How do I implement condition variables in my program?

How do I implement condition variables in my program?

Condition variables are synchronization primitives that enable threads to wait until a particular condition occurs. You can implement them using mutexes and condition variable functions provided by your programming language's threading library.

Can you give me a code example in Python?

Sure! Here's a simple example using the threading module:

import threading

condition = threading.Condition()

def worker():
    with condition:
        print('Worker is waiting...')
        condition.wait()
        print('Worker is notified!')

thread = threading.Thread(target=worker)
thread.start()

input('Press Enter to notify the worker...')
with condition:
    condition.notify()

What are some common use cases for condition variables?

Common use cases include producer-consumer problems, where one thread produces data and another consumes it, and scenarios where threads need to wait for a specific condition to be met before proceeding.

Are there any potential pitfalls I should be aware of?

Yes, be cautious of deadlocks, where two or more threads are waiting on each other to release resources. Also, ensure that you always use condition variables with a mutex to avoid race conditions.