Key Manager

19. Key Manager#

19.1. Introduction#

The key manager allows for the creation and deletion of Data keys specific to threads.

The directives provided by the key manager are:

19.2. Background#

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19.3. Operations#

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19.4. Directives#

This section details the key manager’s directives. A subsection is dedicated to each of this manager’s directives and describes the calling sequence, related constants, usage, and status codes.

19.4.1. pthread_key_create - Create Thread Specific Data Key#

CALLING SEQUENCE:

#include <pthread.h>
int pthread_key_create(
    pthread_key_t *key,
    void (*destructor)( void )
);

STATUS CODES:

EAGAIN

There were not enough resources available to create another key.

ENOMEM

Insufficient memory exists to create the key.

DESCRIPTION

The pthread_key_create() function shall create a thread-specific data key visible to all threads in the process. Key values provided by pthread_key_create() are opaque objects used to locate thread-specific data. Although the same key value may be used by different threads, the values bound to the key by pthread_setspecific() are maintained on a per-thread basis and persist for the life of the calling thread.

Upon key creation, the value NULL shall be associated with the new key in all active threads. Upon thread creation, the value NULL shall be associated with all defined keys in the new thread.

NOTES

An optional destructor function may be associated with each key value. At thread exit, if a key value has a non-NULL destructor pointer, and the thread has a non-NULL value associated with that key, the value of the key is set to NULL, and then the function pointed to is called with the previously associated value as its sole argument. The order of destructor calls is unspecified if more than one destructor exists for a thread when it exits.

19.4.2. pthread_key_delete - Delete Thread Specific Data Key#

CALLING SEQUENCE:

#include <pthread.h>
int pthread_key_delete(
    pthread_key_t key
);

STATUS CODES:

EINVAL

The key was invalid

DESCRIPTION:

The pthread_key_delete() function shall delete a thread-specific data key previously returned by pthread_key_create(). The thread-specific data values associated with key need not be NULL at the time pthread_key_delete() is called. It is the responsibility of the application to free any application storage or perform any cleanup actions for data structures related to the deleted key or associated thread-specific data in any threads; this cleanup can be done either before or after pthread_key_delete() is called. Any attempt to use key following the call to pthread_key_delete() results in undefined behavior.

NOTES:

The pthread_key_delete() function shall be callable from within destructor functions. No destructor functions shall be invoked by pthread_key_delete(). Any destructor function that may have been associated with key shall no longer be called upon thread exit.

19.4.3. pthread_setspecific - Set Thread Specific Key Value#

CALLING SEQUENCE:

#include <pthread.h>
int pthread_setspecific(
    pthread_key_t  key,
    const void    *value
);

STATUS CODES:

EINVAL

The specified key is invalid.

DESCRIPTION:

The pthread_setspecific() function shall associate a thread-specific value with a key obtained via a previous call to pthread_key_create(). Different threads may bind different values to the same key. These values are typically pointers to blocks of dynamically allocated memory that have been reserved for use by the calling thread.

NOTES:

The effect of calling pthread_setspecific() with a key value not obtained from pthread_key_create() or after key has been deleted with pthread_key_delete() is undefined.

pthread_setspecific() may be called from a thread-specific data destructor function. Calling pthread_setspecific() from a thread-specific data destructor routine may result either in lost storage (after at least PTHREAD_DESTRUCTOR_ITERATIONS attempts at destruction) or in an infinite loop.

19.4.4. pthread_getspecific - Get Thread Specific Key Value#

CALLING SEQUENCE:

#include <pthread.h>
void *pthread_getspecific(
    pthread_key_t key
);

STATUS CODES:

NULL

There is no thread-specific data associated with the specified key.

non-NULL

The data associated with the specified key.

DESCRIPTION:

The pthread_getspecific() function shall return the value currently bound to the specified key on behalf of the calling thread.

NOTES:

The effect of calling pthread_getspecific() with a key value not obtained from pthread_key_create() or after key has been deleted with pthread_key_delete() is undefined.

pthread_getspecific() may be called from a thread-specific data destructor function. A call to pthread_getspecific() for the thread-specific data key being destroyed shall return the value NULL, unless the value is changed (after the destructor starts) by a call to pthread_setspecific().