Re: [Boost-users] Get "Native" thread id - feature request

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] Get "Native" thread id - feature request
From: Nigel Rantor (wiggly_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-11-05 11:39:48

Ondrej Sluciak wrote:
> Thank you for your hints. Well, it isn't just question of SetThreadName 
> function on Windows. The ability to get the real thread id is quite 
> crucial when you want  to debug or when you want to log also thread 
> behaviour. On linux you are also interested in real pids. I mean it 
> would be really great if you could also set thread names (and get thread 
> names) directly using boost (and not using those undocumented windows 
> functions), but I don't know if there is some general way how to do it 
> on any OS, so I don't know if it would be "feasible" to put it in boost. 
> On the other hand, getting only thread ids can be done on any OS (as far 
> as I know). So at least this functionality would be nice to have in boost.

A question like this has come up before with respect to being able to 
identify threads.

If you only want to name threads then you can use the thread::get_id() 
function. The thread::id value provides a comparison operator so that 
you can use it in, for example a std::map<thread::id,std::string> to 
provide a mapping between boost ids and something more user-friendly.

Yes, this doesn't necessarily fit very well with a debugger but for lots 
of applications this is enough, to be able associate a "name" with a thread.

I understand why you want to be able to get to the "raw" id, and it 
would, in all probability, be a change that doesn't break anyone, but it 
does give people the temptation to break portability without thinking 
about other solutions that are open to them.

I'm on the fence basically. I wouldn't suggest breaking a hole in the 
interface to let you peek at the OS id but I also wouldn't spend too 
much energy arguing against it.

   n