Introducing the Model Thread View Thread Pattern

//===================================================================================
// Microsoft patterns & practices
// Composite Application Guidance for Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight
//===================================================================================
// Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.
// THIS CODE AND INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY
// OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT
// LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND
// FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
//===================================================================================
// The example companies, organizations, products, domain names,
// e-mail addresses, logos, people, places, and events depicted
// herein are fictitious.  No association with any real company,
// organization, product, domain name, email address, logo, person,
// places, or events is intended or should be inferred.
//===================================================================================
using System;
using System.Reflection;

namespace Microsoft.Practices.Composite.Events
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Represents a reference to a <see cref="Delegate"/> that may contain a
    /// <see cref="WeakReference"/> to the target. This class is used
    /// internally by the Composite Application Library.
    /// </summary>
    public class DelegateReference : IDelegateReference
    {
        private readonly Delegate _delegate;
        private readonly WeakReference _weakReference;
        private readonly MethodInfo _method;
        private readonly Type _delegateType;

        /// <summary>
        /// Initializes a new instance of <see cref="DelegateReference"/>.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="delegate">The original <see cref="Delegate"/> to create a reference for.</param>
        /// <param name="keepReferenceAlive">If <see langword="false" /> the class will create a weak reference to the delegate, allowing it to be garbage collected. Otherwise it will keep a strong reference to the target.</param>
        /// <exception cref="ArgumentNullException">If the passed <paramref name="delegate"/> is not assignable to <see cref="Delegate"/>.</exception>
        public DelegateReference(Delegate @delegate, bool keepReferenceAlive)
        {
            if (@delegate == null)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("delegate");

            if (keepReferenceAlive)
            {
                this._delegate = @delegate;
            }
            else
            {
                _weakReference = new WeakReference(@delegate.Target);
                _method = @delegate.Method;
                _delegateType = @delegate.GetType();
            }
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// Gets the <see cref="Delegate" /> (the target) referenced by the current <see cref="DelegateReference"/> object.
        /// </summary>
        /// <value><see langword="null"/> if the object referenced by the current <see cref="DelegateReference"/> object has been garbage collected; otherwise, a reference to the <see cref="Delegate"/> referenced by the current <see cref="DelegateReference"/> object.</value>
        public Delegate Target
        {
            get
            {
                if (_delegate != null)
                {
                    return _delegate;
                }
                else
                {
                    return TryGetDelegate();
                }
            }
        }

        private Delegate TryGetDelegate()
        {
            if (_method.IsStatic)
            {
                return Delegate.CreateDelegate(_delegateType, null, _method);
            }
            object target = _weakReference.Target;
            if (target != null)
            {
                return Delegate.CreateDelegate(_delegateType, target, _method);
            }
            return null;
        }
    }
}