A simple scenario using wait() and notify() in java
Asked Answered
E

8

210

Can I get a complete simple scenario i.e. tutorial that suggest how this should be used, specifically with a Queue?

Encephalomyelitis answered 29/3, 2010 at 8:47 Comment(0)
R
299

The wait() and notify() methods are designed to provide a mechanism to allow a thread to block until a specific condition is met. For this I assume you're wanting to write a blocking queue implementation, where you have some fixed size backing-store of elements.

The first thing you have to do is to identify the conditions that you want the methods to wait for. In this case, you will want the put() method to block until there is free space in the store, and you will want the take() method to block until there is some element to return.

public class BlockingQueue<T> {

    private Queue<T> queue = new LinkedList<T>();
    private int capacity;

    public BlockingQueue(int capacity) {
        this.capacity = capacity;
    }

    public synchronized void put(T element) throws InterruptedException {
        while(queue.size() == capacity) {
            wait();
        }

        queue.add(element);
        notify(); // notifyAll() for multiple producer/consumer threads
    }

    public synchronized T take() throws InterruptedException {
        while(queue.isEmpty()) {
            wait();
        }

        T item = queue.remove();
        notify(); // notifyAll() for multiple producer/consumer threads
        return item;
    }
}

There are a few things to note about the way in which you must use the wait and notify mechanisms.

Firstly, you need to ensure that any calls to wait() or notify() are within a synchronized region of code (with the wait() and notify() calls being synchronized on the same object). The reason for this (other than the standard thread safety concerns) is due to something known as a missed signal.

An example of this, is that a thread may call put() when the queue happens to be full, it then checks the condition, sees that the queue is full, however before it can block another thread is scheduled. This second thread then take()'s an element from the queue, and notifies the waiting threads that the queue is no longer full. Because the first thread has already checked the condition however, it will simply call wait() after being re-scheduled, even though it could make progress.

By synchronizing on a shared object, you can ensure that this problem does not occur, as the second thread's take() call will not be able to make progress until the first thread has actually blocked.

Secondly, you need to put the condition you are checking in a while loop, rather than an if statement, due to a problem known as spurious wake-ups. This is where a waiting thread can sometimes be re-activated without notify() being called. Putting this check in a while loop will ensure that if a spurious wake-up occurs, the condition will be re-checked, and the thread will call wait() again.


As some of the other answers have mentioned, Java 1.5 introduced a new concurrency library (in the java.util.concurrent package) which was designed to provide a higher level abstraction over the wait/notify mechanism. Using these new features, you could rewrite the original example like so:

public class BlockingQueue<T> {

    private Queue<T> queue = new LinkedList<T>();
    private int capacity;
    private Lock lock = new ReentrantLock();
    private Condition notFull = lock.newCondition();
    private Condition notEmpty = lock.newCondition();

    public BlockingQueue(int capacity) {
        this.capacity = capacity;
    }

    public void put(T element) throws InterruptedException {
        lock.lock();
        try {
            while(queue.size() == capacity) {
                notFull.await();
            }

            queue.add(element);
            notEmpty.signal();
        } finally {
            lock.unlock();
        }
    }

    public T take() throws InterruptedException {
        lock.lock();
        try {
            while(queue.isEmpty()) {
                notEmpty.await();
            }

            T item = queue.remove();
            notFull.signal();
            return item;
        } finally {
            lock.unlock();
        }
    }
}

Of course if you actually need a blocking queue, then you should use an implementation of the BlockingQueue interface.

Also, for stuff like this I'd highly recommend Java Concurrency in Practice, as it covers everything you could want to know about concurrency related problems and solutions.

Ragin answered 29/3, 2010 at 10:11 Comment(15)
@finnw are you sure it will cause deadlock? In which scenario? For me, Jared's code seems to be correct.Girlish
@greuze, notify wakes only one thread. If two consumer threads are competing to remove an element, one notify may wake the other consumer thread, which cannot do anything about it and will go back to sleep (instead of the producer, which we were hoping would insert a new element.) Because the producer thread is not woken, nothing gets inserted and now all three threads will sleep indefinitely. I removed my previous comment as it said (wrongly) that spurious wakeup was the cause of the problem (It is not.)Idea
Thanks for the explanation @Idea I think you are right, now I realize. I think this problem could be solved if we use two different objects for wait/notify (similar to second solution with concurrent package)Girlish
@Idea As far as I can tell, the problem that you have spotted can be solved by using notifyAll(). Am I right?Jaw
As per Oracle concurrency tutorial referring to notifyAll(): "Note: There is a second notification method, notify, which wakes up a single thread. Because notify doesn't allow you to specify the thread that is woken up, it is useful only in massively parallel applications — that is, programs with a large number of threads, all doing similar chores. In such an application, you don't care which thread gets woken up."Iinden
@Jared is it possible to synchronize while block instead of whole method ?Wreathe
The example given here by @Jared is pretty good but has a serious fall. In the code all the methods have been marked as synchronized, but NO TWO SYNCHRONIZED METHODS CAN BE EXECUTED AT THE SAME TIME, then how come there is second thread in the picture.Ryder
@Brut3Forc3 you need to read the javadoc of wait(): it says: The thread releases ownership of this monitor. So, as soon as wait() is called, the monitor is released, and another thread can execute another synchronized method of the queue.Gertrudegertrudis
@JBNizet. " An example of this, is that a thread may call put() when the queue happens to be full, it then checks the condition, sees that the queue is full, however before it can block another thread is scheduled ” . Here how come the second thread is scheduled if wait has not yet been called .Ryder
@Brut3Forc3 Re-read the post. At this time, Jared explains what could happen if the method was NOT synchronized.Gertrudegertrudis
In the second T take() a return-statement is missing at the end of function. It's not sufficient to provide the return in the try-block only, isn't it ?Pissarro
about the while loop,the await() function will be called and called,it isn't lead to performance issues?or the await() implementation know how to handle this?Arneson
@Jared, in the first code example, about the two while blocks, I think we can replace them with the if and it also works. Is it right?Ballou
@Messi Not really, because you want to recheck the condition and wait again if it is true when the thread spuriously wakes up.Tickler
shouldn it be = new ReentrantLock(true) to guarantee lock fairness?Tinatinamou
P
168

Not a queue example, but extremely simple :)

class MyHouse {
    private boolean pizzaArrived = false;

    public void eatPizza(){
        synchronized(this){
            while(!pizzaArrived){
                wait();
            }
        }
        System.out.println("yumyum..");
    }

    public void pizzaGuy(){
        synchronized(this){
             this.pizzaArrived = true;
             notifyAll();
        }
    }
}

Some important points:
1) NEVER do

 if(!pizzaArrived){
     wait();
 }

Always use while(condition), because

  • a) threads can sporadically awake from waiting state without being notified by anyone. (even when the pizza guy didn't ring the chime, somebody would decide try eating the pizza.).
  • b) You should check for the condition again after acquiring the synchronized lock. Let's say pizza don't last forever. You awake, line-up for the pizza, but it's not enough for everybody. If you don't check, you might eat paper! :) (probably better example would be while(!pizzaExists){ wait(); }.

2) You must hold the lock (synchronized) before invoking wait/nofity. Threads also have to acquire lock before waking.

3) Try to avoid acquiring any lock within your synchronized block and strive to not invoke alien methods (methods you don't know for sure what they are doing). If you have to, make sure to take measures to avoid deadlocks.

4) Be careful with notify(). Stick with notifyAll() until you know what you are doing.

5)Last, but not least, read Java Concurrency in Practice!

Plugboard answered 29/3, 2010 at 9:51 Comment(11)
Could you please elaborate on why not to use "if( ! pizzaArrived ){ wait(); } " ?Sectorial
@Everyone: Added some explanation. HTH.Plugboard
why using the pizzaArrivedflag? if the flag is changed without a call to notify it won't have any effect. Also just with wait and notify calls the example works.Parasitology
@PabloFernandez: Nope, see #2541484 (and my explanation in the answer)Plugboard
I don't understand - thread 1 executes the eatPizza() method and enters the top synchronized block, and synchronizes on the MyHouse class. No pizza has yet arrived so it just waits. Now thread 2 tries to deliver the pizza by calling the pizzaGuy() method; but can't as thread 1 already owns the lock and it's not giving it up (it's perpetually waiting). Effectively the result is a deadlock - thread 1 is waiting for thread 2 to execute the notifyAll() method, while thread 2 is waiting for thread 1 to give up the lock on the MyHouse class... What is it that I'm missing here?Inclinable
Right so I checked - the wait method causes ownership of the lock to be given up then? That would make sense.Inclinable
Can you please elaborate on stick with notifyAll partUnbroken
@SumitJain: see #37526Plugboard
I really like your idea of using pizza for the example. Much better than a variable named foo. Can I borrow this example for a Q&A I'm writing?Mamie
shouldn't pizzaArrived variable be volatile ?Tickler
No, when a variable is guarded by synchronized keyword, it is redundant to declare the variable volatile, and it is recommended to avoid it to avoid confusion @TicklerPlugboard
T
44

Even though you asked for wait() and notify() specifically, I feel that this quote is still important enough:

Josh Bloch, Effective Java 2nd Edition, Item 69: Prefer concurrency utilities to wait and notify (emphasis his):

Given the difficulty of using wait and notify correctly, you should use the higher-level concurrency utilities instead [...] using wait and notify directly is like programming in "concurrency assembly language", as compared to the higher-level language provided by java.util.concurrent. There is seldom, if ever, reason to use wait and notify in new code.

Tatyanatau answered 29/3, 2010 at 9:16 Comment(3)
The BlockingQueueS provided in the java.util.concurrent package aren't persistent. What can we use when the queue needs to be persistent? i.e. if the system goes down with 20 items in the queue I need those to be present when the system restarts. As the java.util.concurrent queues all appear to be 'in memory' only is there any way these could be used as is/hacked/overridden to provide implementations that are persistence capable?Aphelion
Perhaps the backing queue could be provided? i.e. we would provide a Queue interface implementation that is persistent.Aphelion
This is very good to mentioned in this context that you would never need to use the notify() and the wait() againSewerage
B
10

Have you taken a look at this Java Tutorial?

Further, I'd advise you to stay the heck away from playing with this kind of stuff in real software. It's good to play with it so you know what it is, but concurrency has pitfalls all over the place. It's better to use higher level abstractions and synchronized collections or JMS queues if you are building software for other people.

That is at least what I do. I'm not a concurrency expert so I stay away from handling threads by hand wherever possible.

Braziel answered 29/3, 2010 at 8:57 Comment(0)
N
2

Example

public class myThread extends Thread{
     @override
     public void run(){
        while(true){
           threadCondWait();// Circle waiting...
           //bla bla bla bla
        }
     }
     public synchronized void threadCondWait(){
        while(myCondition){
           wait();//Comminucate with notify()
        }
     }

}
public class myAnotherThread extends Thread{
     @override
     public void run(){
        //Bla Bla bla
        notify();//Trigger wait() Next Step
     }

}
Notochord answered 21/10, 2015 at 11:50 Comment(0)
J
1

The question asks for a wait() + notify() involving a queue(buffer). The first thing that comes to mind is a producer-consumer scenario using a buffer.

Three Components in our system:

  1. Queue [Buffer] - A fixed-size queue shared between threads
  2. Producer - A thread produces/inserts values to the buffer
  3. Consumer - A thread consumes/removes values from the buffer

PRODUCER THREAD: The producer inserts values in the buffer and until the buffer is full. If the buffer is full, the producer call wait() and enters the wait stage, until the consumer awakes it.

    static class Producer extends Thread {
    private Queue<Integer> queue;
    private int maxSize;

    public Producer(Queue<Integer> queue, int maxSize, String name) {
        super(name);
        this.queue = queue;
        this.maxSize = maxSize;
    }

    @Override
    public void run() {
        while (true) {
            synchronized (queue) {
                if (queue.size() == maxSize) {
                    try {
                        System.out.println("Queue is full, " + "Producer thread waiting for " + "consumer to take something from queue");
                        queue.wait();
                    } catch (Exception ex) {
                        ex.printStackTrace();
                    }
                }
                Random random = new Random();
                int i = random.nextInt();
                System.out.println(" ^^^ Producing value : " + i);
                queue.add(i);
                queue.notify();
            }
            sleepRandom();
        }
    }
}

CONSUMER THREAD: Consumer thread removes value from the buffer until the buffer is empty. If the buffer is empty, consumer calls wait() method and enter wait state until a producer sends a notify signal.

    static class Consumer extends Thread {
    private Queue<Integer> queue;
    private int maxSize;

    public Consumer(Queue<Integer> queue, int maxSize, String name) {
        super(name);
        this.queue = queue;
        this.maxSize = maxSize;
    }

    @Override
    public void run() {
        Random random = new Random();
        while (true) {
            synchronized (queue) {
                if (queue.isEmpty()) {
                    System.out.println("Queue is empty," + "Consumer thread is waiting" + " for producer thread to put something in queue");
                    try {
                        queue.wait();
                    } catch (Exception ex) {
                        ex.printStackTrace();
                    }
                }
                System.out.println(" vvv Consuming value : " + queue.remove());
                queue.notify();
            }
            sleepRandom();
        }
    }
}

UTIL METHOD:

    public static void sleepRandom(){
    Random random = new Random();
    try {
        Thread.sleep(random.nextInt(250));
    } catch (InterruptedException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}

Application Code:

    public static void main(String args[]) {
    System.out.println("How to use wait and notify method in Java");
    System.out.println("Solving Producer Consumper Problem");
    Queue<Integer> buffer = new LinkedList<>();
    int maxSize = 10;
    Thread producer = new Producer(buffer, maxSize, "PRODUCER");
    Thread consumer = new Consumer(buffer, maxSize, "CONSUMER");
    producer.start();
    consumer.start();
}

A Sample Output:

 ^^^ Producing value : 1268801606
 vvv Consuming value : 1268801606
Queue is empty,Consumer thread is waiting for producer thread to put something in queue
 ^^^ Producing value : -191710046
 vvv Consuming value : -191710046
 ^^^ Producing value : -1096119803
 vvv Consuming value : -1096119803
 ^^^ Producing value : -1502054254
 vvv Consuming value : -1502054254
Queue is empty,Consumer thread is waiting for producer thread to put something in queue
 ^^^ Producing value : 408960851
 vvv Consuming value : 408960851
 ^^^ Producing value : 2140469519
 vvv Consuming value : 65361724
 ^^^ Producing value : 1844915867
 ^^^ Producing value : 1551384069
 ^^^ Producing value : -2112162412
 vvv Consuming value : -887946831
 vvv Consuming value : 1427122528
 ^^^ Producing value : -181736500
 ^^^ Producing value : -1603239584
 ^^^ Producing value : 175404355
 vvv Consuming value : 1356483172
 ^^^ Producing value : -1505603127
 vvv Consuming value : 267333829
 ^^^ Producing value : 1986055041
Queue is full, Producer thread waiting for consumer to take something from queue
 vvv Consuming value : -1289385327
 ^^^ Producing value : 58340504
 vvv Consuming value : 1244183136
 ^^^ Producing value : 1582191907
Queue is full, Producer thread waiting for consumer to take something from queue
 vvv Consuming value : 1401174346
 ^^^ Producing value : 1617821198
 vvv Consuming value : -1827889861
 vvv Consuming value : 2098088641
Janettjanetta answered 21/9, 2021 at 5:21 Comment(0)
S
1

For a simple scenario of wait notify we will consider 2 threads :

1)Thread "Calculate" which gives us sum of all number from 0 to 5

2)Thread "WaitNotifyDemo" which is main thread

Objective : We want WaitNotifyDemo thread to wait till Calculate thread completes the calculation

Step 1] First lets create a thread that calculates the sum:

class Calculate extends Thread {
int sum;

@Override
public void run() {
    synchronized (this) {
        for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
            sum += i;
            System.out.println("Current value of sum : " + sum);
        }
        notify();
    }
}

}

This class has :

  • Thread Class extended
  • We are synchronizing(this) as Main thread must have lock on "Calculate" thread
  • Calculating sum of numbers till 5

Step 2] lets create class which uses wait method which is used to make the Main thread till calculation completes

public class WaitNotifyDemo {

public static void main(String[] args) {
    Calculate t = new Calculate();
    t.start();
    synchronized (t) {
        try {
            t.wait();
        } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            throw new RuntimeException(e);
        }
        System.out.println("final total : " + t.sum);
    }
}

This class has :

  • Instance of Calculate Thread
  • Then we call wait() method on that instance

Output

enter image description here

So we can see that we have called wait on an object which makes main thread wait for calculation and then executes remaining code of the class.

Sining answered 6/3 at 15:31 Comment(0)
L
-1

Example for wait() and notifyall() in Threading.

A synchronized static array list is used as resource and wait() method is called if the array list is empty. notify() method is invoked once a element is added for the array list.

public class PrinterResource extends Thread{

//resource
public static List<String> arrayList = new ArrayList<String>();

public void addElement(String a){
    //System.out.println("Add element method "+this.getName());
    synchronized (arrayList) {
        arrayList.add(a);
        arrayList.notifyAll();
    }
}

public void removeElement(){
    //System.out.println("Remove element method  "+this.getName());
    synchronized (arrayList) {
        if(arrayList.size() == 0){
            try {
                arrayList.wait();
            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
        }else{
            arrayList.remove(0);
        }
    }
}

public void run(){
    System.out.println("Thread name -- "+this.getName());
    if(!this.getName().equalsIgnoreCase("p4")){
        this.removeElement();
    }
    this.addElement("threads");

}

public static void main(String[] args) {
    PrinterResource p1 = new PrinterResource();
    p1.setName("p1");
    p1.start();

    PrinterResource p2 = new PrinterResource();
    p2.setName("p2");
    p2.start();


    PrinterResource p3 = new PrinterResource();
    p3.setName("p3");
    p3.start();


    PrinterResource p4 = new PrinterResource();
    p4.setName("p4");
    p4.start();     

    try{
        p1.join();
        p2.join();
        p3.join();
        p4.join();
    }catch(InterruptedException e){
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
    System.out.println("Final size of arraylist  "+arrayList.size());
   }
}
Luzern answered 22/3, 2016 at 9:41 Comment(1)
plz double check this line if(arrayList.size() == 0), i think it might be a mistake here.Knit

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