Converting a Console Application to a service?

Question

I\'m looking for different ways with strengths/weaknesses for converting a console application we are using long term in to a windows service. We use something called java serv

Answer 1

Some thoughts:

Create windows service with VS 2005

install .Net Service

I wrote some couple of years ago a Perl based set of executables ( theads ) etc. , which seems to have similar requirements to yours ...

Some stuff to keep in mind:

• do have debuggin switch ( you should have one when something goes really wrong )
• output to both console and files ( try log4net for example )
• build your logging with future regex parsing in mind
• if there are some inderdependant processes , learn how to kill them , stop and restart them
• if there are some inderdependant processes try to communicate to them

Here is a small Console example to output to db, file and console with log4net

    using System;
    using System.Collections.Generic;
    using System.Linq;
    using System.Text;
    using log4net;
    using log4net.Config;
    using NUnit.Framework;

    namespace ExampleConsoleApplication
    {
        [TestFixture]
        class TestClass
        {

        //private static readonly ILog logger =
        //     LogManager.GetLogger ( typeof ( TestClass ) );

        private static readonly log4net.ILog logger = log4net.LogManager.GetLogger ( System.Reflection.MethodBase.GetCurrentMethod ().DeclaringType );

            static void Main ( string[] args )
            {

                Console.WriteLine ( " START " );
                #region LoggerUsage
                DOMConfigurator.Configure (); //tis configures the logger 
                logger.Debug ( "Here is a debug log." );
                logger.Info ( "... and an Info log." );
                logger.Warn ( "... and a warning." );
                logger.Error ( "... and an error." );
                logger.Fatal ( "... and a fatal error." );

                #endregion LoggerUsage
                TestClass objTestClass = new TestClass();
                objTestClass.TestMethodNameOK ();
                objTestClass.TestMethodNameNOK ();

                Console.WriteLine ( " END HIT A KEY TO EXIT " );
                Console.ReadLine ();
                } //eof method 

            [SetUp]
            protected void SetUp ()
            {
                //Add Here the Initialization of the objects 
            }
            [Test ( Description = "Add here the description of this test method " )]
            protected void TestMethodNameOK ()
            { 
                //build ok use case scenario here - e.g. no exception should be raced '
                //Vegetable newCarrot = pool.GetItemByPropertyValue ( "WriongByPurpose", "Orange" );
                //Assert.IsInstanceOfType ( typeof ( Vegetable ), newCarrot );
                //Assert.AreSame ( newCarrot, carrot );
                //logger.Info ( " I got the newCarrot which is " + newCarrot.Color );

            } //eof method 

            [Test ( Description = "Add here the description of this test method " )]
            protected void TestMethodNameNOK ()         //e.g. the one that should raze Exception
            {
                //build ok use case scenario here - e.g. no exception should be raced '
                //Vegetable newCarrot = pool.GetItemByPropertyValue ( "WriongByPurpose", "Orange" );
                //Assert.IsInstanceOfType ( typeof ( Vegetable ), newCarrot );
                //Assert.AreSame ( newCarrot, carrot );
                //logger.Info ( " I got the newCarrot which is " + newCarrot.Color );

            } //eof method 

        } //eof class 

    } //eof namespace 





    #region TheAppConfig
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    #endregion TheAppconfig

    //this is the xml added replace here your log4net and Nunit paths
    //
    //  False
    //  ..\..\..\Log4Net\log4net-1.2.10\bin\net\2.0\release\log4net.dll
    //
    //