System.Threading

The System.Threading namespace provides classes and interfaces that enable multithreaded programming. In addition to classes for synchronizing thread activities and access to data (Mutex, Monitor, Interlocked, AutoResetEvent, and so on), this namespace includes a ThreadPool class that allows you to use a pool of system-supplied threads, and a Timer class that executes callback methods on thread pool threads.

Namespace hierarchy

Classes

Class	Description
AutoResetEvent	Notifies a waiting thread that an event has occurred. This class cannot be inherited.
Interlocked	Provides atomic operations for variables that are shared by multiple threads.
ManualResetEvent	Notifies one or more waiting threads that an event has occurred. This class cannot be inherited.
Monitor	Provides a mechanism that synchronizes access to objects.
Mutex	A synchronization primitive than can also be used for interprocess synchronization.
ReaderWriterLock	Defines a lock that supports single writers and multiple readers.
RegisteredWaitHandle	Represents a handle that has been registered when calling RegisterWaitForSingleObject. This class cannot be inherited.
SynchronizationLockException	The exception that is thrown when a method requires the caller to own the lock on a given Monitor, and the method is invoked by a caller that does not own that lock.
Thread	Creates and controls a thread, sets its priority, and gets its status.
ThreadAbortException	The exception that is thrown when a call is made to the Abort method. This class cannot be inherited.
ThreadExceptionEventArgs	Provides data for the ThreadException event.
ThreadInterruptedException	The exception that is thrown when a Thread is interrupted while it is in a waiting state.
ThreadPool	Provides a pool of threads that can be used to post work items, process asynchronous I/O, wait on behalf of other threads, and process timers.
ThreadStateException	The exception that is thrown when a Thread is in an invalid ThreadState for the method call.
Timeout	Contains a constant used to specify an infinite amount of time. This class cannot be inherited.
Timer	Provides a mechanism for executing a method at specified intervals. This class cannot be inherited.
WaitHandle	Encapsulates operating system-specific objects that wait for exclusive access to shared resources.

Structures

Structure	Description
LockCookie	Defines the lock that implements single-writer/multiple-reader semantics. This is a value type.
NativeOverlapped	Provides an explicit layout that is visible from unmanaged code and that will have the same layout as the Win32 OVERLAPPED structure with additional reserved fields at the end.

Delegates

Delegate	Description
IOCompletionCallback	Receives the error code, number of bytes, and overlapped value type when an I/O operation completes on the thread pool.
ThreadExceptionEventHandler	Represents the method that will handle the ThreadException event of an Application.
ThreadStart	Represents the method that executes on the Thread.
TimerCallback	Represents the method that handles calls from a Timer.
WaitCallback	Represents a callback method to be executed by a thread pool thread.
WaitOrTimerCallback	Represents a method to be called when a WaitHandle is signaled or times out.

Enumerations

Enumeration	Description
ApartmentState	Specifies the apartment state of a Thread.
ThreadPriority	Specifies the scheduling priority of a Thread.
ThreadState	Specifies the execution states of a Thread.

System.Threading Namespace

Classes

Structures

Delegates

Enumerations

See Also