The title might not appear particularly clear, but the code explains itself:
int shared_variable;
int get_shared_variable() {
int result;
pthread_mutex_lock(&shared_variable_mutex);
result = shared_variable;
pthread_mutex_unlock(&shared_variable_mutex);
return result;
}
void* thread_routine(void *arg) {
while (get_shared_variable() < 5000) {
printf();
printf();
sleep(2);
int i = 0;
while (pthread_mutex_trylock(&foo_mutexes[i]) != 0) {
i++;
pthread_mutex_lock(&foo_count_mutex);
if (i == foo_count) {
pthread_mutex_unlock(&foo_count_mutex);
sleep(1); // wait one second and retry
i = 0;
}
pthread_mutex_unlock(&foo_count_mutex);
}
pthread_mutex_lock(&shared_variable_mutex);
shared_variable += 10;
pthread_mutex_unlock(&shared_variable_mutex);
}
return NULL;
}
I'm passing thread_routine to a pthread_create (pretty standard), but I'm having a problem with the synchronization of the result. Basically, the problem is that the first thread checks the while condition, it passes, and then another thread checks it, it passes too. However, when the first thread finishes and shared_variable reaches 5000, the second thread has not yet finished and it adds up another 10 and the end result becomes 5010 (or NUM_OF_THREADS - 1 * 10 if I run more than two) at the end, while the whole process should end at 5000.
Another issue is that in // do some work I output something on the screen, so the whole thing inside the loop should pretty much work as a transaction in database terms. I can't seem to figure out how to solve this problem, but I suppose there's something simple that I'm missing. Thanks in advance.
This answer may or may not be what you are after. Because as explained in the comments your description of the expected behaviour of the program is incomplete. Without the exact expected behaviour it is difficult to give a full answer. But since you ask, here is a possible structure of the program based on the code shown. The main principle it is illustrating is that the critical section for shared_variable needs to be both minimal and complete.
int shared_variable;
void* thread_routine(void *arg)
{
while (1) {
pthread_mutex_lock(&shared_variable_mutex);
if (shared_variable >= 5000) {
pthread_mutex_unlock(&shared_variable_mutex);
break;
}
shared_variable += 10;
pthread_mutex_unlock(&shared_variable_mutex);
/* Other code that doesn't use shared_variable goes here */
}
return NULL;
}
Related
I'm pretty new to coding and especially to C, so I decided to take the CS50 course as an introduction to the language. I just finished watching the first lecture on C and, as a means to test my knowledge on the subject, I attempted to write a short little program. Also I am using the course's library for the get_int() function.
The goal is to test the user's input and check if it's less or equal to ten. If it matches the parameters, the program should print the "Success!" message and exit; otherwise, it should ask for input again. If the input value is over 10, the program responds just as expected, but if you input a value of 10 or less, it ends up asking you for input one more time before actually exiting. I think it's probably something with the "for" loop, but I just can't figure it out.
My code:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <cs50.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
int check_for_value();
int main()
{
for(check_for_value(); check_for_value() != 1; check_for_value())
{
printf("Failed!\n");
}
exit(0);
}
int check_for_value()
{
int i = get_int("Your value: \n");
if(i <= 10)
{
printf("Success!\n");
return 1;
}
else
{
printf("Try again!\n");
return 0;
}
}
That isn't doing exactly what you think it is. In your for loop, each time you write check_for_value(), it is going to call that function. So it will call it the first time and the return value will not matter. It will call it again for the middle statement and then the value will matter because you are comparing the output to not equal to 1. And then again it will call the function in the third statement, where again it won't matter. Usually for something like this, you would use a while loop instead. An example below:
int ret = check_for_value();
while(ret != 1) {
printf("Failed\n");
ret = check_for_value();
}
printf("Success\n");
Technically a for loop can work too as the following:
for(int ret = check_for_value(); ret != 1; ret = check_for_value()) {
printf("Failed\n");
}
The for loop can look very simply
for ( ; !check_for_value(); )
{
printf("Failed!\n");
}
In such a case it is better to use the while loop
while ( !check_for_value() )
{
printf("Failed!\n");
}
As for your for loop
for(check_for_value(); check_for_value() != 1; check_for_value())
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
then the underlined calls of the function are not tested.
Also bear in mind that such a definition of a for loop
for(int ret = check_for_value(); ret != 1; ret = check_for_value()) {
printf("Failed\n");
}
is a very bad style of programming. There is redundant records of the function calls. The intermediate variable ret is not used in the body of the loop. So its declaration is also redundant. Never use such a style of programming.
Pay attention to that according to the C Standard the function main without parameters shall be declared like
int main( void )
and the statement
exit( 0 );
is redundant.
So I am a newbie of programming, and I want to write a 2048 game with a time countdown. When time is up, the timer should use pthread_kill() to end the runTheGame(), which is the function of playing game.
I searched the internert and they tell me to use pthread_kill(functionName, SIGQUIT). And you know the rest of my story: VS doesn't know SIGQUIT.
I know VS doesn't support pthread, so I followed some guides to make it works. Besides putting a .h into the path, I found out that I have to makesure the source ends with .c but not .cpp or the compiler would say there are some errors with the third parameter with pthread_create().
Furthermore, I wrote "#pragma comment(lib,"pthreadVC2.lib")" at the start of my source. If I don't do so, other problems come out.
After all these preparation, I succefully run a program that counts how many chars did _getch() captures while calculating elapsed seconds at same time in another thread.
All these information is for proving that I've (partly) correctlly installed pthread.h into VS. I thought my pthread would work nicely, god knows why the hell it has something wrong now.
#pragma comment(lib,"pthreadVC2.lib")
#include<stdio.h>
#include<conio.h>
#include<stdlib.h>
#include<pthread.h>
#include<string.h>
#include<time.h>
pthread_t runTheGame;
//***unneccessary code is hidden***
void timerTick()//function for doing countdown
{
for (;;)
{
restTime--;
if (restTime <= 0)
{
pthread_kill(runTheGame,SIGQUIT);//VS doesn't recognize the SIGQUIT
if (score >= goalOfLevel[arcadeLevel - 1])
{
//code is not written yet
}
}
_sleep(1000);
}
}
//***unneccessary code is hidden***
void gameRunning()//Real game loop. Run by pthread_create().
{
//***unneccessary code is hidden***
}
//***unneccessary code is hidden***
void game(int arcade)//function for initializing the game
{
arcadeLevel = arcade;
boardRange = 4;
oversize = 2048;
score = 0;
revive = 0;
doubleScoreOrNot = 1;
if (arcadeLevel > 0)
{
restTime = timeOfLevel[arcadeLevel - 1];
if (passivePower[0] == 1)
{
boardRange++;
}
if (passivePower[1] == 1)
{
revive = 1;
}
if (passivePower[3] == 1)
{
oversize = 1024;
}
if (passivePower[4] == 1)
{
score=goalOfLevel[arcadeLevel-1]/10;
}
if (passivePower[5] == 1)
{
restTime += restTime /20*3;
}
if (passivePower[7] == 1)
{
boardRange--;
doubleScoreOrNot = 2;
}
}
pthread_create(&runTheGame, NULL, gameRunning, NULL);//after all these initialization, real game starts here
}
Thank you for your helpings.
The posted code is missing the statement:
#include <signal.h>
which is where the signal names are defined
The SIGQUIT also causes a core dump. Probably not what you want. Suggest using: SIGTERM
I basically am running into a very odd situation in a system call that I am writing. I want to check some values if they are the same return -2 which indicates a certain type of error has occurred. I am using printk() to print the values of the variables right before my "else if" and it says that they are equal to one another but yet the conditional is not being executed (i.e. we don't enter the else if) I am fairly new to working in the kernel but this seems very off to me and am wondering if there is some nuance of working in the kernel I am not aware of so if anyone could venture a guess as to why if I know the values of my variables the conditional would not execute I would really appreciate your help
//---------------------------------------//
/* sys_receiveMsg421()
Description:
- Copies the first message in the mailbox into <msg>
*/
asmlinkage long sys_receiveMsg421(unsigned long mbxID, char *msg, unsigned long N)
{
int result = 0;
int mboxIndex = checkBoxId(mbxID);
int msgIndex = 0;
//acquire the lock
down_interruptible(&sem);
//check to make sure the mailbox with <mbxID> exists
if(!mboxIndex)
{
//free our lock
up(&sem);
return -1;
}
else
mboxIndex--;
printk("<1>mboxIndex = %d\nNumber of messages = %dCurrent Msg = %d\n",mboxIndex, groupBox.boxes[mboxIndex].numMessages, groupBox.boxes[mboxIndex].currentMsg );
//check to make sure we have a message to recieve
-----------CODE NOT EXECUTING HERE------------------------------------------------
if(groupBox.boxes[mboxIndex].numMessages == groupBox.boxes[mboxIndex].currentMsg)
{
//free our lock
up(&sem);
return -2;
}
//retrieve the message
else
{
//check to make sure the msg is a valid pointer before continuing
if(!access_ok(VERIFY_READ, msg, N * sizeof(char)))
{
printk("<1>Access has been denied for %lu\n", mbxID);
//free our lock
up(&sem);
return -1;
}
else
{
//calculate the index of the message to be retrieved
msgIndex = groupBox.boxes[mboxIndex].currentMsg;
//copy from kernel to user variable
result = copy_to_user(msg, groupBox.boxes[mboxIndex].messages[msgIndex], N);
//increment message position
groupBox.boxes[mboxIndex].currentMsg++;
//free our lock
up(&sem);
//return number of bytes copied
return (N - result);
}
}
}
UPDATE: Solved my problem by just changing the return value to something else and it works fine very weird though
Please remember to use punctuation; I don't like running out of breath while reading questions.
Are you sure the if block isn't being entered? A printk there (and another in the corresponding else block) would take you one step further, no?
As for the question: No, there isn't anything specific to kernel code that would make this not work.
And you seem to have synchronization covered, too. Though: I see that you're acquiring mboxIndex outside the critical section. Could that cause a problem? It's hard to tell from this snippet, which doesn't even have groupBox declared.
Perhaps numMessages and/or currentMsg are defined as long?
If so, your printk, which uses %d, would print just some of the bits, so you may think they're equal while they are not.
I am confused by the for(;;) construct. I think it is a form of shorthand for an unlimited for loop but I can't be sure.
Here is the code:
for(;;)
{
//whatever statements
}
Your guess is correct; it's an infinite loop.* This is a common C idiom, although many people (including me) believe the following to be less cryptic:
while (1) { whatever statements; }
* It's infinite assuming there are no break/return/etc. statements inside the loop body.
It's an un-terminated loop. It is sometimes written with a while:
while (1)
or even better:
while (true)
I would expect to see a break or return inside any such loop, no matter whether it is written with for or while. There has to be some abnormal control flow or it really will be an infinite loop.
Yes, that's the for C syntax with blank fields for initialization expression, loop condition and increment expression.
The for statement can also use more than one value, like this sample :
for (i=0, j=100, k=1000; j < 500 || i<50 || k==5000; i++, j+=2, k*=6) {};
Maybe one step beyond in for understanding ? =)
Yes, the expressions in the for loop are just optional. if you omit them, you will get an infinite loop. The way to get out is break or exit or so.
This statement is basically equal to:
while(1) {}
There is no start, no condition and no step statement.
As I understand it, for(;;) creates a deliberate non-exiting loop. Your code is expected to exit the loop based on one or more conditions. It was once provided to me as a purer way to have a do while false loop, which was not considered good syntax. Based on the exit condition, it is easier to dispatch to a function to handle the result, failure, warning, or success, for example.
My explanation may not be the reason someone used that construct, but I'll explain in greater detail what it means to me. This construct may be someone's "Pure C" way of having a loop in which you can serially perform multiple steps, whose completion mean something like your application has performed all steps of initialization.
#define GEN_FAILURE -99
#define SUCCESS 0
/* perform_init_step1() and perform_init_step2() are dummy
place-holder functions that provide a complete example.
You could at least have one of them return non-zero
for testing. */
int perform_init_step1();
int perform_init_step2();
int perform_init_step1()
{
return 0;
}
int perform_init_step2()
{
return 0;
}
int ret_code = GEN_FAILURE;
for(;;)
{
if(SUCCESS != perform_init_step1())
{
ret_code = -1;
break;
}
if(SUCCESS != perform_init_step2())
{
ret_code = -2;
break;
}
break;
}
If part of the initialization fails, the loop bails out with a specific error code.
I arrived at using C having done a lot of firmware work, writing in assembly language. Good assembly language programmers taught me to have a single entry point and single exit. I took their advice to heart, because their creed helped them and me immensely when debugging.
Personally, I never liked the for(;;) construct, because you can have an infinite loop if you forget to break; out at the end.
Someone I worked with came up with do..until(FALSE), but the amount of proper C furvor this caused was not to be believed.
#define GEN_FAILURE -99
#define SUCCESS 0
/* perform_init_step1() and perform_init_step2() are dummy
place-holder functions that provide a complete example.
You could at least have one of them return non-zero
for testing. */
int perform_init_step1();
int perform_init_step2();
int perform_init_step1()
{
return 0;
}
int perform_init_step2()
{
return 0;
}
int ret_code = GEN_FAILURE;
do
{
if(SUCCESS != perform_init_step1())
{
ret_code = -1;
break;
}
if(SUCCESS != perform_init_step2())
{
ret_code = -2;
break;
}
}
until (FALSE);
This runs once, no matter what.
I'm trying to learn C by writing a simple parser / compiler. So far its been a very enlightening experience, however coming from a strong background in C# I'm having some problems adjusting - in particular to the lack of exceptions.
Now I've read Cleaner, more elegant, and harder to recognize and I agree with every word in that article; In my C# code I avoid throwing exceptions whenever possible, however now that I'm faced with a world where I can't throw exceptions my error handling is completely swamping the otherwise clean and easy-to-read logic of my code.
At the moment I'm writing code which needs to fail fast if there is a problem, and it also potentially deeply nested - I've settled on a error handling pattern whereby "Get" functions return NULL on an error, and other functions return -1 on failure. In both cases the function that fails calls NS_SetError() and so all the calling function needs to do is to clean up and immediately return on a failure.
My issue is that the number of if (Action() < 0) return -1; statements that I have is doing my head in - it's very repetitive and completely obscures the underlying logic. I've ended up creating myself a simple macro to try and improve the situation, for example:
#define NOT_ERROR(X) if ((X) < 0) return -1
int NS_Expression(void)
{
NOT_ERROR(NS_Term());
NOT_ERROR(Emit("MOVE D0, D1\n"));
if (strcmp(current->str, "+") == 0)
{
NOT_ERROR(NS_Add());
}
else if (strcmp(current->str, "-") == 0)
{
NOT_ERROR(NS_Subtract());
}
else
{
NS_SetError("Expected: operator");
return -1;
}
return 0;
}
Each of the functions NS_Term, NS_Add and NS_Subtract do a NS_SetError() and return -1 in the case of an error - its better, but it still feels like I'm abusing macros and doesn't allow for any cleanup (some functions, in particular Get functions that return a pointer, are more complex and require clean-up code to be run).
Overall it just feels like I'm missing something - despite the fact that error handling in this way is supposedly easier to recognize, In many of my functions I'm really struggling to identify whether or not errors are being handled correctly:
Some functions return NULL on an error
Some functions return < 0 on an error
Some functions never produce an error
My functions do a NS_SetError(), but many other functions don't.
Is there a better way that I can structure my functions, or does everyone else also have this problem?
Also is having Get functions (that return a pointer to an object) return NULL on an error a good idea, or is it just confusing my error handling?
It's a bigger problem when you have to repeat the same finalizing code before each return from an error. In such cases it is widely accepted to use goto:
int func ()
{
if (a() < 0) {
goto failure_a;
}
if (b() < 0) {
goto failure_b;
}
if (c() < 0) {
goto failure_c;
}
return SUCCESS;
failure_c:
undo_b();
failure_b:
undo_a();
failure_a:
return FAILURE;
}
You can even create your own macros around this to save you some typing, something like this (I haven't tested this though):
#define CALL(funcname, ...) \
if (funcname(__VA_ARGS__) < 0) { \
goto failure_ ## funcname; \
}
Overall, it is a much cleaner and less redundant approach than the trivial handling:
int func ()
{
if (a() < 0) {
return FAILURE;
}
if (b() < 0) {
undo_a();
return FAILURE;
}
if (c() < 0) {
undo_b();
undo_a();
return FAILURE;
}
return SUCCESS;
}
As an additional hint, I often use chaining to reduce the number of if's in my code:
if (a() < 0 || b() < 0 || c() < 0) {
return FAILURE;
}
Since || is a short-circuit operator, the above would substitute three separate if's. Consider using chaining in a return statement as well:
return (a() < 0 || b() < 0 || c() < 0) ? FAILURE : SUCCESS;
One technique for cleanup is to use an while loop that will never actually iterate. It gives you goto without using goto.
#define NOT_ERROR(x) if ((x) < 0) break;
#define NOT_NULL(x) if ((x) == NULL) break;
// Initialise things that may need to be cleaned up here.
char* somePtr = NULL;
do
{
NOT_NULL(somePtr = malloc(1024));
NOT_ERROR(something(somePtr));
NOT_ERROR(somethingElse(somePtr));
// etc
// if you get here everything's ok.
return somePtr;
}
while (0);
// Something went wrong so clean-up.
free(somePtr);
return NULL;
You lose a level of indentation though.
Edit: I'd like to add that I've nothing against goto, it's just that for the use-case of the questioner he doesn't really need it. There are cases where using goto beats the pants off any other method, but this isn't one of them.
You're probably not going to like to hear this, but the C way to do exceptions is via the goto statement. This is one of the reasons it is in the language.
The other reason is that goto is the natural expression of the implementation of a state machine. What common programming task is best represented by a state machine? A lexical analyzer. Look at the output from lex sometime. Gotos.
So it sounds to me like now is the time for you to get chummy with that parriah of language syntax elements, the goto.
Besides goto, standard C has another construct to handle exceptional flow control setjmp/longjmp. It has the advantage that you can break out of multiply nested control statements more easily than with break as was proposed by someone, and in addition to what goto provides has a status indication that can encode the reason for what went wrong.
Another issue is just the syntax of your construct. It is not a good idea to use a control statement that can inadvertibly be added to. In your case
if (bla) NOT_ERROR(X);
else printf("wow!\n");
would go fundamentally wrong. I'd use something like
#define NOT_ERROR(X) \
if ((X) >= 0) { (void)0; } \
else return -1
instead.
THis must be thought on at least two levels: how your functions interact, and what you do when it breaks.
Most large C frameworks I see always return a status and "return" values by reference (this is the case of the WinAPI and of many C Mac OS APIs). You want to return a bool?
StatusCode FooBar(int a, int b, int c, bool* output);
You want to return a pointer?
StatusCode FooBar(int a, int b, int c, char** output);
Well, you get the idea.
On the calling function's side, the pattern I see the most often is to use a goto statement that points to a cleanup label:
if (statusCode < 0) goto error;
/* snip */
return everythingWentWell;
error:
cleanupResources();
return somethingWentWrong;
What about this?
int NS_Expression(void)
{
int ok = 1;
ok = ok && NS_Term();
ok = ok && Emit("MOVE D0, D1\n");
ok = ok && NS_AddSub();
return ok
}
The short answer is: let your functions return an error code that cannot possibly be a valid value - and always check the return value. For functions returning pointers, this is NULL. For functions returning a non-negative int, it's a negative value, commonly -1, and so on...
If every possible return value is also a valid value, use call-by-reference:
int my_atoi(const char *str, int *val)
{
// convert str to int
// store the result in *val
// return 0 on success, -1 (or any other value except 0) otherwise
}
Checking the return value of every function might seem tedious, but that's the way errors are handled in C. Consider the function nc_dial(). All it does is checking its arguments for validity and making a network connection by calling getaddrinfo(), socket(), setsockopt(), bind()/listen() or connect(), finally freeing unused resources and updating metadata. This could be done in approximately 15 lines. However, the function has nearly 100 lines due to error checking. But that's the way it is in C. Once you get used to it, you can easily mask the error checking in your head.
Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with multiple if (Action() == 0) return -1;. To the contrary: it is usually a sign of a cautious programmer. It's good to be cautious.
And as a final comment: don't use macros for anything but defining values if you can't justify their use while someone is pointing with a gun at your head. More specifically, never use control flow statements in macros: it confuses the shit out of the poor guy who has to maintain your code 5 years after you left the company. There's nothing wrong with if (foo) return -1;. It's simple, clean and obvious to the point that you can't do any better.
Once you drop your tendency to hide control flow in macros, there's really no reason to feel like you're missing something.
A goto statement is the easiest and potentially cleanest way to implement exception style processing. Using a macro makes it easier to read if you include the comparison logic inside the macro args. If you organize the routines to perform normal (i.e. non-error) work and only use the goto on exceptions, it is fairly clean for reading. For example:
/* Exception macro */
#define TRY_EXIT(Cmd) { if (!(Cmd)) {goto EXIT;} }
/* My memory allocator */
char * MyAlloc(int bytes)
{
char * pMem = NULL;
/* Must have a size */
TRY_EXIT( bytes > 0 );
/* Allocation must succeed */
pMem = (char *)malloc(bytes);
TRY_EXIT( pMem != NULL );
/* Initialize memory */
TRY_EXIT( initializeMem(pMem, bytes) != -1 );
/* Success */
return (pMem);
EXIT:
/* Exception: Cleanup and fail */
if (pMem != NULL)
free(pMem);
return (NULL);
}
It never occurred to me to use goto or do { } while(0) for error handling in this way - its pretty neat, however after thinking about it I realised that in many cases I can do the same thing by splitting the function out into two:
int Foo(void)
{
// Initialise things that may need to be cleaned up here.
char* somePtr = malloc(1024);
if (somePtr = NULL)
{
return NULL;
}
if (FooInner(somePtr) < 0)
{
// Something went wrong so clean-up.
free(somePtr);
return NULL;
}
return somePtr;
}
int FooInner(char* somePtr)
{
if (something(somePtr) < 0) return -1;
if (somethingElse(somePtr) < 0) return -1;
// etc
// if you get here everything's ok.
return 0;
}
This does now mean that you get an extra function, but my preference is for many short functions anyway.
After Philips advice I've also decided to avoid using control flow macros as well - its clear enough what is going on as long as you put them on one line.
At the very least Its reassuring to know that I'm not just missing something - everyone else has this problem too! :-)
Use setjmp.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setjmp.h
http://aszt.inf.elte.hu/~gsd/halado_cpp/ch02s03.html
http://www.di.unipi.it/~nids/docs/longjump_try_trow_catch.html
#include <setjmp.h>
#include <stdio.h>
jmp_buf x;
void f()
{
longjmp(x,5); // throw 5;
}
int main()
{
// output of this program is 5.
int i = 0;
if ( (i = setjmp(x)) == 0 )// try{
{
f();
} // } --> end of try{
else // catch(i){
{
switch( i )
{
case 1:
case 2:
default: fprintf( stdout, "error code = %d\n", i); break;
}
} // } --> end of catch(i){
return 0;
}
#include <stdio.h>
#include <setjmp.h>
#define TRY do{ jmp_buf ex_buf__; if( !setjmp(ex_buf__) ){
#define CATCH } else {
#define ETRY } }while(0)
#define THROW longjmp(ex_buf__, 1)
int
main(int argc, char** argv)
{
TRY
{
printf("In Try Statement\n");
THROW;
printf("I do not appear\n");
}
CATCH
{
printf("Got Exception!\n");
}
ETRY;
return 0;
}