C++0x has no semaphores? How to synchronize threads?

Question

You can easily build one from a mutex and a condition variable:

#include <mutex>
#include <condition_variable>

class semaphore {
    std::mutex mutex_;
    std::condition_variable condition_;
    unsigned long count_ = 0; // Initialized as locked.

public:
    void release() {
        std::lock_guard<decltype(mutex_)> lock(mutex_);
        ++count_;
        condition_.notify_one();
    }

    void acquire() {
        std::unique_lock<decltype(mutex_)> lock(mutex_);
        while(!count_) // Handle spurious wake-ups.
            condition_.wait(lock);
        --count_;
    }

    bool try_acquire() {
        std::lock_guard<decltype(mutex_)> lock(mutex_);
        if(count_) {
            --count_;
            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }
};

Based on Maxim Yegorushkin's answer, I tried to make the example in C++11 style.

#include <mutex>
#include <condition_variable>

class Semaphore {
public:
    Semaphore (int count_ = 0)
        : count(count_) {}

    inline void notify()
    {
        std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(mtx);
        count++;
        cv.notify_one();
    }

    inline void wait()
    {
        std::unique_lock<std::mutex> lock(mtx);

        while(count == 0){
            cv.wait(lock);
        }
        count--;
    }

private:
    std::mutex mtx;
    std::condition_variable cv;
    int count;
};

I decided to write the most robust/generic C++11 semaphore I could, in the style of the standard as much as I could (note using semaphore = ..., you normally would just use the name semaphore similar to normally using string not basic_string):

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
class basic_semaphore {
public:
    using native_handle_type = typename CondVar::native_handle_type;

    explicit basic_semaphore(size_t count = 0);
    basic_semaphore(const basic_semaphore&) = delete;
    basic_semaphore(basic_semaphore&&) = delete;
    basic_semaphore& operator=(const basic_semaphore&) = delete;
    basic_semaphore& operator=(basic_semaphore&&) = delete;

    void notify();
    void wait();
    bool try_wait();
    template<class Rep, class Period>
    bool wait_for(const std::chrono::duration<Rep, Period>& d);
    template<class Clock, class Duration>
    bool wait_until(const std::chrono::time_point<Clock, Duration>& t);

    native_handle_type native_handle();

private:
    Mutex   mMutex;
    CondVar mCv;
    size_t  mCount;
};

using semaphore = basic_semaphore<std::mutex, std::condition_variable>;

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::basic_semaphore(size_t count)
    : mCount{count}
{}

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
void basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::notify() {
    std::lock_guard<Mutex> lock{mMutex};
    ++mCount;
    mCv.notify_one();
}

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
void basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::wait() {
    std::unique_lock<Mutex> lock{mMutex};
    mCv.wait(lock, [&]{ return mCount > 0; });
    --mCount;
}

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
bool basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::try_wait() {
    std::lock_guard<Mutex> lock{mMutex};

    if (mCount > 0) {
        --mCount;
        return true;
    }

    return false;
}

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
template<class Rep, class Period>
bool basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::wait_for(const std::chrono::duration<Rep, Period>& d) {
    std::unique_lock<Mutex> lock{mMutex};
    auto finished = mCv.wait_for(lock, d, [&]{ return mCount > 0; });

    if (finished)
        --mCount;

    return finished;
}

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
template<class Clock, class Duration>
bool basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::wait_until(const std::chrono::time_point<Clock, Duration>& t) {
    std::unique_lock<Mutex> lock{mMutex};
    auto finished = mCv.wait_until(lock, t, [&]{ return mCount > 0; });

    if (finished)
        --mCount;

    return finished;
}

template <typename Mutex, typename CondVar>
typename basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::native_handle_type basic_semaphore<Mutex, CondVar>::native_handle() {
    return mCv.native_handle();
}

in acordance with posix semaphores, I would add

class semaphore
{
    ...
    bool trywait()
    {
        boost::mutex::scoped_lock lock(mutex_);
        if(count_)
        {
            --count_;
            return true;
        }
        else
        {
            return false;
        }
    }
};

And I much prefer using a synchronisation mechanism at a convenient level of abstraction, rather than always copy pasting a stitched-together version using more basic operators.

C++20 finally has semaphores - std::counting_semaphore<max_count>.

These have (at least) the following methods:

• acquire() (blocking)
• try_acquire() (non-blocking, returns immediately)
• try_acquire_for() (non-blocking, takes a duration)
• try_acquire_until() (non-blocking, takes a time at which to stop trying)
• release()

You can read these CppCon 2019 presentation slides, or watch the video. There's also the official proposal P0514R4, but it may not be up-to-date with actual C++20.

You can also check out cpp11-on-multicore - it has a portable and optimal semaphore implementation.

The repository also contains other threading goodies that complement c++11 threading.

You can work with mutex and condition variables. You gain exclusive access with the mutex, check whether you want to continue or need to wait for the other end. If you need to wait, you wait in a condition. When the other thread determines that you can continue, it signals the condition.

There is a short example in the boost::thread library that you can most probably just copy (the C++0x and boost thread libs are very similar).