Document number: N2760 = 08-0270
Date: 2008-09-16
Project:
Programming Language C++, Library Working Group
Reply-to:
Beman Dawes <bdawes at acm.org>
The Library Working Group has identified a need to specify thread safety requirements for Chapter 27, Input/Output Library, components.
This proposal is the result of discussion at the San Francisco meeting of the needs and expectations of users and implementers. It is believed to represent a great deal of existing practice over a long period of time.
To 27.1 Iostreams requirements [iostreams.requirements], add a new subsection:
27.1.3 Thread safety [iostreams.thread-safety]
Concurrent access to a stream object [string.streams, file.streams], stream buffer object [stream.buffers], or C Library stream [c.files] by multiple threads may result in a data race [intro.multithread] unless otherwise specified [iostream.objects]. [Note: Data races result in undefined behavior [intro.multithread]. --end note]
To 27.3 Standard iostream objects [iostream.objects], add a new paragraph at the end of the section:
Concurrent access to a synchronized [ios.members.static] standard iostream object's formatted and unformatted input [istream] and output [ostream] functions or a standard C stream by multiple threads shall not result in a data race [intro.multithread]. [Note: Users must still synchronize concurrent use of these objects and streams by multiple threads if they wish to avoid interleaved characters. -- end note]