Is there an existing way to serialize boost :: signals2 signal calls?

Question

I would like to serialize multi-threaded calls to the boost :: signals2 signal to make sure that notifications of state changes from the object arrive in the slots in a well-defined order.

Background

I have an object with an internal state in a multithreaded program. Some parts of the internal state are interesting for other parts of the program, and the object provides state changes using the boost :: signals2 signal, similar to this:

class ObjectWithState {
public:
    enum State {
        STATE_A,
        STATE_B,
        STATE_C,
    };

    void OnEvent() {
        State newState;
        {
            boost::lock_guard<boost::mutex> lock(m_Mutex);
            // Process event and change state
            m_State = ...;
            newState = m_State;
        }
        m_OnStateChanged(newState);
    }

    // method to allow external objects to connect to the signal etc
private:
    boost::signals2::signal<void (State) > m_OnStateChanged;
    boost::mutex m_Mutex;
    State m_State;
};

Problem

OnEvent, , , . , , . , , . , , , .

- , . , . , .

:

class ObjectWithState {
public:
    enum State {
        STATE_A,
        STATE_B,
        STATE_C,
    };

    void OnEvent() {
        State newState;
        boost::unique_future<void> waitForPrevious;
        boost::shared_ptr<boost::promise<void> > releaseNext;
        {
            boost::lock_guard<boost::mutex> lock(m_Mutex);
            // Process event and change state
            m_State = ...;
            newState = m_State;
            waitForPrevious = m_CurrentInvocation->get_future();
            m_CurrentInvocation.reset(new boost::promise<void>());
            releaseNext = m_CurrentInvocation;
        }
        // Wait for all previous invocations of the signal to finish
        waitForPrevious.get();

        // Now it is our turn to invoke the signal
        // TODO: use try-catch / scoped object to release next if an exception is thrown
        OnStateChanged(newState);

        // Allow the next state change to use the signal
        releaseNext->set_value();
    }

    // method to allow external objects to connect to the signal etc
private:
    boost::signals2::signal<void (State) > m_OnStateChanged;
    boost::mutex m_Mutex;
    State m_State;
    // Initialized with a "fulfilled" promise in the constructor
    // or do special handling of initially empty promise above
    boost::shared_ptr<boost::promise<void> > m_CurrentInvocation;
};

, , , . , , , ...:) , :

boost:: signal2 (, 2 )?

Answer 1

. . :

class ObjectWithState {
private:
    bool running;
    std::queue<State> pendingSignals;
    boost::condition_variable cond;
    boost::mutex mut;

    void dispatcherThread()
    {
        while (running)
        {
            /* local copy, so we don't need to hold a lock */
            std::vector<State> pendingSignalsCopy;

            /* wait for new signals, then copy them locally */
            {
                boost::unique_lock<boost::mutex> lock(mut);
                cond.wait(mut);
                pendingSignalsCopy = pendingSignals;
                pendingSignals.clear();
            }

            /* dispatch */
            while (!pendingSignalsCopy.empty())
            {
                State newState = pendingSignalsCopy.front();
                OnStateChanged(newState);
                pendingSignalsCopy.pop();
            }
        }
    }

public:
    void OnEvent()
    {
        State newState;
        ...

        /* add signal to queue of pending signals and wake up dispatcher thread */
        {
            boost::unique_lock<boost::mutex> lock(mut);
            pendingSignals.push(state);
            cond.notify_all();
        }
    }
};