Execute two functions at the same time independently in C - c

Question

I think I may have a threading problem in c, but I'm not sure.
My goal is to execute two separate functions inside a while(1) loop as such:
One of these functions is kbget() to retrieve the key pressed in a terminal in non-canonical mode.
The second one is to constantly get the terminal window size with the ioctl(1, TIOCGWINSZ,...) function.
It normally doesn't work because the while(1) loop stops to get a keypress from the user before executing the second function to reevaluate the terminal window size. If the terminal window is resized before a key is pressed, the function to evaluate its size isn't executed unless a random key is pressed again.
In other words, resizing the terminal window doesn't update the size values in the Window struct below unless a key is pressed.
I want the program to update the y_size & x_size values 'live' as the terminal is resized.
Here's the issue in code without POSIX threads:
Executing with :
gcc -Wall scr.h main.c -o main && ./main
(scr.h below has kbget() to change terminal mode):
main.c:
#include "scr.h"
#include <sys/ioctl.h>
#define gotoyx(y, x) printf("\033[%d;%dH", (y), (x)) // equivalent to move(y, x) in ncurses
#define del_from_cursor(x) printf("\033[%dX", (x)) // delete x characters from cursor position
typedef struct {
int y_size;
int x_size;
} Window;
int main(void)
{
printf("\033[?1049h\033[2J\033[H"); // remember position & clear screen
gotoyx(1, 10);
printf("Press <ESC> to stop program.");
gotoyx(2, 10);
printf("Resizing the terminal window does not 'automatically' update the size shown on screen");
Window w;
struct winsize w_s;
while (1) {
// evaluate terminal size
if (!ioctl(1, TIOCGWINSZ, &w_s)) {
w.y_size = w_s.ws_row;
w.x_size = w_s.ws_col;
}
// print terminal size and center it
gotoyx(w.y_size / 2, w.x_size / 2);
del_from_cursor(5);
printf("w.y_size: %d", w.y_size);
gotoyx((w.y_size / 2) + 1, w.x_size / 2);
del_from_cursor(5);
printf("w.x_size: %d", w.x_size);
// get key pressed by user in terminal & exit if <ESC> is pressed
if (kbget() == 0x001b) { break; }
}
printf("\033[2J\033[H\033[?1049l"); // clear screen & restore
return 0;
}
I have tried solving this using threads but I was unsuccessful so far.
I have modified the main.c file above by adding 2 functions (get_window_size & get_key):
(scr.h has the kbget() function in get_key() to change the terminal to canonical mode)
main.c:
#include "scr.h"
#include <sys/ioctl.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#define gotoyx(y, x) printf("\033[%d;%dH", (y), (x))
#define del_from_cursor(x) printf("\033[%dX", (x))
typedef struct {
int y_size;
int x_size;
} Window;
void *get_window_size(void *arg)
{
Window *w = (Window *)arg;
struct winsize w_s;
if (!ioctl(1, TIOCGWINSZ, &w_s)) {
w->y_size = w_s.ws_row;
w->x_size = w_s.ws_col;
}
pthread_exit(0);
}
void *get_key(void *arg)
{
int *key = (int *)arg;
free(arg);
*key = kbget();
int *entered_key = malloc(sizeof(*key));
*entered_key = *key;
pthread_exit(entered_key);
}
int main(void)
{
printf("\033[?1049h\033[2J\033[H");
Window w;
pthread_t tid[3];
pthread_attr_t attr;
pthread_attr_init(&attr);
pthread_create(&tid[0], &attr, get_window_size, &w);
int *c = malloc(sizeof(*c));
int *key_pressed;
while (1) {
// for initial size
pthread_join(tid[0], NULL);
// printing size to screen
gotoyx(w.y_size / 2, w.x_size / 2);
del_from_cursor(5);
printf("w.y_size: %d", w.y_size);
gotoyx((w.y_size / 2) + 1, w.x_size / 2);
del_from_cursor(5);
printf("w.x_size: %d", w.x_size);
// get window size
pthread_attr_t attr1;
pthread_attr_init(&attr1);
pthread_create(&tid[1], &attr1, get_window_size, &w);
// get key entered by user
pthread_attr_t attr2;
pthread_attr_init(&attr2);
pthread_create(&tid[2], &attr2, get_key, c);
pthread_join(tid[1], NULL);
pthread_join(tid[2], (void **)&key_pressed);
if (*key_pressed == 0x001b) {
break;
} else {
free(key_pressed);
}
}
if (key_pressed != NULL) {
free(key_pressed);
}
printf("\033[2J\033[H\033[?1049l");
return 0;
}
The scr.h file changes the terminal mode to non-canonical (the kbget() function above is called from here):
I don't think there's any problems in scr.h as it is taken from here (Move the cursor in a C program).
scr.h:
#ifndef SCR_H
#define SCR_H
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <termios.h>
#include <unistd.h>
struct termios term, oterm;
int getch(void)
{
int c = 0;
tcgetattr(STDIN_FILENO, &oterm);
memcpy(&term, &oterm, sizeof(term));
term.c_lflag &= ~(ICANON | ECHO);
term.c_cc[VMIN] = 1;
term.c_cc[VTIME] = 0;
tcsetattr(STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &term);
c = getchar();
tcsetattr(STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &oterm);
return c;
}
int kbhit(void)
{
int c = 0;
tcgetattr(STDIN_FILENO, &oterm);
memcpy(&term, &oterm, sizeof(term));
term.c_lflag &= ~(ICANON | ECHO);
term.c_cc[VMIN] = 0;
term.c_cc[VTIME] = 1;
tcsetattr(STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &term);
c = getchar();
tcsetattr(STDIN_FILENO, TCSANOW, &oterm);
if (c != -1) { ungetc(c, stdin); }
return c != -1 ? 1 : 0;
}
int kbesc(void)
{
int c = 0;
if (!kbhit()) { return 0x001b; } // 0x001b is the <ESC> key
c = getch();
if (c == 0) { while (kbhit()) { getch(); } }
return c;
}
int kbget(void)
{
int c = getch();
return c == 0x001b ? kbesc() : c; // 0x001b is the <ESC> key
}
#endif // SCR_H
I also get errors Invalid write of size 4 in the code above with pthread while executing with valgrind:
gcc -Wall scr.h main.c -pthread -o main
valgrind -v --leak-check=yes ./main
I am aware of the existence of ncurses and pdcurses. I am only doing this as an exercise for myself.
UPDATE
I have changed my code to the following, unfortunately the ret variable never changes to -1:
#include "scr.h"
#include <errno.h>
#include <sys/ioctl.h>
#define gotoyx(y, x) printf("\033[%d;%dH", (y), (x))
#define del_from_cursor(x) printf("\033[%dX", (x))
typedef struct {
int y_size;
int x_size;
} Window;
static int sigwinch_arrived = 0;
void sigwinch_handler(int signum)
{ sigwinch_arrived = 1; }
void on_window_size_change(Window *w)
{
struct winsize w_s;
// evaluate terminal size
if (!ioctl(1, TIOCGWINSZ, &w_s)) {
w->y_size = w_s.ws_row;
w->x_size = w_s.ws_col;
}
// print terminal size in its center
gotoyx(w->y_size / 2, w->x_size / 2);
del_from_cursor(15);
printf("w.y_size: %d", w->y_size);
gotoyx((w->y_size / 2) + 1, w->x_size / 2);
del_from_cursor(15);
printf("w.x_size: %d", w->x_size);
}
int main(void)
{
printf("\033[?1049h\033[2J\033[H");
gotoyx(1, 10);
printf("Press <ESC> to stop program.");
gotoyx(2, 10);
printf("Resizing the terminal window does not 'automatically' update the size shown on screen");
Window w;
int ret;
while (1) {
// get key pressed by user in terminal & exit if <ESC> is pressed
ret = kbget();
gotoyx(10, 10);
del_from_cursor(8);
printf("ret: %d", ret);
if (ret == -1) {
if (errno == EAGAIN) {
if (sigwinch_arrived) {
sigwinch_arrived = 0;
on_window_size_change(&w);
}
}
} else if (ret == 0x001b) {
break;
}
}
printf("\033[2J\033[H\033[?1049l");
return 0;
}

Answer 1

Extension: as per this answer, if your ncurses was compiled with the --enable-sigwinch flag, it does the solution below automatically (if you did not override SIGWINCH before ncurses_init() yet). In this case, getch() (wgetch()) will simply return KEY_RESIZE if a resize event is happened.
If the size of your controlling character terminal changes, your process should get a SIGWINCH signal (window size change, signal 28 on Linux).
It can be sent by the kernel (if there is mode switch on a character desktop), or by the virtual terminal software (xterm, gnome-terminal, screen, etc).
If your process gets a signal, its blocking kernel calls, including getch(), stop with the -EAGAIN error number. It means, that the blocking call stopped before time due to an arrived signal.
Note, from a signal handler, you can't do too much (for example: no malloc()), and the best to do if you make the least possible. Typical signal handlers change a static, global variable, whose value is checked by the main program.
Untested example code:
static int sigwinch_arrived = 0;
// this is called from the signal handler - nothing complex is allowed here
void sigwinch_handler(int signum) {
sigwinch_arrived = 1;
}
// callback if there is a window size change
void on_window_size_change() {
...
}
// main program
...
while (1) { // your main event handler loop
int ret = getch();
if (ret == ERR) {
if (errno == EAGAIN) {
if (sigwinch_arrived) {
sigwinch_arrived = 0;
on_window_size_change();
}
}
}
...
}