SDL_SemWait(3)

💖 SDL_SemWait(3) — the SDL API Reference page your bestie needs 💖

okay so. semaphores. they're giving ✨gatekeeper energy✨ and honestly? we're obsessed. this is the manual page for SDL_SemWait, and by the end you're gonna be locking semaphores like it's nothing. periodt.

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🌸 NAME 🌸

SDL_SemWait — lock a semaphore, and if the semaphore's value is zero, the calling thread just. sits there. suspended. waiting. like a girl in the group chat waiting for a reply 😭

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include "SDL.h" #include "SDL_thread.h"

int SDL_SemWait(SDL_sem *sem);

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so here's the vibe. SDL_SemWait() suspends the calling thread until one of these three things happens:

• the semaphore pointed to by sem has a positive value 💖
• the call gets interrupted by a signal 👀
• there's an error 💀

and if the call is successful? it will atomically decrement the semaphore value. atomically. no half-measures. no messy in-between state. she does it all in one clean move, no cap 🫶

after SDL_SemWait() is successful, the semaphore can be released and its count atomically incremented by a successful call to SDL_SemPost. so like. the handoff is real. the circle is complete. main character energy all around 👑

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⭐ RETURN VALUE ⭐

• returns 0 if it worked 💅
• returns -1 if there was an error — and yes, it leaves the semaphore unchanged, so nothing got messed up, breathe 🍓

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🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

here's the little ritual, bestie. you check for the fail, and you bail:

if (SDL_SemWait(my_sem) == -1) {
        return WAIT_FAILED;
}

...

SDL_SemPost(my_sem);

see? the ... in the middle is where you do your little tasks, and then SDL_SemPost(my_sem) releases it back into the wild. iconic behavior honestly 🧚

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• SDL_CreateSemaphore
• SDL_DestroySemaphore
• SDL_SemTryWait
• SDL_SemWaitTimeout
• SDL_SemPost
• SDL_SemValue

go read those too, they're all part of the same friend group 💜

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okay that's the whole page!! go forth and semaphore responsibly, bestie. this little love letter came from SDL, dated Tue 11 Sep 2001, 23:00 — yes, 2001, she's vintage and she ate 🔥👑✨