NAME

       pthread_key_create,  pthread_key_delete, pthread_setspecific, pthread_getspecific - management of thread-
       specific data

SYNOPSIS

       #include <pthread.h>

       int pthread_key_create(pthread_key_t *key,
                              void (*destr_function) (void *));
       int pthread_key_delete(pthread_key_t key);
       int pthread_setspecific(pthread_key_t key, const void *pointer);
       void * pthread_getspecific(pthread_key_t key);

DESCRIPTION

       Programs often need global or static variables that have different values in  different  threads.   Since
       threads  share one memory space, this cannot be achieved with regular variables.  Thread-specific data is
       the POSIX threads answer to this need.

       Each thread possesses a private memory block, the thread-specific data area, or TSD area for short.  This
       area is indexed by TSD keys.  The TSD area associates values of type void * to TSD keys.   TSD  keys  are
       common to all threads, but the value associated with a given TSD key can be different in each thread.

       For  concreteness,  the TSD areas can be viewed as arrays of void * pointers, TSD keys as integer indices
       into these arrays, and the value of a TSD key as the value of the  corresponding  array  element  in  the
       calling thread.

       When a thread is created, its TSD area initially associates NULL with all keys.

       pthread_key_create  allocates a new TSD key.  The key is stored in the location pointed to by key.  There
       is a limit of PTHREAD_KEYS_MAX on the number of keys allocated at a  given  time.   The  value  initially
       associated with the returned key is NULL in all currently executing threads.

       The  destr_function argument, if not NULL, specifies a destructor function associated with the key.  When
       a thread terminates via pthread_exit or by cancelation, destr_function is called with arguments the value
       associated with the key in that thread.  The destr_function is not called if that  value  is  NULL.   The
       order in which destructor functions are called at thread termination time is unspecified.

       Before  the  destructor  function  is  called,  the  NULL value is associated with the key in the current
       thread.  A destructor function might, however, re-associate non-NULL values to that  key  or  some  other
       key.  To deal with this, if after all the destructors have been called for all non-NULL values, there are
       still  some  non-NULL  values  with  associated  destructors,  then  the  process is repeated.  The glibc
       implementation stops the process after PTHREAD_DESTRUCTOR_ITERATIONS iterations, even  if  some  non-NULL
       values with associated descriptors remain.  Other implementations may loop indefinitely.

       pthread_key_delete  deallocates a TSD key.  It does not check whether non-NULL values are associated with
       that key in the currently executing threads, nor call the destructor function associated with the key.

       pthread_setspecific changes the value associated with key  in  the  calling  thread,  storing  the  given
       pointer instead.

       pthread_getspecific returns the value currently associated with key in the calling thread.

RETURN VALUE

       pthread_key_create,  pthread_key_delete, and pthread_setspecific return 0 on success and a non-zero error
       code on failure.  If successful, pthread_key_create stores  the  newly  allocated  key  in  the  location
       pointed to by its key argument.

       pthread_getspecific returns the value associated with key on success, and NULL on error.

ERRORS

       pthread_key_create returns the following error code on error:

              EAGAIN PTHREAD_KEYS_MAX keys are already allocated.

       pthread_key_delete and pthread_setspecific return the following error code on error:

              EINVAL key is not a valid, allocated TSD key.

       pthread_getspecific returns NULL if key is not a valid, allocated TSD key.

SEE ALSO

       pthread_create(3), pthread_exit(3), pthread_testcancel(3).

EXAMPLE

       The  following  code  fragment  allocates  a  thread-specific  array  of  100  characters, with automatic
       reclamation at thread exit:

              /* Key for the thread-specific buffer */
              static pthread_key_t buffer_key;

              /* Once-only initialisation of the key */
              static pthread_once_t buffer_key_once = PTHREAD_ONCE_INIT;

              /* Allocate the thread-specific buffer */
              void buffer_alloc(void)
              {
                pthread_once(&buffer_key_once, buffer_key_alloc);
                pthread_setspecific(buffer_key, malloc(100));
              }

              /* Return the thread-specific buffer */
              char * get_buffer(void)
              {
                return (char *) pthread_getspecific(buffer_key);
              }

              /* Allocate the key */
              static void buffer_key_alloc()
              {
                pthread_key_create(&buffer_key, buffer_destroy);
              }

              /* Free the thread-specific buffer */
              static void buffer_destroy(void * buf)
              {
                free(buf);
              }

Linux man-pages 6.8                                2024-05-19                              pthread_key_create(3)