Condition(3)

NAME
Condition - Condition variables to synchronize between threads.

Module
Module Condition

Documentation

Module Condition
 : sig end

Condition variables to synchronize between threads.

Condition variables are used when one thread wants to wait until another thread has finished doing something: the former thread 'waits' on the condition variable, the latter thread 'signals' the condition when it is done. Condition variables should always be protected by a mutex. The typical use is (if D is a shared data structure, m its mutex, and c is a condition variable):
         Mutex.lock m;
         while (* some predicate P over D is not satisfied *) do
           Condition.wait c m
         done;
         (* Modify D *)
         if (* the predicate P over D is now satisfied *) then Condition.signal c;
         Mutex.unlock m

type t

The type of condition variables.

val create : unit -> t

Return a new condition variable.

val wait : t -> Mutex.t -> unit

wait c m atomically unlocks the mutex m and suspends the calling process on the condition variable c . The process will restart after the condition variable c has been signalled. The mutex m is locked again before wait returns.

val signal : t -> unit

signal c restarts one of the processes waiting on the condition variable c .

val broadcast : t -> unit

broadcast c restarts all processes waiting on the condition variable c .