Can one handler call another MediatR request?

[grosch-intl]

I've seen things saying not to have one handler call another, and I'm not quite sure why. For example, lets say I have a command to generate the documents related to a checklist. Then I have multiple other commands to generate distinct checklist types. But all of them need those same documents. So within each GenerateChecklistTypeXyzHandler I inject IMediator and then the Handle method does something like checklist.Documents = await mediator.Send(new GenerateDocuments(), cancellationToken); and then sends the newly generated checklist as the return.

Is there a better way to handle this?

[GabrieleTronchin]

Hi @grosch-intl

Technically, it is possible to have a "chain" of requests as you mentioned.
However, the suggestion to avoid handlers that call other handlers might be a cautionary note due to potential side effects, such as:

• The code flow becomes harder to follow.
• There is a risk of circular dependencies between requests.
• Maintaining code consistency in case of faults becomes more challenging.

In general, I think that, as always in programming, the correct answer depends on how you implement the flow and what your fault tolerance requirements are.