NetworkStream.BeginWrite Method

The BeginWrite method starts an asynchronous send operation to the remote host. Calling the BeginWrite method gives you the ability to send data within a separate execution thread.

You must create a callback method that implements the AsyncCallback delegate and pass its name to the BeginWrite method. At the very minimum, your state parameter must contain the NetworkStream. If your callback needs more information, you can create a small class or structure to hold the NetworkStream and the other required information. Pass the structure or class instance to the BeginWrite method through the state parameter.

Your callback method should implement the EndWrite method. When your application calls BeginWrite, the system uses a separate thread to execute the specified callback method, and blocks on EndWrite until the NetworkStream sends the number of bytes requested or throws an exception. If you want the original thread to block after you call the BeginWrite method, use the WaitOne method. Call Set in the callback method when you want the original thread to continue executing. For additional information about writing callback methods, see Callback Sample.

Note
If you receive an IOException, check the InnerException property to determine if it was caused by a SocketException. If so, use the ErrorCode property to obtain the specific error code, and refer to the Windows Sockets version 2 API error code documentation in MSDN for a detailed description of the error.

Read and write operations can be performed simultaneously on an instance of the NetworkStream class without the need for synchronization. As long as there is one unique thread for the write operations and one unique thread for the read operations, there will be no cross-interference between read and write threads and no synchronization is required.

Note

The HostProtectionAttribute attribute applied to this type or member has the following Resources property value: ExternalThreading. The HostProtectionAttribute does not affect desktop applications (which are typically started by double-clicking an icon, typing a command, or entering a URL in a browser). For more information, see the HostProtectionAttribute class or SQL Server Programming and Host Protection Attributes.

The following code example uses BeginWrite to write data asynchronously to a network stream. The myWriteCallBack method implements the AsyncCallback delegate and is called by the system when BeginWrite returns.

//Example of CanWrite, and BeginWrite.

 // Check to see if this NetworkStream is writable.
 if (myNetworkStream.CanWrite){

      byte[] myWriteBuffer = Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes("Are you receiving this message?");
      myNetworkStream.BeginWrite(myWriteBuffer, 0, myWriteBuffer.Length, 
                                                   new AsyncCallback(NetworkStream_ASync_Send_Receive.myWriteCallBack), 
                                                   myNetworkStream);
      allDone.WaitOne();
 }
 else{
      Console.WriteLine("Sorry.  You cannot write to this NetworkStream.");  
 }

.NET Framework

.NET Framework Client Profile

Windows 7, Windows Vista SP1 or later, Windows XP SP3, Windows XP SP2 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2008 (Server Core not supported), Windows Server 2008 R2 (Server Core supported with SP1 or later), Windows Server 2003 SP2

Reference