xref: /netbsd-src/lib/libpthread/pthread_key_create.3 (revision b1c86f5f087524e68db12794ee9c3e3da1ab17a0)
1.\" $NetBSD: pthread_key_create.3,v 1.6 2010/07/09 10:55:11 wiz Exp $
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26.\" Copyright (c) 1996 John Birrell <jb@cimlogic.com.au>.
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56.\" $FreeBSD: src/lib/libpthread/man/pthread_key_create.3,v 1.12 2002/09/16 19:29:28 mini Exp $
57.\"
58.Dd July 9, 2010
59.Dt PTHREAD_KEY_CREATE 3
60.Os
61.Sh NAME
62.Nm pthread_key_create
63.Nd thread-specific data
64.Sh LIBRARY
65.Lb libpthread
66.Sh SYNOPSIS
67.In pthread.h
68.Ft int
69.Fn pthread_key_create "pthread_key_t *key" "void (*destructor)(void *)"
70.Ft int
71.Fn pthread_key_delete "pthread_key_t key"
72.Sh DESCRIPTION
73The
74.Fn pthread_key_create
75function creates a thread-specific data key visible to all threads in the
76process.
77Key values are opaque objects used to locate thread-specific data.
78The same key value may be used by different threads,
79but the values bound to the key by
80.Fn pthread_setspecific
81are maintained on a per-thread basis and
82persist for the life of the calling thread.
83.Pp
84Upon key creation, the value
85.Dv NULL
86is associated with the new key in all active threads.
87Upon thread creation, the value
88.Dv NULL
89is associated with all
90defined keys in the new thread.
91.Pp
92An optional destructor function may be associated with each key value.
93At thread exit, if a key value has a
94.Pf non- Dv NULL
95destructor pointer, and the thread has a
96.Pf non- Dv NULL
97value associated with the key, the function pointed
98to is called with the current associated value as its sole argument.
99The order of destructor calls is unspecified if more
100than one destructor exists for a thread when it exits.
101.Pp
102If, after all the destructors have been called for all
103.Pf non- Dv NULL
104values with associated destructors, there are still some
105.Pf non- Dv NULL
106values with associated destructors, then the process is repeated.
107If, after at least
108.Dv PTHREAD_DESTRUCTOR_ITERATIONS
109iterations of destructor calls for outstanding
110.Pf non- Dv NULL
111values, there are still some
112.Pf non- Dv NULL
113values with
114associated destructors, the implementation stops calling destructors.
115.Pp
116The
117.Fn pthread_key_delete
118function deletes a thread-specific data key previously returned by
119.Fn pthread_key_create .
120The thread-specific data values associated with
121.Fa key
122need not be
123.Dv NULL
124at the time of the call.
125It is the responsibility of the application to free any
126application storage or perform any cleanup actions for data structures
127related to the deleted key or associated thread-specific data in any threads;
128this cleanup can be done either before or after
129.Fn pthread_key_delete
130is called.
131Any attempt to use
132.Fa key
133following the call to
134.Fn pthread_key_delete
135results in undefined behavior.
136.Pp
137The
138.Fn pthread_key_delete
139function itself is callable from within destructor functions,
140but destructor functions are not invoked by the function.
141Any destructor function that may have been associated with
142.Fa key
143will no longer be called upon thread exit.
144.Sh RETURN VALUES
145If successful, the
146.Fn pthread_key_create
147function will store the newly created key value at the location specified by
148.Fa key
149and returns zero.
150Also
151.Fn pthread_key_delete
152will return zero upon success.
153Upon failure both functions return an error number to indicate the cause.
154.Sh ERRORS
155The
156.Fn pthread_key_create
157may fail if:
158.Bl -tag -width Er
159.It Bq Er EAGAIN
160The system lacked the necessary resources to create another thread-specific
161data key, or the system-imposed limit on the total number of keys per process
162.Dv PTHREAD_KEYS_MAX
163would be exceeded.
164.It Bq Er ENOMEM
165Insufficient memory exists to create the key.
166.El
167.Pp
168The
169.Fn pthread_key_delete
170function may fail if:
171.Bl -tag -width Er
172.It Bq Er EINVAL
173The
174.Fa key
175value is invalid.
176.El
177.Sh SEE ALSO
178.Xr pthread_getspecific 3
179.Sh STANDARDS
180These functions conform to
181.St -p1003.1-2001 .
182.Sh BUGS
183The current specifications are flawed and
184do not permit a clean implementation without potential problems.
185The current implementation in
186.Nx
187addresses these problems by not supporting key reuse.
188