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:

  1. Include the pthread.h header file: This is necessary to access the functions and data types related to POSIX threads.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.