Can auto detect and connect Serial port using C#

Question

This a sample console application with C# i find on website, but i cannot auto detect and connect it 1 port per console application.

any idea and suggestion to solve idea?

namespace ConsoleSinglePortMonitor {
    class Program
    {
        static bool _continue;
        static SerialPort _serialPort;

        public static void Main()
        {
            string name;
            string message;
            StringComparer stringComparer = StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase;
            Thread readThread = new Thread(Read);

            // Create a new SerialPort object with default settings.
            _serialPort = new SerialPort();

            // Allow the user to set the appropriate properties.
            _serialPort.PortName = SetPortName(_serialPort.PortName);
            _serialPort.BaudRate = SetPortBaudRate(_serialPort.BaudRate);
            _serialPort.Parity = SetPortParity(_serialPort.Parity);
            _serialPort.DataBits = SetPortDataBits(_serialPort.DataBits);
            _serialPort.StopBits = SetPortStopBits(_serialPort.StopBits);
            _serialPort.Handshake = SetPortHandshake(_serialPort.Handshake);

            // Set the read/write timeouts
            _serialPort.ReadTimeout = 500;
            _serialPort.WriteTimeout = 500;

            _serialPort.Open();
            _continue = true;
            readThread.Start();

            Console.Write("Name: ");
            name = Console.ReadLine();

            Console.WriteLine("Type QUIT to exit");

            while (_continue)
            {
                message = Console.ReadLine();

                if (stringComparer.Equals("quit", message))
                {
                    _continue = false;
                }
                else
                {
                    _serialPort.WriteLine(
                        String.Format("<{0}>: {1}", name, message));
                }
            }

            readThread.Join();
            _serialPort.Close();
        }

        public static void Read()
        {
            while (_continue)
            {
                try
                {
                    string message = _serialPort.ReadLine();
                    Console.WriteLine(message);
                }
                catch (TimeoutException) { }
            }
        }

        public static string SetPortName(string defaultPortName)
        {
            string portName;

            Console.WriteLine("Available Ports:");
            foreach (string s in SerialPort.GetPortNames())
            {
                Console.WriteLine("   {0}", s);
            }

            Console.Write("COM port({0}): ", defaultPortName);
            portName = Console.ReadLine();

            if (portName == "")
            {
                portName = defaultPortName;
            }
            else
            {
                portName = "COM" + portName;
            }
            return portName;
        }

        public static int SetPortBaudRate(int defaultPortBaudRate)
        {
            string baudRate;

            Console.Write("Baud Rate({0}): ", defaultPortBaudRate);
            baudRate = Console.ReadLine();

            if (baudRate == "")
            {
                baudRate = defaultPortBaudRate.ToString();
            }

            return int.Parse(baudRate);
        }

        public static Parity SetPortParity(Parity defaultPortParity)
        {
            string parity;

            Console.WriteLine("Available Parity options:");
            foreach (string s in Enum.GetNames(typeof(Parity)))
            {
                Console.WriteLine("   {0}", s);
            }

            Console.Write("Parity({0}):", defaultPortParity.ToString());
            parity = Console.ReadLine();

            if (parity == "")
            {
                parity = defaultPortParity.ToString();
            }

            return (Parity)Enum.Parse(typeof(Parity), parity);
        }

        public static int SetPortDataBits(int defaultPortDataBits)
        {
            string dataBits;

            Console.Write("Data Bits({0}): ", defaultPortDataBits);
            dataBits = Console.ReadLine();

            if (dataBits == "")
            {
                dataBits = defaultPortDataBits.ToString();
            }

            return int.Parse(dataBits);
        }

        public static StopBits SetPortStopBits(StopBits defaultPortStopBits)
        {
            string stopBits;

            Console.WriteLine("Available Stop Bits options:");
            foreach (string s in Enum.GetNames(typeof(StopBits)))
            {
                Console.WriteLine("   {0}", s);
            }

            Console.Write("Stop Bits({0}):", defaultPortStopBits.ToString());
            stopBits = Console.ReadLine();

            if (stopBits == "")
            {
                stopBits = defaultPortStopBits.ToString();
            }

            return (StopBits)Enum.Parse(typeof(StopBits), stopBits);
        }

        public static Handshake SetPortHandshake(Handshake defaultPortHandshake)
        {
            string handshake;

            Console.WriteLine("Available Handshake options:");
            foreach (string s in Enum.GetNames(typeof(Handshake)))
            {
                Console.WriteLine("   {0}", s);
            }

            Console.Write("Handshake({0}):", defaultPortHandshake.ToString());
            handshake = Console.ReadLine();

            if (handshake == "")
            {
                handshake = defaultPortHandshake.ToString();
            }

            return (Handshake)Enum.Parse(typeof(Handshake), handshake);
        }
    } }

Answer 1

Here I'm assuming you will treat every serial port in the same way (so writing to every serial port the same message you have typed in the console and printing to the console in the same way what you receive from each port) so it starts multiple thread, one for each serial port that are held in a List.

class Program
{
    static bool _continue;
    static List<SerialPort> _serialPorts = new List<SerialPort>();

    public static void Main()
    {
        string name;
        string message;
        StringComparer stringComparer = StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase;

        //Add here each port you need
        _serialPorts.Add(new SerialPort("COM1", 9600, Parity.None, 8, StopBits.One){ReadTimeout = 500, WriteTimeout = 500, Handshake = Handshake.None});

        List<Thread> readThreads = new List<Thread>();

        _serialPorts.ForEach(port => { 
            port.Open();
            Thread readThread = new Thread(Read);
            readThread.Start(port);
            readThreads.Add(readThread); 
        });

        _continue = true;

        Console.Write("Name: ");
        name = Console.ReadLine();

        Console.WriteLine("Type QUIT to exit");

        while (_continue)
        {
            message = Console.ReadLine();

            if (stringComparer.Equals("quit", message))
            {
                _continue = false;
            }
            else
            {
                _serialPorts.ForEach(port => port.WriteLine(String.Format("<{0}>: {1}", name, message)));
            }
        }

        _serialPorts.ForEach(port => port.Close());
        readThreads.ForEach(readThread => readThread.Join());
    }

    public static void Read(Object threadObj)
    {
        SerialPort serialPort = (SerialPort) threadObj;
        while (_continue)
        {
            try
            {
                string message = serialPort.ReadLine();
                Console.WriteLine(message);
            }
            catch (TimeoutException) { }
        }
    }
}

If you, instead, want to keep it as separate Programs that need to be launched individually you can simply replace the creation of the SerialPort with static values:

class Program
{
    static bool _continue;

    //Edit here your parameters
    private static SerialPort _serialPort = new SerialPort("COM1", 9600, Parity.None, 8, StopBits.One) {ReadTimeout = 500, WriteTimeout = 500, Handshake = Handshake.None};

    public static void Main()
    {
        string name;
        string message;
        StringComparer stringComparer = StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase;

        Thread readThread = new Thread(Read);

        _serialPort.Open();
        readThread.Start();

        _continue = true;

        Console.Write("Name: ");
        name = Console.ReadLine();

        Console.WriteLine("Type QUIT to exit");

        while (_continue)
        {
            message = Console.ReadLine();

            if (stringComparer.Equals("quit", message))
            {
                _continue = false;
            }
            else
            {
                _serialPort.WriteLine(String.Format("<{0}>: {1}", name, message));
            }
        }

        _serialPort.Close();
        readThread.Join();
    }

    public static void Read()
    {
        while (_continue)
        {
            try
            {
                string message = _serialPort.ReadLine();
                Console.WriteLine(message);
            }
            catch (TimeoutException) { }
        }
    }
}