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PThread Class Referenceabstract

This class defines a thread of execution in the system. More...

#include <thread.h>

Inheritance diagram for PThread:
Collaboration diagram for PThread:

Classes

class  LocalStorageBase
 Thread local storage base class, see PThreadLocalStorage for template. More...
 
struct  Times
 Times for execution of the thread. More...
 

Public Member Functions

bool IsAutoDelete () const
 
int PXBlockOnChildTerminate (int pid, const PTimeInterval &timeout)
 
int PXBlockOnIO (int handle, int type, const PTimeInterval &timeout)
 
void PXAbortBlock () const
 
Overrides from <code>PObject</code>
void PrintOn (ostream &strm) const
 Standard stream print function. More...
 
- Public Member Functions inherited from PObject
unsigned GetTraceContextIdentifier () const
 Get PTRACE context identifier. More...
 
void SetTraceContextIdentifier (unsigned id)
 
void GetTraceContextIdentifier (PObject &obj)
 
void GetTraceContextIdentifier (PObject *obj)
 
void SetTraceContextIdentifier (const PObject &obj)
 
void SetTraceContextIdentifier (const PObject *obj)
 
virtual ~PObject ()
 
virtual PObjectClone () const
 Create a copy of the class on the heap. More...
 
template<class CLS >
CLS * CloneAs () const
 As for Clone() but converts to specified type. More...
 
virtual PINDEX HashFunction () const
 This function yields a hash value required by the PDictionary class. More...
 
virtual const char * GetClass (unsigned ancestor=0) const
 Get the current dynamic type of the object instance. More...
 
PBoolean IsClass (const char *cls) const
 
virtual PBoolean InternalIsDescendant (const char *clsName) const
 Determine if the dynamic type of the current instance is a descendent of the specified class. More...
 
__inline const PObjectPTraceObjectInstance () const
 
virtual Comparison Compare (const PObject &obj) const
 Compare the two objects and return their relative rank. More...
 
virtual Comparison CompareObjectMemoryDirect (const PObject &obj) const
 Determine the byte wise comparison of two objects. More...
 
bool operator== (const PObject &obj) const
 Compare the two objects. More...
 
bool operator!= (const PObject &obj) const
 Compare the two objects. More...
 
bool operator< (const PObject &obj) const
 Compare the two objects. More...
 
bool operator> (const PObject &obj) const
 Compare the two objects. More...
 
bool operator<= (const PObject &obj) const
 Compare the two objects. More...
 
bool operator>= (const PObject &obj) const
 Compare the two objects. More...
 
virtual void ReadFrom (istream &strm)
 Input the contents of the object from the stream. More...
 

Protected Types

enum  Type { e_IsAutoDelete, e_IsManualDelete, e_IsProcess, e_IsExternal }
 
typedef std::list< const
LocalStorageBase * > 
LocalStorageList
 

Protected Attributes

enum PThread::Type m_type
 
PINDEX m_originalStackSize
 
PString m_threadName
 
PMutex m_threadNameMutex
 
PThreadIdentifier m_threadId
 
LocalStorageList m_localStorage
 
- Protected Attributes inherited from PObject
unsigned m_traceContextIdentifier
 

Construction

enum  Priority {
  LowestPriority, LowPriority, NormalPriority, HighPriority,
  HighestPriority, NumPriorities
}
 Codes for thread priorities. More...
 
enum  AutoDeleteFlag { AutoDeleteThread, NoAutoDeleteThread }
 Codes for thread autodelete flag. More...
 
 PThread (PINDEX stack, AutoDeleteFlag deletion=AutoDeleteThread, Priority priorityLevel=NormalPriority, const PString &threadName=PString::Empty())
 Create a new thread instance. More...
 
 ~PThread ()
 Destroy the thread, this simply calls the Terminate() function with all its restrictions and penalties. More...
 

Control functions

virtual void Restart ()
 Restart a terminated thread using the same stack priority etc that was current when the thread terminated. More...
 
virtual void Terminate ()
 Terminate the thread. More...
 
virtual PBoolean IsTerminated () const
 Determine if the thread has been terminated or ran to completion. More...
 
void WaitForTermination () const
 Block and wait for the thread to terminate. More...
 
PBoolean WaitForTermination (const PTimeInterval &maxWait) const
 Block and wait for the thread to terminate. More...
 
virtual void Suspend (PBoolean susp=true)
 Suspend or resume the thread. More...
 
virtual void Resume ()
 Resume thread execution, this is identical to Suspend(false). More...
 
virtual PBoolean IsSuspended () const
 Determine if the thread is currently suspended. More...
 
virtual void SetPriority (Priority priorityLevel)
 Set the priority of the thread relative to other threads in the current process. More...
 
virtual Priority GetPriority () const
 Get the current priority of the thread in the current process. More...
 
virtual void SetAutoDelete (AutoDeleteFlag deletion=AutoDeleteThread)
 Set the flag indicating thread object is to be automatically deleted when the thread ends. More...
 
void SetNoAutoDelete ()
 Reet the flag indicating thread object is to be automatically deleted when the thread ends. More...
 
virtual PString GetThreadName () const
 Get the name of the thread. More...
 
virtual void SetThreadName (const PString &name)
 Change the name of the thread. More...
 
static void Sleep (const PTimeInterval &delay)
 Suspend the current thread for the specified amount of time. More...
 

Miscellaneous

virtual PThreadIdentifier GetThreadId () const
 Get operating system specific thread identifier for this thread. More...
 
bool GetTimes (Times &times)
 Get the thread execution times. More...
 
virtual void Main ()=0
 User override function for the main execution routine of the thread. More...
 
static PThreadIdentifier GetCurrentThreadId ()
 
static PThreadCurrent ()
 Get the currently running thread object instance. More...
 
static void Yield ()
 Yield to another thread without blocking. More...
 
static PThreadCreate (const PNotifier &notifier, INT parameter=0, AutoDeleteFlag deletion=AutoDeleteThread, Priority priorityLevel=NormalPriority, const PString &threadName=PString::Empty(), PINDEX stackSize=0)
 Create a simple thread executing the specified notifier. More...
 
static PThreadCreate (const PNotifier &notifier, const PString &threadName)
 

Additional Inherited Members

- Public Types inherited from PObject
enum  Comparison { LessThan = -1, EqualTo = 0, GreaterThan = 1 }
 Result of the comparison operation performed by the Compare() function. More...
 
- Static Public Member Functions inherited from PObject
static const char * Class ()
 Get the name of the class as a C string. More...
 
static __inline const PObjectPTraceObjectInstance (const char *)
 
static __inline const PObjectPTraceObjectInstance (const PObject *obj)
 
static Comparison InternalCompareObjectMemoryDirect (const PObject *obj1, const PObject *obj2, PINDEX size)
 Internal function caled from CompareObjectMemoryDirect() More...
 
- Protected Member Functions inherited from PObject
 PObject ()
 Constructor for PObject, made protected so cannot ever create one on its own. More...
 
- Friends inherited from PObject

Detailed Description

This class defines a thread of execution in the system.

A thread is an independent flow of processor instructions. This differs from a process which also embodies a program address space and resource allocation. So threads can share memory and resources as they run in the context of a given process. A process always contains at least one thread. This is reflected in this library by the PProcess class being descended from the PThread class.

The implementation of a thread is platform dependent, but it is assumed that the platform has some support for native threads. Previous versions of PTLib/PWLib have some support for co-operative threads, but this has been removed.

Member Typedef Documentation

typedef std::list<const LocalStorageBase *> PThread::LocalStorageList
protected

Member Enumeration Documentation

Codes for thread autodelete flag.

Enumerator
AutoDeleteThread 

Automatically delete thread object on termination.

NoAutoDeleteThread 

Don't delete thread as it may not be on heap.

Codes for thread priorities.

Enumerator
LowestPriority 

Will only run if all other threads are blocked.

LowPriority 

Runs approximately half as often as normal.

NormalPriority 

Normal priority for a thread.

HighPriority 

Runs approximately twice as often as normal.

HighestPriority 

Is only thread that will run, unless blocked.

NumPriorities 
enum PThread::Type
protected
Enumerator
e_IsAutoDelete 
e_IsManualDelete 
e_IsProcess 
e_IsExternal 

Constructor & Destructor Documentation

PThread::PThread ( PINDEX  stack,
AutoDeleteFlag  deletion = AutoDeleteThread,
Priority  priorityLevel = NormalPriority,
const PString threadName = PString::Empty() 
)

Create a new thread instance.

Unless the startSuspended parameter is true, the threads Main() function is called to execute the code for the thread.

Note that the exact timing of the execution of code in threads can never be predicted. Thus you you can get a race condition on intialising a descendent class. To avoid this problem a thread is always started suspended. You must call the Resume() function after your descendent class construction is complete.

If synchronisation is required between threads then the use of semaphores is essential.

If the deletion is set to AutoDeleteThread then the PThread is assumed to be allocated with the new operator and may be freed using the delete operator as soon as the thread is terminated or executes to completion (usually the latter).

The stack size argument is highly platform specific and should alamost always be zero for the default.

Parameters
stackStack size on some platforms, 0 == default
deletionAutomatically delete PThread instance on termination of thread.
priorityLevelInitial priority of thread.
threadNameThe name of the thread (for Debug/Trace)
PThread::~PThread ( )

Destroy the thread, this simply calls the Terminate() function with all its restrictions and penalties.

See that function for more information.

Note that the correct way for a thread to terminate is to return from the Main() function.

Member Function Documentation

static PThread* PThread::Create ( const PNotifier notifier,
INT  parameter = 0,
AutoDeleteFlag  deletion = AutoDeleteThread,
Priority  priorityLevel = NormalPriority,
const PString threadName = PString::Empty(),
PINDEX  stackSize = 0 
)
static

Create a simple thread executing the specified notifier.

This creates a simple PThread class that automatically executes the function defined by the PNotifier in the context of a new thread.

Parameters
notifierFunction to execute in thread.
parameterParameter value to pass to notifier.
deletionAutomatically delete PThread instance on termination of thread.
priorityLevelInitial priority of thread.
threadNameThe name of the thread (for Debug/Trace)
stackSizeStack size on some platforms, 0 == default
static PThread* PThread::Create ( const PNotifier notifier,
const PString threadName 
)
inlinestatic
Parameters
notifierFunction to execute in thread.
threadNameThe name of the thread (for Debug/Trace)

References Create(), NoAutoDeleteThread, and NormalPriority.

Referenced by Create().

static PThread* PThread::Current ( )
static

Get the currently running thread object instance.

It is possible, even likely, that the smae code may be executed in the context of differenct threads. Under some circumstances it may be necessary to know what the current codes thread is and this static function provides that information.

Returns
pointer to current thread.
static PThreadIdentifier PThread::GetCurrentThreadId ( )
static
virtual Priority PThread::GetPriority ( ) const
virtual

Get the current priority of the thread in the current process.

Returns
current thread priority.
virtual PThreadIdentifier PThread::GetThreadId ( ) const
inlinevirtual

Get operating system specific thread identifier for this thread.

Note that the return value from these functions is only valid if called by the owning thread. Calling this function for another thread that may be terminating is a very bad idea.

References m_threadId.

virtual PString PThread::GetThreadName ( ) const
virtual

Get the name of the thread.

Thread names are a optional debugging aid.

Returns
current thread name.
bool PThread::GetTimes ( Times times)

Get the thread execution times.

Parameters
timesTimes for thread execution.
bool PThread::IsAutoDelete ( ) const
inline

References e_IsAutoDelete, e_IsExternal, and m_type.

virtual PBoolean PThread::IsSuspended ( ) const
virtual

Determine if the thread is currently suspended.

This checks the suspension count and if greater than zero returns true for a suspended thread.

Returns
true if thread is suspended.
virtual PBoolean PThread::IsTerminated ( ) const
virtual

Determine if the thread has been terminated or ran to completion.

Returns
true if the thread has been terminated.
virtual void PThread::Main ( )
pure virtual

User override function for the main execution routine of the thread.

A descendent class must provide the code that will be executed in the thread within this function.

Note that the correct way for a thread to terminate is to return from this function.

Implemented in PThreadObj2Arg< ObjType, Arg1Type, Arg2Type >, PThreadObj1Arg< ObjType, Arg1Type >, PLibraryProcess, PThreadObj< ObjType >, PThreadObj< PSNMPServer >, PThread3Arg< Arg1Type, Arg2Type, Arg3Type >, PThread2Arg< Arg1Type, Arg2Type >, PThread1Arg< Arg1Type >, PThreadFunctor< Functor >, PThreadMain, XMPP::BaseStreamHandler, PServiceProcess, and PHTTPServiceThread.

void PThread::PrintOn ( ostream &  strm) const
virtual

Standard stream print function.

The PObject class has a << operator defined that calls this function polymorphically.

Parameters
strmStream to output text representation

Reimplemented from PObject.

void PThread::PXAbortBlock ( ) const
int PThread::PXBlockOnChildTerminate ( int  pid,
const PTimeInterval timeout 
)
int PThread::PXBlockOnIO ( int  handle,
int  type,
const PTimeInterval timeout 
)
virtual void PThread::Restart ( )
virtual

Restart a terminated thread using the same stack priority etc that was current when the thread terminated.

If the thread is still running then this function is ignored.

virtual void PThread::Resume ( )
virtual

Resume thread execution, this is identical to Suspend(false).

The Resume() method may be called from within the constructor of a PThread descendant. However, the Resume() should be in the constructor of the most descendant class. So, if you have a class B (which is descended of PThread), and a class C (which is descended of B), placing the call to Resume() in the constructor of B is unwise.

If you do place a call to Resume() in the constructor, it should be at the end of the constructor, after all the other initialisation in the constructor.

The reason the call to Resume() should be at the end of the construction process is simple - you want the thread to start when all the variables in the class have been correctly initialised.

Referenced by PThread1Arg< Arg1Type >::PThread1Arg(), PThread2Arg< Arg1Type, Arg2Type >::PThread2Arg(), PThread3Arg< Arg1Type, Arg2Type, Arg3Type >::PThread3Arg(), PThreadFunctor< Functor >::PThreadFunctor(), PThreadMain::PThreadMain(), PThreadObj< PSNMPServer >::PThreadObj(), PThreadObj1Arg< ObjType, Arg1Type >::PThreadObj1Arg(), and PThreadObj2Arg< ObjType, Arg1Type, Arg2Type >::PThreadObj2Arg().

virtual void PThread::SetAutoDelete ( AutoDeleteFlag  deletion = AutoDeleteThread)
virtual

Set the flag indicating thread object is to be automatically deleted when the thread ends.

Parameters
deletionNew auto delete setting.

Referenced by SetNoAutoDelete().

void PThread::SetNoAutoDelete ( )
inline

Reet the flag indicating thread object is to be automatically deleted when the thread ends.

References NoAutoDeleteThread, and SetAutoDelete().

virtual void PThread::SetPriority ( Priority  priorityLevel)
virtual

Set the priority of the thread relative to other threads in the current process.

Parameters
priorityLevelNew priority for thread.
virtual void PThread::SetThreadName ( const PString name)
virtual

Change the name of the thread.

Thread names are a optional debugging aid.

Returns
current thread name.
Parameters
nameNew name for the thread.
static void PThread::Sleep ( const PTimeInterval delay)
static

Suspend the current thread for the specified amount of time.

Parameters
delayTime interval to sleep for.
virtual void PThread::Suspend ( PBoolean  susp = true)
virtual

Suspend or resume the thread.

If susp is true this increments an internal count of suspensions that must be matched by an equal number of calls to Resume() or Suspend(false) before the thread actually executes again.

If susp is false then this decrements the internal count of suspensions. If the count is <= 0 then the thread will run. Note that the thread will not be suspended until an equal number of Suspend(true) calls are made.

Parameters
suspFlag to suspend or resume a thread.
virtual void PThread::Terminate ( )
virtual

Terminate the thread.

It is highly recommended that this is not used except in abnormal abort situations as not all clean up of resources allocated to the thread will be executed. This is especially true in C++ as the destructors of objects that are automatic variables are not called causing at the very least the possiblity of memory leaks.

Note that the correct way for a thread to terminate is to return from the Main() function or self terminate by calling Terminate() within the context of the thread which can then assure that all resources are cleaned up.

Reimplemented in PProcess, and PServiceProcess.

void PThread::WaitForTermination ( ) const

Block and wait for the thread to terminate.

PBoolean PThread::WaitForTermination ( const PTimeInterval maxWait) const

Block and wait for the thread to terminate.

Returns
false if the thread has not terminated and the timeout has expired, true otherwise.
Parameters
maxWaitMaximum time to wait for termination.
static void PThread::Yield ( )
static

Yield to another thread without blocking.

This duplicates the implicit thread yield that may occur on some I/O operations or system calls.

This may not be implemented on all platforms.

Member Data Documentation

LocalStorageList PThread::m_localStorage
protected
PINDEX PThread::m_originalStackSize
protected
PThreadIdentifier PThread::m_threadId
protected

Referenced by GetThreadId().

PString PThread::m_threadName
protected
PMutex PThread::m_threadNameMutex
protected
enum PThread::Type PThread::m_type
protected

Referenced by IsAutoDelete().


The documentation for this class was generated from the following files: