WaitHandle

WaitHandle is a base class in the .NET Framework that provides a mechanism for synchronizing access to resources. It is an abstract class, meaning it cannot be instantiated directly, but it serves as a foundation for other synchronization primitives such as EventWaitHandle, Mutex, Semaphore, and AutoResetEvent. WaitHandle is used to wait for a signal from another thread or process, allowing for efficient and responsive multithreaded applications.

The primary method provided by WaitHandle is WaitOne, which blocks the current thread until the WaitHandle receives a signal. This signal can be set by another thread or process, indicating that the resource is now available. The WaitOne method can be called with a timeout, allowing the thread to wait for a specified period before continuing execution.

WaitHandle also supports waiting on multiple handles simultaneously using the static method WaitHandle.WaitAll or WaitHandle.WaitAny. WaitAll blocks until all specified handles receive a signal, while WaitAny blocks until any one of the specified handles receives a signal. These methods are useful for coordinating multiple threads or processes.

In summary, WaitHandle is a fundamental class in the .NET Framework for synchronizing access to resources in multithreaded applications. It provides a simple and efficient way to wait for signals from other threads or processes, enabling responsive and efficient multithreaded programming.