Update Talking Clock example to use OnInitializeResource event by Copilot · Pull Request #373 · microsoft/aspire.dev

Copilot · 2026-02-05T14:08:48Z

The Talking Clock example demonstrated obsolete APIs (IDistributedApplicationLifecycleHook, AfterResourcesCreatedAsync, BeforeResourceCreated) instead of the modern OnInitializeResource event pattern introduced in Aspire 9.3.

Changes

Replaced lifecycle hook pattern with event-based initialization
- Removed TalkingClockLifecycleHook class and TryAddLifecycleHook registration
- Added OnInitializeResource callback with direct access to logger, eventing, and notification services
Enhanced with hierarchical resource structure
- Added ClockHandResource child resources (tick/tock hands)
- Demonstrated WithParentRelationship for dashboard hierarchy and lifecycle coordination
Modernized API usage
- Replaced WithInitialState Urls property with WithUrl method
- Aligned with dotnet/aspire playground implementation

Before

builder.Services.TryAddLifecycleHook<TalkingClockLifecycleHook>();
var clockResource = new TalkingClockResource(name);

After

var clockResource = new TalkingClockResource(name, tickHandResource, tockHandResource);
clockBuilder.OnInitializeResource(static async (resource, @event, token) =>
{
    var log = @event.Logger;
    var notification = @event.Notifications;
    // Initialize resource lifecycle directly
});

The example now demonstrates the recommended pattern for custom resources in Aspire 9.3+.

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Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Talking Clock Example is outdated</issue_title>
<issue_description>The talking clock example at https://aspire.dev/architecture/resource-examples/#example-custom-resource---talking-clock is oudated

It uses obsolete LifecycleHooks

It uses the obsolete BeforeResoruceCreated event

It doesn't demonstrate the OnInitializeResource event which is specifically for custom resources.

Latest version is at https://github.com/dotnet/aspire/blob/main/playground/CustomResources/CustomResources.AppHost/TalkingClockResource.cs</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

Fixes Talking Clock Example is outdated #365

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

This pull request modernizes the Talking Clock custom resource example to use Aspire 9.3+ patterns, replacing obsolete lifecycle hooks with the event-based OnInitializeResource pattern.

Changes:

Removed obsolete IDistributedApplicationLifecycleHook and TalkingClockLifecycleHook class in favor of OnInitializeResource event
Added hierarchical resource structure with ClockHandResource child resources demonstrating parent-child relationships
Updated API usage to use WithUrl method instead of WithInitialState.Urls property

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

File	Description
src/frontend/src/data/aspire-integrations.json	Unrelated automated updates to NuGet package download counts and versions
src/frontend/src/content/docs/architecture/resource-examples.mdx	Complete rewrite of Talking Clock example to demonstrate modern OnInitializeResource event pattern with hierarchical child resources

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Copilot · 2026-02-05T15:03:41Z

src/frontend/src/content/docs/architecture/resource-examples.mdx

+            // Enter the main loop that runs as long as cancellation is not requested.
+            while (!token.IsCancellationRequested)
+            {
+                // Log the current time, associated with the resource.
+                log.LogInformation("The time is {time}", DateTime.UtcNow);
+
+                // Publish a custom state update "Tick" using Aspire's ResourceStateSnapshot.
+                // This demonstrates using custom state strings and styles in the Aspire dashboard.
+                await notification.PublishUpdateAsync(resource,
+                    s => s with { State = new ResourceStateSnapshot("Tick", KnownResourceStateStyles.Success) });
+                await notification.PublishUpdateAsync(resource.TickHand,
+                    s => s with { State = new ResourceStateSnapshot("On", KnownResourceStateStyles.Success) });
+                await notification.PublishUpdateAsync(resource.TockHand,
+                    s => s with { State = new ResourceStateSnapshot("Off", KnownResourceStateStyles.Info) });
+
+                await Task.Delay(1000, token);
+
+                // Publish another custom state update "Tock" using Aspire's ResourceStateSnapshot.
+                await notification.PublishUpdateAsync(resource,
+                    s => s with { State = new ResourceStateSnapshot("Tock", KnownResourceStateStyles.Success) });
+                await notification.PublishUpdateAsync(resource.TickHand,
+                    s => s with { State = new ResourceStateSnapshot("Off", KnownResourceStateStyles.Info) });
+                await notification.PublishUpdateAsync(resource.TockHand,
+                    s => s with { State = new ResourceStateSnapshot("On", KnownResourceStateStyles.Success) });
+
+                await Task.Delay(1000, token);
+            }
+        });


The background task started in OnInitializeResource runs an infinite loop without being properly managed. If the initialization completes but the task continues running, there's no mechanism to handle cancellation when the application shuts down gracefully. The task should be tracked or wrapped in a Task.Run to ensure it doesn't block initialization and can be properly cancelled.

Consider wrapping the loop logic in Task.Run to run it in the background without blocking the initialization event handler, similar to how it was done in the old lifecycle hook pattern.

Copilot · 2026-02-05T15:03:42Z

src/frontend/src/content/docs/architecture/resource-examples.mdx

+                // Establish a parent-child relationship with the TalkingClockResource.
+                // This creates a hierarchical structure in the dashboard and coordinates lifecycle management.
+                .WithParentRelationship(clockBuilder)
+                .WithInitialState(new()


The WithInitialState call on line 352 uses new() without specifying the type explicitly. While this works in modern C#, for documentation purposes it would be clearer to explicitly specify new CustomResourceSnapshot() to match the pattern used on line 258 and help readers understand what type is being instantiated.

Suggested change

.WithInitialState(new()

.WithInitialState(new CustomResourceSnapshot

Initial plan

68cdea4

Copilot AI assigned Copilot and IEvangelist Feb 5, 2026

Copilot started work on behalf of IEvangelist February 5, 2026 14:09 View session

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits February 5, 2026 14:11

Update Talking Clock example to use OnInitializeResource event

e294355

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Address code review feedback: improve comments and grammar

28b0ddf

Co-authored-by: IEvangelist <7679720+IEvangelist@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot AI changed the title ~~[WIP] Update outdated talking clock example~~ Update Talking Clock example to use OnInitializeResource event Feb 5, 2026

Copilot AI requested a review from IEvangelist February 5, 2026 14:20

Copilot finished work on behalf of IEvangelist February 5, 2026 14:20

IEvangelist approved these changes Feb 5, 2026

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IEvangelist marked this pull request as ready for review February 5, 2026 14:59

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings February 5, 2026 14:59

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of IEvangelist February 5, 2026 15:00 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Feb 5, 2026

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Update Talking Clock example to use OnInitializeResource event#373

Update Talking Clock example to use OnInitializeResource event#373
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	.WithInitialState(new()
	.WithInitialState(new CustomResourceSnapshot

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Copilot AI commented Feb 5, 2026 •

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