Recursive call for SPListItem Update method when called from a event receiver ItemUpdated

Question

I have fallen in a serious problem about the SPListItem Update method. When I make a event receiver to intercept SPListItem change or update with SPItemEventReceiver ItemUpdated method, the event is recursively called.

source:

  public override void ItemUpdated(SPItemEventProperties properties)
   {
    base.ItemUpdated(properties);

    SPList list = properties.List;

    SPListItem item = properties.ListItem;

    if ("Oui" == properties.ListItem["Envoyé vers le Directeur"].ToString())
    {
        SPListItem copyItem = item;

        MoveItemsToFolder(properties, list, "Dossiers envoyés Rédaction", copyItem);

        item["Service"] = "direction";
        item.Update();

        string[] cols = { "Envoyé vers le Directeur", "Archivé" };
        HideColumns(list, cols);

    }
    else if ("Oui" == properties.ListItem["Validé par le Directeur"].ToString())
    {

        SPListItem copyItem = item;

        MoveItemsToFolder(properties, list, "Direction", copyItem);

        item["Service"] = "bureauOrdre";
        item.Update();

        string[] cols = { "Validé par le Directeur", "Envoyé vers le Directeur" };
        HideColumns(list, cols);
    }
    else if ("Oui" == properties.ListItem["Archivé"].ToString())
    {

        SPListItem copyItem = item;

        MoveItemsToFolder(properties, list, "Archives", copyItem);

        item["Service"] = "Archive";
        item.Update();

        string[] cols = { "Validé par le Directeur", "Envoyé vers le Directeur" };
        HideColumns(list, cols);
    }
    else
    {

        item["Service"] = "redaction";
        item.Update();

    }

}

Answer 1

The solution is to use SPItemEventReceiver.EnableEventFiring MSDN

You can do

var eventRecTemp = new SPItemEventReceiver();
eventRecTemp.EnableEventFiring = false;
//update
eventRecTemp.EnableEventFiring = true;

or as this blog talks about, turn it into a scope using IDisposable.

I used the scope method in an ItemUpdated heavy project and it worked well.