Boost Mutex scoped_lock example

Here is a quick example showing how mutex helps in doing a synchronous access on shared resource. We are using boost::mutex::scoped_lock here, which ensures that the ownership of the mutex object is relinquished even in case the code following the lock throws an exception, thus preventing possible thread deadlocks.

#include <boost/thread/thread.hpp>
#include <boost/thread/mutex.hpp>
#include <boost/bind.hpp>
#include <iostream>

//Compile using : g++ program.cpp -lboost_thread

boost::mutex io_mutex;

void count(int id)
{
  for (int i = 0; i < 5; ++i)
  {
    boost::mutex::scoped_lock lock(io_mutex);
    std::cout << id << ": " << i << std::endl;
  }
}


void countWithoutMutex(int id)
{
  for (int i = 0; i < 5; ++i)
  {
    std::cout << id << ": " << i << std::endl;
  }
}


int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
std::cout << "The wrong way\n";
  boost::thread thrd1(
    boost::bind(&countWithoutMutex, 1));
  boost::thread thrd2(
    boost::bind(&countWithoutMutex, 2));
  thrd1.join();
  thrd2.join();
std::cout << "Now the right way\n";
   boost::thread thrd3(
    boost::bind(&count, 3));
  boost::thread thrd4(
    boost::bind(&count, 4));
  thrd3.join();
  thrd4.join();
  

  return 0;
}

Output:

The wrong way
2: 01: 0
1: 1
1: 2
1: 3
1: 4

2: 1
2: 22
: 3
2: 4
Now the right way
3: 0
3: 1
3: 2
3: 3
3: 4
4: 0
4: 1
4: 2
4: 3
4: 4