Simple multithreading problem

Hi.

I can't seem to figure out why my thread doesn't show the value 10. I get some 7 digit number instead.
Can anyone see the error?

Code:

---

#include <stdio.h>
#include <windows.h>

void ThreadProc(void *param);

int main()
{
    int val = 10;

    HANDLE handle = (HANDLE) _beginthread( ThreadProc,0,&val); // create thread
    WaitForSingleObject(handle,INFINITE);

    return 0;
}

void ThreadProc(void *param)
{
    int *h =&param;
    printf("%d\n", h);
    _endthread();

}

---

Quote:

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Originally Posted by praised

Code:

---

void ThreadProc(void *param)
{
    int *h = param;
    printf("%d\n", *h);
    _endthread();

}

---

---

You want the value, not the pointer to pointer.

You are handling your void pointer wrong.

Code:

---

void ThreadProc(void *param)
{
    int *h =(int *)param;
    printf("%d\n", *h);
    _endthread();
}

---

Plus I "believe" you are supposed to typecast the void pointer to an int pointer.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carrotcake1029

Plus I "believe" you are supposed to typecast the void pointer to an int pointer.

---

Not required. Per the standard, a void pointer can be assigned to any pointer type, except function pointers, safely and without the need for a cast. That is why you do not have to cast the return of malloc.

Thanks for the quick replies.

However, I'm not sure the just getting the value of it would do. Further down the road I'd like to be able to change the value of val through ThreadProc.
Got any suggestions of how this could be done?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by praised

However, I'm not sure the just getting the value of it would do.

---

Well, then you should have asked for something else then.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by praised

Further down the road I'd like to be able to change the value of val through ThreadProc.
Got any suggestions of how this could be done?

---

Then you would need a pointer to a pointer. Take a look at Lesson 6-Pointers and Prelude's Pointer Tutorial. That should give you all the knowledge you need. BTW, this has nothing to do with multithreading. I would suggest you get this working without multithreading first, and then go onto the next step.

EDIT: Having multiple threads access data members can cause a lot of problems if not designed correctly. You may find some value with adrian's tutorials. Just scroll down until you see the final three tutorials on multithreading.

Eh, I don't think a pointer to a pointer is needed here; val is an int, so to change val you just need a pointer-to-int, which is conveniently what he has.

As Andrew says, multithreading is a distraction here -- get it to work with a regular program first; passing things back and forth between functions works the same with one thread or a thousand.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tabstop

Eh, I don't think a pointer to a pointer is needed here; val is an int, so to change val you just need a pointer-to-int, which is conveniently what he has.

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Thanks for the correction tabstop. Typing too fast for my brain again. :wink:

EDIT: @OP:

Code:

---

#include <stdio.h>

void procedure(void *);

int main(void){

        int x = 10;

        procedure(&x);
        printf("\n%d", x);

        getchar();
        return(0);
}
void procedure(void *y){

        int* z = y;
        printf("%d", *z);
        *z = 5;
}

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by praised

Thanks for the quick replies.

However, I'm not sure the just getting the value of it would do. Further down the road I'd like to be able to change the value of val through ThreadProc.
Got any suggestions of how this could be done?

---

You don't have just the value. Andrew was simply saying that if you were trying to print the value of the int pointed to by *h -- which it certainly looks like that's what you were trying to do:

Code:

---

void ThreadProc(void *param)
{
    int *h =&param;  // wrong
    printf("%d\n", h);  // wrong
    _endthread();

}

---

Then you were doing it wrong. That would print out the address of the pointer, in which case you should be using %p, not %d. Also, you assigned *h to &param, but param is already a pointer. Lose the address of operator.

You can assign a value to *h and it will be reflected in the calling thread/function/other threads with the same pointer.

Code:

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*h = 666;

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HOWEVER, WRT TO THREADING, DO NOT DO THAT NAIVELY. You must use mutexes or some other form of locking. Threads do not guarantee the integrity of the value otherwise, and it is possible, eg, for one thread to get a partial read of an integer value while another thread does a partial write, creating a garbage value.

If you think you are going to have other variables you want accessed in the thread, pass a struct. This also simplifies the using of pointers and casts, etc, because you do not need a pointer to every variable, just a pointer to the struct where they reside.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by carrotcake1029

You are handling your void pointer wrong.

Code:

---

void ThreadProc(void *param)
{
    int *h =(int *)param;
    printf("%d\n", *h);
    _endthread();
}

---

Plus I "believe" you are supposed to typecast the void pointer to an int pointer.

---

Actually.... it's ... int h = *param ... but who's counting?

You can dereference a void pointer now? Who knew

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CommonTater

Actually.... it's ... int h = *param ... but who's counting?

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Nope. As adeyblue hints, that will lead to a compiler error, unless you use a cast of the form int h = *(int*)param.

But why would you recommend this at all when the OP has said explicitly that s/he wants a pointer?

int *h = param is correct.