| A synchronization aid that allows one or more threads to wait until
a set of operations being performed in other threads completes.
A CountDownLatch is initialized with a given
count. The {@link #await await} methods block until the current
{@link #getCount count} reaches zero due to invocations of the
{@link #countDown} method, after which all waiting threads are
released and any subsequent invocations of {@link #await await} return
immediately. This is a one-shot phenomenon -- the count cannot be
reset. If you need a version that resets the count, consider using
a {@link CyclicBarrier}.
A CountDownLatch is a versatile synchronization tool
and can be used for a number of purposes. A
CountDownLatch initialized with a count of one serves as a
simple on/off latch, or gate: all threads invoking {@link #await await}
wait at the gate until it is opened by a thread invoking {@link
#countDown}. A CountDownLatch initialized to N
can be used to make one thread wait until N threads have
completed some action, or some action has been completed N times.
A useful property of a CountDownLatch is that it
doesn't require that threads calling countDown wait for
the count to reach zero before proceeding, it simply prevents any
thread from proceeding past an {@link #await await} until all
threads could pass.
Sample usage: Here is a pair of classes in which a group
of worker threads use two countdown latches:
- The first is a start signal that prevents any worker from proceeding
until the driver is ready for them to proceed;
- The second is a completion signal that allows the driver to wait
until all workers have completed.
class Driver { // ...
void main() throws InterruptedException {
CountDownLatch startSignal = new CountDownLatch(1);
CountDownLatch doneSignal = new CountDownLatch(N);
for (int i = 0; i < N; ++i) // create and start threads
new Thread(new Worker(startSignal, doneSignal)).start();
doSomethingElse(); // don't let run yet
startSignal.countDown(); // let all threads proceed
doSomethingElse();
doneSignal.await(); // wait for all to finish
}
}
class Worker implements Runnable {
private final CountDownLatch startSignal;
private final CountDownLatch doneSignal;
Worker(CountDownLatch startSignal, CountDownLatch doneSignal) {
this.startSignal = startSignal;
this.doneSignal = doneSignal;
}
public void run() {
try {
startSignal.await();
doWork();
doneSignal.countDown();
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {} // return;
}
void doWork() { ... }
}
Another typical usage would be to divide a problem into N parts,
describe each part with a Runnable that executes that portion and
counts down on the latch, and queue all the Runnables to an
Executor. When all sub-parts are complete, the coordinating thread
will be able to pass through await. (When threads must repeatedly
count down in this way, instead use a {@link CyclicBarrier}.)
class Driver2 { // ...
void main() throws InterruptedException {
CountDownLatch doneSignal = new CountDownLatch(N);
Executor e = ...
for (int i = 0; i < N; ++i) // create and start threads
e.execute(new WorkerRunnable(doneSignal, i));
doneSignal.await(); // wait for all to finish
}
}
class WorkerRunnable implements Runnable {
private final CountDownLatch doneSignal;
private final int i;
WorkerRunnable(CountDownLatch doneSignal, int i) {
this.doneSignal = doneSignal;
this.i = i;
}
public void run() {
try {
doWork(i);
doneSignal.countDown();
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {} // return;
}
void doWork() { ... }
}
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