Re: code pattern for locking & unlocking

From:
Goran <goran.pusic@gmail.com>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.c++.moderated,comp.lang.c++
Date:
Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:28:46 CST
Message-ID:
<771da2b2-7c00-4fa4-a4a6-06684d856b70@n30g2000vbb.googlegroups.com>
On Nov 29, 11:04 am, Maxim Yegorushkin <maxim.yegorush...@gmail.com>
wrote:

void someFunc()
{
   // do some stuff
   ...
   // now time to update share data
   {
      Lock myLock(data_mutex);
      //use locked data
      ....
   } // destructor called
   // do more stuff
   ...
}

I would like to have something like the using keyword in c#.
Is there a way to fake it in C++ ?


The alternative to creating a scope just to unlock the mutex at a
particlular point, it may be simpler to provide unlock() function on the
lock, e.g.:

struct Lock
{
    Mutex* mtx_;
    Lock(Mutex& mtx) : mtx_(&mtx) { mtx_->lock(); }
    ~Lock() { this->unlock(); }
    void unlock() {
        if(mtx_) {
            mtx_->unlock();
            mtx_ = 0;
        }
    }

};

void someFunc()
{
  Lock myLock(data_mutex);
  // ... use locked data ...
  myLock.unlock(); // unlock long before leaving the scope
  // ... more code ...

}

Notice in the above how no artificial scope is introduced and
myLock.unlock() does exactly what it says.


I don't think that's good, not in the general case. It drastically
changes lock duration in face of exceptions. Without, lock is there
from ctor of lock to unlock(). With, it's from ctor to the end of the
scope. However smart we think we are, we will mess it up ;-).

Also, you introduced performance penalty (an if and an an assignment
to 0).

Goran.

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