multithreadinghaskellconcurrencystmtvar

How to wait until forM_ finishes, when using TVar?


I'm writing a function, where I process a list using forM_, and append the result to a TVar list:

import Control.Concurrent.STM
import Control.Concurrent.STM.TVar
import Control.Concurrent (forkIO)
import Control.Monad (forM_)

insert :: a -> [a] -> [a]
insert = (:) -- stub

my_func_c :: (a -> a) -> [a] -> IO [a]
my_func_c my_function arr = do

    res_var <- atomically $ newTVar ([]::[a])

    forkIO $ forM_ arr $ \x -> atomically $ do
        let y = id $! my_function x
        modifyTVar res_var (insert y)

    atomically $ readTVar res_var

The result is always empty, if I compile it with -threaded. How is it possible to wait for the threads to finish? I can not use MVar or Async. I have to solve this problem using TVar, or other data structures which are based on TVar


Solution

  • The idiomatic solution would be to use TMVars:

    my_func_c :: (a -> a) -> [a] -> IO [a]
    my_func_c my_function arr = do
        res_var <- atomically $ newTVar []
        finished <- atomically $ newEmptyTMVar
    
        forkIO $ do
            forM_ arr $ \x -> atomically $ do
                let y = id $! my_function x
                modifyTVar res_var (insert y)
            atomically $ putTMVar finished ()
    
        atomically $ takeTMVar finished >> readTVar res_var
    

    but if you are really only allowed to use TVars, you can simulate a TMVar () with a TVar Bool:

    my_func_c :: (a -> a) -> [a] -> IO [a]
    my_func_c my_function arr = do
        res_var <- atomically $ newTVar []
        finished <- atomically $ newTVar False
    
        forkIO $ do
            forM_ arr $ \x -> atomically $ do
                let y = id $! my_function x
                modifyTVar res_var (insert y)
            atomically $ writeTVar finished True
    
        atomically $ waitTVar finished >> readTVar res_var
    
    waitTVar :: TVar Bool -> STM ()
    waitTVar tv = do
        finished <- readTVar tv
        unless finished retry
    

    Under the hood, TMVar a is just a TVar (Maybe a) (so TMVar () ~ TVar (Maybe ()) ~ TVar Bool) with takeTMVar doing a readTVar and a retry, so the above two solutions are operationally completely equivalent.