JAVA MULTITHREADING
Java is a multi-threaded programming language which means we can develop multi-threaded
program using Java. A multi-threaded program contains two or more parts that can run
concurrently and each part can handle different task at the same time making optimal use of
the available resources specially when your computer has multiple CPUs. By definition
multitasking is when multiple processes share common processing resources such as a CPU.
Multi threading extends the idea of multitasking into applications where you can subdivide
specific operations within a single application into individual threads. Each of the threads can
run in parallel. The OS divides processing time not only among different applications, but also
among each thread within an application. Multi-threading enables you to write in a way where
multiple activities can proceed concurrently in the same program.
Life Cycle of a Thread
A thread goes through various stages in its life cycle. For example, a thread is born, started,
runs, and then dies. Following diagram shows complete life cycle of a thread.
The stages are as follows:
New: A new thread begins its life cycle in the new state. It remains in this state until the
program starts the thread. It is also referred to as a born thread.
Runnable: After a newly born thread is started, the thread becomes runnable. A thread in this
state is considered to be executing its task.
Running: Sometimes, a thread transitions to the waiting state while the thread waits for
another thread to perform a task. A thread transitions back to the runnable state only when
another thread signals the waiting thread to continue executing.
Blocked: A runnable thread can enter the timed waiting state for a specified interval of time.
A thread in this state transitions back to the runnable state when that time interval expires or
when the event it is waiting for occurs.
Terminated or Dead: A runnable thread enters the terminated state when it completes its task
or otherwise terminates.
Thread Properties
Every Java thread has a priority that helps the operating system determine the order in which
threads are scheduled. Java thread priorities are in the range between MIN_PRIORITY i.e., 1
and MAX_PRIORITY i.e., 10. By default, every thread is given priority NORM_PRIORITY
i.e., 5. Threads with higher priority are more important to a program and should be allocated
processor time before lower-priority threads. However, thread priorities cannot guarantee the
order in which threads execute and very much platform dependent.
Methods to implement Multithreading
Create Thread by Extending Thread Class
The second way to create a thread is to create a new class that extends Thread class using the
following two simple steps. This approach provides more flexibility in handling multiple
threads created using available methods in Thread class.
Step 1:
You will need to override run method available in Thread class. This method provides entry
point for the thread and you will put you complete business logic inside this method. Following
is simple syntax of run method:
public void run( )
Step 2:
Once Thread object is created, you can start it by calling start method, which executes a call
to run method. Following is simple syntax of start method:
void start( )
Example
OUTPUT:
Create Thread by Implementing Runnable Interface:
If your class is intended to be executed as a thread then you can achieve this by
implementing Runnable interface. You will need to follow three basic steps:
Step 1:
As a first step you need to implement a run method provided by Runnable interface. This
method provides entry point for the thread and you will put you complete business logic
inside this method. Following is simple syntax of run method:
public void run( );
Step 2:
At second step you will instantiate a Thread object using the following constructor:
Thread(Runnable threadObj, String threadName);
Where, threadObj is an instance of a class that implements the Runnable interface and
threadName is the name given to the new thread.
Step 3 Once Thread object is created, you can start it by calling start method, which executes
a call to run method. Following is simple syntax of start method:
void start( );
EXAMPLE
OUTPUT:
THREAD FUNCTIONS
Following is the list of important methods available in the Thread class.
• public void start Starts the thread in a separate path of execution, then invokes the run
method on this Thread object.
• public void run If this Thread object was instantiated using a separate Runnable
target, the run method is invoked on that Runnable object.
• public final void setName Changes the name of the Thread object. There is also a
getName method for retrieving the name.
• public final void setPriority Sets the priority of this Thread object. The possible
values are between 1 and 10.
• public final void setDaemon A parameter of true denotes this Thread as a daemon
thread.
• public final void join The current thread invokes this method on a second thread,
causing the current thread to block until the second thread terminates or the specified
number of milliseconds passes.
• public void interrupt Interrupts this thread, causing it to continue execution if it was
blocked for any reason.
• public final boolean isAlive Returns true if the thread is alive, which is any time after
the thread has been started but before it runs to completion.
The previous methods are invoked on a particular Thread object. The following methods in
the Thread class are static. Invoking one of the static methods performs the operation on the
currently running thread.
• public static void yield Causes the currently running thread to yield to any other threads
of the same priority that are waiting to be scheduled.
• public static void sleep Causes the currently running thread to block for at least the
specified number of milliseconds.
• public static boolean holdsLock Returns true if the current thread holds the lock on the
given Object.
• public static Thread currentThread Returns a reference to the currently running thread,
which is the thread that invokes this method.
• public static void dumpStack Prints the stack trace for the currently running thread,
which is useful when debugging a multithreaded application.