# class Thread::Queue

The `Thread::Queue` class implements multi-producer, multi-consumer queues. It is especially useful in threaded programming when information must be exchanged safely between multiple threads. The `Thread::Queue` class implements all the required locking semantics.

The class implements FIFO type of queue. In a FIFO queue, the first tasks added are the first retrieved.

Example:

    queue = Thread::Queue.new

    producer = Thread.new do
      5.times do |i|
         sleep rand(i) # simulate expense
         queue << i
         puts "#{i} produced"
      end
    end

    consumer = Thread.new do
      5.times do |i|
         value = queue.pop
         sleep rand(i/2) # simulate expense
         puts "consumed #{value}"
      end
    end

    consumer.join

### Public Class Methods

Thread::Queue.new → empty_queue click to toggle source
Thread::Queue.new(enumerable) → queue

Creates a new queue instance, optionally using the contents of an `enumerable` for its initial state.

Example:

    q = Thread::Queue.new
    #=> #<Thread::Queue:0x00007ff7501110d0>
    q.empty?
    #=> true

    q = Thread::Queue.new([1, 2, 3])
    #=> #<Thread::Queue:0x00007ff7500ec500>
    q.empty?
    #=> false
    q.pop
    #=> 1

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_initialize(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
    {
        VALUE initial;
        struct rb_queue *q = queue_ptr(self);
        if ((argc = rb_scan_args(argc, argv, "01", &initial)) == 1) {
            initial = rb_to_array(initial);
        }
        RB_OBJ_WRITE(self, &q->que, ary_buf_new());
        list_head_init(queue_waitq(q));
        if (argc == 1) {
            rb_ary_concat(q->que, initial);
        }
        return self;
    }

### Public Instance Methods

<<(object)

Pushes the given `object` to the queue.

Alias for: push
clear() click to toggle source

Removes all objects from the queue.

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_clear(VALUE self)
    {
        struct rb_queue *q = queue_ptr(self);

        rb_ary_clear(check_array(self, q->que));
        return self;
    }

close click to toggle source

Closes the queue. A closed queue cannot be re-opened.

After the call to close completes, the following are true:

- `closed?` will return true

- `close` will be ignored.

- calling enq/push/<< will raise a `ClosedQueueError`.

- when `empty?` is false, calling deq/pop/shift will return an object from the queue as usual.

- when `empty?` is true, deq(false) will not suspend the thread and will return nil. deq(true) will raise a `ThreadError`.

`ClosedQueueError` is inherited from `StopIteration`, so that you can break loop block.

Example:

    q = Thread::Queue.new
    Thread.new{
      while e = q.deq # wait for nil to break loop
        # ...
      end
    }
    q.close

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_close(VALUE self)
    {
        struct rb_queue *q = queue_ptr(self);

        if (!queue_closed_p(self)) {
            FL_SET(self, QUEUE_CLOSED);

            wakeup_all(queue_waitq(q));
        }

        return self;
    }

closed? click to toggle source

Returns `true` if the queue is closed.

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_closed_p(VALUE self)
    {
        return RBOOL(queue_closed_p(self));
    }

deq(non_block=false)

Retrieves data from the queue.

If the queue is empty, the calling thread is suspended until data is pushed onto the queue. If `non_block` is true, the thread isn’t suspended, and `ThreadError` is raised.

Alias for: pop
empty? click to toggle source

Returns `true` if the queue is empty.

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_empty_p(VALUE self)
    {
        return RBOOL(queue_length(self, queue_ptr(self)) == 0);
    }

enq(object)

Pushes the given `object` to the queue.

Alias for: push
length click to toggle source

Returns the length of the queue.

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_length(VALUE self)
    {
        return LONG2NUM(queue_length(self, queue_ptr(self)));
    }

Also aliased as: size
num_waiting() click to toggle source

Returns the number of threads waiting on the queue.

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_num_waiting(VALUE self)
    {
        struct rb_queue *q = queue_ptr(self);

        return INT2NUM(q->num_waiting);
    }

pop(non_block=false) click to toggle source

Retrieves data from the queue.

If the queue is empty, the calling thread is suspended until data is pushed onto the queue. If `non_block` is true, the thread isn’t suspended, and `ThreadError` is raised.

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_pop(int argc, VALUE *argv, VALUE self)
    {
        int should_block = queue_pop_should_block(argc, argv);
        return queue_do_pop(self, queue_ptr(self), should_block);
    }

Also aliased as: deq, shift
push(object) click to toggle source

Pushes the given `object` to the queue.

    static VALUE
    rb_queue_push(VALUE self, VALUE obj)
    {
        return queue_do_push(self, queue_ptr(self), obj);
    }

Also aliased as: enq, <<
shift(non_block=false)

Retrieves data from the queue.

If the queue is empty, the calling thread is suspended until data is pushed onto the queue. If `non_block` is true, the thread isn’t suspended, and `ThreadError` is raised.

Alias for: pop
size

Returns the length of the queue.

Alias for: length