Techniques for switching threads within routes

• US 10,698,726 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2018
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Cwalina, Krzysztof
• Primary Examiner(s): Swift, Charles M
• Application Number:
  US16/018,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20190138347A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4484 Executing subprograms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/48 Program initiating; Program switching, e.g. by interrupt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4806 Task transfer initiation or dispatching
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/485 Task life-cycle, e.g. stopping, restarting, resuming execution G06F9/4881 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/50 Allocation of resources, e.g. of the central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5005 to service a request
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5011 the resources being hardware resources other than CPUs, Servers and Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5022 Mechanisms to release resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups

Abstract

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for switching threads within routines. A controller routine receives a request from an originating routine to execute a coroutine, and executes the coroutine on an initial thread. The controller routine receives a response back from the coroutine when the coroutine exits based upon a return statement. Upon return, the coroutine indicates a subsequent thread that the coroutine should be executed on when the coroutine is executed a subsequent time. The controller routine executes the coroutine the subsequent time on the subsequent thread. The coroutine picks up execution at a line of code following the return statement. Multiple return statements can be included in the coroutine, and the threads can be switched multiple times using this same approach. Graphical user interface logic and worker thread logic can be co-mingled into a single routine.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing an initial portion of a routine on an initial thread;

processing a return statement that is a yield statement, the processing of the return statement causing the routine to temporarily exit the routine at an end point of the initial portion;

identifying a subsequent thread different than the initial thread via the return statement, the return statement provided in response to the executing of the initial portion; and

performing a subsequent execution of the routine via the return statement, the subsequent execution executing a subsequent portion of the routine from the end point of the initial portion.

2. A system comprising:

memory to store instructions;

a processor to execute the instructions to;

execute an initial portion of a routine on an initial thread;

process a return statement that is a yield statement to cause the routine to temporarily exit the routine at an end point of the initial portion;

identify a subsequent thread different than the initial thread via the return statement, the return statement provided in response to the execution of the initial portion; and

perform a subsequent execution of the routine via the return statement, the subsequent execution to execute a subsequent portion of the routine from the end point of the initial portion.

3. A computer readable storage device storing computer-executable instructions to control a computer system to:

execute an initial portion of a routine on an initial thread;

process a return statement that is a yield statement to cause the routine to temporarily exit the routine at an end point of the initial portion;

identify a subsequent thread different than the initial thread via the return statement, the return statement provided in response to the execution of the initial portion; and

perform a subsequent execution of the routine via the return statement, the subsequent execution to execute a subsequent portion of the routine from the end point of the initial portion.