Why does my destructor never run?

Question

I have a blank Winform with a destructor method

public partial class Form1 : Form
{
    public Form1()
    {
        System.Diagnostics.Trace.WriteLine("Form1.Initialize " + this.GetHashCode().ToString());
        InitializeComponent();
    }
    ~Form1()
    {
        System.Diagnostics.Trace.WriteLine("Form1.Dispose " + this.GetHashCode().ToString());
    }
}

When the form is destroyed, I want it to write to the output window:

(Form1 opened)
Form1.Initialize 41149443
(Form1 closed)
Form1.Dispose 41149443

MSDN suggests 3 ways in implementing destructor:

~Destructor() http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/66x5fx1b.aspx
IDisposable http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.idisposable.aspx
SafeHandle pattern http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.runtime.interopservices.safehandle.aspx

However, none of these ways write "Form1.Dispose 41149443" to the output Window. Therefore, I am not able to tell whether the form has been destroyed or not. Suggestions ?

Should I give up hope on achieving this due to uncertainty of garbage collector?

Is there another way to know whether Form1 has been garbage collected ?

Why does my destructor never run?

6 Answers