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      1 
      2 ======================
      3 Thread Safety Analysis
      4 ======================
      5 
      6 Introduction
      7 ============
      8 
      9 Clang Thread Safety Analysis is a C++ language extension which warns about
     10 potential race conditions in code.  The analysis is completely static (i.e.
     11 compile-time); there is no run-time overhead.  The analysis is still
     12 under active development, but it is mature enough to be deployed in an
     13 industrial setting.  It is being developed by Google, in collaboration with
     14 CERT/SEI, and is used extensively in Google's internal code base.
     15 
     16 Thread safety analysis works very much like a type system for multi-threaded
     17 programs.  In addition to declaring the *type* of data (e.g. ``int``, ``float``,
     18 etc.), the programmer can (optionally) declare how access to that data is
     19 controlled in a multi-threaded environment.  For example, if ``foo`` is
     20 *guarded by* the mutex ``mu``, then the analysis will issue a warning whenever
     21 a piece of code reads or writes to ``foo`` without first locking ``mu``.
     22 Similarly, if there are particular routines that should only be called by
     23 the GUI thread, then the analysis will warn if other threads call those
     24 routines.
     25 
     26 Getting Started
     27 ----------------
     28 
     29 .. code-block:: c++
     30 
     31   #include "mutex.h"
     32 
     33   class BankAccount {
     34   private:
     35     Mutex mu;
     36     int   balance GUARDED_BY(mu);
     37 
     38     void depositImpl(int amount) {
     39       balance += amount;       // WARNING! Cannot write balance without locking mu.
     40     }
     41 
     42     void withdrawImpl(int amount) REQUIRES(mu) {
     43       balance -= amount;       // OK. Caller must have locked mu.
     44     }
     45 
     46   public:
     47     void withdraw(int amount) {
     48       mu.Lock();
     49       withdrawImpl(amount);    // OK.  We've locked mu.
     50     }                          // WARNING!  Failed to unlock mu.
     51 
     52     void transferFrom(BankAccount& b, int amount) {
     53       mu.Lock();
     54       b.withdrawImpl(amount);  // WARNING!  Calling withdrawImpl() requires locking b.mu.
     55       depositImpl(amount);     // OK.  depositImpl() has no requirements.
     56       mu.Unlock();
     57     }
     58   };
     59 
     60 This example demonstrates the basic concepts behind the analysis.  The
     61 ``GUARDED_BY`` attribute declares that a thread must lock ``mu`` before it can
     62 read or write to ``balance``, thus ensuring that the increment and decrement
     63 operations are atomic.  Similarly, ``REQUIRES`` declares that
     64 the calling thread must lock ``mu`` before calling ``withdrawImpl``.
     65 Because the caller is assumed to have locked ``mu``, it is safe to modify
     66 ``balance`` within the body of the method.
     67 
     68 The ``depositImpl()`` method does not have ``REQUIRES``, so the
     69 analysis issues a warning.  Thread safety analysis is not inter-procedural, so
     70 caller requirements must be explicitly declared.
     71 There is also a warning in ``transferFrom()``, because although the method
     72 locks ``this->mu``, it does not lock ``b.mu``.  The analysis understands
     73 that these are two separate mutexes, in two different objects.
     74 
     75 Finally, there is a warning in the ``withdraw()`` method, because it fails to
     76 unlock ``mu``.  Every lock must have a corresponding unlock, and the analysis
     77 will detect both double locks, and double unlocks.  A function is allowed to
     78 acquire a lock without releasing it, (or vice versa), but it must be annotated
     79 as such (using ``ACQUIRE``/``RELEASE``).
     80 
     81 
     82 Running The Analysis
     83 --------------------
     84 
     85 To run the analysis, simply compile with the ``-Wthread-safety`` flag, e.g.
     86 
     87 .. code-block:: bash
     88 
     89   clang -c -Wthread-safety example.cpp
     90 
     91 Note that this example assumes the presence of a suitably annotated
     92 :ref:`mutexheader` that declares which methods perform locking,
     93 unlocking, and so on.
     94 
     95 
     96 Basic Concepts: Capabilities
     97 ============================
     98 
     99 Thread safety analysis provides a way of protecting *resources* with
    100 *capabilities*.  A resource is either a data member, or a function/method
    101 that provides access to some underlying resource.  The analysis ensures that
    102 the calling thread cannot access the *resource* (i.e. call the function, or
    103 read/write the data) unless it has the *capability* to do so.
    104 
    105 Capabilities are associated with named C++ objects which declare specific
    106 methods to acquire and release the capability.  The name of the object serves
    107 to identify the capability.  The most common example is a mutex.  For example,
    108 if ``mu`` is a mutex, then calling ``mu.Lock()`` causes the calling thread
    109 to acquire the capability to access data that is protected by ``mu``. Similarly,
    110 calling ``mu.Unlock()`` releases that capability.
    111 
    112 A thread may hold a capability either *exclusively* or *shared*.  An exclusive
    113 capability can be held by only one thread at a time, while a shared capability
    114 can be held by many threads at the same time.  This mechanism enforces a
    115 multiple-reader, single-writer pattern.  Write operations to protected data
    116 require exclusive access, while read operations require only shared access.
    117 
    118 At any given moment during program execution, a thread holds a specific set of
    119 capabilities (e.g. the set of mutexes that it has locked.)  These act like keys
    120 or tokens that allow the thread to access a given resource.  Just like physical
    121 security keys, a thread cannot make copy of a capability, nor can it destroy
    122 one.  A thread can only release a capability to another thread, or acquire one
    123 from another thread.  The annotations are deliberately agnostic about the
    124 exact mechanism used to acquire and release capabilities; it assumes that the
    125 underlying implementation (e.g. the Mutex implementation) does the handoff in
    126 an appropriate manner.
    127 
    128 The set of capabilities that are actually held by a given thread at a given
    129 point in program execution is a run-time concept.  The static analysis works
    130 by calculating an approximation of that set, called the *capability
    131 environment*.  The capability environment is calculated for every program point,
    132 and describes the set of capabilities that are statically known to be held, or
    133 not held, at that particular point.  This environment is a conservative
    134 approximation of the full set of capabilities that will actually held by a
    135 thread at run-time.
    136 
    137 
    138 Reference Guide
    139 ===============
    140 
    141 The thread safety analysis uses attributes to declare threading constraints.
    142 Attributes must be attached to named declarations, such as classes, methods,
    143 and data members. Users are *strongly advised* to define macros for the various
    144 attributes; example definitions can be found in :ref:`mutexheader`, below.
    145 The following documentation assumes the use of macros.
    146 
    147 The attributes only control assumptions made by thread safety analysis and the
    148 warnings it issues.  They don't affect generated code or behavior at run-time.
    149 
    150 For historical reasons, prior versions of thread safety used macro names that
    151 were very lock-centric.  These macros have since been renamed to fit a more
    152 general capability model.  The prior names are still in use, and will be
    153 mentioned under the tag *previously* where appropriate.
    154 
    155 
    156 GUARDED_BY(c) and PT_GUARDED_BY(c)
    157 ----------------------------------
    158 
    159 ``GUARDED_BY`` is an attribute on data members, which declares that the data
    160 member is protected by the given capability.  Read operations on the data
    161 require shared access, while write operations require exclusive access.
    162 
    163 ``PT_GUARDED_BY`` is similar, but is intended for use on pointers and smart
    164 pointers. There is no constraint on the data member itself, but the *data that
    165 it points to* is protected by the given capability.
    166 
    167 .. code-block:: c++
    168 
    169   Mutex mu;
    170   int *p1             GUARDED_BY(mu);
    171   int *p2             PT_GUARDED_BY(mu);
    172   unique_ptr<int> p3  PT_GUARDED_BY(mu);
    173 
    174   void test() {
    175     p1 = 0;             // Warning!
    176 
    177     *p2 = 42;           // Warning!
    178     p2 = new int;       // OK.
    179 
    180     *p3 = 42;           // Warning!
    181     p3.reset(new int);  // OK.
    182   }
    183 
    184 
    185 REQUIRES(...), REQUIRES_SHARED(...)
    186 -----------------------------------
    187 
    188 *Previously*: ``EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED``, ``SHARED_LOCKS_REQUIRED``
    189 
    190 ``REQUIRES`` is an attribute on functions or methods, which
    191 declares that the calling thread must have exclusive access to the given
    192 capabilities.  More than one capability may be specified.  The capabilities
    193 must be held on entry to the function, *and must still be held on exit*.
    194 
    195 ``REQUIRES_SHARED`` is similar, but requires only shared access.
    196 
    197 .. code-block:: c++
    198 
    199   Mutex mu1, mu2;
    200   int a GUARDED_BY(mu1);
    201   int b GUARDED_BY(mu2);
    202 
    203   void foo() REQUIRES(mu1, mu2) {
    204     a = 0;
    205     b = 0;
    206   }
    207 
    208   void test() {
    209     mu1.Lock();
    210     foo();         // Warning!  Requires mu2.
    211     mu1.Unlock();
    212   }
    213 
    214 
    215 ACQUIRE(...), ACQUIRE_SHARED(...), RELEASE(...), RELEASE_SHARED(...), RELEASE_GENERIC(...)
    216 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    217 
    218 *Previously*: ``EXCLUSIVE_LOCK_FUNCTION``, ``SHARED_LOCK_FUNCTION``,
    219 ``UNLOCK_FUNCTION``
    220 
    221 ``ACQUIRE`` and ``ACQUIRE_SHARED`` are attributes on functions or methods
    222 declaring that the function acquires a capability, but does not release it.
    223 The given capability must not be held on entry, and will be held on exit
    224 (exclusively for ``ACQUIRE``, shared for ``ACQUIRE_SHARED``).
    225 
    226 ``RELEASE``, ``RELEASE_SHARED``, and ``RELEASE_GENERIC`` declare that the
    227 function releases the given capability.  The capability must be held on entry
    228 (exclusively for ``RELEASE``, shared for ``RELEASE_SHARED``, exclusively or
    229 shared for ``RELEASE_GENERIC``), and will no longer be held on exit.
    230 
    231 .. code-block:: c++
    232 
    233   Mutex mu;
    234   MyClass myObject GUARDED_BY(mu);
    235 
    236   void lockAndInit() ACQUIRE(mu) {
    237     mu.Lock();
    238     myObject.init();
    239   }
    240 
    241   void cleanupAndUnlock() RELEASE(mu) {
    242     myObject.cleanup();
    243   }                          // Warning!  Need to unlock mu.
    244 
    245   void test() {
    246     lockAndInit();
    247     myObject.doSomething();
    248     cleanupAndUnlock();
    249     myObject.doSomething();  // Warning, mu is not locked.
    250   }
    251 
    252 If no argument is passed to ``ACQUIRE`` or ``RELEASE``, then the argument is
    253 assumed to be ``this``, and the analysis will not check the body of the
    254 function.  This pattern is intended for use by classes which hide locking
    255 details behind an abstract interface.  For example:
    256 
    257 .. code-block:: c++
    258 
    259   template <class T>
    260   class CAPABILITY("mutex") Container {
    261   private:
    262     Mutex mu;
    263     T* data;
    264 
    265   public:
    266     // Hide mu from public interface.
    267     void Lock()   ACQUIRE() { mu.Lock(); }
    268     void Unlock() RELEASE() { mu.Unlock(); }
    269 
    270     T& getElem(int i) { return data[i]; }
    271   };
    272 
    273   void test() {
    274     Container<int> c;
    275     c.Lock();
    276     int i = c.getElem(0);
    277     c.Unlock();
    278   }
    279 
    280 
    281 EXCLUDES(...)
    282 -------------
    283 
    284 *Previously*: ``LOCKS_EXCLUDED``
    285 
    286 ``EXCLUDES`` is an attribute on functions or methods, which declares that
    287 the caller must *not* hold the given capabilities.  This annotation is
    288 used to prevent deadlock.  Many mutex implementations are not re-entrant, so
    289 deadlock can occur if the function acquires the mutex a second time.
    290 
    291 .. code-block:: c++
    292 
    293   Mutex mu;
    294   int a GUARDED_BY(mu);
    295 
    296   void clear() EXCLUDES(mu) {
    297     mu.Lock();
    298     a = 0;
    299     mu.Unlock();
    300   }
    301 
    302   void reset() {
    303     mu.Lock();
    304     clear();     // Warning!  Caller cannot hold 'mu'.
    305     mu.Unlock();
    306   }
    307 
    308 Unlike ``REQUIRES``, ``EXCLUDES`` is optional.  The analysis will not issue a
    309 warning if the attribute is missing, which can lead to false negatives in some
    310 cases.  This issue is discussed further in :ref:`negative`.
    311 
    312 
    313 NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS
    314 -------------------------
    315 
    316 ``NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS`` is an attribute on functions or methods, which
    317 turns off thread safety checking for that method.  It provides an escape hatch
    318 for functions which are either (1) deliberately thread-unsafe, or (2) are
    319 thread-safe, but too complicated for the analysis to understand.  Reasons for
    320 (2) will be described in the :ref:`limitations`, below.
    321 
    322 .. code-block:: c++
    323 
    324   class Counter {
    325     Mutex mu;
    326     int a GUARDED_BY(mu);
    327 
    328     void unsafeIncrement() NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS { a++; }
    329   };
    330 
    331 Unlike the other attributes, NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS is not part of the
    332 interface of a function, and should thus be placed on the function definition
    333 (in the ``.cc`` or ``.cpp`` file) rather than on the function declaration
    334 (in the header).
    335 
    336 
    337 RETURN_CAPABILITY(c)
    338 --------------------
    339 
    340 *Previously*: ``LOCK_RETURNED``
    341 
    342 ``RETURN_CAPABILITY`` is an attribute on functions or methods, which declares
    343 that the function returns a reference to the given capability.  It is used to
    344 annotate getter methods that return mutexes.
    345 
    346 .. code-block:: c++
    347 
    348   class MyClass {
    349   private:
    350     Mutex mu;
    351     int a GUARDED_BY(mu);
    352 
    353   public:
    354     Mutex* getMu() RETURN_CAPABILITY(mu) { return &mu; }
    355 
    356     // analysis knows that getMu() == mu
    357     void clear() REQUIRES(getMu()) { a = 0; }
    358   };
    359 
    360 
    361 ACQUIRED_BEFORE(...), ACQUIRED_AFTER(...)
    362 -----------------------------------------
    363 
    364 ``ACQUIRED_BEFORE`` and ``ACQUIRED_AFTER`` are attributes on member
    365 declarations, specifically declarations of mutexes or other capabilities.
    366 These declarations enforce a particular order in which the mutexes must be
    367 acquired, in order to prevent deadlock.
    368 
    369 .. code-block:: c++
    370 
    371   Mutex m1;
    372   Mutex m2 ACQUIRED_AFTER(m1);
    373 
    374   // Alternative declaration
    375   // Mutex m2;
    376   // Mutex m1 ACQUIRED_BEFORE(m2);
    377 
    378   void foo() {
    379     m2.Lock();
    380     m1.Lock();  // Warning!  m2 must be acquired after m1.
    381     m1.Unlock();
    382     m2.Unlock();
    383   }
    384 
    385 
    386 CAPABILITY(<string>)
    387 --------------------
    388 
    389 *Previously*: ``LOCKABLE``
    390 
    391 ``CAPABILITY`` is an attribute on classes, which specifies that objects of the
    392 class can be used as a capability.  The string argument specifies the kind of
    393 capability in error messages, e.g. ``"mutex"``.  See the ``Container`` example
    394 given above, or the ``Mutex`` class in :ref:`mutexheader`.
    395 
    396 
    397 SCOPED_CAPABILITY
    398 -----------------
    399 
    400 *Previously*: ``SCOPED_LOCKABLE``
    401 
    402 ``SCOPED_CAPABILITY`` is an attribute on classes that implement RAII-style
    403 locking, in which a capability is acquired in the constructor, and released in
    404 the destructor.  Such classes require special handling because the constructor
    405 and destructor refer to the capability via different names; see the
    406 ``MutexLocker`` class in :ref:`mutexheader`, below.
    407 
    408 Scoped capabilities are treated as capabilities that are implicitly acquired
    409 on construction and released on destruction. They are associated with
    410 the set of (regular) capabilities named in thread safety attributes on the
    411 constructor. Acquire-type attributes on other member functions are treated as
    412 applying to that set of associated capabilities, while ``RELEASE`` implies that
    413 a function releases all associated capabilities in whatever mode they're held.
    414 
    415 
    416 TRY_ACQUIRE(<bool>, ...), TRY_ACQUIRE_SHARED(<bool>, ...)
    417 ---------------------------------------------------------
    418 
    419 *Previously:* ``EXCLUSIVE_TRYLOCK_FUNCTION``, ``SHARED_TRYLOCK_FUNCTION``
    420 
    421 These are attributes on a function or method that tries to acquire the given
    422 capability, and returns a boolean value indicating success or failure.
    423 The first argument must be ``true`` or ``false``, to specify which return value
    424 indicates success, and the remaining arguments are interpreted in the same way
    425 as ``ACQUIRE``.  See :ref:`mutexheader`, below, for example uses.
    426 
    427 Because the analysis doesn't support conditional locking, a capability is
    428 treated as acquired after the first branch on the return value of a try-acquire
    429 function.
    430 
    431 .. code-block:: c++
    432 
    433   Mutex mu;
    434   int a GUARDED_BY(mu);
    435 
    436   void foo() {
    437     bool success = mu.TryLock();
    438     a = 0;         // Warning, mu is not locked.
    439     if (success) {
    440       a = 0;       // Ok.
    441       mu.Unlock();
    442     } else {
    443       a = 0;       // Warning, mu is not locked.
    444     }
    445   }
    446 
    447 
    448 ASSERT_CAPABILITY(...) and ASSERT_SHARED_CAPABILITY(...)
    449 --------------------------------------------------------
    450 
    451 *Previously:*  ``ASSERT_EXCLUSIVE_LOCK``, ``ASSERT_SHARED_LOCK``
    452 
    453 These are attributes on a function or method which asserts the calling thread
    454 already holds the given capability, for example by performing a run-time test
    455 and terminating if the capability is not held.  Presence of this annotation
    456 causes the analysis to assume the capability is held after calls to the
    457 annotated function.  See :ref:`mutexheader`, below, for example uses.
    458 
    459 
    460 GUARDED_VAR and PT_GUARDED_VAR
    461 ------------------------------
    462 
    463 Use of these attributes has been deprecated.
    464 
    465 
    466 Warning flags
    467 -------------
    468 
    469 * ``-Wthread-safety``:  Umbrella flag which turns on the following three:
    470 
    471   + ``-Wthread-safety-attributes``: Sanity checks on attribute syntax.
    472   + ``-Wthread-safety-analysis``: The core analysis.
    473   + ``-Wthread-safety-precise``: Requires that mutex expressions match precisely.
    474        This warning can be disabled for code which has a lot of aliases.
    475   + ``-Wthread-safety-reference``: Checks when guarded members are passed by reference.
    476 
    477 
    478 :ref:`negative` are an experimental feature, which are enabled with:
    479 
    480 * ``-Wthread-safety-negative``:  Negative capabilities.  Off by default.
    481 
    482 When new features and checks are added to the analysis, they can often introduce
    483 additional warnings.  Those warnings are initially released as *beta* warnings
    484 for a period of time, after which they are migrated into the standard analysis.
    485 
    486 * ``-Wthread-safety-beta``:  New features.  Off by default.
    487 
    488 
    489 .. _negative:
    490 
    491 Negative Capabilities
    492 =====================
    493 
    494 Thread Safety Analysis is designed to prevent both race conditions and
    495 deadlock.  The GUARDED_BY and REQUIRES attributes prevent race conditions, by
    496 ensuring that a capability is held before reading or writing to guarded data,
    497 and the EXCLUDES attribute prevents deadlock, by making sure that a mutex is
    498 *not* held.
    499 
    500 However, EXCLUDES is an optional attribute, and does not provide the same
    501 safety guarantee as REQUIRES.  In particular:
    502 
    503   * A function which acquires a capability does not have to exclude it.
    504   * A function which calls a function that excludes a capability does not
    505     have transitively exclude that capability.
    506 
    507 As a result, EXCLUDES can easily produce false negatives:
    508 
    509 .. code-block:: c++
    510 
    511   class Foo {
    512     Mutex mu;
    513 
    514     void foo() {
    515       mu.Lock();
    516       bar();           // No warning.
    517       baz();           // No warning.
    518       mu.Unlock();
    519     }
    520 
    521     void bar() {       // No warning.  (Should have EXCLUDES(mu)).
    522       mu.Lock();
    523       // ...
    524       mu.Unlock();
    525     }
    526 
    527     void baz() {
    528       bif();           // No warning.  (Should have EXCLUDES(mu)).
    529     }
    530 
    531     void bif() EXCLUDES(mu);
    532   };
    533 
    534 
    535 Negative requirements are an alternative EXCLUDES that provide
    536 a stronger safety guarantee.  A negative requirement uses the  REQUIRES
    537 attribute, in conjunction with the ``!`` operator, to indicate that a capability
    538 should *not* be held.
    539 
    540 For example, using ``REQUIRES(!mu)`` instead of ``EXCLUDES(mu)`` will produce
    541 the appropriate warnings:
    542 
    543 .. code-block:: c++
    544 
    545   class FooNeg {
    546     Mutex mu;
    547 
    548     void foo() REQUIRES(!mu) {   // foo() now requires !mu.
    549       mu.Lock();
    550       bar();
    551       baz();
    552       mu.Unlock();
    553     }
    554 
    555     void bar() {
    556       mu.Lock();       // WARNING!  Missing REQUIRES(!mu).
    557       // ...
    558       mu.Unlock();
    559     }
    560 
    561     void baz() {
    562       bif();           // WARNING!  Missing REQUIRES(!mu).
    563     }
    564 
    565     void bif() REQUIRES(!mu);
    566   };
    567 
    568 
    569 Negative requirements are an experimental feature which is off by default,
    570 because it will produce many warnings in existing code.  It can be enabled
    571 by passing ``-Wthread-safety-negative``.
    572 
    573 
    574 .. _faq:
    575 
    576 Frequently Asked Questions
    577 ==========================
    578 
    579 (Q) Should I put attributes in the header file, or in the .cc/.cpp/.cxx file?
    580 
    581 (A) Attributes are part of the formal interface of a function, and should
    582 always go in the header, where they are visible to anything that includes
    583 the header.  Attributes in the .cpp file are not visible outside of the
    584 immediate translation unit, which leads to false negatives and false positives.
    585 
    586 
    587 (Q) "*Mutex is not locked on every path through here?*"  What does that mean?
    588 
    589 (A) See :ref:`conditional_locks`, below.
    590 
    591 
    592 .. _limitations:
    593 
    594 Known Limitations
    595 =================
    596 
    597 Lexical scope
    598 -------------
    599 
    600 Thread safety attributes contain ordinary C++ expressions, and thus follow
    601 ordinary C++ scoping rules.  In particular, this means that mutexes and other
    602 capabilities must be declared before they can be used in an attribute.
    603 Use-before-declaration is okay within a single class, because attributes are
    604 parsed at the same time as method bodies. (C++ delays parsing of method bodies
    605 until the end of the class.)  However, use-before-declaration is not allowed
    606 between classes, as illustrated below.
    607 
    608 .. code-block:: c++
    609 
    610   class Foo;
    611 
    612   class Bar {
    613     void bar(Foo* f) REQUIRES(f->mu);  // Error: mu undeclared.
    614   };
    615 
    616   class Foo {
    617     Mutex mu;
    618   };
    619 
    620 
    621 Private Mutexes
    622 ---------------
    623 
    624 Good software engineering practice dictates that mutexes should be private
    625 members, because the locking mechanism used by a thread-safe class is part of
    626 its internal implementation.  However, private mutexes can sometimes leak into
    627 the public interface of a class.
    628 Thread safety attributes follow normal C++ access restrictions, so if ``mu``
    629 is a private member of ``c``, then it is an error to write ``c.mu`` in an
    630 attribute.
    631 
    632 One workaround is to (ab)use the ``RETURN_CAPABILITY`` attribute to provide a
    633 public *name* for a private mutex, without actually exposing the underlying
    634 mutex.  For example:
    635 
    636 .. code-block:: c++
    637 
    638   class MyClass {
    639   private:
    640     Mutex mu;
    641 
    642   public:
    643     // For thread safety analysis only.  Does not actually return mu.
    644     Mutex* getMu() RETURN_CAPABILITY(mu) { return 0; }
    645 
    646     void doSomething() REQUIRES(mu);
    647   };
    648 
    649   void doSomethingTwice(MyClass& c) REQUIRES(c.getMu()) {
    650     // The analysis thinks that c.getMu() == c.mu
    651     c.doSomething();
    652     c.doSomething();
    653   }
    654 
    655 In the above example, ``doSomethingTwice()`` is an external routine that
    656 requires ``c.mu`` to be locked, which cannot be declared directly because ``mu``
    657 is private.  This pattern is discouraged because it
    658 violates encapsulation, but it is sometimes necessary, especially when adding
    659 annotations to an existing code base.  The workaround is to define ``getMu()``
    660 as a fake getter method, which is provided only for the benefit of thread
    661 safety analysis.
    662 
    663 
    664 .. _conditional_locks:
    665 
    666 No conditionally held locks.
    667 ----------------------------
    668 
    669 The analysis must be able to determine whether a lock is held, or not held, at
    670 every program point.  Thus, sections of code where a lock *might be held* will
    671 generate spurious warnings (false positives).  For example:
    672 
    673 .. code-block:: c++
    674 
    675   void foo() {
    676     bool b = needsToLock();
    677     if (b) mu.Lock();
    678     ...  // Warning!  Mutex 'mu' is not held on every path through here.
    679     if (b) mu.Unlock();
    680   }
    681 
    682 
    683 No checking inside constructors and destructors.
    684 ------------------------------------------------
    685 
    686 The analysis currently does not do any checking inside constructors or
    687 destructors.  In other words, every constructor and destructor is treated as
    688 if it was annotated with ``NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS``.
    689 The reason for this is that during initialization, only one thread typically
    690 has access to the object which is being initialized, and it is thus safe (and
    691 common practice) to initialize guarded members without acquiring any locks.
    692 The same is true of destructors.
    693 
    694 Ideally, the analysis would allow initialization of guarded members inside the
    695 object being initialized or destroyed, while still enforcing the usual access
    696 restrictions on everything else.  However, this is difficult to enforce in
    697 practice, because in complex pointer-based data structures, it is hard to
    698 determine what data is owned by the enclosing object.
    699 
    700 No inlining.
    701 ------------
    702 
    703 Thread safety analysis is strictly intra-procedural, just like ordinary type
    704 checking.  It relies only on the declared attributes of a function, and will
    705 not attempt to inline any method calls.  As a result, code such as the
    706 following will not work:
    707 
    708 .. code-block:: c++
    709 
    710   template<class T>
    711   class AutoCleanup {
    712     T* object;
    713     void (T::*mp)();
    714 
    715   public:
    716     AutoCleanup(T* obj, void (T::*imp)()) : object(obj), mp(imp) { }
    717     ~AutoCleanup() { (object->*mp)(); }
    718   };
    719 
    720   Mutex mu;
    721   void foo() {
    722     mu.Lock();
    723     AutoCleanup<Mutex>(&mu, &Mutex::Unlock);
    724     // ...
    725   }  // Warning, mu is not unlocked.
    726 
    727 In this case, the destructor of ``Autocleanup`` calls ``mu.Unlock()``, so
    728 the warning is bogus.  However,
    729 thread safety analysis cannot see the unlock, because it does not attempt to
    730 inline the destructor.  Moreover, there is no way to annotate the destructor,
    731 because the destructor is calling a function that is not statically known.
    732 This pattern is simply not supported.
    733 
    734 
    735 No alias analysis.
    736 ------------------
    737 
    738 The analysis currently does not track pointer aliases.  Thus, there can be
    739 false positives if two pointers both point to the same mutex.
    740 
    741 
    742 .. code-block:: c++
    743 
    744   class MutexUnlocker {
    745     Mutex* mu;
    746 
    747   public:
    748     MutexUnlocker(Mutex* m) RELEASE(m) : mu(m)  { mu->Unlock(); }
    749     ~MutexUnlocker() ACQUIRE(mu) { mu->Lock(); }
    750   };
    751 
    752   Mutex mutex;
    753   void test() REQUIRES(mutex) {
    754     {
    755       MutexUnlocker munl(&mutex);  // unlocks mutex
    756       doSomeIO();
    757     }                              // Warning: locks munl.mu
    758   }
    759 
    760 The MutexUnlocker class is intended to be the dual of the MutexLocker class,
    761 defined in :ref:`mutexheader`.  However, it doesn't work because the analysis
    762 doesn't know that munl.mu == mutex.  The SCOPED_CAPABILITY attribute handles
    763 aliasing for MutexLocker, but does so only for that particular pattern.
    764 
    765 
    766 ACQUIRED_BEFORE(...) and ACQUIRED_AFTER(...) are currently unimplemented.
    767 -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    768 
    769 To be fixed in a future update.
    770 
    771 
    772 .. _mutexheader:
    773 
    774 mutex.h
    775 =======
    776 
    777 Thread safety analysis can be used with any threading library, but it does
    778 require that the threading API be wrapped in classes and methods which have the
    779 appropriate annotations.  The following code provides ``mutex.h`` as an example;
    780 these methods should be filled in to call the appropriate underlying
    781 implementation.
    782 
    783 
    784 .. code-block:: c++
    785 
    786 
    787   #ifndef THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS_MUTEX_H
    788   #define THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS_MUTEX_H
    789 
    790   // Enable thread safety attributes only with clang.
    791   // The attributes can be safely erased when compiling with other compilers.
    792   #if defined(__clang__) && (!defined(SWIG))
    793   #define THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(x)   __attribute__((x))
    794   #else
    795   #define THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(x)   // no-op
    796   #endif
    797 
    798   #define CAPABILITY(x) \
    799     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(capability(x))
    800 
    801   #define SCOPED_CAPABILITY \
    802     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(scoped_lockable)
    803 
    804   #define GUARDED_BY(x) \
    805     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(guarded_by(x))
    806 
    807   #define PT_GUARDED_BY(x) \
    808     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(pt_guarded_by(x))
    809 
    810   #define ACQUIRED_BEFORE(...) \
    811     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(acquired_before(__VA_ARGS__))
    812 
    813   #define ACQUIRED_AFTER(...) \
    814     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(acquired_after(__VA_ARGS__))
    815 
    816   #define REQUIRES(...) \
    817     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(requires_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    818 
    819   #define REQUIRES_SHARED(...) \
    820     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(requires_shared_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    821 
    822   #define ACQUIRE(...) \
    823     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(acquire_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    824 
    825   #define ACQUIRE_SHARED(...) \
    826     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(acquire_shared_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    827 
    828   #define RELEASE(...) \
    829     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(release_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    830 
    831   #define RELEASE_SHARED(...) \
    832     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(release_shared_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    833 
    834   #define RELEASE_GENERIC(...) \
    835     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(release_generic_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    836 
    837   #define TRY_ACQUIRE(...) \
    838     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(try_acquire_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    839 
    840   #define TRY_ACQUIRE_SHARED(...) \
    841     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(try_acquire_shared_capability(__VA_ARGS__))
    842 
    843   #define EXCLUDES(...) \
    844     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(locks_excluded(__VA_ARGS__))
    845 
    846   #define ASSERT_CAPABILITY(x) \
    847     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(assert_capability(x))
    848 
    849   #define ASSERT_SHARED_CAPABILITY(x) \
    850     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(assert_shared_capability(x))
    851 
    852   #define RETURN_CAPABILITY(x) \
    853     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(lock_returned(x))
    854 
    855   #define NO_THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS \
    856     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(no_thread_safety_analysis)
    857 
    858 
    859   // Defines an annotated interface for mutexes.
    860   // These methods can be implemented to use any internal mutex implementation.
    861   class CAPABILITY("mutex") Mutex {
    862   public:
    863     // Acquire/lock this mutex exclusively.  Only one thread can have exclusive
    864     // access at any one time.  Write operations to guarded data require an
    865     // exclusive lock.
    866     void Lock() ACQUIRE();
    867 
    868     // Acquire/lock this mutex for read operations, which require only a shared
    869     // lock.  This assumes a multiple-reader, single writer semantics.  Multiple
    870     // threads may acquire the mutex simultaneously as readers, but a writer
    871     // must wait for all of them to release the mutex before it can acquire it
    872     // exclusively.
    873     void ReaderLock() ACQUIRE_SHARED();
    874 
    875     // Release/unlock an exclusive mutex.
    876     void Unlock() RELEASE();
    877 
    878     // Release/unlock a shared mutex.
    879     void ReaderUnlock() RELEASE_SHARED();
    880 
    881     // Generic unlock, can unlock exclusive and shared mutexes.
    882     void GenericUnlock() RELEASE_GENERIC();
    883 
    884     // Try to acquire the mutex.  Returns true on success, and false on failure.
    885     bool TryLock() TRY_ACQUIRE(true);
    886 
    887     // Try to acquire the mutex for read operations.
    888     bool ReaderTryLock() TRY_ACQUIRE_SHARED(true);
    889 
    890     // Assert that this mutex is currently held by the calling thread.
    891     void AssertHeld() ASSERT_CAPABILITY(this);
    892 
    893     // Assert that is mutex is currently held for read operations.
    894     void AssertReaderHeld() ASSERT_SHARED_CAPABILITY(this);
    895     
    896     // For negative capabilities.
    897     const Mutex& operator!() const { return *this; }
    898   };
    899 
    900   // Tag types for selecting a constructor.
    901   struct adopt_lock_t {} inline constexpr adopt_lock = {};
    902   struct defer_lock_t {} inline constexpr defer_lock = {};
    903   struct shared_lock_t {} inline constexpr shared_lock = {};
    904 
    905   // MutexLocker is an RAII class that acquires a mutex in its constructor, and
    906   // releases it in its destructor.
    907   class SCOPED_CAPABILITY MutexLocker {
    908   private:
    909     Mutex* mut;
    910     bool locked;
    911 
    912   public:
    913     // Acquire mu, implicitly acquire *this and associate it with mu.
    914     MutexLocker(Mutex *mu) ACQUIRE(mu) : mut(mu), locked(true) {
    915       mu->Lock();
    916     }
    917 
    918     // Assume mu is held, implicitly acquire *this and associate it with mu.
    919     MutexLocker(Mutex *mu, adopt_lock_t) REQUIRES(mu) : mut(mu), locked(true) {}
    920 
    921     // Acquire mu in shared mode, implicitly acquire *this and associate it with mu.
    922     MutexLocker(Mutex *mu, shared_lock_t) ACQUIRE_SHARED(mu) : mut(mu), locked(true) {
    923       mu->ReaderLock();
    924     }
    925 
    926     // Assume mu is held in shared mode, implicitly acquire *this and associate it with mu.
    927     MutexLocker(Mutex *mu, adopt_lock_t, shared_lock_t) REQUIRES_SHARED(mu)
    928       : mut(mu), locked(true) {}
    929 
    930     // Assume mu is not held, implicitly acquire *this and associate it with mu.
    931     MutexLocker(Mutex *mu, defer_lock_t) EXCLUDES(mu) : mut(mu), locked(false) {}
    932 
    933     // Release *this and all associated mutexes, if they are still held.
    934     // There is no warning if the scope was already unlocked before.
    935     ~MutexLocker() RELEASE() {
    936       if (locked)
    937         mut->GenericUnlock();
    938     }
    939 
    940     // Acquire all associated mutexes exclusively.
    941     void Lock() ACQUIRE() {
    942       mut->Lock();
    943       locked = true;
    944     }
    945 
    946     // Try to acquire all associated mutexes exclusively.
    947     bool TryLock() TRY_ACQUIRE(true) {
    948       return locked = mut->TryLock();
    949     }
    950 
    951     // Acquire all associated mutexes in shared mode.
    952     void ReaderLock() ACQUIRE_SHARED() {
    953       mut->ReaderLock();
    954       locked = true;
    955     }
    956 
    957     // Try to acquire all associated mutexes in shared mode.
    958     bool ReaderTryLock() TRY_ACQUIRE_SHARED(true) {
    959       return locked = mut->ReaderTryLock();
    960     }
    961 
    962     // Release all associated mutexes. Warn on double unlock.
    963     void Unlock() RELEASE() {
    964       mut->Unlock();
    965       locked = false;
    966     }
    967 
    968     // Release all associated mutexes. Warn on double unlock.
    969     void ReaderUnlock() RELEASE() {
    970       mut->ReaderUnlock();
    971       locked = false;
    972     }
    973   };
    974 
    975 
    976   #ifdef USE_LOCK_STYLE_THREAD_SAFETY_ATTRIBUTES
    977   // The original version of thread safety analysis the following attribute
    978   // definitions.  These use a lock-based terminology.  They are still in use
    979   // by existing thread safety code, and will continue to be supported.
    980 
    981   // Deprecated.
    982   #define PT_GUARDED_VAR \
    983     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(pt_guarded_var)
    984 
    985   // Deprecated.
    986   #define GUARDED_VAR \
    987     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(guarded_var)
    988 
    989   // Replaced by REQUIRES
    990   #define EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(...) \
    991     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(exclusive_locks_required(__VA_ARGS__))
    992 
    993   // Replaced by REQUIRES_SHARED
    994   #define SHARED_LOCKS_REQUIRED(...) \
    995     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(shared_locks_required(__VA_ARGS__))
    996 
    997   // Replaced by CAPABILITY
    998   #define LOCKABLE \
    999     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(lockable)
   1000 
   1001   // Replaced by SCOPED_CAPABILITY
   1002   #define SCOPED_LOCKABLE \
   1003     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(scoped_lockable)
   1004 
   1005   // Replaced by ACQUIRE
   1006   #define EXCLUSIVE_LOCK_FUNCTION(...) \
   1007     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(exclusive_lock_function(__VA_ARGS__))
   1008 
   1009   // Replaced by ACQUIRE_SHARED
   1010   #define SHARED_LOCK_FUNCTION(...) \
   1011     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(shared_lock_function(__VA_ARGS__))
   1012 
   1013   // Replaced by RELEASE and RELEASE_SHARED
   1014   #define UNLOCK_FUNCTION(...) \
   1015     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(unlock_function(__VA_ARGS__))
   1016 
   1017   // Replaced by TRY_ACQUIRE
   1018   #define EXCLUSIVE_TRYLOCK_FUNCTION(...) \
   1019     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(exclusive_trylock_function(__VA_ARGS__))
   1020 
   1021   // Replaced by TRY_ACQUIRE_SHARED
   1022   #define SHARED_TRYLOCK_FUNCTION(...) \
   1023     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(shared_trylock_function(__VA_ARGS__))
   1024 
   1025   // Replaced by ASSERT_CAPABILITY
   1026   #define ASSERT_EXCLUSIVE_LOCK(...) \
   1027     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(assert_exclusive_lock(__VA_ARGS__))
   1028 
   1029   // Replaced by ASSERT_SHARED_CAPABILITY
   1030   #define ASSERT_SHARED_LOCK(...) \
   1031     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(assert_shared_lock(__VA_ARGS__))
   1032 
   1033   // Replaced by EXCLUDE_CAPABILITY.
   1034   #define LOCKS_EXCLUDED(...) \
   1035     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(locks_excluded(__VA_ARGS__))
   1036 
   1037   // Replaced by RETURN_CAPABILITY
   1038   #define LOCK_RETURNED(x) \
   1039     THREAD_ANNOTATION_ATTRIBUTE__(lock_returned(x))
   1040 
   1041   #endif  // USE_LOCK_STYLE_THREAD_SAFETY_ATTRIBUTES
   1042 
   1043   #endif  // THREAD_SAFETY_ANALYSIS_MUTEX_H
   1044 
   1045