Worker threads versus UI threads

 It’s helpful to think of a rich client application as having two distinct categories of threads: UI threads and worker threads. UI threads instantiate (and subsequently “own”) UI elements; worker threads do not. Worker threads typically execute long-running tasks such as fetching data.

Most rich client applications have a single UI thread (which is also the main application thread) and periodically spawn worker threads—either directly or using BackgroundWorker. These workers then marshal back to the main UI thread in order to update controls or report on progress.

So, when would an application have multiple UI threads? The main scenario is when you have an application with multiple top-level windows, often called a Single Document Interface (SDI) application, such as Microsoft Word. Each SDI window typically shows itself as a separate “application” on the taskbar and is mostly isolated, functionally, from other SDI windows. By giving each such window its own UI thread, the application can be made more responsive.