ThreadPriority Enum
Definition
Important
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Specifies the scheduling priority of a Thread.
public enum class ThreadPriority
public enum ThreadPriority
[System.Serializable]
public enum ThreadPriority
[System.Serializable]
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(true)]
public enum ThreadPriority
type ThreadPriority =
[<System.Serializable>]
type ThreadPriority =
[<System.Serializable>]
[<System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(true)>]
type ThreadPriority =
Public Enum ThreadPriority
- Inheritance
- Attributes
Fields
AboveNormal | 3 | The Thread can be scheduled after threads with |
BelowNormal | 1 | The Thread can be scheduled after threads with |
Highest | 4 | The Thread can be scheduled before threads with any other priority. |
Lowest | 0 | The Thread can be scheduled after threads with any other priority. |
Normal | 2 | The Thread can be scheduled after threads with |
Examples
The following code example shows the result of changing the priority of a thread. Three threads are created, the priority of one thread is set to BelowNormal, and the priority of a second is set to AboveNormal. Each thread increments a variable in a while
loop and runs for a set time.
using System;
using System.Threading;
using Timers = System.Timers;
class Test
{
static void Main()
{
PriorityTest priorityTest = new PriorityTest();
Thread thread1 = new Thread(priorityTest.ThreadMethod);
thread1.Name = "ThreadOne";
Thread thread2 = new Thread(priorityTest.ThreadMethod);
thread2.Name = "ThreadTwo";
thread2.Priority = ThreadPriority.BelowNormal;
Thread thread3 = new Thread(priorityTest.ThreadMethod);
thread3.Name = "ThreadThree";
thread3.Priority = ThreadPriority.AboveNormal;
thread1.Start();
thread2.Start();
thread3.Start();
// Allow counting for 10 seconds.
Thread.Sleep(10000);
priorityTest.LoopSwitch = false;
}
}
class PriorityTest
{
static volatile bool loopSwitch;
[ThreadStatic] static long threadCount = 0;
public PriorityTest()
{
loopSwitch = true;
}
public bool LoopSwitch
{
set{ loopSwitch = value; }
}
public void ThreadMethod()
{
while(loopSwitch)
{
threadCount++;
}
Console.WriteLine("{0,-11} with {1,11} priority " +
"has a count = {2,13}", Thread.CurrentThread.Name,
Thread.CurrentThread.Priority.ToString(),
threadCount.ToString("N0"));
}
}
// The example displays output like the following:
// ThreadOne with Normal priority has a count = 755,897,581
// ThreadThree with AboveNormal priority has a count = 778,099,094
// ThreadTwo with BelowNormal priority has a count = 7,840,984
Imports System.Threading
Imports Timers = System.Timers
Public Module Example
Dim t As Timers.Timer
Private priorityTest As New PriorityTest()
Public Sub Main()
Dim thread1 As New Thread(AddressOf priorityTest.ThreadMethod)
thread1.Name = "ThreadOne"
Dim thread2 As New Thread(AddressOf priorityTest.ThreadMethod)
thread2.Name = "ThreadTwo"
thread2.Priority = ThreadPriority.BelowNormal
Dim thread3 As New Thread(AddressOf priorityTest.ThreadMethod)
thread3.Name = "ThreadThree"
thread3.Priority = ThreadPriority.AboveNormal
thread1.Start()
thread2.Start()
thread3.Start()
' Allow threads to execute for about 10 seconds.
t = New Timers.Timer()
t.AutoReset = False
t.Interval = 10000
AddHandler t.Elapsed, AddressOf Elapsed
t.Start()
End Sub
Private Sub Elapsed(sender As Object, e As Timers.ElapsedEventArgs)
priorityTest.LoopSwitch = False
End Sub
End Module
Public Class PriorityTest
Private Shared loopSwitchValue As Boolean
<ThreadStatic> Shared threadCount As Long
Sub New()
loopSwitchValue = True
End Sub
WriteOnly Property LoopSwitch As Boolean
Set
loopSwitchValue = Value
End Set
End Property
Sub ThreadMethod()
Do While True
threadCount += 1
If Not loopSwitchValue Then Exit Do
Loop
Console.WriteLine("{0,-11} with {1,11} priority " &
"has a count = {2,13}", Thread.CurrentThread.Name,
Thread.CurrentThread.Priority.ToString(),
threadCount.ToString("N0"))
End Sub
End Class
' The example displays the following output:
' ThreadOne with Normal priority has a count = 755,897,581
' ThreadThree with AboveNormal priority has a count = 778,099,094
' ThreadTwo with BelowNormal priority has a count = 7,840,984
Remarks
ThreadPriority defines the set of all possible values for a thread priority. Thread priorities specify the relative priority of one thread versus another.
Every thread has an assigned priority. Threads created within the runtime are initially assigned the Normal
priority, while threads created outside the runtime retain their previous priority when they enter the runtime. You can get and set the priority of a thread by accessing its Priority property.
Threads are scheduled for execution based on their priority. The scheduling algorithm used to determine the order of thread execution varies with each operating system. The operating system can also adjust the thread priority dynamically as the user interface's focus is moved between the foreground and the background.
The priority of a thread does not affect the thread's state; the state of the thread must be Running before the operating system can schedule it.