pthread_create
The pthread_create function in the C programming language is used to create a new thread. It takes four arguments: a pointer to a pthread_t object, which will hold the identifier of the newly created thread; a pointer to a pthread_attr_t object, which specifies the attributes for the new thread; a pointer to a function that will be executed by the new thread; and an optional argument that can be passed to the function.
Here are the steps involved in using pthread_create:
Include the pthread.h header file: This is necessary to access the functions and data types related to POSIX threads.
Declare a pthread_t variable: This variable will be used to store the identifier of the newly created thread. It is important to initialize this variable before passing it to pthread_create.
Declare a pthread_attr_t variable: This variable will hold the attributes for the new thread. If you don't need to specify any special attributes, you can pass NULL as the second argument to pthread_create.
Define the function that will be executed by the new thread: This function should have the following signature: void function_name(void arg). It should take a void pointer as an argument and return a void pointer.
Call pthread_create: Pass the address of the pthread_t variable, the address of the pthread_attr_t variable, the function name, and the optional argument to pthread_create.
Handle any error that may occur: pthread_create returns 0 if the thread creation was successful, and a non-zero value otherwise. You can use this return value to check for errors and take appropriate action.
Continue with the main thread: Once the new thread is created, the main thread can continue executing its own tasks. The new thread will start executing the specified function independently.
Join the new thread (optional): If necessary, you can use the pthread_join function to wait for the new thread to finish its execution before continuing with the main thread. This can be useful to ensure synchronization between threads.
That's a brief overview of the steps involved in using pthread_create in the C programming language. Each step is important in order to create and manage threads effectively.