All Known Implementing Classes:: ReadWriteLockSync

public interface Sync

Version:

$Id$

Author:

Doug Lea Main interface for locks, gates, and conditions.

Sync objects isolate waiting and notification for particular logical states, resource availability, events, and the like that are shared across multiple threads. Use of Syncs sometimes (but by no means always) adds flexibility and efficiency compared to the use of plain java monitor methods and locking, and are sometimes (but by no means always) simpler to program with.

Most Syncs are intended to be used primarily (although not exclusively) in before/after constructions such as:


 class X {
   Sync gate;
   // ...

   public void m() {
     try {
       gate.acquire();  // block until condition holds
       try {
         // ... method body
       }
       finally {
         gate.release()
       }
     }
     catch (InterruptedException ex) {
       // ... evasive action
     }
   }

   public void m2(Sync cond) { // use supplied condition
     try {
       if (cond.attempt(10)) {         // try the condition for 10 ms
         try {
           // ... method body
         }
         finally {
           cond.release()
         }
       }
     }
     catch (InterruptedException ex) {
       // ... evasive action
     }
   }
 }

Syncs may be used in somewhat tedious but more flexible replacements for built-in Java synchronized blocks. For example:


 class HandSynched {
   private double state_ = 0.0;
   private final Sync lock;  // use lock type supplied in constructor
   public HandSynched(Sync l) { lock = l; }

   public void changeState(double d) {
     try {
       lock.acquire();
       try     { state_ = updateFunction(d); }
       finally { lock.release(); }
     }
     catch(InterruptedException ex) { }
   }

   public double getState() {
     double d = 0.0;
     try {
       lock.acquire();
       try     { d = accessFunction(state_); }
       finally { lock.release(); }
     }
     catch(InterruptedException ex){}
     return d;
   }
   private double updateFunction(double d) { ... }
   private double accessFunction(double d) { ... }
 }

If you have a lot of such methods, and they take a common form, you can standardize this using wrappers. Some of these wrappers are standardized in LockedExecutor, but you can make others. For example:


 class HandSynchedV2 {
   private double state_ = 0.0;
   private final Sync lock;  // use lock type supplied in constructor
   public HandSynchedV2(Sync l) { lock = l; }

   protected void runSafely(Runnable r) {
     try {
       lock.acquire();
       try { r.run(); }
       finally { lock.release(); }
     }
     catch (InterruptedException ex) { // propagate without throwing
       Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
     }
   }

   public void changeState(double d) {
     runSafely(new Runnable() {
       public void run() { state_ = updateFunction(d); }
     });
   }
   // ...
 }

One reason to bother with such constructions is to use deadlock- avoiding back-offs when dealing with locks involving multiple objects. For example, here is a Cell class that uses attempt to back-off and retry if two Cells are trying to swap values with each other at the same time.


 class Cell {
   long value;
   Sync lock = ... // some sync implementation class
   void swapValue(Cell other) {
     for (;;) {
       try {
         lock.acquire();
         try {
           if (other.lock.attempt(100)) {
             try {
               long t = value;
               value = other.value;
               other.value = t;
               return;
             }
             finally { other.lock.release(); }
           }
         }
         finally { lock.release(); }
       }
       catch (InterruptedException ex) { return; }
     }
   }
 }

Here is an even fancier version, that uses lock re-ordering upon conflict:


 class Cell {
   long value;
   Sync lock = ...;
   private static boolean trySwap(Cell a, Cell b) {
     a.lock.acquire();
     try {
       if (!b.lock.attempt(0))
         return false;
       try {
         long t = a.value;
         a.value = b.value;
         b.value = t;
         return true;
       }
       finally { other.lock.release(); }
     }
     finally { lock.release(); }
     return false;
   }

  void swapValue(Cell other) {
    try {
      while (!trySwap(this, other) &&
            !tryswap(other, this))
        Thread.sleep(1);
    }
    catch (InterruptedException ex) { return; }
  }
 }

Interruptions are in general handled as early as possible. Normally, InterruptionExceptions are thrown in acquire and attempt(msec) if interruption is detected upon entry to the method, as well as in any later context surrounding waits. However, interruption status is ignored in release();

Timed versions of attempt report failure via return value. If so desired, you can transform such constructions to use exception throws via

   if (!c.attempt(timeval)) throw new TimeoutException(timeval);

The TimoutSync wrapper class can be used to automate such usages.

All time values are expressed in milliseconds as longs, which have a maximum value of Long.MAX_VALUE, or almost 300,000 centuries. It is not known whether JVMs actually deal correctly with such extreme values. For convenience, some useful time values are defined as static constants.

All implementations of the three Sync methods guarantee to somehow employ Java synchronized methods or blocks, and so entail the memory operations described in JLS chapter 17 which ensure that variables are loaded and flushed within before/after constructions.

Syncs may also be used in spinlock constructions. Although it is normally best to just use acquire(), various forms of busy waits can be implemented. For a simple example (but one that would probably never be preferable to using acquire()):


 class X {
   Sync lock = ...
   void spinUntilAcquired() throws InterruptedException {
     // Two phase.
     // First spin without pausing.
     int purespins = 10;
     for (int i = 0; i < purespins; ++i) {
       if (lock.attempt(0))
         return true;
     }
     // Second phase - use timed waits
     long waitTime = 1; // 1 millisecond
     for (;;) {
       if (lock.attempt(waitTime))
         return true;
       else
         waitTime = waitTime * 3 / 2 + 1; // increase 50%
     }
   }
 }

In addition pure synchronization control, Syncs may be useful in any context requiring before/after methods. For example, you can use an ObservableSync (perhaps as part of a LayeredSync) in order to obtain callbacks before and after each method invocation for a given class.

[ Introduction to this package. ]

Field Summary

Fields
Modifier and Type	Field	Description
`static long`	`ONE_CENTURY`	One century in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value
`static long`	`ONE_DAY`	One day, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
`static long`	`ONE_HOUR`	One hour, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
`static long`	`ONE_MINUTE`	One minute, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
`static long`	`ONE_SECOND`	One second, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
`static long`	`ONE_WEEK`	One week, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
`static long`	`ONE_YEAR`	One year in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value Not that it matters, but there is some variation across standard sources about value at msec precision.

Method Summary

All Methods Instance Methods Abstract Methods
Modifier and Type	Method	Description
`boolean`	`isHeldByCurrentThread(LockType type)`	Returns true is this is lock is held at given level by the current thread.
`void`	`lock(LockType type)`	Acquire lock of LockType.READ or WRITE
`boolean`	`tryLock(LockType type, long msec)`	Tries to acquire a LockType.READ or WRITE for a certain period
`void`	`unlock(LockType type)`	Releases the lock held by the current Thread.

- Field Detail
  - ONE_SECOND
```
static final long ONE_SECOND
```
    One second, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - ONE_MINUTE
```
static final long ONE_MINUTE
```
    One minute, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - ONE_HOUR
```
static final long ONE_HOUR
```
    One hour, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - ONE_DAY
```
static final long ONE_DAY
```
    One day, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - ONE_WEEK
```
static final long ONE_WEEK
```
    One week, in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value *
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - ONE_YEAR
```
static final long ONE_YEAR
```
    One year in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value Not that it matters, but there is some variation across standard sources about value at msec precision. The value used is the same as in java.util.GregorianCalendar
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
  - ONE_CENTURY
```
static final long ONE_CENTURY
```
    One century in milliseconds; convenient as a time-out value
    
    See Also:
    
    Constant Field Values
- Method Detail
  - lock
```
void lock(LockType type)
```
    Acquire lock of LockType.READ or WRITE
    
    Parameters:
    
    type - the lock type to acquire
  - tryLock
```
boolean tryLock(LockType type,
                long msec)
         throws java.lang.InterruptedException
```
    Tries to acquire a LockType.READ or WRITE for a certain period
    
    Parameters:
    
    type - the lock type to acquire
    
    msec - timeout
    
    Returns:
    
    true if the lock got acquired, false otherwise
    
    Throws:
    
    java.lang.InterruptedException - Should the thread be interrupted
  - unlock
```
void unlock(LockType type)
```
    Releases the lock held by the current Thread. In case of a LockType.WRITE, should the lock not be held by the current Thread, nothing happens
    
    Parameters:
    
    type - the lock type to acquire
  - isHeldByCurrentThread
```
boolean isHeldByCurrentThread(LockType type)
```
    Returns true is this is lock is held at given level by the current thread.
    
    Parameters:
    
    type - the lock type to test
    
    Returns:
    
    true if the lock is held

Interface Sync

Field Summary

Method Summary

Field Detail

ONE_SECOND

ONE_MINUTE

ONE_HOUR

ONE_DAY

ONE_WEEK

ONE_YEAR

ONE_CENTURY

Method Detail

lock

tryLock

unlock

isHeldByCurrentThread