Objects sending TCP Client

Question

I'd like to have this code looked over because I feel my approach might be very novice and there has to be a more elegant or at least less "grunt-work" way of doing it.

I have to write a small TCP client in my application which can send an object to a server for it to be stored in a Database. Before I send the object I remember that I was once told sending custom objects is generally bad practice unless you have a custom Stream Class (Which I don't have). So I am dissecting my objects before I send them into their respective Strings/ints/whatever else objects. I just feel my approach might not be very efficient.

The end result will be that the server can put together a Query to be executed in the database for storage.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Smart_Journal.Familie;
using System.Net.Sockets;
using System.IO;

namespace Smart_Journal
{
    /// <summary>
    /// DBM is our Database Manager. It will handle sending and receiving data from the server.
    /// You should NOT call these functions directly. Instead, call the functions in the Utility Class.
    /// </summary>
    public static class DBM
    {
        private static TcpClient _client;
        private static StreamReader _sReader;
        private static StreamWriter _sWriter;
        private static bool _isConnected;
        private static int portNum;
        private static String ipAddress;

        private static void InitConnection()
        {
            _client = new TcpClient();
            _client.Connect(ipAddress, portNum);

            _sReader = new StreamReader(_client.GetStream(), Encoding.ASCII);
            _sWriter = new StreamWriter(_client.GetStream(), Encoding.ASCII);

            _isConnected = true;
        }

        private static void EndConnection()
        {
            _sWriter.WriteLine("END");
            _sWriter.Flush();
            _sReader.Close();
            _sWriter.Close();
            _client.Close();
            _isConnected = false;
        }
        // Basically means: SendSupportFamilyObject
        public static void SendPlejeFamilieObjekt(PlejeFamilie pfamilie)
        {
            InitConnection();
            if (_isConnected)
            {
                _sWriter.WriteLine("SEND_PLEJEFAMILIE");
                _sWriter.Flush();
                if (_sReader.ReadLine().Equals("AUTH_GIVEN"))
                {
                    #region Send Plejefamilie Objekt
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.CPRKvinde);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.CPRMand);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.NavnKvinde);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.NavnMand);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.Addresse);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.MobilKvinde);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.MobilMand);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.HjemmeTelefon);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.StillingKvinde);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.StillingMand);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.EmailKvinde);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.EmailMand);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.EmailFaelles);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.GodkendtDato);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.PlejeForaeldreUdd);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.AntalKurserIAar);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.AntalBoernGodkendt);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.Vilkaar);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.Status);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    #endregion Send Plejefamilie Objekt
                }
            }
            EndConnection();
        }
        // Basically means: SendSpecialNeedsChildObject
        public static void SendPlejeBarnObjekt(PlejeBarn pbarn)
        {
            InitConnection();
            if (_isConnected)
            {
                _sWriter.WriteLine("SEND_PLEJEBARN");
                _sWriter.Flush();
                if (_sReader.ReadLine().Equals("AUTH_GIVEN"))
                {
                    #region Send Plejebarn Objekt
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.CPR);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.Navn);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.FolkeregisterAdresse);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.Email);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.Telefon);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.Sagsbehandler);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.Konsulent);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.Aflastning);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.NuvaerendeForanstaltning);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.AnbringelsesDato);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(pbarn.UdskrivningsDato);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine("PLEJEBARN_B");
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    foreach(Note n in pbarn.Bemaerkninger)
                    {
                        _sWriter.WriteLine(n.Dato);
                        _sWriter.Flush();
                        _sWriter.WriteLine(n.Navn);
                        _sWriter.Flush();
                        _sWriter.WriteLine(n.Tekst);
                        _sWriter.Flush();
                    }
                    _sWriter.WriteLine("END_PLEJEBARN_B");
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine("PLEJEBARN_TF");
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    foreach (Note n in pbarn.TideligereForanstaltninger)
                    {
                        _sWriter.WriteLine(n.Dato);
                        _sWriter.Flush();
                        _sWriter.WriteLine(n.Navn);
                        _sWriter.Flush();
                        _sWriter.WriteLine(n.Tekst);
                        _sWriter.Flush();
                    }
                    _sWriter.WriteLine("END_PLEJEBARN_TF");
                    #endregion Send Plejebarn Objekt
                }
            }
            EndConnection();
        }
        // Basically means: SendBiologicalFamilyObject
        public static void SendBiologiskFamilieObjekt(BiologiskFamilie bfamilie)
        {
            InitConnection();
            if (_isConnected)
            {
                if (_sReader.ReadLine().Equals("AUTH_GIVEN"))
                {
                    #region Send Biologiskfamilie Objekt
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.CPRMor);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.CPRFar);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.NavnMor);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.NavnFar);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.Addresse);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.MobilMor);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.MobilFar);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.HjemmeTelefon);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.EmailMor);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.EmailFar);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.EmailFaelles);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    _sWriter.WriteLine(bfamilie.ForaeldreMyndighed);
                    _sWriter.Flush();
                    #endregion Send Biologiskfamilie Objekt
                }
            }
            EndConnection();
        }

        public static PlejeFamilie HentPlejeFamilieObjekt(String s)
        {
            return null;
        }

        public static PlejeBarn HentPlejeBarnObjekt(String s)
        {
            return null;
        }

        public static BiologiskFamilie HentBiologiskFamilie(String s)
        {
            return null;
        }
    }
}

Answer 1

I find whenever I feel the need to use a #region, there's something fishy going on with my code; I see the same in your SendPlejeFamilieObjekt method: all those WriteLine/Flush calls look very suspicious. Why do you flush at every single line written?

Have you considered overriding PlejeFamilie.ToString() to return the equivalent string? You could do _sWriter.WriteLine(pfamilie.ToString(); and have no code to modify in that method the day PlejeFamilie needs a new member.

[scrolls down]

The same applies to BiologiskFamilie; whenever something changes in these classes, you have multiple places that must change. I would refactor this code so as to minimize the amount of code that needs to be written (therefore possible omissions and bugs) when a change becomes required.

Why is everything static? This class has disposable private fields, I think it should be an instance, and should implement IDisposable so it could be used in a using block and then the client code doesn't need to "remember" to call EndConnection.

Answer 2

you have the connection cleanup just at the bottom of the method, so when an early return sneaks in there or an exception occurs the connection won't be cleaned up

either wrap it in a try-finally:

public static void SendPlejeFamilieObjekt(PlejeFamilie pfamilie)
{

    try{
        InitConnection();

    }
    finally{
         EndConnection();
    }
 }

or create a IDisposable that does the cleanup in its Dispose and use the using statement