Atomic_flag
An atomic flag is a standard atomic type representing a flag and providing indivisible operations to set or clear it for synchronization.
C++ Concurrency in Action, Second Edition
A C++ standard library atomic Boolean flag with test-and-set and clear operations.
- How it is used
- Uses a minimal lock-free Boolean atomic as a building block, including for implementing a spinlock mutex.
- How deep it goes
- Defines initialization and operations, explains memory-order constraints, and demonstrates a spinlock; broader atomic types are only contrasted.
- Examples
- Uses ATOMIC_FLAG_INIT, clear() and test_and_set(), then gives a spinlock mutex implementation.
- What you can do after
- Build a basic spinlock mutex by looping on acquire test_and_set() and unlocking with release clear().
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Modern C
atomic_flag is a C atomic type that supports indivisible flag operations for concurrency and signal-related contexts.
- How it is used
- Communicates limited signal-related state between an asynchronous handler and the interrupted program.
- How deep it goes
- Defines observable indivisibility and availability, but does not develop atomic_flag syntax or operation details.
- Examples
- Uses a minimal signal handler that records interrupt state and returns, alongside conditional lock-free signal-call counting.
- What you can do after
- Apply it to communicate a small signal condition without making the handler perform uncontrolled program-state changes.
Related concepts
- atomic typekind of · An atomic type is a type whose supported accesses and operations are indivisible with respect to concurrent execution and provide defined synchronization semantics.
- signal handlerused by · A signal handler is a function or mechanism that specifies or performs a response when a signal or notification is delivered.
- spinlockimplements · A spinlock is a mutual-exclusion synchronization primitive in which a waiting thread repeatedly checks or attempts to acquire the lock rather than blocking.
- std::atomic<bool>alternative to · A C++ standard library atomic type that provides atomic operations on a Boolean value.
- lockless techniqueimplements · Lock-free is a concurrency progress property that guarantees some operation completes within a finite number of steps despite contention, without relying on mutual-exclusion locks.
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