al_lock_mutex(3alleg5)

✨ NAME ✨

al_lock_mutex — Allegro 5 API 🎀

okay so bestie, this is the one that grabs the lock, like literally claims it, no cap 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

#include <allegro5/allegro.h>

void al_lock_mutex(ALLEGRO_MUTEX *mutex)

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So what this does is acquire the lock on mutex. That's it, that's the whole vibe. 🔥

Now here's the tea: if that mutex is already locked by another thread, this call is gonna block — like it just sits there waiting, being patient, until the mutex becomes available and locked. Then it does its thing. ⭐

But bestie, if the mutex is already locked by the calling thread? 👀 That's where it gets spicy, because the behaviour depends on how the mutex was created:

• if it came from al_create_mutex(3alleg5) — the behaviour is undefined, and the most likely behaviour is deadlock 💀 (yeah. not the cute kind.)
• if it came from al_create_mutex_recursive(3alleg5) — then the count in the mutex gets incremented and the call returns immediately. slay. 👑

undefined behaviour is not a vibe. if you're using a plain mutex, don't lock it twice from the same thread. periodt. 🙈

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

• al_unlock_mutex(3alleg5).

also, real talk: we don't yet have al_mutex_trylock. it's giving "not yet invented" 😭 so don't go looking for it. 🌈

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mwah 💜 this lil page came straight out of the Allegro reference manual, and it's the al_lock_mutex(3alleg5) page. go forth and lock responsibly, bestie 🫶✨