1 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
3 // Purpose: interface of all thread-related wxWidgets classes
4 // Author: wxWidgets team
6 // Licence: wxWindows licence
7 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
10 /** See wxCondition. */
15 wxCOND_TIMEOUT
, //!< WaitTimeout() has timed out
23 wxCondition variables correspond to pthread conditions or to Win32 event objects.
24 They may be used in a multithreaded application to wait until the given condition
25 becomes @true which happens when the condition becomes signaled.
27 For example, if a worker thread is doing some long task and another thread has
28 to wait until it is finished, the latter thread will wait on the condition
29 object and the worker thread will signal it on exit (this example is not
30 perfect because in this particular case it would be much better to just
31 wxThread::Wait for the worker thread, but if there are several worker threads
32 it already makes much more sense).
34 Note that a call to wxCondition::Signal may happen before the other thread calls
35 wxCondition::Wait and, just as with the pthread conditions, the signal is then
36 lost and so if you want to be sure that you don't miss it you must keep the
37 mutex associated with the condition initially locked and lock it again before calling
38 wxCondition::Signal. Of course, this means that this call is going to block
39 until wxCondition::Wait is called by another thread.
41 @section condition_example Example
43 This example shows how a main thread may launch a worker thread which starts
44 running and then waits until the main thread signals it to continue:
47 class MySignallingThread : public wxThread
50 MySignallingThread(wxMutex *mutex, wxCondition *condition)
53 m_condition = condition;
58 virtual ExitCode Entry()
62 // tell the other(s) thread(s) that we're about to terminate: we must
63 // lock the mutex first or we might signal the condition before the
64 // waiting threads start waiting on it!
65 wxMutexLocker lock(*m_mutex);
66 m_condition->Broadcast(); // same as Signal() here -- one waiter only
72 wxCondition *m_condition;
79 wxCondition condition(mutex);
81 // the mutex should be initially locked
84 // create and run the thread but notice that it won't be able to
85 // exit (and signal its exit) before we unlock the mutex below
86 MySignallingThread *thread = new MySignallingThread(&mutex, &condition);
90 // wait for the thread termination: Wait() atomically unlocks the mutex
91 // which allows the thread to continue and starts waiting
99 Of course, here it would be much better to simply use a joinable thread and
100 call wxThread::Wait on it, but this example does illustrate the importance of
101 properly locking the mutex when using wxCondition.
106 @see wxThread, wxMutex
112 Default and only constructor.
113 The @a mutex must be locked by the caller before calling Wait() function.
114 Use IsOk() to check if the object was successfully initialized.
116 wxCondition(wxMutex
& mutex
);
119 Destroys the wxCondition object.
121 The destructor is not virtual so this class should not be used polymorphically.
126 Broadcasts to all waiting threads, waking all of them up.
128 Note that this method may be called whether the mutex associated with
129 this condition is locked or not.
133 wxCondError
Broadcast();
136 Returns @true if the object had been initialized successfully, @false
137 if an error occurred.
142 Signals the object waking up at most one thread.
144 If several threads are waiting on the same condition, the exact thread
145 which is woken up is undefined. If no threads are waiting, the signal is
146 lost and the condition would have to be signalled again to wake up any
147 thread which may start waiting on it later.
149 Note that this method may be called whether the mutex associated with this
150 condition is locked or not.
154 wxCondError
Signal();
157 Waits until the condition is signalled.
159 This method atomically releases the lock on the mutex associated with this
160 condition (this is why it must be locked prior to calling Wait()) and puts the
161 thread to sleep until Signal() or Broadcast() is called.
162 It then locks the mutex again and returns.
164 Note that even if Signal() had been called before Wait() without waking
165 up any thread, the thread would still wait for another one and so it is
166 important to ensure that the condition will be signalled after
167 Wait() or the thread may sleep forever.
169 @return Returns wxCOND_NO_ERROR on success, another value if an error occurred.
176 Waits until the condition is signalled or the timeout has elapsed.
178 This method is identical to Wait() except that it returns, with the
179 return code of @c wxCOND_TIMEOUT as soon as the given timeout expires.
182 Timeout in milliseconds
184 @return Returns wxCOND_NO_ERROR if the condition was signalled,
185 wxCOND_TIMEOUT if the timeout elapsed before this happened or
186 another error code from wxCondError enum.
188 wxCondError
WaitTimeout(unsigned long milliseconds
);
193 @class wxCriticalSectionLocker
195 This is a small helper class to be used with wxCriticalSection objects.
197 A wxCriticalSectionLocker enters the critical section in the constructor and
198 leaves it in the destructor making it much more difficult to forget to leave
199 a critical section (which, in general, will lead to serious and difficult
207 // gs_critSect is some (global) critical section guarding access to the
209 wxCriticalSectionLocker locker(gs_critSect);
226 Without wxCriticalSectionLocker, you would need to remember to manually leave
227 the critical section before each @c return.
232 @see wxCriticalSection, wxMutexLocker
234 class wxCriticalSectionLocker
238 Constructs a wxCriticalSectionLocker object associated with given
239 @a criticalsection and enters it.
241 wxCriticalSectionLocker(wxCriticalSection
& criticalsection
);
244 Destructor leaves the critical section.
246 ~wxCriticalSectionLocker();
252 @class wxThreadHelper
254 The wxThreadHelper class is a mix-in class that manages a single background
255 thread, either detached or joinable (see wxThread for the differences).
256 By deriving from wxThreadHelper, a class can implement the thread
257 code in its own wxThreadHelper::Entry() method and easily share data and
258 synchronization objects between the main thread and the worker thread.
260 Doing this prevents the awkward passing of pointers that is needed when the
261 original object in the main thread needs to synchronize with its worker thread
262 in its own wxThread derived object.
264 For example, wxFrame may need to make some calculations in a background thread
265 and then display the results of those calculations in the main window.
267 Ordinarily, a wxThread derived object would be created with the calculation
268 code implemented in wxThread::Entry. To access the inputs to the calculation,
269 the frame object would often need to pass a pointer to itself to the thread object.
270 Similarly, the frame object would hold a pointer to the thread object.
272 Shared data and synchronization objects could be stored in either object
273 though the object without the data would have to access the data through
275 However with wxThreadHelper the frame object and the thread object are
276 treated as the same object. Shared data and synchronization variables are
277 stored in the single object, eliminating a layer of indirection and the
282 wxDECLARE_EVENT(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE, wxThreadEvent);
284 class MyFrame : public wxFrame, public wxThreadHelper
290 // it's better to do any thread cleanup in the OnClose()
291 // event handler, rather than in the destructor.
292 // This is because the event loop for a top-level window is not
293 // active anymore when its destructor is called and if the thread
294 // sends events when ending, they won't be processed unless
295 // you ended the thread from OnClose.
296 // See @ref overview_windowdeletion for more info.
300 void DoStartALongTask();
301 void OnThreadUpdate(wxThreadEvent& evt);
302 void OnClose(wxCloseEvent& evt);
306 virtual wxThread::ExitCode Entry();
308 // the output data of the Entry() routine:
310 wxCriticalSection m_dataCS; // protects field above
312 wxDECLARE_EVENT_TABLE();
315 wxDEFINE_EVENT(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE, wxThreadEvent)
316 wxBEGIN_EVENT_TABLE(MyFrame, wxFrame)
317 EVT_COMMAND(wxID_ANY, wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE, MyFrame::OnThreadUpdate)
318 EVT_CLOSE(MyFrame::OnClose)
321 void MyFrame::DoStartALongTask()
323 // we want to start a long task, but we don't want our GUI to block
324 // while it's executed, so we use a thread to do it.
325 if (CreateThread(wxTHREAD_JOINABLE) != wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR)
327 wxLogError("Could not create the worker thread!");
332 if (GetThread()->Run() != wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR)
334 wxLogError("Could not run the worker thread!");
339 wxThread::ExitCode MyFrame::Entry()
342 // this function gets executed in the secondary thread context!
346 // here we do our long task, periodically calling TestDestroy():
347 while (!GetThread()->TestDestroy())
349 // since this Entry() is implemented in MyFrame context we don't
350 // need any pointer to access the m_data, m_processedData, m_dataCS
351 // variables... very nice!
353 // this is an example of the generic structure of a download thread:
355 download_chunk(buffer, 1024); // this takes time...
358 // ensure no one reads m_data while we write it
359 wxCriticalSectionLocker lock(m_dataCS);
360 memcpy(m_data+offset, buffer, 1024);
365 // VERY IMPORTANT: do not call any GUI function inside this
366 // function; rather use wxQueueEvent():
367 wxQueueEvent(this, new wxThreadEvent(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE));
368 // we used pointer 'this' assuming it's safe; see OnClose()
371 // TestDestroy() returned true (which means the main thread asked us
372 // to terminate as soon as possible) or we ended the long task...
373 return (wxThread::ExitCode)0;
376 void MyFrame::OnClose(wxCloseEvent&)
378 // important: before terminating, we _must_ wait for our joinable
379 // thread to end, if it's running; in fact it uses variables of this
380 // instance and posts events to *this event handler
382 if (GetThread() && // DoStartALongTask() may have not been called
383 GetThread()->IsRunning())
389 void MyFrame::OnThreadUpdate(wxThreadEvent& evt)
391 // ...do something... e.g. m_pGauge->Pulse();
393 // read some parts of m_data just for fun:
394 wxCriticalSectionLocker lock(m_dataCS);
395 wxPrintf("%c", m_data[100]);
402 @see wxThread, wxThreadEvent
408 This constructor simply initializes internal member variables and tells
409 wxThreadHelper which type the thread internally managed should be.
411 wxThreadHelper(wxThreadKind kind
= wxTHREAD_JOINABLE
);
414 The destructor frees the resources associated with the thread, forcing
415 it to terminate (it uses wxThread::Kill function).
417 Because of the wxThread::Kill unsafety, you should always wait
418 (with wxThread::Wait) for joinable threads to end or call wxThread::Delete
419 on detached threads, instead of relying on this destructor for stopping
422 virtual ~wxThreadHelper();
425 This is the entry point of the thread.
427 This function is pure virtual and must be implemented by any derived class.
428 The thread execution will start here.
430 You'll typically want your Entry() to look like:
432 wxThread::ExitCode Entry()
434 while (!GetThread()->TestDestroy())
436 // ... do some work ...
441 if (HappenedStoppingError)
442 return (wxThread::ExitCode)1; // failure
445 return (wxThread::ExitCode)0; // success
449 The returned value is the thread exit code which is only useful for
450 joinable threads and is the value returned by @c "GetThread()->Wait()".
452 This function is called by wxWidgets itself and should never be called
455 virtual ExitCode
Entry() = 0;
458 Callback called by Delete() before actually deleting the thread.
460 This function can be overridden by the derived class to perform some
461 specific task when the thread is gracefully destroyed. Notice that it
462 will be executed in the context of the thread that called Delete() and
463 <b>not</b> in this thread's context.
465 TestDestroy() will be true for the thread before OnDelete() gets
472 virtual void OnDelete();
475 Callback called by Kill() before actually killing the thread.
477 This function can be overridden by the derived class to perform some
478 specific task when the thread is terminated. Notice that it will be
479 executed in the context of the thread that called Kill() and <b>not</b>
480 in this thread's context.
486 virtual void OnKill();
490 Use CreateThread() instead.
492 wxThreadError
Create(unsigned int stackSize
= 0);
495 Creates a new thread of the given @a kind.
497 The thread object is created in the suspended state, and you
498 should call @ref wxThread::Run "GetThread()->Run()" to start running it.
500 You may optionally specify the stack size to be allocated to it (ignored
501 on platforms that don't support setting it explicitly, e.g. Unix).
503 @return One of the ::wxThreadError enum values.
505 wxThreadError
CreateThread(wxThreadKind kind
= wxTHREAD_JOINABLE
,
506 unsigned int stackSize
= 0);
509 This is a public function that returns the wxThread object associated with
512 wxThread
* GetThread() const;
515 Returns the last type of thread given to the CreateThread() function
516 or to the constructor.
518 wxThreadKind
GetThreadKind() const;
522 Possible critical section types
525 enum wxCriticalSectionType
528 /** Recursive critical section under both Windows and Unix */
530 wxCRITSEC_NON_RECURSIVE
531 /** Non-recursive critical section under Unix, recursive under Windows */
535 @class wxCriticalSection
537 A critical section object is used for exactly the same purpose as a wxMutex.
538 The only difference is that under Windows platform critical sections are only
539 visible inside one process, while mutexes may be shared among processes,
540 so using critical sections is slightly more efficient.
542 The terminology is also slightly different: mutex may be locked (or acquired)
543 and unlocked (or released) while critical section is entered and left by the program.
545 Finally, you should try to use wxCriticalSectionLocker class whenever
546 possible instead of directly using wxCriticalSection for the same reasons
547 wxMutexLocker is preferable to wxMutex - please see wxMutex for an example.
552 @note Critical sections can be used before the wxWidgets library is fully
553 initialized. In particular, it's safe to create global
554 wxCriticalSection instances.
556 @see wxThread, wxCondition, wxCriticalSectionLocker
558 class wxCriticalSection
562 Default constructor initializes critical section object.
563 By default critical sections are recursive under Unix and Windows.
565 wxCriticalSection( wxCriticalSectionType critSecType
= wxCRITSEC_DEFAULT
);
568 Destructor frees the resources.
570 ~wxCriticalSection();
573 Enter the critical section (same as locking a mutex): if another thread
574 has already entered it, this call will block until the other thread
576 There is no error return for this function.
578 After entering the critical section protecting a data variable,
579 the thread running inside the critical section may safely use/modify it.
581 Note that entering the same critical section twice or more from the same
582 thread doesn't result in a deadlock; in this case in fact this function will
588 Leave the critical section allowing other threads use the global data
589 protected by it. There is no error return for this function.
595 The possible thread wait types.
602 No events are processed while waiting.
604 This is the default under all platforms except for wxMSW.
609 Yield for event dispatching while waiting.
611 This flag is dangerous as it exposes the program using it to unexpected
612 reentrancies in the same way as calling wxYield() function does so you
613 are strongly advised to avoid its use and not wait for the thread
614 termination from the main (GUI) thread at all to avoid making your
615 application unresponsive.
617 Also notice that this flag is not portable as it is only implemented in
618 wxMSW and simply ignored under the other platforms.
623 Default wait mode for wxThread::Wait() and wxThread::Delete().
625 For compatibility reasons, the default wait mode is currently
626 wxTHREAD_WAIT_YIELD if WXWIN_COMPATIBILITY_2_8 is defined (and it is
627 by default). However, as mentioned above, you're strongly encouraged to
628 not use wxTHREAD_WAIT_YIELD and pass wxTHREAD_WAIT_BLOCK to wxThread
631 wxTHREAD_WAIT_DEFAULT
= wxTHREAD_WAIT_YIELD
635 The possible thread kinds.
639 /** Detached thread */
642 /** Joinable thread */
647 The possible thread errors.
652 wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR
= 0,
654 /** No resource left to create a new thread. */
655 wxTHREAD_NO_RESOURCE
,
657 /** The thread is already running. */
660 /** The thread isn't running. */
661 wxTHREAD_NOT_RUNNING
,
663 /** Thread we waited for had to be killed. */
666 /** Some other error */
671 Defines the interval of priority
675 WXTHREAD_MIN_PRIORITY
= 0u,
676 WXTHREAD_DEFAULT_PRIORITY
= 50u,
677 WXTHREAD_MAX_PRIORITY
= 100u
684 A thread is basically a path of execution through a program.
685 Threads are sometimes called @e light-weight processes, but the fundamental difference
686 between threads and processes is that memory spaces of different processes are
687 separated while all threads share the same address space.
689 While it makes it much easier to share common data between several threads, it
690 also makes it much easier to shoot oneself in the foot, so careful use of
691 synchronization objects such as mutexes (see wxMutex) or critical sections
692 (see wxCriticalSection) is recommended.
693 In addition, don't create global thread objects because they allocate memory
694 in their constructor, which will cause problems for the memory checking system.
697 @section thread_types Types of wxThreads
699 There are two types of threads in wxWidgets: @e detached and @e joinable,
700 modeled after the POSIX thread API. This is different from the Win32 API
701 where all threads are joinable.
703 By default wxThreads in wxWidgets use the @b detached behaviour.
704 Detached threads delete themselves once they have completed, either by themselves
705 when they complete processing or through a call to Delete(), and thus
706 @b must be created on the heap (through the new operator, for example).
708 Typically you'll want to store the instances of the detached wxThreads you
709 allocate, so that you can call functions on them.
710 Because of their nature however you'll need to always use a critical section
714 // declare a new type of event, to be used by our MyThread class:
715 wxDECLARE_EVENT(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_COMPLETED, wxThreadEvent);
716 wxDECLARE_EVENT(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE, wxThreadEvent);
719 class MyThread : public wxThread
722 MyThread(MyFrame *handler)
723 : wxThread(wxTHREAD_DETACHED)
724 { m_pHandler = handler }
728 virtual ExitCode Entry();
732 class MyFrame : public wxFrame
738 // it's better to do any thread cleanup in the OnClose()
739 // event handler, rather than in the destructor.
740 // This is because the event loop for a top-level window is not
741 // active anymore when its destructor is called and if the thread
742 // sends events when ending, they won't be processed unless
743 // you ended the thread from OnClose.
744 // See @ref overview_windowdeletion for more info.
747 void DoStartThread();
748 void DoPauseThread();
750 // a resume routine would be nearly identic to DoPauseThread()
751 void DoResumeThread() { ... }
753 void OnThreadUpdate(wxThreadEvent&);
754 void OnThreadCompletion(wxThreadEvent&);
755 void OnClose(wxCloseEvent&);
759 wxCriticalSection m_pThreadCS; // protects the m_pThread pointer
761 wxDECLARE_EVENT_TABLE();
764 wxBEGIN_EVENT_TABLE(MyFrame, wxFrame)
765 EVT_CLOSE(MyFrame::OnClose)
766 EVT_MENU(Minimal_Start, MyFrame::DoStartThread)
767 EVT_COMMAND(wxID_ANY, wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE, MyFrame::OnThreadUpdate)
768 EVT_COMMAND(wxID_ANY, wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_COMPLETED, MyFrame::OnThreadCompletion)
771 wxDEFINE_EVENT(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_COMPLETED, wxThreadEvent)
772 wxDEFINE_EVENT(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE, wxThreadEvent)
774 void MyFrame::DoStartThread()
776 m_pThread = new MyThread(this);
778 if ( m_pThread->Create() != wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR )
780 wxLogError("Can't create the thread!");
786 if (m_pThread->Run() != wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR )
788 wxLogError("Can't create the thread!");
793 // after the call to wxThread::Run(), the m_pThread pointer is "unsafe":
794 // at any moment the thread may cease to exist (because it completes its work).
795 // To avoid dangling pointers OnThreadExit() will set m_pThread
796 // to NULL when the thread dies.
800 wxThread::ExitCode MyThread::Entry()
802 while (!TestDestroy())
804 // ... do a bit of work...
806 wxQueueEvent(m_pHandler, new wxThreadEvent(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_UPDATE));
809 // signal the event handler that this thread is going to be destroyed
810 // NOTE: here we assume that using the m_pHandler pointer is safe,
811 // (in this case this is assured by the MyFrame destructor)
812 wxQueueEvent(m_pHandler, new wxThreadEvent(wxEVT_COMMAND_MYTHREAD_COMPLETED));
814 return (wxThread::ExitCode)0; // success
817 MyThread::~MyThread()
819 wxCriticalSectionLocker enter(m_pHandler->m_pThreadCS);
821 // the thread is being destroyed; make sure not to leave dangling pointers around
822 m_pHandler->m_pThread = NULL;
825 void MyFrame::OnThreadCompletion(wxThreadEvent&)
827 wxMessageOutputDebug().Printf("MYFRAME: MyThread exited!\n");
830 void MyFrame::OnThreadUpdate(wxThreadEvent&)
832 wxMessageOutputDebug().Printf("MYFRAME: MyThread update...\n");
835 void MyFrame::DoPauseThread()
837 // anytime we access the m_pThread pointer we must ensure that it won't
838 // be modified in the meanwhile; since only a single thread may be
839 // inside a given critical section at a given time, the following code
841 wxCriticalSectionLocker enter(m_pThreadCS);
843 if (m_pThread) // does the thread still exist?
845 // without a critical section, once reached this point it may happen
846 // that the OS scheduler gives control to the MyThread::Entry() function,
847 // which in turn may return (because it completes its work) making
848 // invalid the m_pThread pointer
850 if (m_pThread->Pause() != wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR )
851 wxLogError("Can't pause the thread!");
855 void MyFrame::OnClose(wxCloseEvent&)
858 wxCriticalSectionLocker enter(m_pThreadCS);
860 if (m_pThread) // does the thread still exist?
862 wxMessageOutputDebug().Printf("MYFRAME: deleting thread");
864 if (m_pThread->Delete() != wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR )
865 wxLogError("Can't delete the thread!");
867 } // exit from the critical section to give the thread
868 // the possibility to enter its destructor
869 // (which is guarded with m_pThreadCS critical section!)
873 { // was the ~MyThread() function executed?
874 wxCriticalSectionLocker enter(m_pThreadCS);
875 if (!m_pThread) break;
878 // wait for thread completion
879 wxThread::This()->Sleep(1);
886 For a more detailed and comprehensive example, see @sample{thread}.
887 For a simpler way to share data and synchronization objects between
888 the main and the secondary thread see wxThreadHelper.
890 Conversely, @b joinable threads do not delete themselves when they are done
891 processing and as such are safe to create on the stack. Joinable threads
892 also provide the ability for one to get value it returned from Entry()
894 You shouldn't hurry to create all the threads joinable, however, because this
895 has a disadvantage as well: you @b must Wait() for a joinable thread or the
896 system resources used by it will never be freed, and you also must delete the
897 corresponding wxThread object yourself if you did not create it on the stack.
898 In contrast, detached threads are of the "fire-and-forget" kind: you only have
899 to start a detached thread and it will terminate and destroy itself.
902 @section thread_deletion wxThread Deletion
904 Regardless of whether it has terminated or not, you should call Wait() on a
905 @b joinable thread to release its memory, as outlined in @ref thread_types.
906 If you created a joinable thread on the heap, remember to delete it manually
907 with the @c delete operator or similar means as only detached threads handle
908 this type of memory management.
910 Since @b detached threads delete themselves when they are finished processing,
911 you should take care when calling a routine on one. If you are certain the
912 thread is still running and would like to end it, you may call Delete()
913 to gracefully end it (which implies that the thread will be deleted after
914 that call to Delete()). It should be implied that you should @b never attempt
915 to delete a detached thread with the @c delete operator or similar means.
917 As mentioned, Wait() or Delete() functions attempt to gracefully terminate a
918 joinable and a detached thread, respectively. They do this by waiting until
919 the thread in question calls TestDestroy() or ends processing (i.e. returns
920 from wxThread::Entry).
922 Obviously, if the thread does call TestDestroy() and does not end, the
923 thread which called Wait() or Delete() will come to halt.
924 This is why it's important to call TestDestroy() in the Entry() routine of
925 your threads as often as possible and immediately exit when it returns @true.
927 As a last resort you can end the thread immediately through Kill(). It is
928 strongly recommended that you do not do this, however, as it does not free
929 the resources associated with the object (although the wxThread object of
930 detached threads will still be deleted) and could leave the C runtime
931 library in an undefined state.
934 @section thread_secondary wxWidgets Calls in Secondary Threads
936 All threads other than the "main application thread" (the one running
937 wxApp::OnInit() or the one your main function runs in, for example) are
938 considered "secondary threads". These include all threads created by Create()
939 or the corresponding constructors.
941 GUI calls, such as those to a wxWindow or wxBitmap are explicitly not safe
942 at all in secondary threads and could end your application prematurely.
943 This is due to several reasons, including the underlying native API and
944 the fact that wxThread does not run a GUI event loop similar to other APIs
947 A workaround for some wxWidgets ports is calling wxMutexGUIEnter()
948 before any GUI calls and then calling wxMutexGUILeave() afterwords.
949 However, the recommended way is to simply process the GUI calls in the main
950 thread through an event that is posted by wxQueueEvent().
951 This does not imply that calls to these classes are thread-safe, however,
952 as most wxWidgets classes are not thread-safe, including wxString.
955 @section thread_poll Don't Poll a wxThread
957 A common problem users experience with wxThread is that in their main thread
958 they will check the thread every now and then to see if it has ended through
959 IsRunning(), only to find that their application has run into problems
960 because the thread is using the default behaviour (i.e. it's @b detached) and
961 has already deleted itself.
962 Naturally, they instead attempt to use joinable threads in place of the previous
963 behaviour. However, polling a wxThread for when it has ended is in general a
964 bad idea - in fact calling a routine on any running wxThread should be avoided
965 if possible. Instead, find a way to notify yourself when the thread has ended.
967 Usually you only need to notify the main thread, in which case you can
968 post an event to it via wxQueueEvent().
969 In the case of secondary threads you can call a routine of another class
970 when the thread is about to complete processing and/or set the value of
971 a variable, possibly using mutexes (see wxMutex) and/or other synchronization
977 @see wxThreadHelper, wxMutex, wxCondition, wxCriticalSection,
984 The return type for the thread functions.
986 typedef void* ExitCode
;
989 This constructor creates a new detached (default) or joinable C++
990 thread object. It does not create or start execution of the real thread -
991 for this you should use the Create() and Run() methods.
993 The possible values for @a kind parameters are:
994 - @b wxTHREAD_DETACHED - Creates a detached thread.
995 - @b wxTHREAD_JOINABLE - Creates a joinable thread.
997 wxThread(wxThreadKind kind
= wxTHREAD_DETACHED
);
1000 The destructor frees the resources associated with the thread.
1001 Notice that you should never delete a detached thread -- you may only call
1002 Delete() on it or wait until it terminates (and auto destructs) itself.
1004 Because the detached threads delete themselves, they can only be allocated on the heap.
1005 Joinable threads should be deleted explicitly. The Delete() and Kill() functions
1006 will not delete the C++ thread object. It is also safe to allocate them on stack.
1008 virtual ~wxThread();
1011 Creates a new thread.
1013 The thread object is created in the suspended state, and you should call Run()
1014 to start running it. You may optionally specify the stack size to be allocated
1015 to it (Ignored on platforms that don't support setting it explicitly,
1016 eg. Unix system without @c pthread_attr_setstacksize).
1018 If you do not specify the stack size,the system's default value is used.
1021 It is a good idea to explicitly specify a value as systems'
1022 default values vary from just a couple of KB on some systems (BSD and
1023 OS/2 systems) to one or several MB (Windows, Solaris, Linux).
1024 So, if you have a thread that requires more than just a few KB of memory, you
1025 will have mysterious problems on some platforms but not on the common ones.
1026 On the other hand, just indicating a large stack size by default will give you
1027 performance issues on those systems with small default stack since those
1028 typically use fully committed memory for the stack.
1029 On the contrary, if you use a lot of threads (say several hundred),
1030 virtual address space can get tight unless you explicitly specify a
1031 smaller amount of thread stack space for each thread.
1034 - @b wxTHREAD_NO_ERROR - No error.
1035 - @b wxTHREAD_NO_RESOURCE - There were insufficient resources to create the thread.
1036 - @b wxTHREAD_NO_RUNNING - The thread is already running
1038 wxThreadError
Create(unsigned int stackSize
= 0);
1041 Calling Delete() gracefully terminates a @b detached thread, either when
1042 the thread calls TestDestroy() or when it finishes processing.
1045 The thread exit code, if rc is not NULL.
1048 As described in wxThreadWait documentation, wxTHREAD_WAIT_BLOCK
1049 should be used as the wait mode even although currently
1050 wxTHREAD_WAIT_YIELD is for compatibility reasons. This parameter is
1051 new in wxWidgets 2.9.2.
1054 This function works on a joinable thread but in that case makes
1055 the TestDestroy() function of the thread return @true and then
1056 waits for its completion (i.e. it differs from Wait() because
1057 it asks the thread to terminate before waiting).
1059 See @ref thread_deletion for a broader explanation of this routine.
1061 wxThreadError
Delete(ExitCode
*rc
= NULL
,
1062 wxThreadWait waitMode
= wxTHREAD_WAIT_BLOCK
);
1065 Returns the number of system CPUs or -1 if the value is unknown.
1067 For multi-core systems the returned value is typically the total number
1068 of @e cores, since the OS usually abstract a single N-core CPU
1069 as N different cores.
1071 @see SetConcurrency()
1073 static int GetCPUCount();
1076 Returns the platform specific thread ID of the current thread as a long.
1078 This can be used to uniquely identify threads, even if they are not wxThreads.
1082 static wxThreadIdType
GetCurrentId();
1085 Gets the thread identifier: this is a platform dependent number that uniquely
1086 identifies the thread throughout the system during its existence
1087 (i.e. the thread identifiers may be reused).
1089 wxThreadIdType
GetId() const;
1092 Returns the thread kind as it was given in the ctor.
1096 wxThreadKind
GetKind() const;
1099 Returns the thread ID of the main thread.
1105 static wxThreadIdType
GetMainId();
1108 Gets the priority of the thread, between zero and 100.
1110 The following priorities are defined:
1111 - @b WXTHREAD_MIN_PRIORITY: 0
1112 - @b WXTHREAD_DEFAULT_PRIORITY: 50
1113 - @b WXTHREAD_MAX_PRIORITY: 100
1115 unsigned int GetPriority() const;
1118 Returns @true if the thread is alive (i.e. started and not terminating).
1120 Note that this function can only safely be used with joinable threads, not
1121 detached ones as the latter delete themselves and so when the real thread is
1122 no longer alive, it is not possible to call this function because
1123 the wxThread object no longer exists.
1125 bool IsAlive() const;
1128 Returns @true if the thread is of the detached kind, @false if it is a
1131 bool IsDetached() const;
1134 Returns @true if the calling thread is the main application thread.
1136 Main thread in the context of wxWidgets is the one which initialized
1139 @see GetMainId(), GetCurrentId()
1141 static bool IsMain();
1144 Returns @true if the thread is paused.
1146 bool IsPaused() const;
1149 Returns @true if the thread is running.
1151 This method may only be safely used for joinable threads, see the remark in
1154 bool IsRunning() const;
1157 Immediately terminates the target thread.
1159 @b "This function is dangerous and should be used with extreme care"
1160 (and not used at all whenever possible)! The resources allocated to the
1161 thread will not be freed and the state of the C runtime library may become
1162 inconsistent. Use Delete() for detached threads or Wait() for joinable
1165 For detached threads Kill() will also delete the associated C++ object.
1166 However this will not happen for joinable threads and this means that you will
1167 still have to delete the wxThread object yourself to avoid memory leaks.
1169 In neither case OnExit() of the dying thread will be called, so no
1170 thread-specific cleanup will be performed.
1171 This function can only be called from another thread context, i.e. a thread
1174 It is also an error to call this function for a thread which is not running or
1175 paused (in the latter case, the thread will be resumed first) -- if you do it,
1176 a @b wxTHREAD_NOT_RUNNING error will be returned.
1178 wxThreadError
Kill();
1181 Suspends the thread.
1183 Under some implementations (Win32), the thread is suspended immediately,
1184 under others it will only be suspended when it calls TestDestroy() for
1185 the next time (hence, if the thread doesn't call it at all, it won't be
1188 This function can only be called from another thread context.
1190 wxThreadError
Pause();
1193 Resumes a thread suspended by the call to Pause().
1195 This function can only be called from another thread context.
1197 wxThreadError
Resume();
1200 Starts the thread execution. Should be called after Create().
1202 Note that once you Run() a @b detached thread, @e any function call you do
1203 on the thread pointer (you must allocate it on the heap) is @e "unsafe";
1204 i.e. the thread may have terminated at any moment after Run() and your pointer
1205 may be dangling. See @ref thread_types for an example of safe manipulation
1206 of detached threads.
1208 This function can only be called from another thread context.
1210 Finally, note that once a thread has completed and its Entry() function
1211 returns, you cannot call Run() on it again (an assert will fail in debug
1212 builds or @c wxTHREAD_RUNNING will be returned in release builds).
1214 wxThreadError
Run();
1217 Sets the thread concurrency level for this process.
1219 This is, roughly, the number of threads that the system tries to schedule
1221 The value of 0 for @a level may be used to set the default one.
1223 @return @true on success or @false otherwise (for example, if this function is
1224 not implemented for this platform -- currently everything except Solaris).
1226 static bool SetConcurrency(size_t level
);
1229 Sets the priority of the thread, between 0 and 100.
1230 It can only be set after calling Create() but before calling Run().
1232 The following priorities are defined:
1233 - @b WXTHREAD_MIN_PRIORITY: 0
1234 - @b WXTHREAD_DEFAULT_PRIORITY: 50
1235 - @b WXTHREAD_MAX_PRIORITY: 100
1237 void SetPriority(unsigned int priority
);
1240 Pauses the thread execution for the given amount of time.
1242 This is the same as wxMilliSleep().
1244 static void Sleep(unsigned long milliseconds
);
1247 This function should be called periodically by the thread to ensure that
1248 calls to Pause() and Delete() will work.
1250 If it returns @true, the thread should exit as soon as possible.
1251 Notice that under some platforms (POSIX), implementation of Pause() also
1252 relies on this function being called, so not calling it would prevent
1253 both stopping and suspending thread from working.
1255 virtual bool TestDestroy();
1258 Return the thread object for the calling thread.
1260 @NULL is returned if the calling thread is the main (GUI) thread, but
1261 IsMain() should be used to test whether the thread is really the main one
1262 because @NULL may also be returned for the thread not created with wxThread
1263 class. Generally speaking, the return value for such a thread is undefined.
1265 static wxThread
* This();
1268 Waits for a @b joinable thread to terminate and returns the value the thread
1269 returned from Entry() or @c "(ExitCode)-1" on error. Notice that, unlike
1270 Delete(), this function doesn't cancel the thread in any way so the caller
1271 waits for as long as it takes to the thread to exit.
1273 You can only Wait() for @b joinable (not detached) threads.
1275 This function can only be called from another thread context.
1278 As described in wxThreadWait documentation, wxTHREAD_WAIT_BLOCK
1279 should be used as the wait mode even although currently
1280 wxTHREAD_WAIT_YIELD is for compatibility reasons. This parameter is
1281 new in wxWidgets 2.9.2.
1283 See @ref thread_deletion for a broader explanation of this routine.
1285 ExitCode
Wait(wxThreadWait flags
= wxTHREAD_WAIT_BLOCK
);
1288 Give the rest of the thread's time-slice to the system allowing the other
1291 Note that using this function is @b strongly discouraged, since in
1292 many cases it indicates a design weakness of your threading model
1293 (as does using Sleep() functions).
1295 Threads should use the CPU in an efficient manner, i.e. they should
1296 do their current work efficiently, then as soon as the work is done block
1297 on a wakeup event (wxCondition, wxMutex, select(), poll(), ...) which will
1298 get signalled e.g. by other threads or a user device once further thread
1300 Using Yield() or Sleep() indicates polling-type behaviour, since we're
1301 fuzzily giving up our timeslice and wait until sometime later we'll get
1302 reactivated, at which time we realize that there isn't really much to do
1303 and Yield() again...
1305 The most critical characteristic of Yield() is that it's operating system
1306 specific: there may be scheduler changes which cause your thread to not
1307 wake up relatively soon again, but instead many seconds later,
1308 causing huge performance issues for your application.
1311 With a well-behaving, CPU-efficient thread the operating system is likely
1312 to properly care for its reactivation the moment it needs it, whereas with
1313 non-deterministic, Yield-using threads all bets are off and the system
1314 scheduler is free to penalize them drastically</strong>, and this effect
1315 gets worse with increasing system load due to less free CPU resources available.
1316 You may refer to various Linux kernel @c sched_yield discussions for more
1321 static void Yield();
1326 This is the entry point of the thread.
1328 This function is pure virtual and must be implemented by any derived class.
1329 The thread execution will start here.
1331 The returned value is the thread exit code which is only useful for
1332 joinable threads and is the value returned by Wait().
1333 This function is called by wxWidgets itself and should never be called
1336 virtual ExitCode
Entry() = 0;
1339 This is a protected function of the wxThread class and thus can only be called
1340 from a derived class. It also can only be called in the context of this
1341 thread, i.e. a thread can only exit from itself, not from another thread.
1343 This function will terminate the OS thread (i.e. stop the associated path of
1344 execution) and also delete the associated C++ object for detached threads.
1345 OnExit() will be called just before exiting.
1347 void Exit(ExitCode exitcode
= 0);
1352 Called when the thread exits.
1354 This function is called in the context of the thread associated with the
1355 wxThread object, not in the context of the main thread.
1356 This function will not be called if the thread was @ref Kill() killed.
1358 This function should never be called directly.
1360 virtual void OnExit();
1364 /** See wxSemaphore. */
1367 wxSEMA_NO_ERROR
= 0,
1368 wxSEMA_INVALID
, //!< semaphore hasn't been initialized successfully
1369 wxSEMA_BUSY
, //!< returned by TryWait() if Wait() would block
1370 wxSEMA_TIMEOUT
, //!< returned by WaitTimeout()
1371 wxSEMA_OVERFLOW
, //!< Post() would increase counter past the max
1378 wxSemaphore is a counter limiting the number of threads concurrently accessing
1379 a shared resource. This counter is always between 0 and the maximum value
1380 specified during the semaphore creation. When the counter is strictly greater
1381 than 0, a call to wxSemaphore::Wait() returns immediately and decrements the
1382 counter. As soon as it reaches 0, any subsequent calls to wxSemaphore::Wait
1383 block and only return when the semaphore counter becomes strictly positive
1384 again as the result of calling wxSemaphore::Post which increments the counter.
1386 In general, semaphores are useful to restrict access to a shared resource
1387 which can only be accessed by some fixed number of clients at the same time.
1388 For example, when modeling a hotel reservation system a semaphore with the counter
1389 equal to the total number of available rooms could be created. Each time a room
1390 is reserved, the semaphore should be acquired by calling wxSemaphore::Wait
1391 and each time a room is freed it should be released by calling wxSemaphore::Post.
1394 @category{threading}
1400 Specifying a @a maxcount of 0 actually makes wxSemaphore behave as if
1401 there is no upper limit. If @a maxcount is 1, the semaphore behaves almost as a
1402 mutex (but unlike a mutex it can be released by a thread different from the one
1405 @a initialcount is the initial value of the semaphore which must be between
1406 0 and @a maxcount (if it is not set to 0).
1408 wxSemaphore(int initialcount
= 0, int maxcount
= 0);
1411 Destructor is not virtual, don't use this class polymorphically.
1416 Increments the semaphore count and signals one of the waiting
1417 threads in an atomic way. Returns @e wxSEMA_OVERFLOW if the count
1418 would increase the counter past the maximum.
1421 - wxSEMA_NO_ERROR: There was no error.
1422 - wxSEMA_INVALID : Semaphore hasn't been initialized successfully.
1423 - wxSEMA_OVERFLOW: Post() would increase counter past the max.
1424 - wxSEMA_MISC_ERROR: Miscellaneous error.
1429 Same as Wait(), but returns immediately.
1432 - wxSEMA_NO_ERROR: There was no error.
1433 - wxSEMA_INVALID: Semaphore hasn't been initialized successfully.
1434 - wxSEMA_BUSY: Returned by TryWait() if Wait() would block, i.e. the count is zero.
1435 - wxSEMA_MISC_ERROR: Miscellaneous error.
1437 wxSemaError
TryWait();
1440 Wait indefinitely until the semaphore count becomes strictly positive
1441 and then decrement it and return.
1444 - wxSEMA_NO_ERROR: There was no error.
1445 - wxSEMA_INVALID: Semaphore hasn't been initialized successfully.
1446 - wxSEMA_MISC_ERROR: Miscellaneous error.
1451 Same as Wait(), but with a timeout limit.
1454 - wxSEMA_NO_ERROR: There was no error.
1455 - wxSEMA_INVALID: Semaphore hasn't been initialized successfully.
1456 - wxSEMA_TIMEOUT: Timeout occurred without receiving semaphore.
1457 - wxSEMA_MISC_ERROR: Miscellaneous error.
1459 wxSemaError
WaitTimeout(unsigned long timeout_millis
);
1465 @class wxMutexLocker
1467 This is a small helper class to be used with wxMutex objects.
1469 A wxMutexLocker acquires a mutex lock in the constructor and releases
1470 (or unlocks) the mutex in the destructor making it much more difficult to
1471 forget to release a mutex (which, in general, will promptly lead to serious
1472 problems). See wxMutex for an example of wxMutexLocker usage.
1475 @category{threading}
1477 @see wxMutex, wxCriticalSectionLocker
1483 Constructs a wxMutexLocker object associated with mutex and locks it.
1484 Call IsOk() to check if the mutex was successfully locked.
1486 wxMutexLocker(wxMutex
& mutex
);
1489 Destructor releases the mutex if it was successfully acquired in the ctor.
1494 Returns @true if mutex was acquired in the constructor, @false otherwise.
1501 The possible wxMutex kinds.
1505 /** Normal non-recursive mutex: try to always use this one. */
1508 /** Recursive mutex: don't use these ones with wxCondition. */
1514 The possible wxMutex errors.
1518 /** The operation completed successfully. */
1519 wxMUTEX_NO_ERROR
= 0,
1521 /** The mutex hasn't been initialized. */
1524 /** The mutex is already locked by the calling thread. */
1527 /** The mutex is already locked by another thread. */
1530 /** An attempt to unlock a mutex which is not locked. */
1533 /** wxMutex::LockTimeout() has timed out. */
1536 /** Any other error */
1544 A mutex object is a synchronization object whose state is set to signaled when
1545 it is not owned by any thread, and nonsignaled when it is owned. Its name comes
1546 from its usefulness in coordinating mutually-exclusive access to a shared
1547 resource as only one thread at a time can own a mutex object.
1549 Mutexes may be recursive in the sense that a thread can lock a mutex which it
1550 had already locked before (instead of dead locking the entire process in this
1551 situation by starting to wait on a mutex which will never be released while the
1552 thread is waiting) but using them is not recommended under Unix and they are
1553 @b not recursive by default. The reason for this is that recursive
1554 mutexes are not supported by all Unix flavours and, worse, they cannot be used
1557 For example, when several threads use the data stored in the linked list,
1558 modifications to the list should only be allowed to one thread at a time
1559 because during a new node addition the list integrity is temporarily broken
1560 (this is also called @e program @e invariant).
1563 // this variable has an "s_" prefix because it is static: seeing an "s_" in
1564 // a multithreaded program is in general a good sign that you should use a
1565 // mutex (or a critical section)
1566 static wxMutex *s_mutexProtectingTheGlobalData;
1568 // we store some numbers in this global array which is presumably used by
1569 // several threads simultaneously
1572 void MyThread::AddNewNode(int num)
1574 // ensure that no other thread accesses the list
1575 s_mutexProtectingTheGlobalList->Lock();
1579 s_mutexProtectingTheGlobalList->Unlock();
1582 // return true if the given number is greater than all array elements
1583 bool MyThread::IsGreater(int num)
1585 // before using the list we must acquire the mutex
1586 wxMutexLocker lock(s_mutexProtectingTheGlobalData);
1588 size_t count = s_data.Count();
1589 for ( size_t n = 0; n < count; n++ )
1591 if ( s_data[n] > num )
1599 Notice how wxMutexLocker was used in the second function to ensure that the
1600 mutex is unlocked in any case: whether the function returns true or false
1601 (because the destructor of the local object @e lock is always called).
1602 Using this class instead of directly using wxMutex is, in general, safer
1603 and is even more so if your program uses C++ exceptions.
1606 @category{threading}
1608 @see wxThread, wxCondition, wxMutexLocker, wxCriticalSection
1614 Default constructor.
1616 wxMutex(wxMutexType type
= wxMUTEX_DEFAULT
);
1619 Destroys the wxMutex object.
1624 Locks the mutex object.
1625 This is equivalent to LockTimeout() with infinite timeout.
1627 Note that if this mutex is already locked by the caller thread,
1628 this function doesn't block but rather immediately returns.
1630 @return One of: @c wxMUTEX_NO_ERROR, @c wxMUTEX_DEAD_LOCK.
1632 wxMutexError
Lock();
1635 Try to lock the mutex object during the specified time interval.
1637 @return One of: @c wxMUTEX_NO_ERROR, @c wxMUTEX_DEAD_LOCK, @c wxMUTEX_TIMEOUT.
1639 wxMutexError
LockTimeout(unsigned long msec
);
1642 Tries to lock the mutex object. If it can't, returns immediately with an error.
1644 @return One of: @c wxMUTEX_NO_ERROR, @c wxMUTEX_BUSY.
1646 wxMutexError
TryLock();
1649 Unlocks the mutex object.
1651 @return One of: @c wxMUTEX_NO_ERROR, @c wxMUTEX_UNLOCKED.
1653 wxMutexError
Unlock();
1658 // ============================================================================
1659 // Global functions/macros
1660 // ============================================================================
1662 /** @addtogroup group_funcmacro_thread */
1666 This macro declares a (static) critical section object named @a cs if
1667 @c wxUSE_THREADS is 1 and does nothing if it is 0.
1669 @header{wx/thread.h}
1671 #define wxCRIT_SECT_DECLARE(cs)
1674 This macro declares a critical section object named @a cs if
1675 @c wxUSE_THREADS is 1 and does nothing if it is 0. As it doesn't include
1676 the @c static keyword (unlike wxCRIT_SECT_DECLARE()), it can be used to
1677 declare a class or struct member which explains its name.
1679 @header{wx/thread.h}
1681 #define wxCRIT_SECT_DECLARE_MEMBER(cs)
1684 This macro creates a wxCriticalSectionLocker named @a name and associated
1685 with the critical section @a cs if @c wxUSE_THREADS is 1 and does nothing
1688 @header{wx/thread.h}
1690 #define wxCRIT_SECT_LOCKER(name, cs)
1693 This macro combines wxCRIT_SECT_DECLARE() and wxCRIT_SECT_LOCKER(): it
1694 creates a static critical section object and also the lock object
1695 associated with it. Because of this, it can be only used inside a function,
1696 not at global scope. For example:
1701 static int s_counter = 0;
1703 wxCRITICAL_SECTION(counter);
1709 Note that this example assumes that the function is called the first time
1710 from the main thread so that the critical section object is initialized
1711 correctly by the time other threads start calling it, if this is not the
1712 case this approach can @b not be used and the critical section must be made
1715 @header{wx/thread.h}
1717 #define wxCRITICAL_SECTION(name)
1720 This macro is equivalent to
1721 @ref wxCriticalSection::Leave "critical_section.Leave()" if
1722 @c wxUSE_THREADS is 1 and does nothing if it is 0.
1724 @header{wx/thread.h}
1726 #define wxLEAVE_CRIT_SECT(critical_section)
1729 This macro is equivalent to
1730 @ref wxCriticalSection::Enter "critical_section.Enter()" if
1731 @c wxUSE_THREADS is 1 and does nothing if it is 0.
1733 @header{wx/thread.h}
1735 #define wxENTER_CRIT_SECT(critical_section)
1738 Returns @true if this thread is the main one. Always returns @true if
1739 @c wxUSE_THREADS is 0.
1741 @header{wx/thread.h}
1743 bool wxIsMainThread();
1748 This function must be called when any thread other than the main GUI thread
1749 wants to get access to the GUI library. This function will block the
1750 execution of the calling thread until the main thread (or any other thread
1751 holding the main GUI lock) leaves the GUI library and no other thread will
1752 enter the GUI library until the calling thread calls wxMutexGuiLeave().
1754 Typically, these functions are used like this:
1757 void MyThread::Foo(void)
1759 // before doing any GUI calls we must ensure that
1760 // this thread is the only one doing it!
1765 my_window->DrawSomething();
1771 This function is only defined on platforms which support preemptive
1772 threads and only works under some ports (wxMSW currently).
1774 @note Under GTK, no creation of top-level windows is allowed in any thread
1777 @header{wx/thread.h}
1779 void wxMutexGuiEnter();
1782 This function is only defined on platforms which support preemptive
1785 @see wxMutexGuiEnter()
1787 @header{wx/thread.h}
1789 void wxMutexGuiLeave();