How can I avoid deadlocks when using condition variables?

What are deadlocks and how do they occur with condition variables?

Deadlocks happen when two or more threads are waiting for each other to release resources, causing a standstill. With condition variables, this can occur if a thread holds a lock while waiting on a condition, and another thread tries to acquire that lock.

How can I prevent deadlocks when using condition variables?

To prevent deadlocks, ensure that all threads acquire locks in a consistent order, avoid holding locks while waiting on condition variables, and use timeouts when waiting.

Can you give an example of a deadlock situation?

Sure! Imagine Thread A holds Lock 1 and waits for Lock 2, while Thread B holds Lock 2 and waits for Lock 1. Neither can proceed, resulting in a deadlock.

What tools can help detect deadlocks in my application?

You can use tools like thread analyzers, profilers, or built-in debugging features in your IDE to detect deadlocks.