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| 
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| <h1>Using the sqlite3_unlock_notify() API</h1>
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| 
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| <pre>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* This example uses the pthreads API */</span>
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| #include <pthread.h>
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| 
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/*</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** A pointer to an instance of this structure is passed as the user-context</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** pointer when registering for an unlock-notify callback.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">*/</span>
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| typedef struct UnlockNotification UnlockNotification;
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| struct UnlockNotification {
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|   int fired;                         <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* True after unlock event has occurred */</span>
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|   pthread_cond_t cond;               <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* Condition variable to wait on */</span>
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|   pthread_mutex_t mutex;             <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* Mutex to protect structure */</span>
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| };
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| 
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/*</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** This function is an unlock-notify callback registered with SQLite.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">*/</span>
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| static void unlock_notify_cb(void **apArg, int nArg){
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|   int i;
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|   for(i=0; i<nArg; i++){
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|     UnlockNotification *p = (UnlockNotification *)apArg[i];
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|     pthread_mutex_lock(&p->mutex);
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|     p->fired = 1;
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|     pthread_cond_signal(&p->cond);
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|     pthread_mutex_unlock(&p->mutex);
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|   }
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| }
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| 
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/*</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** This function assumes that an SQLite API call (either <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare_v2</a>() </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** or <a href="c3ref/step.html">sqlite3_step</a>()) has just returned SQLITE_LOCKED. The argument is the</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** associated database connection.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">**</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** This function calls <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify</a>() to register for an </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** unlock-notify callback, then blocks until that callback is delivered </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** and returns SQLITE_OK. The caller should then retry the failed operation.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">**</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** Or, if <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify</a>() indicates that to block would deadlock </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** the system, then this function returns SQLITE_LOCKED immediately. In </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** this case the caller should not retry the operation and should roll </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** back the current transaction (if any).</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">*/</span>
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| static int wait_for_unlock_notify(<a href="c3ref/sqlite3.html">sqlite3</a> *db){
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|   int rc;
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|   UnlockNotification un;
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| 
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|   <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* Initialize the UnlockNotification structure. */</span>
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|   un.fired = 0;
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|   pthread_mutex_init(&un.mutex, 0);
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|   pthread_cond_init(&un.cond, 0);
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| 
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|   <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* Register for an unlock-notify callback. */</span>
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|   rc = <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify</a>(db, unlock_notify_cb, (void *)&un);
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|   assert( rc==SQLITE_LOCKED || rc==SQLITE_OK );
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| 
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|   <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* The call to <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify</a>() always returns either SQLITE_LOCKED </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">  ** or SQLITE_OK. </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">  **</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">  ** If SQLITE_LOCKED was returned, then the system is deadlocked. In this</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">  ** case this function needs to return SQLITE_LOCKED to the caller so </span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">  ** that the current transaction can be rolled back. Otherwise, block</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">  ** until the unlock-notify callback is invoked, then return SQLITE_OK.</span>
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|   <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">*/</span>
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|   if( rc==SQLITE_OK ){
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|     pthread_mutex_lock(&un.mutex);
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|     if( !un.fired ){
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|       pthread_cond_wait(&un.cond, &un.mutex);
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|     }
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|     pthread_mutex_unlock(&un.mutex);
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|   }
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| 
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|   <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* Destroy the mutex and condition variables. */</span>
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|   pthread_cond_destroy(&un.cond);
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|   pthread_mutex_destroy(&un.mutex);
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| 
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|   return rc;
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| }
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| 
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/*</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** This function is a wrapper around the SQLite function <a href="c3ref/step.html">sqlite3_step</a>().</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** It functions in the same way as step(), except that if a required</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** shared-cache lock cannot be obtained, this function may block waiting for</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** the lock to become available. In this scenario the normal API step()</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** function always returns SQLITE_LOCKED.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">**</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** If this function returns SQLITE_LOCKED, the caller should rollback</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** the current transaction (if any) and try again later. Otherwise, the</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** system may become deadlocked.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">*/</span>
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| int sqlite3_blocking_step(<a href="c3ref/stmt.html">sqlite3_stmt</a> *pStmt){
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|   int rc;
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|   while( SQLITE_LOCKED==(rc = <a href="c3ref/step.html">sqlite3_step</a>(pStmt)) ){
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|     rc = wait_for_unlock_notify(<a href="c3ref/db_handle.html">sqlite3_db_handle</a>(pStmt));
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|     if( rc!=SQLITE_OK ) break;
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|     <a href="c3ref/reset.html">sqlite3_reset</a>(pStmt);
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|   }
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|   return rc;
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| }
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| 
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/*</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** This function is a wrapper around the SQLite function <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare_v2</a>().</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** It functions in the same way as prepare_v2(), except that if a required</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** shared-cache lock cannot be obtained, this function may block waiting for</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** the lock to become available. In this scenario the normal API prepare_v2()</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** function always returns SQLITE_LOCKED.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">**</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** If this function returns SQLITE_LOCKED, the caller should rollback</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** the current transaction (if any) and try again later. Otherwise, the</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">** system may become deadlocked.</span>
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| <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">*/</span>
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| int sqlite3_blocking_prepare_v2(
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|   <a href="c3ref/sqlite3.html">sqlite3</a> *db,              <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* Database handle. */</span>
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|   const char *zSql,         <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* UTF-8 encoded SQL statement. */</span>
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|   int nSql,                 <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* Length of zSql in bytes. */</span>
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|   <a href="c3ref/stmt.html">sqlite3_stmt</a> **ppStmt,    <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* OUT: A pointer to the prepared statement */</span>
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|   const char **pz           <span style="color:blue;font-style:italic">/* OUT: End of parsed string */</span>
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| ){
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|   int rc;
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|   while( SQLITE_LOCKED==(rc = <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare_v2</a>(db, zSql, nSql, ppStmt, pz)) ){
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|     rc = wait_for_unlock_notify(db);
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|     if( rc!=SQLITE_OK ) break;
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|   }
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|   return rc;
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| }
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| </pre>
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| 
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| 
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| <p>
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|   When two or more connections access the same database in shared-cache 
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|   mode, read and write (shared and exclusive) locks on individual tables
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|   are used to ensure that concurrently executing transactions are kept 
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|   isolated. Before writing to a table, a write (exclusive) lock must be 
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|   obtained on that table. Before reading, a read (shared) lock must be
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|   obtained. A connection releases all held table locks when it concludes
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|   its transaction. If a connection cannot obtain a required lock, then
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|   the call to <a href="c3ref/step.html">sqlite3_step()</a> returns SQLITE_LOCKED.
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| 
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| <p>
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|   Although it is less common, a call to <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare()</a> or
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|   <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare_v2()</a> may also return SQLITE_LOCKED if it cannot obtain
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|   a read-lock on the <a href="schematab.html">sqlite_schema table</a> of each attached database. These
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|   APIs need to read the schema data contained in the sqlite_schema table
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|   in order to compile SQL statements to <a href="c3ref/stmt.html">sqlite3_stmt*</a> objects.
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| 
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| <p>
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|   This article presents a technique using the SQLite <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a>
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|   interface such that calls to <a href="c3ref/step.html">sqlite3_step()</a> and <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare_v2()</a>
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|   block until the required locks are available instead of returning 
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|   SQLITE_LOCKED immediately. If the
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|   sqlite3_blocking_step() or sqlite3_blocking_prepare_v2() functions presented 
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|   to the left return SQLITE_LOCKED, this indicates that to block would 
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|   deadlock the system.
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| 
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| <p>
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|   The <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> API, which is only available if the library is
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|   compiled with the pre-processor symbol <a href="compile.html#enable_unlock_notify">SQLITE_ENABLE_UNLOCK_NOTIFY</a> defined,
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|   is <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">documented here</a>. This article is not a
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|   substitute for reading the full API documentation!
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| 
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| <p>
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|   The <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> interface is designed for use in systems
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|   that have a separate thread assigned to each <a href="c3ref/sqlite3.html">database connection</a>.  There
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|   is nothing in the implementation that prevents a single thread from running
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|   multiple database connections.  However, the <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a>
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|   interface only works on a single connection at a time, so the lock
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|   resolution logic presented here will only work for a single 
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|   database connection per thread.
 | |
| 
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| <p><b>The sqlite3_unlock_notify() API</b>
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| 
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| <p>
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|   After a call to <a href="c3ref/step.html">sqlite3_step()</a> or <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare_v2()</a> returns 
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|   SQLITE_LOCKED, the <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> API may be invoked to register 
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|   for an unlock-notify callback. The unlock-notify callback is invoked by 
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|   SQLite after the database connection holding the table-lock that prevented
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|   the call to <a href="c3ref/step.html">sqlite3_step()</a> or <a href="c3ref/prepare.html">sqlite3_prepare_v2()</a> from succeeding has
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|   finished its transaction and released all locks. For example, if a call to
 | |
|   sqlite3_step() is an attempt to read from table X, and some other connection
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|   Y is holding a write-lock on table X, then sqlite3_step() will return
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|   SQLITE_LOCKED. If <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> is then called, the unlock-notify
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|   callback will be invoked after connection Y's transaction is concluded. The
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|   connection that the unlock-notify callback is waiting on, in this case
 | |
|   connection Y, is known as the "blocking connection".
 | |
| 
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| <p>
 | |
|   If a call to sqlite3_step() that attempts to write to a database table
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|   returns SQLITE_LOCKED, then more than one other connection may be holding 
 | |
|   a read-lock on the database table in question. In this case SQLite simply
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|   selects one of those other connections arbitrarily and issues the 
 | |
|   unlock-notify callback when that connection's transaction is finished.
 | |
|   Whether the call to sqlite3_step() was blocked by one or many connections, 
 | |
|   when the corresponding unlock-notify callback is issued it is not 
 | |
|   guaranteed that the required lock is available, only that it may be.
 | |
| 
 | |
| <p>
 | |
|   When the unlock-notify callback is issued, it is issued from within a
 | |
|   call to sqlite3_step() (or sqlite3_close()) associated with the blocking 
 | |
|   connection. It is illegal to invoke any sqlite3_XXX() API functions from
 | |
|   within an unlock-notify callback. The expected use is that the unlock-notify
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|   callback will signal some other waiting thread or schedule some action
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|   to take place later.
 | |
| 
 | |
| <p>
 | |
|   The algorithm used by the sqlite3_blocking_step() function is as follows:
 | |
| 
 | |
| <ol>
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|   <li><p> Call sqlite3_step() on the supplied statement handle. If the call
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|        returns anything other than SQLITE_LOCKED, then return this value
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|        to the caller. Otherwise, continue.
 | |
| 
 | |
|   <li><p> Invoke <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> on the database connection handle
 | |
|        associated with the supplied statement handle to register for an
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|        unlock-notify callback. If the call to unlock_notify() returns
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|        SQLITE_LOCKED, then return this value to the caller.
 | |
| 
 | |
|   <li><p> Block until the unlock-notify callback is invoked by another thread.
 | |
| 
 | |
|   <li><p> Call sqlite3_reset() on the statement handle. Since an 
 | |
|        SQLITE_LOCKED error may only occur on the first call to sqlite3_step()
 | |
|        (it is not possible for one call to sqlite3_step() to return 
 | |
|        SQLITE_ROW and then the next SQLITE_LOCKED), the statement handle may 
 | |
|        be reset at this point without affecting the results of the query
 | |
|        from the point of view of the caller. If sqlite3_reset() were not
 | |
|        called at this point, the next call to sqlite3_step() would return
 | |
|        SQLITE_MISUSE.
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| 
 | |
|   <li><p> Return to step 1.
 | |
| </ol>
 | |
| 
 | |
| <p>
 | |
|   The algorithm used by the sqlite3_blocking_prepare_v2() function is similar,
 | |
|   except that step 4 (resetting the statement handle) is omitted.
 | |
| 
 | |
| 
 | |
| <p><b>Writer Starvation</b>
 | |
| 
 | |
| <p>
 | |
|   Multiple connections may hold a read-lock simultaneously.  If many threads
 | |
|   are acquiring overlapping read-locks, it might be the case that at least
 | |
|   one thread is always holding a read lock.
 | |
|   Then a table waiting for a write-lock will wait forever.
 | |
|   This scenario is called "writer starvation."
 | |
| 
 | |
| <p>
 | |
|   SQLite helps applications avoid writer starvation. After any attempt to
 | |
|   obtain a write-lock on a table fails (because one or more other 
 | |
|   connections are holding read-locks), all attempts to open new transactions
 | |
|   on the shared-cache fail until one of the following is true:
 | |
| 
 | |
| <ul>
 | |
|   <li> The current writer concludes its transaction, OR
 | |
|   <li> The number of open read-transactions on the shared-cache drops to zero.
 | |
| </ul>
 | |
| 
 | |
| <p>
 | |
|   Failed attempts to open new read-transactions return SQLITE_LOCKED to the
 | |
|   caller. If the caller then calls <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> to register for
 | |
|   an unlock-notify callback, the blocking connection is the connection that
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|   currently has an open write-transaction on the shared-cache. This prevents
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|   writer-starvation since if no new read-transactions may be opened and 
 | |
|   assuming all existing read-transactions are eventually concluded, the 
 | |
|   writer will eventually have an opportunity to obtain the required
 | |
|   write-lock.
 | |
| 
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| <p><b>The pthreads API</b>
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| 
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|   <p> By the time <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> is invoked by
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|       wait_for_unlock_notify(), it is possible that the blocking connection
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|       that prevented the sqlite3_step() or sqlite3_prepare_v2() call from 
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|       succeeding has already finished its transaction. In this case, the 
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|       unlock-notify callback is invoked immediately, before 
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|       <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> returns. Or, it is possible that the 
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|       unlock-notify callback is invoked by a second thread after 
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|       <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> is called but before the thread starts waiting 
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|       to be asynchronously signaled. 
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| 
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|   <p> Exactly how such a potential race-condition is handled depends on the
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|       threads and synchronization primitives interface used by the application.
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|       This example uses pthreads, the interface provided by modern UNIX-like 
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|       systems, including Linux.
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| 
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|   <p> The pthreads interface provides the pthread_cond_wait() function. 
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|       This function allows the caller to simultaneously release a mutex
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|       and start waiting for an asynchronous signal. Using this function,
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|       a "fired" flag and a mutex, the race-condition described above may
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|       be eliminated as follows:
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| 
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|   <p> When the unlock-notify callback is invoked, which may be before the
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|       thread that called <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> begins waiting for the 
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|       asynchronous signal, it does the following:
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| 
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|     <ol>
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|       <li> Obtains the mutex.
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|       <li> Sets the "fired" flag to true.
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|       <li> Attempts to signal a waiting thread.
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|       <li> Releases the mutex.
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|     </ol>
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| 
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|   <p> When the wait_for_unlock_notify() thread is ready to begin waiting for
 | |
|       the unlock-notify callback to arrive, it:
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| 
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|     <ol>
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|       <li> Obtains the mutex.
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|       <li> Checks if the "fired" flag has been set. If so, the unlock-notify
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|            callback has already been invoked. Release the mutex and continue.
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|       <li> Atomically releases the mutex and begins waiting for the
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|            asynchronous signal. When the signal arrives, continue.
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|     </ol>
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| 
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|   <p> This way, it doesn't matter if the unlock-notify callback has already
 | |
|       been invoked, or is being invoked, when the wait_for_unlock_notify() 
 | |
|       thread begins blocking.
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| 
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| <p><b>Possible Enhancements</b>
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| 
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|   <p> The code in this article could be improved in at least two ways:
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| 
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|   <ul>
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|     <li> It could manage thread priorities.
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|     <li> It could handle a special case of SQLITE_LOCKED that can occur
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|          when dropping a table or index.
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|   </ul>
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| 
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|   <p>
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|     Even though the <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> function only allows the caller
 | |
|     to specify a single user-context pointer, an unlock-notify callback 
 | |
|     is passed an array of such context pointers. This is because if when
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|     a blocking connection concludes its transaction, if there is more
 | |
|     than one unlock-notify registered to call the same C function, the
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|     context-pointers are marshaled into an array and a single callback
 | |
|     issued. If each thread were assigned a priority, then instead of just
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|     signaling the threads in arbitrary order as this implementation does,
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|     higher priority threads could be signaled before lower priority threads.
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| 
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|   <p>
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|     If a "DROP TABLE" or "DROP INDEX" SQL command is executed, and the
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|     same database connection currently has one or more actively
 | |
|     executing SELECT statements, then SQLITE_LOCKED is returned. If
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|     <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a> is called in this case, then the specified
 | |
|     callback will be invoked immediately. Re-attempting the "DROP
 | |
|     TABLE" or "DROP INDEX" statement will return another SQLITE_LOCKED 
 | |
|     error. In the implementation of sqlite3_blocking_step() shown to the
 | |
|     left, this could cause an infinite loop.
 | |
| 
 | |
|   <p>
 | |
|     The caller could distinguish between this special "DROP TABLE|INDEX" 
 | |
|     case and other cases by using <a href="rescode.html#extrc">extended error codes</a>. When it is appropriate
 | |
|     to call <a href="c3ref/unlock_notify.html">sqlite3_unlock_notify()</a>, the extended error code is
 | |
|     SQLITE_LOCKED_SHAREDCACHE. Otherwise, in the "DROP TABLE|INDEX" case,
 | |
|     it is just plain SQLITE_LOCKED. Another solution might be to limit
 | |
|     the number of times that any single query could be reattempted (to say 
 | |
|     100). Although this might be less efficient than one might wish, the 
 | |
|     situation in question is not likely to occur often.
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| 
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| <div style="clear:both"></div>
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| 
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