[Boost-users] threads in a DLL with callbacks

Subject: [Boost-users] threads in a DLL with callbacks
From: Nicholas Cain (ncain_at_[hidden])
Date: 2008-09-25 05:55:42

Hi,

I've created a component that's distributed as a DLL. The user loads the 
DLL, calls various methods on it and gets some data back asyncronously via 
callbacks.

Within the component there are several threads (using boost threads of 
course) any of which might call the callbacks. In all our sample code 
demonstrating how to create callbacks and call the methods we use boost 
mutexes to protect the callback functions and this works just fine.

Some of our clients however don't want to dip their toes into boost, and 
want to use windows methods to protect the callbacks. For instance so far 
they've tried various methods such as CComAutoCriticalSection and 
EnterCriticalSection.

They still have a crash which they're attributing to my DLL. I keep pushing 
them to at least try the boost mutex as in our sample code, but no luck so 
far.

My question is; should the windows critical section protect the callbacks 
just as well as the boost mutexes, or does it require a boost mutex 
protection? (or do you require a code example to know the answer to this?)

Nik