Using IDisposable to restore temporary settings example

This is WinForms code from a long time ago, but the concept of using an IDisposable interface to do resource cleanup and restore a temporary setting is very valid.

You use the code below like this:

private void myMethod()
        {
            // set busy cursor
            using (IDisposable waitCursor = new TemporaryCursor(this, System.Windows.Forms.Cursors.WaitCursor))
            {
                // logic that takes a long while
            }
        }

The code below implements the TemporaryCursor class; you can assign any System.Windows.Forms.Cursors item you want.
It restores the cursor upon these three “events”:

• The Dispose method either called directly on the class, or through the IDisposable.Dispose via for instance a using statement
• The ~TemporaryCursor desctructor syntax implementing the finalizer
• The HandleDestroyed event on the Control

Most often the IDispose pattern is being used to make sure that resources get cleaned up. If you think of a wait cursor as a temporary resource, this example becomes much easier to remember.
Of course this is not limited to the System.Windows.Forms realm, you can just as well use this for non-visual temporaries, and other kinds of UIs like ASP.NET, WPF or SilverLight.

using System.Windows.Forms;
namespace bo.Windows.Forms
{
    public class TemporaryCursor : IDisposable
    {
        private Control targetControl;
        private Cursor savedCursor;
        private Cursor temporaryCursor;
        private bool disposed = false;
        public TemporaryCursor(Control targetControl, Cursor temporaryCursor)
        {
            if (null == targetControl)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("targetControl");
            if (null == temporaryCursor)
                throw new ArgumentNullException("temporaryCursor");
            this.targetControl = targetControl;
            this.temporaryCursor = temporaryCursor;
            savedCursor = targetControl.Cursor;
            targetControl.Cursor = temporaryCursor;
            targetControl.HandleDestroyed += new EventHandler(targetControl_HandleDestroyed);
        }
        void targetControl_HandleDestroyed(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (null != targetControl)
                if (!targetControl.RecreatingHandle)
                    targetControl = null;
        }
        // public so you can call it on the class instance as well as through IDisposable
        public void Dispose()
        {
            Dispose(true);
            GC.SuppressFinalize(this);
        }
        protected virtual void Dispose(bool disposing)
        {
            if (!disposed)
            {
                if (null != targetControl)
                {
                    targetControl.HandleDestroyed -= new EventHandler(targetControl_HandleDestroyed);
                    if (temporaryCursor == targetControl.Cursor)
                        targetControl.Cursor = savedCursor;
                    targetControl = null;
                }
                disposed = true;
            }
        }
        // Finalizer
        ~TemporaryCursor()
        {
            Dispose(false);
        }
    }
}

References: .NET/C#: Using IDisposable to restore temporary settrings example: TemporaryCursor class from our NCG partner Jeroen Pluimers at the The Wiert Corner blog.