TRTTIContext multi-thread issue

Everything I've read indicates that TRTTIContext is thread-safe.

However, TRTTIContext.FindType seems to fail (returns nil) occasionally when multithreading. Using a TCriticalSection around it fixes the issue. Note that I'm using XE6, and the issue doesn't seem to exist in XE. Edit: Seems to exist in all Delphi editions that have the new RTTI units.

I've worked up a test project you can use to see for yourself. Create a new VCL project, drop a TMemo and a TButton, replace unit1 with below, and assign the Form1.OnCreate, Form1.OnDestroy and Button1.OnClick events. The key CS is the GRTTIBlock in TTestThread.Execute. Currently disabled, I get between 3 and 5 failures when I run with 200 threads. Enabling the GRTTIBlock CS removes the failures.

unit Unit1;

interface

uses
  Winapi.Windows, Winapi.Messages, System.SysUtils, System.Variants, System.Classes, Vcl.Graphics,
  Vcl.Controls, Vcl.Forms, Vcl.Dialogs, Vcl.StdCtrls, SyncObjs, Contnrs, RTTI;

type
  TTestThread = class(TThread)
  private
    FFailed: Boolean;
    FRan: Boolean;
    FId: Integer;
  protected
    procedure Execute; override;
  public
    property Failed: Boolean read FFailed;
    property Ran: Boolean read FRan;
    property Id: Integer read FId write FId;
  end;

  TForm1 = class(TForm)
    Memo1: TMemo;
    Button1: TButton;
    procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
    procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
    procedure FormDestroy(Sender: TObject);
  private
    FThreadBlock: TCriticalSection;
    FMaxThreadCount: Integer;
    FThreadCount: Integer;
    FRanCount: Integer;
    FFailureCount: Integer;
    procedure Log(AStr: String);
    procedure ThreadFinished(Sender: TObject);
    procedure LaunchThreads;
  end;

var
  Form1: TForm1;

implementation

var
  GRTTIBlock: TCriticalSection;

{$R *.dfm}

{ TTestThread }

procedure TTestThread.Execute;
var
  ctx : TRTTIContext;
begin
//  GRTTIBlock.Acquire;
  try
    FFailed := not Assigned(ctx.FindType('Unit1.TForm1'));
    FRan := True;
  finally
//    GRTTIBlock.Release;
  end;
end;

{ TForm1 }

procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  Randomize;
  LaunchThreads;
  Log(Format('Threads: %d, Ran: %d, Failures: %d',
    [FMaxThreadCount, FRanCount, FFailureCount]));
end;

procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
  FThreadBlock := TCriticalSection.Create;
end;

procedure TForm1.FormDestroy(Sender: TObject);
begin
  FThreadBlock.Free;
end;

procedure TForm1.Log(AStr: String);
begin
  Memo1.Lines.Add(AStr);
end;

procedure TForm1.ThreadFinished(Sender: TObject);
var
  tt : TTestThread;
begin
  tt := TTestThread(Sender);
  Log(Format('Thread %d finished', [tt.Id]));
  FThreadBlock.Acquire;
  try
    Dec(FThreadCount);
    if tt.Failed then
      Inc(FFailureCount);
    if tt.Ran then
      Inc(FRanCount);
  finally
    FThreadBlock.Release;
  end;
end;

procedure TForm1.LaunchThreads;
var
  c : Integer;
  ol : TObjectList;
  t : TTestThread;
begin
  FRanCount := 0;
  FFailureCount := 0;
  FMaxThreadCount := 200;
  ol := TObjectList.Create(False);
  try
    // get all the thread objects created and ready
    for c := 1 to FMaxThreadCount do
    begin
      t := TTestThread.Create(True);
      t.FreeOnTerminate := True;
      t.OnTerminate := ThreadFinished;
      t.Id := c;
      ol.Add(t);
    end;
    FThreadCount := FMaxThreadCount;
    // start them all up
    for c := 0 to ol.Count - 1 do
    begin
      TTestThread(ol[c]).Start;
      Log(Format('Thread %d started', [TTestThread(ol[c]).Id]));
    end;
    repeat
      Application.ProcessMessages;
      FThreadBlock.Acquire;
      try
        if FThreadCount <= 0 then
          Break;
      finally
        FThreadBlock.Release;
      end;
    until False;
  finally
    ol.Free;
  end;
end;

initialization
  GRTTIBlock := TCriticalSection.Create;

finalization
  GRTTIBlock.Free;

end.

I think I found the problem. It is inside TRealPackage.FindType and MakeTypeLookupTable.

MakeTypeLookupTable checks for FNameToType being assigned. If not it runs DoMake. This one is protected with TMonitor and checks FNameToType being assigned again after entering.

So far so good. But then happens the mistake as inside DoMake FNameToType gets assigned causing other threads to happily pass MakeTypeLookupTable and return to FindType which then does return false in FNameToType.TryGetValue and returns nil.

Fix :

Since FNameToType is used outside of the locked DoMake as indicator that execution can continue it should not be assigned inside DoMake until it's properly filled up.

Edit: Reported as https://quality.embarcadero.com/browse/RSP-9815

Most recently (as of 2019-Nov) marked as Fixed in Delphi 10.3 Rio.