How would I run an async Task<T> method synchronously?

Here's a workaround I found that works for all cases (including suspended dispatchers). It's not my code and I'm still working to fully understand it, but it does work.

It can be called using:

customerList = AsyncHelpers.RunSync<List<Customer>>(() => GetCustomers());

Code is from here

public static class AsyncHelpers
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Execute's an async Task<T> method which has a void return value synchronously
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="task">Task<T> method to execute</param>
    public static void RunSync(Func<Task> task)
    {
        var oldContext = SynchronizationContext.Current;
        var synch = new ExclusiveSynchronizationContext();
        SynchronizationContext.SetSynchronizationContext(synch);
        synch.Post(async _ =>
        {
            try
            {
                await task();
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                synch.InnerException = e;
                throw;
            }
            finally
            {
                synch.EndMessageLoop();
            }
        }, null);
        synch.BeginMessageLoop();

        SynchronizationContext.SetSynchronizationContext(oldContext);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Execute's an async Task<T> method which has a T return type synchronously
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="T">Return Type</typeparam>
    /// <param name="task">Task<T> method to execute</param>
    /// <returns></returns>
    public static T RunSync<T>(Func<Task<T>> task)
    {
        var oldContext = SynchronizationContext.Current;
        var synch = new ExclusiveSynchronizationContext();
        SynchronizationContext.SetSynchronizationContext(synch);
        T ret = default(T);
        synch.Post(async _ =>
        {
            try
            {
                ret = await task();
            }
            catch (Exception e)
            {
                synch.InnerException = e;
                throw;
            }
            finally
            {
                synch.EndMessageLoop();
            }
        }, null);
        synch.BeginMessageLoop();
        SynchronizationContext.SetSynchronizationContext(oldContext);
        return ret;
    }

    private class ExclusiveSynchronizationContext : SynchronizationContext
    {
        private bool done;
        public Exception InnerException { get; set; }
        readonly AutoResetEvent workItemsWaiting = new AutoResetEvent(false);
        readonly Queue<Tuple<SendOrPostCallback, object>> items =
            new Queue<Tuple<SendOrPostCallback, object>>();

        public override void Send(SendOrPostCallback d, object state)
        {
            throw new NotSupportedException("We cannot send to our same thread");
        }

        public override void Post(SendOrPostCallback d, object state)
        {
            lock (items)
            {
                items.Enqueue(Tuple.Create(d, state));
            }
            workItemsWaiting.Set();
        }

        public void EndMessageLoop()
        {
            Post(_ => done = true, null);
        }

        public void BeginMessageLoop()
        {
            while (!done)
            {
                Tuple<SendOrPostCallback, object> task = null;
                lock (items)
                {
                    if (items.Count > 0)
                    {
                        task = items.Dequeue();
                    }
                }
                if (task != null)
                {
                    task.Item1(task.Item2);
                    if (InnerException != null) // the method threw an exeption
                    {
                        throw new AggregateException("AsyncHelpers.Run method threw an exception.", InnerException);
                    }
                }
                else
                {
                    workItemsWaiting.WaitOne();
                }
            }
        }

        public override SynchronizationContext CreateCopy()
        {
            return this;
        }
    }
}

Be advised this answer is three years old. I wrote it based mostly on a experience with .Net 4.0, and very little with 4.5 especially with async-await. Generally speaking it's a nice simple solution, but it sometimes breaks things. Please read the discussion in the comments.

.Net 4.5

Just use this:

// For Task<T>: will block until the task is completed...
var result = task.Result; 

// For Task (not Task<T>): will block until the task is completed...
task2.RunSynchronously();

See: TaskAwaiter, Task.Result, Task.RunSynchronously

---

.Net 4.0

Use this:

var x = (IAsyncResult)task;
task.Start();

x.AsyncWaitHandle.WaitOne();

...or this:

task.Start();
task.Wait();

Surprised no one mentioned this:

public Task<int> BlahAsync()
{
    // ...
}

int result = BlahAsync().GetAwaiter().GetResult();

Not as pretty as some of the other methods here, but it has the following benefits:

• it doesn't swallow exceptions (like Wait)
• it won't wrap any exceptions thrown in an AggregateException (like Result)
• works for both Task and Task<T> (try it out yourself!)

Also, since GetAwaiter is duck-typed, this should work for any object that is returned from an async method (like ConfiguredAwaitable or YieldAwaitable), not just Tasks.

---

edit: Please note that it's possible for this approach (or using .Result) to deadlock, unless you make sure to add .ConfigureAwait(false) every time you await, for all async methods that can possibly be reached from BlahAsync() (not just ones it calls directly). Explanation.

// In BlahAsync() body
await FooAsync(); // BAD!
await FooAsync().ConfigureAwait(false); // Good... but make sure FooAsync() and
                                        // all its descendants use ConfigureAwait(false)
                                        // too. Then you can be sure that
                                        // BlahAsync().GetAwaiter().GetResult()
                                        // won't deadlock.

If you're too lazy to add .ConfigureAwait(false) everywhere, and you don't care about performance you can alternatively do

Task.Run(() => BlahAsync()).GetAwaiter().GetResult()