Thread.FreeNamedDataSlot(String) Method

Reference

Definition

Namespace:: System.Threading

Assembly:: System.Threading.Thread.dll

Assembly:: mscorlib.dll

Assembly:: netstandard.dll

Source:: Thread.cs

Source:: Thread.cs

Source:: Thread.cs

Important

Some information relates to prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it’s released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Eliminates the association between a name and a slot, for all threads in the process. For better performance, use fields that are marked with the ThreadStaticAttribute attribute instead.

public:
 static void FreeNamedDataSlot(System::String ^ name);

public static void FreeNamedDataSlot (string name);

static member FreeNamedDataSlot : string -> unit

Public Shared Sub FreeNamedDataSlot (name As String)

Parameters

name: String

The name of the data slot to be freed.

Examples

This section contains two code examples. The first example shows how to use a field that is marked with the ThreadStaticAttribute attribute to hold thread-specific information. The second example shows how to use a data slot to do the same thing.

First Example

The following example shows how to use a field that is marked with ThreadStaticAttribute to hold thread-specific information. This technique provides better performance than the technique that is shown in the second example.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Threading;

ref class ThreadData
{
private:
   [ThreadStatic]
   static int threadSpecificData;

public:
   static void ThreadStaticDemo()
   {
      // Store the managed thread id for each thread in the static
      // variable.
      threadSpecificData = Thread::CurrentThread->ManagedThreadId;
      
      // Allow other threads time to execute the same code, to show
      // that the static data is unique to each thread.
      Thread::Sleep( 1000 );

      // Display the static data.
      Console::WriteLine( "Data for managed thread {0}: {1}", 
         Thread::CurrentThread->ManagedThreadId, threadSpecificData );
   }
};

int main()
{
   for ( int i = 0; i < 3; i++ )
   {
      Thread^ newThread = 
          gcnew Thread( gcnew ThreadStart( ThreadData::ThreadStaticDemo )); 
      newThread->Start();
   }
}

/* This code example produces output similar to the following:

Data for managed thread 4: 4
Data for managed thread 5: 5
Data for managed thread 3: 3
 */

using System;
using System.Threading;

class Test
{
    static void Main()
    {
        for(int i = 0; i < 3; i++)
        {
            Thread newThread = new Thread(ThreadData.ThreadStaticDemo);
            newThread.Start();
        }
    }
}

class ThreadData
{
    [ThreadStatic]
    static int threadSpecificData;

    public static void ThreadStaticDemo()
    {
        // Store the managed thread id for each thread in the static
        // variable.
        threadSpecificData = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId;
      
        // Allow other threads time to execute the same code, to show
        // that the static data is unique to each thread.
        Thread.Sleep( 1000 );

        // Display the static data.
        Console.WriteLine( "Data for managed thread {0}: {1}", 
            Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId, threadSpecificData );
    }
}

/* This code example produces output similar to the following:

Data for managed thread 4: 4
Data for managed thread 5: 5
Data for managed thread 3: 3
 */

open System
open System.Threading

type ThreadData() =
    // Create a static variable to hold the data for each thread.
    [<ThreadStatic; DefaultValue>]
    static val mutable private threadSpecificData : int

    static member ThreadStaticDemo() =
        // Store the managed thread id for each thread in the static
        // variable.
        ThreadData.threadSpecificData <- Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
        
        // Allow other threads time to execute the same code, to show
        // that the static data is unique to each thread.
        Thread.Sleep 1000

        // Display the static data.
        printfn $"Data for managed thread {Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId}: {ThreadData.threadSpecificData}" 

for i = 0 to 2 do 
    let newThread = Thread ThreadData.ThreadStaticDemo
    newThread.Start()

// This code example produces output similar to the following:
//       Data for managed thread 4: 4
//       Data for managed thread 5: 5
//       Data for managed thread 3: 3

Imports System.Threading

Class Test

    <MTAThread> _
    Shared Sub Main()

        For i As Integer = 1 To 3
            Dim newThread As New Thread(AddressOf ThreadData.ThreadStaticDemo)
            newThread.Start()
        Next i

    End Sub

End Class

Class ThreadData

    <ThreadStatic> _
    Shared threadSpecificData As Integer

    Shared Sub ThreadStaticDemo()

        ' Store the managed thread id for each thread in the static
        ' variable.
        threadSpecificData = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId
      
        ' Allow other threads time to execute the same code, to show
        ' that the static data is unique to each thread.
        Thread.Sleep( 1000 )

        ' Display the static data.
        Console.WriteLine( "Data for managed thread {0}: {1}", _
            Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId, threadSpecificData )

    End Sub

End Class

' This code example produces output similar to the following:
'
'Data for managed thread 4: 4
'Data for managed thread 5: 5
'Data for managed thread 3: 3

Second Example

The following example demonstrates how to use a named data slot to store thread-specific information.

using namespace System;
using namespace System::Threading;

ref class Slot
{
private:
    static Random^ randomGenerator = gcnew Random();

public:
    static void SlotTest()
    {
        // Set random data in each thread's data slot.
        int slotData = randomGenerator->Next(1, 200);
        int threadId = Thread::CurrentThread->ManagedThreadId;

        Thread::SetData(
            Thread::GetNamedDataSlot("Random"),
            slotData);

        // Show what was saved in the thread's data slot.
        Console::WriteLine("Data stored in thread_{0}'s data slot: {1,3}",
            threadId, slotData);

        // Allow other threads time to execute SetData to show
        // that a thread's data slot is unique to itself.
        Thread::Sleep(1000);

        int newSlotData =
            (int)Thread::GetData(Thread::GetNamedDataSlot("Random"));

        if (newSlotData == slotData)
        {
            Console::WriteLine("Data in thread_{0}'s data slot is still: {1,3}",
                threadId, newSlotData);
        }
        else
        {
            Console::WriteLine("Data in thread_{0}'s data slot changed to: {1,3}",
                threadId, newSlotData);
        }
    }
};

ref class Test
{
public:
    static void Main()
    {
        array<Thread^>^ newThreads = gcnew array<Thread^>(4);
        int i;
        for (i = 0; i < newThreads->Length; i++)
        {
            newThreads[i] =
                gcnew Thread(gcnew ThreadStart(&Slot::SlotTest));
            newThreads[i]->Start();
        }
        Thread::Sleep(2000);
        for (i = 0; i < newThreads->Length; i++)
        {
            newThreads[i]->Join();
            Console::WriteLine("Thread_{0} finished.",
                newThreads[i]->ManagedThreadId);
        }
    }
};

int main()
{
    Test::Main();
}

using System;
using System.Threading;

class Test
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        Thread[] newThreads = new Thread[4];
        int i;
        for (i = 0; i < newThreads.Length; i++)
        {
            newThreads[i] =
                new Thread(new ThreadStart(Slot.SlotTest));
            newThreads[i].Start();
        }
        Thread.Sleep(2000);
        for (i = 0; i < newThreads.Length; i++)
        {
            newThreads[i].Join();
            Console.WriteLine("Thread_{0} finished.",
                newThreads[i].ManagedThreadId);
        }
    }
}

class Slot
{
    private static Random randomGenerator = new Random();

    public static void SlotTest()
    {
        // Set random data in each thread's data slot.
        int slotData = randomGenerator.Next(1, 200);
        int threadId = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId;

        Thread.SetData(
            Thread.GetNamedDataSlot("Random"),
            slotData);

        // Show what was saved in the thread's data slot.
        Console.WriteLine("Data stored in thread_{0}'s data slot: {1,3}",
            threadId, slotData);

        // Allow other threads time to execute SetData to show
        // that a thread's data slot is unique to itself.
        Thread.Sleep(1000);

        int newSlotData =
            (int)Thread.GetData(Thread.GetNamedDataSlot("Random"));

        if (newSlotData == slotData)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Data in thread_{0}'s data slot is still: {1,3}",
                threadId, newSlotData);
        }
        else
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Data in thread_{0}'s data slot changed to: {1,3}",
                threadId, newSlotData);
        }
    }
}

open System
open System.Threading

module Slot =
    let private randomGenerator = Random()

    let slotTest () =
        // Set random data in each thread's data slot.
        let slotData = randomGenerator.Next(1, 200)
        let threadId = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId

        Thread.SetData(Thread.GetNamedDataSlot "Random", slotData)

        // Show what was saved in the thread's data slot.
        printfn $"Data stored in thread_{threadId}'s data slot: {slotData, 3}"

        // Allow other threads time to execute SetData to show
        // that a thread's data slot is unique to itself.
        Thread.Sleep 1000

        let newSlotData = Thread.GetData(Thread.GetNamedDataSlot "Random") :?> int

        if newSlotData = slotData then
            printfn $"Data in thread_{threadId}'s data slot is still: {newSlotData, 3}"
        else
            printfn $"Data in thread_{threadId}'s data slot changed to: {newSlotData, 3}"

let newThreads =
    [| for _ = 0 to 3 do
           let thread = Thread Slot.slotTest
           thread.Start()
           thread |]

Thread.Sleep 2000

for tread in newThreads do
    tread.Join()
    printfn $"Thread_{tread.ManagedThreadId} finished."

Imports System.Threading

Class Test
    Public Shared Sub Main()
        Dim newThreads(3) As Thread
        Dim i As Integer
        For i = 0 To newThreads.Length - 1
            newThreads(i) = _
                New Thread(New ThreadStart(AddressOf Slot.SlotTest))
            newThreads(i).Start()
        Next i
        Thread.Sleep(2000)
        For i = 0 To newThreads.Length - 1
            newThreads(i).Join()
            Console.WriteLine("Thread_{0} finished.", _
                newThreads(i).ManagedThreadId)
        Next i
    End Sub
End Class

Class Slot
    Private Shared randomGenerator As New Random()

    Public Shared Sub SlotTest()
        ' Set random data in each thread's data slot.
        Dim slotData As Integer = randomGenerator.Next(1, 200)
        Dim threadId As Integer = Thread.CurrentThread.ManagedThreadId

        Thread.SetData(
            Thread.GetNamedDataSlot("Random"),
            slotData)

        ' Show what was saved in the thread's data slot.
        Console.WriteLine("Data stored in thread_{0}'s data slot: {1,3}",
            threadId, slotData)

        ' Allow other threads time to execute SetData to show
        ' that a thread's data slot is unique to itself.
        Thread.Sleep(1000)

        Dim newSlotData As Integer = _
            CType(Thread.GetData(Thread.GetNamedDataSlot("Random")), Integer)

        If newSlotData = slotData Then
            Console.WriteLine("Data in thread_{0}'s data slot is still: {1,3}",
                threadId, newSlotData)
        Else
            Console.WriteLine("Data in thread_{0}'s data slot changed to: {1,3}",
                threadId, newSlotData)
        End If
    End Sub
End Class

Remarks

Important

.NET Framework provides two mechanisms for using thread local storage (TLS): thread-relative static fields (that is, fields that are marked with the ThreadStaticAttribute attribute) and data slots. Thread-relative static fields provide much better performance than data slots, and enable compile-time type checking. For more information about using TLS, see Thread Local Storage: Thread-Relative Static Fields and Data Slots.

After any thread calls FreeNamedDataSlot, any other thread that calls GetNamedDataSlot with the same name will allocate a new slot associated with the name. Subsequent calls to GetNamedDataSlot by any thread will return the new slot. However, any thread that still has a System.LocalDataStoreSlot returned by an earlier call to GetNamedDataSlot can continue to use the old slot.

A slot that has been associated with a name is released only when every LocalDataStoreSlot that was obtained prior to the call to FreeNamedDataSlot has been released and garbage-collected.

Threads use a local store memory mechanism to store thread-specific data. The common language runtime allocates a multi-slot data store array to each process when it is created. The thread can allocate a data slot in the data store, store and retrieve a data value in the slot, and free the slot for reuse after the thread expires. Data slots are unique per thread. No other thread (not even a child thread) can get that data.

Applies to

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