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From: "Harry Chomsky" <harry@chomsky.net>
To: "Caml-list" <caml-list@inria.fr>
Subject: [Caml-list] enter_blocking_section / leave_blocking_section question
Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 20:32:30 -0700
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I'm starting to use threads with my OCaml-Win32 library, and I'd like to
annotate it with appropriate calls to enter_blocking_section and
leave_blocking_section.  Clearly, if I make a call to a Win32 API function
that may take some time, I'll surround the call with enter_blocking_section
/ leave_blocking_section.  But what if that function may make a callback to
my own code, which may in turn pass control back to OCaml?

For instance, my OCaml code calls send_message, implemented as C code that
calls the Win32 SendMessage function.  If I'm sending a message to a system
window, SendMessage just returns.  But if I'm sending a message to an
OCaml-owned window, my C window procedure will be called, and that in turn
will call an OCaml window procedure.

I'm inclined to do something like this:

CAMLprim value send_message(...)
{
    enter_blocking_section();
    SendMessage(...);
    leave_blocking_section();
}

LRESULT window_proc(...)
{
    leave_blocking_section();
    callback(...); // call OCaml window proc
    enter_blocking_section();
}

Obviously I'll need to guarantee that whenever window_proc is called, it
happens during a blocking section.  Is it safe then for window_proc to
temporarily "suspend" the blocking section?  The enter_ and leave_ calls
will always occur in the proper alternation, but the stack will be in a
different state when leave_ is called than when enter_ was called.  I just
want to make sure that this still constitutes safe and proper use of the
blocking system.

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