Question

I have a control (for both WPF and Silverlight), represented data as bars. (Small chart). I want write an application, that measure performance of this control. I try to add points in cycle and wait while point will be rendered.

In WPF work this:

//start measuring time
for (int i =10, i<100, i++){
  chart.AddRandomPoint(i); //i - argument
  System.Windows.Forms.Application.DoEvents();
}
//finish measuring time

But in Silverlight it’s impossible to use System.Windows.Forms.Application.DoEvents().

The second way is using DispatcherTimer:

dicpatcherTimer_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e){
   chart.AddRandomPoint(i);
}

and subscribe to CompositionTarget.Rendering event. In event handler icrement counter.
Big value of this counter shows good performance.

My question is:
It is possible add point, wait while chart will be rendered, immediately add another one point etc.?

Is the second way (using DispatcherTimer object and CompositionTarget.Rendering event) correct. Can it shows performance? (I need to compare performance before and after refactoring).

Answer 1

Considering that you’are asking about WPF too, I would suggest to look at

WPF Performance Toolkit, especially think that Perforator will help you a lot with this.

Good article on WPF/Silverlight performance is A Critical Deep Dive into the WPF Rendering System