thread.md

std/thread

The std/thread module provides high-level primitives for creating and managing concurrent threads of execution.

Overview

• Native Threads: Uses underlying system-level threading (e.g., POSIX threads).
• Closure Support: Thread::spawn can take Zen-C closures, allowing for easy data sharing between threads.
• Explicit Lifecycle: Threads must be explicitly joined or detached to ensure proper resource cleanup.
• Safety: Errors during thread creation or manipulation are reported via Result<bool>.

Usage

import "std/thread.zc"

fn worker(id: int) {
    println "Hello from worker {id}";
}

fn main() {
    // Spawning with a closure
    let t = Thread::spawn(|| {
        worker(42);
    }).unwrap();
    
    // Explicitly waiting for completion
    t.join();
}

Struct Definitions

Thread

Represents a handle to a spawned thread.

struct Thread {
    handle: void*;
}

Methods

Thread Lifecycle

Method	Signature	Description
spawn	Thread::spawn(func: fn()) -> Result<Thread>	Spawns a new thread executing the provided closure or function.
join	join(self) -> Result<bool>	Blocks the current thread until the spawned thread terminates.
detach	detach(self) -> Result<bool>	Detaches the thread, allowing it to run independently. Resources are freed automatically on exit.
cancel	cancel(self) -> Result<bool>	Sends a cancellation request to the thread.

Utility Functions

Function	Signature	Description
sleep_ms	sleep_ms(ms: int)	Suspends execution of the current thread for approximately ms milliseconds.