std::counti...ry_semaphore(3)

💅 NAME 💅

okay so bestie, this is the std::counting_semaphore / std::binary_semaphore page from the C++ Standard Libary manual, title std::counti...ry_semaphore(3) — and we are absolutely getting into semaphore lore today. 🦋

the NAME line is literally std::counting_semaphore,std::binary_semaphore — std::counting_semaphore,std::binary_semaphore (yes, it repeats itself, she's quirky like that 💅).

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✨ Synopsis ✨

Defined in header <semaphore>
template< std::ptrdiff_t LeastMaxValue = /* implementation-defined
*/ >
(1) (since C++20)
class counting_semaphore;
using binary_semaphore = std::counting_semaphore<1>;
(2) (since C++20)

1. A counting_semaphore is a lightweight synchronization primitive that can control access to a shared resource. Unlike a std::mutex, a counting_semaphore allows more than one concurrent access to the same resource, for at least LeastMaxValue concurrent accessors. the program is ill-formed if LeastMaxValue is negative — do not test her on this, bestie, it's giving undefined-adjacent bad vibes. 😭
2. binary_semaphore is an alias for specialization of std::counting_semaphore with LeastMaxValue being 1. Implementations may implement binary_semaphore more efficiently than the default implementation of std::counting_semaphore. 👑

A counting_semaphore contains an internal counter initialized by the constructor. This counter is decremented by calls to acquire() and related methods, and is incremented by calls to release(). When the counter is zero, acquire() blocks until the counter is incremented, but try_acquire() does not block; try_acquire_for() and try_acquire_until() block until the counter is incremented or a timeout is reached. ✨

Similar to std::condition_variable::wait(), counting_semaphore's try_acquire() can spuriously fail. yes, she can randomly fail, it's not you, it's the semaphore 🫠

Specializations of std::counting_semaphore are not DefaultConstructible, CopyConstructible, MoveConstructible, CopyAssignable, or MoveAssignable. no copying, no moving, no assigning — she is not a shareable vibe, okay? 💀

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🎀 Member functions 🎀

• constructor — constructs a counting_semaphore (public member function)
• destructor — destructs the counting_semaphore (public member function)
• operator= — counting_semaphore is not assignable [deleted] (public member function)

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🔥 Operations 🔥

• release — increments the internal counter and unblocks acquirers (public member function)
• acquire — decrements the internal counter or blocks until it can (public member function)
• try_acquire — tries to decrement the internal counter without blocking (public member function)
• try_acquire_for — tries to decrement the internal counter, blocking for up to a duration time (public member function)
• try_acquire_until — tries to decrement the internal counter, blocking until a point in time (public member function)

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🌈 Constants 🌈

• max — returns the maximum possible value of the internal counter [static] (public static member function)

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🧠 Notes 🧠

As its name indicates, the LeastMaxValue is the minimum max value, not the actual max value. Thus max() can yield a number larger than LeastMaxValue. so LeastMaxValue is lowkey a floor, not the ceiling, iykyk ✨

Unlike std::mutex a counting_semaphore is not tied to threads of execution — acquiring a semaphore can occur on a different thread than releasing the semaphore, for example. All operations on counting_semaphore can be performed concurrently and without any relation to specific threads of execution, with the exception of the destructor which cannot be performed concurrently but can be performed on a different thread. the destructor is the one with main character energy: don't run her concurrently, but she can absolutely show up on another thread 💅

Semaphores are also often used for the semantics of signaling/notifying rather than mutual exclusion, by initializing the semaphore with 0 and thus blocking the receiver(s) that try to acquire(), until the notifier "signals" by invoking release(n). In this respect semaphores can be considered alternatives to std::condition_variables, often with better performance. 🎀

• Feature-test macro: __cpp_lib_semaphore — Value: 201907L — Std: (C++20) — Feature: std::counting_semaphore, std::binary_semaphore

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💖 Example 💖

// Run this code

        #include <chrono>
        #include <iostream>
        #include <semaphore>
        #include <thread>

        // global binary semaphore instances
        // object counts are set to zero
        // objects are in non-signaled state
        std::binary_semaphore
            smphSignalMainToThread{0},
            smphSignalThreadToMain{0};

        void ThreadProc()
        {
            // wait for a signal from the main proc
            // by attempting to decrement the semaphore
            smphSignalMainToThread.acquire();

            // this call blocks until the semaphore's count
            // is increased from the main proc

            std::cout << "[thread] Got the signal\n"; // response message

            // wait for 3 seconds to imitate some work
            // being done by the thread
            using namespace std::literals;
            std::this_thread::sleep_for(3s);

            std::cout << "[thread] Send the signal\n"; // message

            // signal the main proc back
            smphSignalThreadToMain.release();
        }

        int main()
        {
            // create some worker thread
            std::thread thrWorker(ThreadProc);

            std::cout << "[main] Send the signal\n"; // message

            // signal the worker thread to start working
            // by increasing the semaphore's count
            smphSignalMainToThread.release();

            // wait until the worker thread is done doing the work
            // by attempting to decrement the semaphore's count
            smphSignalThreadToMain.acquire();

            std::cout << "[main] Got the signal\n"; // response message
            thrWorker.join();
        }

🌸 Output 🌸

        [main] Send the signal
        [thread] Got the signal
        [thread] Send the signal
        [main] Got the signal

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okay bestie, that's the whole sparkly page 🫶 — the footer says source http://cppreference.com, version/date 2024.06.10, and page name std::counti...ry_semaphore(3). go forth and semaphore responsibly, mwah 💅✨