Question

I wrote my first windows service.

1. Create WS project
2. Rename Service
3. Drag a timer into the middle
4. Enable it, tick to 1s
5. Create a logfie in tick when not exists
6. Install the service
7. Run the Service

Nothing happens…

I try to attach to the service, it’s loaded correctly, but with a breakpoint in it, it never hits.

Any ideas?

---

Code Timer:

private void timMain_Tick(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    if (!File.Exists("C:/test.txt"))
    File.Create("C:/test.txt");
}

Code initialize:

private void InitializeComponent()
{
    this.components = new System.ComponentModel.Container();
    this.timMain = new System.Windows.Forms.Timer(this.components);
    // 
    // timMain
    // 
    this.timMain.Enabled = true;
    this.timMain.Interval = 1000;
    this.timMain.Tick += new System.EventHandler(this.timMain_Tick);
    // 
    // AuctionService
    // 
    this.CanShutdown = true;
    this.ServiceName = "AuctionService";

}

One word: The File.Create is only to test if the timer tick. I was a little uncreatve because of that =)

Answer 1

Even though you are initialising the timer correctly, it is not doing anything because you are not using it in a UI. The MSDN docs state that it must be used with a UI message pump, which a service does not have.

I recommend you use a System.Threading.Timer instead as it does not require a UI and is more appropriate for use in a service:

Timer t = new Timer(t_Tick, null, 0, 1000);

Note that the tick event handler for this timer only takes an object as an argument.