endpoint is exposed at the base address provided by host: http://localhost:8000/NoName/ApplicationService -->
<endpoint address="" binding="wsHttpBinding" contract="NoName.Server.IApplicationService"/>
<!-- the mex endpoint is exposed at soap.tcp://localhost:8000/NoName/ApplicationService/mex -->
<endpoint address="mex" binding="mexHttpBinding" contract="IMetadataExchange"/>
</service>
</services>
<!--For debugging purposes set the includeExceptionDetailInFaults attribute to true-->
<behaviors>
<serviceBehaviors>
<behavior name="ApplicationServiceBehavior">
<serviceMetadata httpGetEnabled="True"/>
<serviceDebug includeExceptionDetailInFaults="False"/>
</behavior>
</serviceBehaviors>
</behaviors>
</system.serviceModel>
It compiles without errors, no exceptions when I run it. It just won't exist. Ideas?

Answer 1

Well - you're using a using block, which is normally a good thing - but here, the service host will be closed again right away at the end of the using block - which is certainly not what you want!
using (ServiceHost host = new ServiceHost(typeof(ApplicationService)))
{
host.Open(); // host is opened here
} // host is disposed and closed here
So your ServiceHost was open and ready to receive requests - for a fraction of a second only... and then it was closed and disposed of since the using { .. } block ended.....
What you need to do is this:
add a private member variable to e.g. your main form
private ServiceHost _serviceHost = null;
open that service host at some point in your code, e.g. in your method you have there:
private void toolStripButton1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
_serviceHost = new ServiceHost(typeof(ApplicationService));
}
leave it open until e.g. the Winforms app closes (or the user choses some other menu item to actually close the service host)