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139 lines
5 KiB
TeX
139 lines
5 KiB
TeX
\section{\module{thread} ---
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Multiple threads of control}
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\declaremodule{builtin}{thread}
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\modulesynopsis{Create multiple threads of control within one interpreter.}
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This module provides low-level primitives for working with multiple
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threads (a.k.a.\ \dfn{light-weight processes} or \dfn{tasks}) --- multiple
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threads of control sharing their global data space. For
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synchronization, simple locks (a.k.a.\ \dfn{mutexes} or \dfn{binary
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semaphores}) are provided.
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\index{light-weight processes}
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\index{processes, light-weight}
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\index{binary semaphores}
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\index{semaphores, binary}
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The module is optional. It is supported on Windows, Linux, SGI
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IRIX, Solaris 2.x, as well as on systems that have a \POSIX{} thread
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(a.k.a. ``pthread'') implementation. For systems lacking the \module{thread}
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module, the \refmodule[dummythread]{dummy_thread} module is available.
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It duplicates this module's interface and can be
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used as a drop-in replacement.
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\index{pthreads}
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\indexii{threads}{\POSIX}
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It defines the following constant and functions:
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\begin{excdesc}{error}
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Raised on thread-specific errors.
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\end{excdesc}
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\begin{datadesc}{LockType}
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This is the type of lock objects.
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\end{datadesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{start_new_thread}{function, args\optional{, kwargs}}
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Start a new thread and return its identifier. The thread executes the function
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\var{function} with the argument list \var{args} (which must be a tuple). The
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optional \var{kwargs} argument specifies a dictionary of keyword arguments.
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When the function returns, the thread silently exits. When the function
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terminates with an unhandled exception, a stack trace is printed and
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then the thread exits (but other threads continue to run).
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\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{exit}{}
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Raise the \exception{SystemExit} exception. When not caught, this
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will cause the thread to exit silently.
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\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{exit_thread}{}
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\deprecated{1.5.2}{Use \function{exit()}.}
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This is an obsolete synonym for \function{exit()}.
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\end{funcdesc}
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%\begin{funcdesc}{exit_prog}{status}
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%Exit all threads and report the value of the integer argument
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%\var{status} as the exit status of the entire program.
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%\strong{Caveat:} code in pending \keyword{finally} clauses, in this thread
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%or in other threads, is not executed.
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%\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{allocate_lock}{}
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Return a new lock object. Methods of locks are described below. The
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lock is initially unlocked.
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\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{get_ident}{}
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Return the `thread identifier' of the current thread. This is a
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nonzero integer. Its value has no direct meaning; it is intended as a
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magic cookie to be used e.g. to index a dictionary of thread-specific
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data. Thread identifiers may be recycled when a thread exits and
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another thread is created.
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\end{funcdesc}
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Lock objects have the following methods:
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\begin{methoddesc}[lock]{acquire}{\optional{waitflag}}
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Without the optional argument, this method acquires the lock
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unconditionally, if necessary waiting until it is released by another
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thread (only one thread at a time can acquire a lock --- that's their
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reason for existence), and returns \code{None}. If the integer
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\var{waitflag} argument is present, the action depends on its
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value: if it is zero, the lock is only acquired if it can be acquired
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immediately without waiting, while if it is nonzero, the lock is
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acquired unconditionally as before. If an argument is present, the
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return value is \code{True} if the lock is acquired successfully,
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\code{False} if not.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}[lock]{release}{}
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Releases the lock. The lock must have been acquired earlier, but not
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necessarily by the same thread.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}[lock]{locked}{}
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Return the status of the lock:\ \code{True} if it has been acquired by
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some thread, \code{False} if not.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\strong{Caveats:}
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\begin{itemize}
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\item
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Threads interact strangely with interrupts: the
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\exception{KeyboardInterrupt} exception will be received by an
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arbitrary thread. (When the \refmodule{signal}\refbimodindex{signal}
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module is available, interrupts always go to the main thread.)
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\item
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Calling \function{sys.exit()} or raising the \exception{SystemExit}
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exception is equivalent to calling \function{exit()}.
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\item
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Not all built-in functions that may block waiting for I/O allow other
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threads to run. (The most popular ones (\function{time.sleep()},
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\method{\var{file}.read()}, \function{select.select()}) work as
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expected.)
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\item
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It is not possible to interrupt the \method{acquire()} method on a lock
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--- the \exception{KeyboardInterrupt} exception will happen after the
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lock has been acquired.
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\item
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When the main thread exits, it is system defined whether the other
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threads survive. On SGI IRIX using the native thread implementation,
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they survive. On most other systems, they are killed without
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executing \keyword{try} ... \keyword{finally} clauses or executing
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object destructors.
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\indexii{threads}{IRIX}
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\item
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When the main thread exits, it does not do any of its usual cleanup
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(except that \keyword{try} ... \keyword{finally} clauses are honored),
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and the standard I/O files are not flushed.
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\end{itemize}
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