CEvent Class

Represents an event, which is a synchronization object that enables one thread to notify another that an event has occurred.

class CEvent : public CSyncObject

Members

Public Constructors

Public Methods

Remarks

Events are useful when a thread must know when to perform its task. For example, a thread that copies data to a data archive must be notified when new data is available. By using a CEvent object to notify the copy thread when new data is available, the thread can perform its task as soon as possible.

CEvent objects have two types: manual and automatic.

An automatic CEvent object automatically returns to a non-signaled (unavailable) state after at least one thread is released. By default, a CEvent object is automatic unless you pass TRUE for the bManualReset parameter during construction.

A manual CEvent object stays in the state set by SetEvent or ResetEvent until the other function is called. To create a manual CEvent object, pass TRUE for the bManualReset parameter during construction.

To use a CEvent object, construct the CEvent object when it is required. Specify the name of the event you want to wait on, and also specify that your application should initially own it. You can then access the event when the constructor returns. Call SetEvent to signal (make available) the event object and then call Unlock when you are done accessing the controlled resource.

An alternative method for using CEvent objects is to add a variable of type CEvent as a data member to the class you want to control. During construction of the controlled object, call the constructor of the CEvent data member and specify whether the event is initially signaled, and also specifythe type of event object you want, the name of the event (if it will be used across process boundaries), and any security attributes you want.

To access a resource controlled by a CEvent object in this manner, first create a variable of either type CSingleLock or type CMultiLock in the access method of your resource. Then call the Lock method of the lock object (for example, CMultiLock::Lock). At this point, your thread will either gain access to the resource, wait for the resource to be released and gain access, or wait for the resource to be released, time out, and fail to gain access to the resource. In any case, your resource has been accessed in a thread-safe manner. To release the resource, call SetEvent to signal the event object, and then use the Unlock method of the lock object (for example, CMultiLock::Unlock), or let the lock object fall out of scope.

For more information about how to use CEvent objects, see Multithreading: How to Use the Synchronization Classes.

Example

// The following demonstrates trivial usage of the CEvent class. 
// A CEvent object is created and passed as a parameter to another  
// thread.  The other thread will wait for the event to be signaled 
// and then exit

UINT __cdecl MyThreadProc(LPVOID lpParameter)
{
   CEvent* pEvent = (CEvent*)(lpParameter);
   VERIFY(pEvent != NULL);

   // Wait for the event to be signaled
   ::WaitForSingleObject(pEvent->m_hObject, INFINITE);

   // Terminate the thread
   ::AfxEndThread(0, FALSE); 
   return 0L;
}

void CEvent_Test()
{
   // Create the CEvent object that will be passed to the thread routine
   CEvent* pEvent = new CEvent(FALSE, FALSE);

   // Create a thread that will wait on the event
   CWinThread* pThread;
   pThread = ::AfxBeginThread(&MyThreadProc, pEvent, 0, 0, CREATE_SUSPENDED, NULL);
   pThread->m_bAutoDelete = FALSE; 
   pThread->ResumeThread();

   // Signal the thread to do the next work item
   pEvent->SetEvent();

   // Wait for the thread to consume the event and return
   ::WaitForSingleObject(pThread->m_hThread, INFINITE); 
   delete pThread;
   delete pEvent;
}

// This example builds upon the previous one. 
// A second thread is created to calculate prime numbers. 
// The main thread will signal the second thread to calulate the next  
// prime number in the series.  The second thread signals the first  
// after each number is calculated. Finally, after several iterations  
// the worker thread is signaled to terminate. 

class CPrimeTest
{
public:
   CPrimeTest()
      : m_pCalcNext(new CEvent(FALSE, FALSE))
      , m_pCalcFinished(new CEvent(FALSE, FALSE))
      , m_pTerminateThread(new CEvent(FALSE, FALSE))
      , m_iCurrentPrime(0)
   {   
      // Create a thread that will calculate the prime numbers
      CWinThread* pThread;
      pThread = ::AfxBeginThread(&PrimeCalcProc, this, 0, 0, CREATE_SUSPENDED, NULL);
      pThread->m_bAutoDelete = FALSE; 
      pThread->ResumeThread();

      // Calcuate the first 10 prime numbers in the series on the thread 
      for(UINT i = 0; i < 10; i++)
      {
         // Signal the thread to do the next work item
         m_pCalcNext->SetEvent();
         // Wait for the thread to complete the current task
         ::WaitForSingleObject(m_pCalcFinished->m_hObject, INFINITE);
         // Print the result
         TRACE(_T("The value of m_iCurrentPrime is: %d\n"), m_iCurrentPrime);
      }

      // Notify the worker thread to exit and wait for it to complete
      m_pTerminateThread->SetEvent();
      ::WaitForSingleObject(pThread->m_hThread, INFINITE); 
      delete pThread;
   }
   ~CPrimeTest()
   {
      delete m_pCalcNext;
      delete m_pCalcFinished;
      delete m_pTerminateThread;
   }

private:
   // Determines whether the given number is a prime number 
   static BOOL IsPrime(INT ThisPrime)
   {
      if(ThisPrime < 2) 
         return FALSE;

      for(INT n = 2; n < ThisPrime; n++)
      {
         if(ThisPrime % n == 0)
            return FALSE;
      }
      return TRUE;
   }

   // Calculates the next prime number in the series 
   static INT NextPrime(INT ThisPrime)
   {
      while(TRUE)
      {
         if(IsPrime(++ThisPrime))
         {
            return ThisPrime;
         }
      }
   }

   // Worker thread responsible for calculating the next prime 
   // number in the series 
   static UINT __cdecl PrimeCalcProc(LPVOID lpParameter)
   {
      CPrimeTest* pThis = static_cast<CPrimeTest*>(lpParameter);
      VERIFY(pThis != NULL);

      VERIFY(pThis->m_pCalcNext != NULL);
      VERIFY(pThis->m_pCalcFinished != NULL);
      VERIFY(pThis->m_pTerminateThread != NULL);

      // Create a CMultiLock object to wait on the various events 
      // WAIT_OBJECT_0 refers to the first event in the array, WAIT_OBJECT_0+1 refers to the second
      CSyncObject* pWaitObjects[] = { pThis->m_pCalcNext, pThis->m_pTerminateThread };
      CMultiLock MultiLock(pWaitObjects, 2L);
      while(MultiLock.Lock(INFINITE, FALSE) == WAIT_OBJECT_0) 
      {         
         // Calculate next prime
         pThis->m_iCurrentPrime = NextPrime(pThis->m_iCurrentPrime);
         // Notify main thread calculation is complete
         pThis->m_pCalcFinished->SetEvent();
       } 

      // Terminate the thread
       ::AfxEndThread(0, FALSE); 
      return 0L;
   }

   CEvent* m_pCalcNext;      // notifies worker thread to calculate next prime
   CEvent* m_pCalcFinished;   // notifies main thread current calculation is complete
   CEvent* m_pTerminateThread;   // notifies worker thread to terminate

   INT m_iCurrentPrime;   // current calculated prime number
};

Inheritance Hierarchy

CObject

CSyncObject

CEvent

Requirements

Header: afxmt.h

See Also

Reference

CSyncObject Class

Hierarchy Chart