C# Controlling dll access

I have a program that utilises a plugin architecture. When the inital form loads, it scans the current directory, queries each dll and obtain some basic data which is displayed to the user.

Whilst using the program, the software will often need to ask the dll's to pe开发者_JS百科rform some work.

My question is, when the program initially checks the dll files, should I keep a reference to each dll object for future use, or should I query the dll files each time and create the object as and when needed?

if it's the first one, what is the best way to keep a list of an undetermined number of objects that derive from a common interface and then know which one to refer back to when needed?

Thanks.

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Using the first one you could just create a

List<IYourCommonInterface> pluginDlls

and then just

pluginDlls.Add(dllReference);

Edit

Alternate method using a Dictionary, note that this will require you having some kind of ID for the dictionary that you can make use of to id the dlls.

Dictionary<SomeIDField, IYourCommonInterface> pluginDlls

pluginDlls.Add(dllRefrence);

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Most apps do the check on load.

I wouldn't store the list of interfaces. If you do store them then you run into the possibility that the assemblies either disappear or are updated in some way. At which point you need to "refresh" them anyway.

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Once you've loaded the assembly and gotten an instance of System.Reflection.Assembly for reflection (using Assembly.Load(), Assembly.LoadFrom(), Assembly.LoadFile(), etc.), the assembly is loaded. To quote MSDN on the subject:

...it is...possible to load specific assemblies into the current application domain at runtime...There is no way to unload an individual assembly without unloading all of the application domains that contain it. Even if the assembly goes out of scope, the actual assembly file will remain loaded until all application domains that contain it are unloaded. [emphasis mine]

So if you want to unload the DLLs until such time as you actually need them, you're going to have to create a new app domain and then unload that. Its easier to just load them and have done with it. You can keep the assemply reference around if you like, but if you call Assembly.Load() again, it won't actually load the assembly: it'll just get a reference to the previously loaded assembly.

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If you've gone through the trouble of finding and loading the DLLs, normally you'll want to keep them around. This would depend mostly on how many resources the DLLs use and how your app is using the DLLs.

I'm assuming you're using LoadAssembly here. You can just store references to the assemblies you've loaded using some kind of map. Or even a list that you iterate through.

Perhaps if you give some more details we can help you better.