CreateSemaphore() - but first, what is a semaphore? :)

[Wayne Diamond]

Ive been searching with google.com and MSDN for a very long time now and Im more confused now than ever before
Can somebody please explain to me what a "semaphore" or "semaphore file" is, how it differs to mutexes and/or normal files, and why you would use a semaphore?
Thanks!


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[Lance Edmonds]

WIN32.HLP, section "Semaphore Objects" should help you here...

The 1st paragraph:

A semaphore object is a synchronization object that maintains a count between zero and a specified maximum value. The count is decremented each time a thread completes a wait for the semaphore object and incremented each time a thread releases the semaphore. When the count reaches zero, no more threads can successfully wait for the semaphore object state to become signaled. The state of a semaphore is set to signaled when its count is greater than zero, and nonsignaled when its count is zero.

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Lance
PowerBASIC Support
mailto:[email protected][email protected]</A>