Create tree using multithreading and recursion - asp.net

Question

This question is specifically related creating a tree using multithreading and recursion.
I have got the code running that will create the tree using recursion but the time required to create that tree is more than I want to spend.
The reason for the slowness of that is because I am calling TaxonomyManager in Ektron CMS which takes a little bit to return and all the calls add up quickly. I was wondering if there is a way to create a tree using multithreading.
(I don't have the code at present with me but I will add that code as soon as I get access to that code).
If I go this route what the chances of me corrupting the tree as the tree is one root node and multithreading is going to add those nodes to that node at some point.
Thanks for any input anyone may have.
Edit: Added code. TaxonomyNodes is my class doesn't have a lot of properties. Has Id,Name,Description, Path (Stores the path in similar way as Ektron), HasChildren flag, ParentId, and public List Children.
public List<TaxonomyNodes> CreateTree()
{
try
{
TaxonomyManager tManager = new TaxonomyManager();
TaxonomyCriteria criteria = new TaxonomyCriteria();
criteria.AddFilter(TaxonomyProperty.ParentId, CriteriaFilterOperator.EqualTo, 0);
criteria.OrderByDirection = EkEnumeration.OrderByDirection.Ascending;
criteria.OrderByField = TaxonomyProperty.Id;
List<TaxonomyData> tDataList = tManager.GetList(criteria);
int index = 0;
if (tDataList != null)
{
foreach (TaxonomyData item in tDataList)
{
if (item.Name != "Companies" && item.Name != "Content Information Centers")
root.Insert(index++, new TaxonomyNodes() { ParentId = 0, TaxonomyId = item.Id, TaxonomyDescription = item.Description, TaxonomyName = item.Name, TaxonomyPath = item.Path, HasChildren = item.HasChildren, Children = new List<TaxonomyNodes>() });
}
}
index = 0;
foreach (TaxonomyNodes itemT in root)
{
itemT.Children = CreateNodes(itemT.TaxonomyId, itemT);
}
return root;
}
catch (Exception)
{
throw;
}
}
private List<TaxonomyNodes> CreateNodes(long taxonomyId, TaxonomyNodes itemToAddTo)
{
try
{
TaxonomyManager tManager = new TaxonomyManager();
TaxonomyCriteria criteria = new TaxonomyCriteria();
criteria.AddFilter(TaxonomyProperty.ParentId, CriteriaFilterOperator.EqualTo, taxonomyId);
criteria.OrderByDirection = EkEnumeration.OrderByDirection.Ascending;
criteria.OrderByField = TaxonomyProperty.Id;
List<TaxonomyData> tDataList = tManager.GetList(criteria);
List<TaxonomyNodes> node = new List<TaxonomyNodes>();
if (tDataList != null)
{
foreach (TaxonomyData item in tDataList)
{
node.Add(new TaxonomyNodes() { ParentId = taxonomyId, Children = null, TaxonomyId = item.Id, TaxonomyDescription = item.Description, TaxonomyName = item.Name, TaxonomyPath = item.Path, HasChildren = item.HasChildren });
itemToAddTo.Children = node;
if (item.HasChildren)
{
CreateNodes(item.Id, node[node.Count - 1]);
}
else
{
return node;
}
}
}
return node;
}
catch (Exception)
{
throw;
}
}

Answer 1

Rather than get into multithreading, which, though it may work, is not officially supported by Ektron's APIs and may present other challenges, I would recommend some form of caching or other storage for the data that does not require recursive DB calls.
Options:
1 - Ektron's Taxonomy APIs do include a GetTree method, which can pull the entire tree, up to a specified number of levels, and child items in a single API call rather than recursively. This may perform better and would be easily cached.
2 - Ektron provides API-level caching that can be readily enabled in the web.config by changing
<framework defaultContainer="Default" childContainer="BusinessObjects" />
To:
<framework defaultContainer="Cache" childContainer="BusinessObjects" />
3 - Use an eSync Strategy which will output the data you need (better to use your own streamlined objects than to store Ektron's with all the extra data) to something like an XML file. See this sample, http://developer.ektron.com/Templates/CodeLibraryDetail.aspx?id=1989&blogid=116, which I wrote to do this very thing. It hooks into the DB sync complete event and triggers a console application which writes the entire Taxonomy structure out to an XML file.