[Vm-dev] Events handling for SqueakGtk

[Bert Freudenberg]

Am 11.07.2008 um 13:26 schrieb Gwenael Casaccio:

> Hello,
>
> I am the student who is working for the SqueakGtk plugin and I have  
> a small problem.
> For the events handling there is an *active waiting system* like  
> this :
>
>
> mainLoopProcess := [
> 		[
> 			[self doMainIteration.
> 			self doSignalProcessing] forkAt: Processor userBackgroundPriority  
> + 1
> 		] repeat
> 	] forkAt: Processor userBackgroundPriority
>
>
> It consumes a lot of cpu time.
> the problem is the method  doMainIteration which call a C method to  
> get an hypothetic event,
> I would like to replace this C method by an other method but this  
> new method will block the interpreter
> until there is an event.
>
> To solve this problem I'll create a C thread and say to the vm  
> change the status of the current process
> call the blocking method and when there is an event wake up the  
> process to say I've finished my work.
>
> Is there a way to solve this problem ?


The canonical way to do this is have the Smalltalk process wait on a  
Semaphore, and signal that Semaphore from the VM if there is anything  
to do. See senders of "Smalltalk registerExternalObject:  
someSemaphore" for examples.

- Bert -