Multi-thread Question in Morph?

Boris Gaertner Boris.Gaertner at gmx.net
Sat Jan 31 21:36:11 UTC 2004


From: ducasse <ducasse at iam.unibe.ch> wrote:


<snip>
> Now I have the following problem that you can try just by loading the 
> cs.
> If I create a morph NewBot new openInWorld, inspect it and execute self 
> diamNumber in an inspector, the complete environment
> is blocked.
> 
> I simplified the problem to its essence in the attached file. If you 
> open an inspect and evaluate self diamNumber
> the system freezes. Apparently there is not enough thread in morphic. 
> So I started to see where I could
> put another thread. The problem is that
> - in an inspector doing [self diamNumber] fork does not help because I 
> would need another future to get the value form the thread
> - opening an inspector in another block (self inspect fork) and in this 
> new inspector doing self diamNumber still freezes the system
> My impression is that the UI scheduler does not let me doing that.
> 
> 

I am not convinced that this is the fault of the UI scheduler.

You can try this:

1.  In NewBot, add this instance method:

   diamNumberPromise 
        ^ (self addAction: #diamNumberPrimitive)

2.  Open a Transcript.
3. Evaluate [NewBot new inspect]. An inspector appears.
4. in the evaluation pane of the inspector evaluate
    this:

 | p s | 
s := Semaphore new.
[ p := self diamNumberPromise.
  s signal.  " p has now a value "
 Transcript show: p result printString; cr] fork.
s wait.  " wait until p has a value "
p inspect


In the Transcript you see that your future is waiting.
You get a second inspector, this time for an instance of
BotCommand. 

5. In the evaluation pane of the inspector for the
   BotCommand, evaluate:

   self setFutureValue: 7

In the transcript, you see the second part of the story: Reception
of the value.


I think the problem is simply that, as soon as processes come into
play, one has to construct expressions for inspection very carefully.

Greetings, Boris



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