CHICKEN User's Manual - Unit srfi-18

# Unit srfi-18

A simple multithreading package. This threading package follows largely the specification of SRFI-18. For more information see the documentation for SRFI-18.

Notes:

- `thread-start!` accepts a thunk (a zero argument procedure) as argument, which is equivalent to `(thread-start! (make-thread THUNK))`.
- `thread-sleep!` accepts a seconds real number value in addition to a time object.
- When an uncaught exception (i.e. an error) is signalled in a thread other than the primordial thread and warnings are enabled (see: `enable-warnings`, then a warning message is written to the port that is the value of `(current-error-port)`.
- Blocking I/O will block all threads, except for some socket operations (see the section about the `tcp` unit). An exception is the read-eval-print loop on UNIX platforms: waiting for input will not block other threads, provided the current input port reads input from a console.
- It is generally not a good idea for one thread to call a continuation created by another thread, if `dynamic-wind` is involved.
- When more than one thread compete for the current time-slice, the thread that was waiting first will become the next runnable thread.
- The dynamic environment of a thread consists of the following state:
  - The current input-, output- and error-port
  - The current exception handler
  - The values of all current parameters (created by `make-parameter`)
  - Any pending `dynamic-wind` thunks.

The following procedures are provided, in addition to the procedures defined in SRFI-18:

## thread-signal!

    [procedure] (thread-signal! THREAD X)

This will cause `THREAD` to signal the condition `X` once it is scheduled for execution. After signalling the condition, the thread continues with its normal execution.

## thread-quantum

    [procedure] (thread-quantum THREAD)

Returns the quantum of `THREAD`, which is an exact integer specifying the approximate time-slice of the thread in milliseconds.

## thread-quantum-set!

    [procedure] (thread-quantum-set! THREAD QUANTUM)

Sets the quantum of `THREAD` to `QUANTUM`.

## thread-suspend!

    [procedure] (thread-suspend! THREAD)

Suspends the execution of `THREAD` until resumed.

## thread-resume!

    [procedure] (thread-resume! THREAD)

Readies the suspended thread `THREAD`.

## time->milliseconds

    [procedure] (time->milliseconds TIME)

Converts a time object (as created via `current-time`) into an exact integer representing the number of milliseconds since process startup.

## time->milliseconds

    [procedure] (time->milliseconds TIME)

Converts a time object (as created via `current-time`) into an exact integer representing the number of milliseconds since process startup.

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