Creating and Running Threads in C#: Executing Static and Non-Static Methods Concurrently

Learn how to implement multithreading in C# to execute code concurrently. This tutorial demonstrates creating and starting threads for both static and non-static methods, explaining the `ThreadStart` delegate and highlighting the importance of thread management for improving application performance.

Creating and Running Threads in C#: Static and Non-Static Methods

This article demonstrates how to create and start threads in C# to execute both static and non-static methods concurrently. Multithreading allows you to perform tasks simultaneously, potentially improving application performance.

Starting Threads with Static Methods

To start a thread that runs a static method, you don't need to create an instance of the class. You pass the method's name directly to the `ThreadStart` delegate when creating the `Thread` object.

Thread myThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(MyClass.MyStaticMethod));
myThread.Start();

Example:

using System;
using System.Threading;

public class MyClass {
    public static void MyStaticMethod() {
        // ... code to run in the new thread ...
    }
}
// ... (Main method to create and start the threads) ...

The output order is unpredictable because the operating system's scheduler determines when each thread runs.

Starting Threads with Non-Static Methods

To run a non-static method, you first need to create an instance of the class. You then pass a method group (a reference to the method on the object instance) to the `ThreadStart` delegate.

MyClass myObject = new MyClass();
Thread myThread = new Thread(new ThreadStart(myObject.MyInstanceMethod));
myThread.Start();

Example:

using System;
using System.Threading;

public class MyClass {
    public void MyInstanceMethod() {
        // ... code to run in the new thread ...
    }
}
// ... (Main method to create and start the threads) ...

Again, the output order is unpredictable due to context switching.

Example: Different Tasks on Different Threads

This example shows how to run different methods concurrently on separate threads:

using System;
using System.Threading;

public class MyClass {
    public static void Task1() { Console.WriteLine("Task 1"); }
    public static void Task2() { Console.WriteLine("Task 2"); }
}
// ... (Main method to create and start threads for Task1 and Task2) ...