xref: /netbsd-src/lib/libpthread/pthread_create.3 (revision b5677b36047b601b9addaaa494a58ceae82c2a6c)
1.\" $NetBSD: pthread_create.3,v 1.5 2008/05/02 18:11:04 martin Exp $
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3.\" Copyright (c) 2002 The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.
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15.\" TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
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25.\" Copyright (c) 1996 John Birrell <jb@cimlogic.com.au>.
26.\" All rights reserved.
27.\"
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29.\" modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
30.\" are met:
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55.\" $FreeBSD: src/lib/libpthread/man/pthread_create.3,v 1.16 2002/09/16 19:29:28 mini Exp $
56.\"
57.Dd January 30, 2003
58.Dt PTHREAD_CREATE 3
59.Os
60.Sh NAME
61.Nm pthread_create
62.Nd create a new thread
63.Sh LIBRARY
64.Lb libpthread
65.Sh SYNOPSIS
66.In pthread.h
67.Ft int
68.Fn pthread_create "pthread_t * restrict thread" "const pthread_attr_t * restrict attr" "void *(*start_routine)(void *)" "void * restrict arg"
69.Sh DESCRIPTION
70The
71.Fn pthread_create
72function is used to create a new thread, with attributes specified by
73.Fa attr ,
74within a process.
75If
76.Fa attr
77is
78.Dv NULL ,
79the default attributes are used.
80If the attribute object pointed to by
81.Fa attr
82are modified later, the thread's attributes are not affected.
83Upon
84successful completion
85.Fn pthread_create
86will store the ID of the created thread in the location specified by
87.Fa thread .
88.Pp
89The thread is created executing
90.Fa start_routine
91with
92.Fa arg
93as its sole argument.
94If the
95.Fa start_routine
96returns, the effect is as if there was an implicit call to
97.Fn pthread_exit
98using the return value of
99.Fa start_routine
100as the exit status.
101Note that the thread in which
102.Fn main
103was originally invoked differs from this.
104When it returns from
105.Fn main ,
106the effect is as if there was an implicit call to
107.Fn exit
108using the return value of
109.Fn main
110as the exit status.
111.Pp
112The signal state of the new thread is initialized as:
113.Bl -bullet -offset indent
114.It
115The signal mask is inherited from the creating thread.
116.It
117The set of signals pending for the new thread is empty.
118.El
119.Sh RETURN VALUES
120If successful,  the
121.Fn pthread_create
122function will return zero.
123Otherwise an error number will be returned to
124indicate the error.
125.Sh ERRORS
126.Fn pthread_create
127shall fail if:
128.Bl -tag -width Er
129.It Bq Er EAGAIN
130The system lacks the necessary resources to create another thread, or
131the system-imposed limit on the total number of threads in a process
132.Dv PTHREAD_THREADS_MAX
133would be exceeded.
134.It Bq Er EINVAL
135The value specified by
136.Fa attr
137is invalid.
138.El
139.Sh SEE ALSO
140.Xr fork 2 ,
141.Xr pthread_cleanup_pop 3 ,
142.Xr pthread_cleanup_push 3 ,
143.Xr pthread_exit 3 ,
144.Xr pthread_join 3
145.Sh STANDARDS
146.Fn pthread_create
147conforms to
148.St -p1003.1-96 .
149