Home   Information   Classes   Download   Usage   Mail List   Requirements   Links   FAQ   Tutorial


Thread Class Reference

#include <Thread.h>

Inheritance diagram for Thread:

Stk List of all members.

Detailed Description

STK thread class.

This class provides a uniform interface for cross-platform threads. On unix systems, the pthread library is used. Under Windows, the C runtime threadex functions are used.

Each instance of the Thread class can be used to control a single thread process. Routines are provided to signal cancelation and/or joining with a thread, though it is not possible for this class to know the running status of a thread once it is started.

For cross-platform compatability, thread functions should be declared as follows:

THREAD_RETURN THREAD_TYPE thread_function(void *ptr)

by Perry R. Cook and Gary P. Scavone, 1995 - 2007.


Public Member Functions

 Thread ()
 Default constructor.
 ~Thread ()
 The class destructor does not attempt to cancel or join a thread.
bool start (THREAD_FUNCTION routine, void *ptr=NULL)
 Begin execution of the thread routine. Upon success, true is returned.
bool cancel (void)
 Signal cancellation of a thread routine, returning true on success.
bool wait (void)
 Block the calling routine indefinitely until the thread terminates.
void testCancel (void)
 Create a cancellation point within a thread routine.


Member Function Documentation

bool Thread::start THREAD_FUNCTION  routine,
void *  ptr = NULL
 

Begin execution of the thread routine. Upon success, true is returned.

A data pointer can be supplied to the thread routine via the optional ptr argument. If the thread cannot be created, the return value is false.

bool Thread::cancel void   ) 
 

Signal cancellation of a thread routine, returning true on success.

This function only signals thread cancellation. It does not wait to verify actual routine termination. A true return value only signifies that the cancellation signal was properly executed, not thread cancellation. A thread routine may need to make use of the testCancel() function to specify a cancellation point.

bool Thread::wait void   ) 
 

Block the calling routine indefinitely until the thread terminates.

This function suspends execution of the calling routine until the thread has terminated. It will return immediately if the thread was already terminated. A true return value signifies successful termination. A false return value indicates a problem with the wait call.

void Thread::testCancel void   ) 
 

Create a cancellation point within a thread routine.

This function call checks for thread cancellation, allowing the thread to be terminated if a cancellation request was previously signaled.


The documentation for this class was generated from the following file:
The Synthesis ToolKit in C++ (STK)
©1995-2007 Perry R. Cook and Gary P. Scavone. All Rights Reserved.