How to build the Client-Server Architecture using Self Hosted WCF Service and WPF Client?

What is a self-hosted WCF service?

Self-hosting is the simplest way to host your services and a Self-hosted is that it hosts the service in an application that could be a Console Application or Window Forms, etc.

Ways to host the WCF service.

1. Hosting in Internet Information Services (IIS).
2. Hosting in Console or Desktop Application (Self-hosting).

WCF service has two types of zones.

1. Services
2. Clients
3. ### Services

Some steps to create live services.

1. Define a service contract
2. Implement a service contract
3. Host and run a service contract

Clients

There are three steps to communicate between WCF Client and service.

• Create a WCF Clien
• Configure a WCF Client.
• Use a WCF Client.

Now, let’s see the steps to create a project.

Step: 1
Open visual studio, and create new project. After project creation, open solution explorer and right-click on the project name and click Add -> New Item -> and select WCF Service Library, this will be creating two files here CompanyClass and ICompanyClass are those two files.

Step: 2
Now, we can add a Service contract and Data contract. Service contract for Operation contract and Data contract for data members.

Here is a Company class model.

using System;
usingSystem.Collections.Generic;
usingSystem.Linq;
usingSystem.Runtime.Serialization;
usingSystem.Text;
usingSystem.Threading.Tasks;
namespaceWCFExample
{
  [DataContract]
publicclassCompanyClass
  {
    [DataMember]
publicstring CompanyName { get; set; }
    [DataMember]
publicstring Address { get; set; }
    [DataMember]
publicintCompanyYear{ get; set; }
publicCompanyClass()
    {
    }
  }
}

Now, add the Service contract and Operation contract.

using System;
usingSystem.Collections.Generic;
usingSystem.Linq;
usingSystem.ServiceModel;
usingSystem.Text;
usingSystem.Threading.Tasks;
namespaceWCFExample
{
  [ServiceContract]
publicinterfaceICompanyService
  {
    [OperationContract]
IList<companyclass>companyClasses();
    [OperationContract]
voidUpdate(CompanyClass cc);
  }
}
</companyclass>

Read More: What Are The Different Ways Of Binding In Wpf?

Step: 3
Now, we have to implement a service in our class.

using System;
usingSystem.Collections.Generic;
usingSystem.Linq;
usingSystem.Text;
usingSystem.Threading.Tasks;
namespaceWCFExample
{
publicclassAddServices :ICompanyService
  {
static List<companyclass>companyClasses = new List<companyclass>()
      {
    newCompanyClass() {CompanyName="Ifour", Address="Thaltej", CompanyYear=30},
    newCompanyClass() {CompanyName="TCS", Address="AgoraMall", CompanyYear=20},
    newCompanyClass() {CompanyName="Tencent", Address="S.G.Highway", CompanyYear=10},
    newCompanyClass() {CompanyName="TensorFlow", Address="Sola", CompanyYear=15},
    newCompanyClass() {CompanyName="Stridly", Address="Shivranjani", CompanyYear=14},
      };
publicvoidUpdate(CompanyClass cc)
{
    var data = companyClasses.FirstOrDefault(s =>s.CompanyName == cc.CompanyName);
    if (data!=null)
    {
      data.Address = cc.Address;
      data.CompanyYear = cc.CompanyYear;
    }
}
publicIList<companyclass>Classes()
  {
      returncompanyClasses;
  }
}
}
</companyclass></companyclass></companyclass>

usingSystem.ServiceModel;
usingSystem.ServiceModel.Description;
publicstaticvoid Main(string[] args)
  {
using (ServiceHost host = newServiceHost(typeof(AddServices)))
      {
    ServiceMetadataBehaviorserviceMetadata  =newServiceMetadataBehavior { HttpGetEnabled = true };
    host.Description.Behaviors.Add(serviceMetadata);
    host.AddServiceEndpoint(typeof(AddServices), newNetTcpBinding { Security = { Mode = SecurityMode.None } }, nameof(AddServices));
    host.Open();
    Console.WriteLine("Services are hosted successfully.");
    Console.WriteLine("Press any key to stop the services.");
    Console.ReadKey();
      }
  }

Step: 4
All Services are ready to host. Now, run your project and check your services are hosted successfully and you can get one service URL.

Now, we can create a WPF project for creating a client and consuming their services.

Step: 5
Create a new project for WPF Windows Application and use services using the MVVM pattern.

First of all, we have to create a proxy channel for the WCF Company service. Using this proxy object, we can get the service data that we want.

Let’s see how to create a proxy and get the data from the server.

using System;
usingSystem.Collections.Generic;
usingSystem.Linq;
usingSystem.ServiceModel;
usingSystem.Text;
usingSystem.Threading.Tasks;
namespaceWCFExample
{
publicclassProxyService<t>whereT :class
{
  private T _GetT;
  public T GetT(string path)
  {
    return _GetT ?? (_GetT = ServiceInstance(path));
  }
  privatestatic T ServiceInstance(string path)
  {
    varbindpath = newNetTcpBinding();
    bindpath.Security.Mode = SecurityMode.None;
    EndpointAddressendpointAddress = newEndpointAddress(path);
    returnChannelFactory<t>.CreateChannel(bindpath, endpointAddress);
  }
}
}
</t></t>

Step: 6
After setting the proxy channel, create a folder and give it the name view model for the Company models and binding it with the Xaml.

using System;
usingSystem.Collections.Generic;
usingSystem.Collections.ObjectModel;
usingSystem.Linq;
usingSystem.Text;
usingSystem.Threading.Tasks;
usingSystem.Windows.Input;
namespaceWCFExample.ViewModel
{
publicclassCompanyViewModel
{
  privatereadonlyICompanyServicecompanyService;
  publicCompanyViewModel()
  {
    ListData = newObservableCollection<companiesviewmodel>();
    varProxyservices = newProxyService<icompanyservice>();
    companyService = Proxyservices.GetT("net.tcp://localhost:9950/CompanyService");
    var companies = companyService.companyClasses();
    foreach (var company in companies)
    {
      ListData.Add(newCompaniesViewModel(company, this));
    }
  }
  publicObservableCollection<companiesviewmodel>ListData{ get; set; }
  publicvoidUpdateProperty(CompaniesViewModelcompaniesViewModel)
  {
    companyService.Update(companiesViewModel.Model);
  }
}
publicclassCommands :ICommand
{
  private Action<object> action;
  privateFunc<object, bool="">func;
  publiceventEventHandlerCanExecuteChanged
  {
    add
    {
      CommandManager.RequerySuggested += value;
    }
    remove
    {
      CommandManager.RequerySuggested -= value;
    }
  }
  publicCommands(Action<object> action, Func<object, bool="">func = null)
  {
    this.action = action;
    this.func = func;
  } 
  publicboolCanExecute(objectparam)
  {
    returnthis.func == null || this.func(param);
  }
  publicvoidExecute(object param)
  {
    this.action(param);
  }
}
}
</object,></object></object,></object></companiesviewmodel></icompanyservice></companiesviewmodel>

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Step: 7
Now, add one more view model for representing every detail of the Company. In this view model we implicit INotifyPropertyChanged for an instant update.

usingJetBrains.Annotations;
using System;
usingSystem.Collections.Generic;
usingSystem.ComponentModel;
usingSystem.Linq;
usingSystem.Runtime.CompilerServices;
usingSystem.Text;
usingSystem.Threading.Tasks;
namespaceWCFExample.ViewModel
{
publicclassCompaniesViewModel :INotifyPropertyChanged
  {
  public Commands EventHandler{ get; privateset; }
  privatereadonlyCompanyViewModel _base;
  privatestring address;
  privateint year;
  publicCompanyClass Model;
  publicstring Address
      {
    get{ return address; }
    set
          {
      if(address != value)
      {
        address = value;
        Model.Address = value;
        _base.UpdateProperty(this);
        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(Address));
              }
          }
      }
  publicint Year
  {
    get{ return year; }
    set
    {
      if(year != value)
      {
        year = value;
        Model.CompanyYear = value;
        _base.UpdateProperty(this);
        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(Year1));
        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(Year2));
        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(Year3));
        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(Year4));
        OnPropertyChanged(nameof(Year5));
          }
        }
      }
      publicbool Year1 =>Model.CompanyYear>= 30;
      publicbool Year2 =>Model.CompanyYear>= 20;
      publicbool Year3 =>Model.CompanyYear>= 10;
      publicbool Year4 =>Model.CompanyYear>= 15;
      publicbool Year5 =>Model.CompanyYear>= 14;
  publicCompaniesViewModel(CompanyClass company, CompanyViewModel companies)
      {
          Model = company;
    EventHandler = new Commands(OnClickYear);
          _base = companies;
          address = company.Address;
          year = company.CompanyYear;
      }
  privatevoidOnClickYear(objectobj)
      {
    this.Year = int.Parse(obj.ToString());
      }
    publiceventPropertyChangedEventHandlerPropertyChanged;
      [NotifyPropertyChangedInvocator]
    protectedvirtualvoidOnPropertyChanged([CallerMemberName] stringpropertyName = null)
      {
    PropertyChanged?.Invoke(this, newPropertyChangedEventArgs(propertyName));
      }
  }
}

Conclusion

Self-hosting in WCF is easy to use you can make your service running using a few lines of code, you can control your service through the Open () and Close () methods of ServiceHost. Window Communication Foundation is a reliable, secure, and scalable messaging platform for the .NET framework, and have some other features like Security, Data Contract, Service Oriented, Transaction, etc.