You can cancel tasks inThreadPoolExecutorcalling theCancel()ForwardFutureObject.
This tutorial shows you how to cancel tasks on a Python thread pool.
Let us begin.
Index
Unsolicited task sent to ThreadPoolExecutor
oThreadPoolExecutorin Python it provides a set of reusable threads to perform ad hoc tasks.
You can send work to the thread pool by calling the methodof you()function and pass the name of the function you want to execute in another thread.
calling theof you()function returns aFutureObject that allows you to check the status of the task and get the result of the task once completed.
You can submit tasks that you later decide you no longer need to do.
Task execution may consume unwanted resources.
Also, you may need to wait for all tasks in the thread pool to complete before shutting it down.
The solution is to cancel the unwanted tasks.
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Call cancel() in the future to cancel a task
You can cancel tasks that have been sent toThreadPoolExecutorcalling theCancel()ForwardFutureObject.
Remember that you will receive oneFutureobject when you submit your task to the thread pool by calling the methodof you()Function.
1 2 3 | ... # post a task to the thread pool Future = executor.of you(work) |
oFutureThe object has a function calledCancel()This will cancel the task if it hasn't started yet and it won't complete.
1 2 3 | ... # Cancel a task submitted to the thread pool It was cancelled = Future.Cancel() |
oCancel()get back to workTRUEif the task was cancelled, otherwiseINCORRECTif the task cannot be cancelled.
If you successfully cancel the task, it will not run.
If you try to get a result of a canceled task using theResult()function, oneCancelledErrorwill be cancelled. Also, if you try to get an exception during the execution of the task that was aborted by callingexception()function, oneCancelledErrorwill be cancelled.
For example:
1 2 3 4 5 6 | ... # get result attempt: Result = Future.Result() exceptCancelledError: press('No result, the task was cancelled') |
You may not be able to cancel a job submitted to the thread pool for one of three reasons:
- The task has already been cancelled.
- The task is currently running.
- The task is complete.
The difference between a job that has been submitted and a job that is running is often confusing.
AThreadPoolExecutorit has a fixed number of threads, which limits the number of tasks that can run simultaneously.
A task that is sent toThreadPoolExecutorit cannot start execution immediately if all threads in the pool are currently busy. As soon as a thread becomes available in the pool, it grabs a task from the internal task queue and starts executing, changing its status to Running.
We can check if a task is running by calling the methodOperation()ForwardFutureobject for the task.
Only tasks that are scheduled in the thread pool but have not yet executed can be cancelled.
Now that we know how to cancel tasks in aThreadPoolExecutorLet's see a worked example.
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How to cancel a task in ThreadPoolExecutor
Let's demonstrate how to cancel a task sent toThreadPoolExecutor.
First, we can define a simple task that will be idle for a specified number of seconds.
1 2 3 | # Mock task that will sleep for a moment definitelywork(bedtime): sleep(bedtime) |
We can then create a thread pool with one thread and submit a long-running task to occupy the only thread in the pool.
1 2 3 4 5 6 | ... # Create a thread group comThreadPoolExecutor(1) and executor: # Start a long-running task future1 = executor.of you(work, 2) press(F'First task running={future1.running()}') |
We can then submit a second, shorter job and confirm that it's not running yet.
1 2 3 4 | ... # start a second futuro2 = executor.of you(work, 0,1) press(F'Second running task={future2.running()}') |
We can then cancel the second task and confirm that it has indeed been canceled and is not running.
1 2 3 4 | ... # cancel the second task It was cancelled = futuro2.Cancel() press(F'Second task cancelled: {was_cancelled}') |
In summary, the complete example of canceling a task inThreadPoolExecutoris listed below.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 sixteen 17 18 19 20 | #SuperFastPython.com # Example of canceling a task in a thread pool VonTempoObjectsleep Voncompetitor.futuresObjectThreadPoolExecutor # Mock task that will sleep for a moment definitelywork(bedtime): sleep(bedtime) # Create a thread group comThreadPoolExecutor(1) and executor: # Start a long-running task future1 = executor.of you(work, 2) press(F'First task running={future1.running()}') # start a second futuro2 = executor.of you(work, 0,1) press(F'Second running task={future2.running()}') # cancel the second task It was cancelled = futuro2.Cancel() press(F'Second task cancelled: {was_cancelled}') |
Running the sample first starts the long-running task and confirms that it is running.
The second short duration job has been submitted and is not yet running.
We then cancel the second task and confirm that it is not running.
1 2 3 | First task running = True Second task running = False The second task was cancelled: True |
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No results or canceled tasks exception
You cannot get results or exceptions from canceled tasks.
When we try to get a result of a canceled task by callingResult()function, oneCancelledErrorwould be terminated. The same would be the case if we tried to get the exception by callingexception().
We can demonstrate this by updating the example from the previous section.
First, let's update the target task function to return a value so that we can retrieve a task result. In this case, the passed argument.
1 2 3 4 | # Mock task that will sleep for a moment definitelywork(bedtime): sleep(bedtime) reversing bedtime |
Then we can try to get the result of the canceled task (the short duration task) and deal with what is expectedCancelledErrorwhich is triggered because the task was cancelled.
1 2 3 4 5 6 | ... # get result attempt: Result = futuro2.Result() exceptCancelledError: press('No result, the task was cancelled') |
Finally we can try to get the task cancel exception and deal with the same expectationCancelledErrorbecause the task was aborted.
1 2 3 4 5 6 | ... # get the exception attempt: mi = futuro2.exception() exceptCancelledError: press('The task was aborted without exception') |
In summary, below is the complete example of trying to get a result and an exception from a canceled task.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 sixteen 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 | #SuperFastPython.com # Example of getting results and an exception from a canceled task VonTempoObjectsleep Voncompetitor.futuresObjectThreadPoolExecutor Voncompetitor.futuresObjectCancelledError # Mock task that will sleep for a moment definitelywork(bedtime): sleep(bedtime) reversing sleep_Tempo # Create a thread group comThreadPoolExecutor(1) and executor: # Start a long-running task future1 = executor.of you(work, 2) press(F'First task running={future1.running()}') # start a second futuro2 = executor.of you(work, 0,1) press(F'Second running task={future2.running()}') # cancel the second task It was cancelled = futuro2.Cancel() press(F'Second task cancelled: {was_cancelled}') # get result attempt: Result = futuro2.Result() exceptCancelledError: press('No result, the task was cancelled') # get the exception attempt: mi = futuro2.exception() exceptCancelledError: press('The task was aborted without exception') |
Running the sample first starts the long-running task and confirms that it is running. The second short-term job is successfully sent and cancelled.
Then we try to get the result of the canceled task and deal with an awaited taskCancelledError.
Finally, we try to catch any exceptions that have occurred during the execution of the ephemeral task and aCancelledErroris triggered and processed, again because the task was cancelled.
1 2 3 4 5 | First task running = True Second task running = False The second task was cancelled: True No results, the task was canceled The task was invariably aborted. |
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keep reading
This section contains additional resources that you may find useful.
Books
- ThreadPoolExecutor Quickstart, Jason Brownlee, 2022 (my book!).
- Simultaneous Futures API Interview
- ThreadPoolExecutor-Klassen-API-Spickzettel
I also recommend specific chapters from the following books:
- efficient python, Brett Slatkin, 2019.
- verChapter 7: Concurrency and Parallelism
- Python a resume, Alex Martelli and others, 2017.
- Version:Chapter: 14: Threads and Processes
Führer
- ThreadPoolExecutor: The Complete Guide
API
Teach
Now you know how to cancel tasks sent to the Python ThreadPoolExecutor.
Do you have any questions about canceling tasks?
Ask your question in the comments below and I'll do my best to answer it.
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FAQs
How do you terminate ThreadPoolExecutor in Python? ›
You can cancel tasks in the ThreadPoolExecutor by calling the cancel() function on the Future object.
How do I stop a thread in thread pool executor? ›When using an Executor, we can shut it down by calling the shutdown() or shutdownNow() methods. Although, it won't wait until all threads stop executing. Waiting for existing threads to complete their execution can be achieved by using the awaitTermination() method.
How do you wait for ThreadPoolExecutor to finish? ›You can wait for a task to finish in a ThreadPoolExecutor by calling the wait() module function.
How do I terminate a worker thread? ›For a worker thread, normal thread termination is simple: Exit the controlling function and return a value that signifies the reason for termination. You can use either the AfxEndThread function or a return statement. Typically, 0 signifies successful completion, but that is up to you.
How do I terminate a STD thread? ›You could call std::terminate() from any thread and the thread you're referring to will forcefully end. You could arrange for ~thread() to be executed on the object of the target thread, without a intervening join() nor detach() on that object.
How do I turn off all threads in Python? ›- Raising exceptions in a python thread.
- Set/Reset stop flag.
- Using traces to kill threads.
- Using the multiprocessing module to kill threads.
- Killing Python thread by setting it as daemon.
- Using a hidden function _stop()
interrupt() method: If any thread is in sleeping or waiting for a state then using the interrupt() method, we can interrupt the execution of that thread by showing InterruptedException. A thread that is in the sleeping or waiting state can be interrupted with the help of the interrupt() method of Thread class.
What if thread pool is full? ›You'll most likely just get worse performance. Keep in mind with Task and ThreadPool. QueueUserWorkItem , the threads are re-used when they're done. If you create a task or queue a threadpool thread, it may or may not create a new thread to execute your code.
How do you wait for thread pool to finish Python? ›You can wait for tasks issued to the ThreadPool to complete by calling wait() on the AsyncResult object or calling join() on the ThreadPool.
What is the difference between ThreadPoolExecutor and ProcessPoolExecutor in Python? ›As their names suggest, the ThreadPoolExecutor uses threads internally, whereas the ProcessPoolExecutor uses processes. A process has a main thread and may have additional threads. A thread belongs to a process. Both processes and threads are features provided by the underlying operating system.
What is the difference between ThreadPool and ThreadPoolExecutor? ›
The ThreadPool provides a focus on map() based concurrency, whereas the ThreadPoolExecutor does not. The ThreadPoolExecutor does provide a parallel version of the built-in map() function which will apply the same function to an iterable of arguments. Each function call is issued as a separate task to the thread pool.
Can threads be terminated quickly? ›A single thread can exit in three ways, thereby stopping its flow of control, without terminating the entire process. The thread can simply return from the start routine. The return value is the thread's exit code. The thread can be canceled by another thread in the same process.
Does terminating a thread terminate the process? ›If the thread is the only active thread in the process, the process is terminated.
Does an exception terminate thread? ›If any of these exceptions are unhandled in threads created by the common language runtime, the exception terminates the thread, but the common language runtime does not allow the exception to proceed further.
Can we stop a thread in Python? ›In Python, you simply cannot kill a Thread directly. If you do NOT really need to have a Thread (!), what you can do, instead of using the threading package , is to use the multiprocessing package . Here, to kill a process, you can simply call the method: yourProcess.
What should I use instead of thread abort? ›Use a CancellationToken to abort processing of a unit of work instead of calling Thread. Abort. The following example illustrates the use of CancellationToken. For more information, see Cancellation in managed threads.
Which is default mode for thread cancellation? ›When a thread is created, the cancellation type is set to deferred mode by default. In deferred mode, the thread can be cancelled only at cancellation points. In asynchronous mode, a thread can be cancelled at any point during its execution.
How do you stop a thread immediately in Python? ›If the event is set true, we can exit the task loop or return from the task() function, allowing the new thread to terminate. The status of the threading. Event can be checked via the is_set() function. The main thread, or another thread, can then set the event in order to stop the new thread from running.
How do I stop and restart a thread in Python? ›You cannot restart a thread in Python, instead you must create and start a new thread with the same configuration.
How do you stop a function from running in Python? ›Python exit commands: quit(), exit(), sys. exit() and os. _exit()
What is the use of the interrupt () function of thread class? ›
An interrupt is an indication to a thread that it should stop what it is doing and do something else. It's up to the programmer to decide exactly how a thread responds to an interrupt, but it is very common for the thread to terminate.
What is the max pool size in ThreadPoolExecutor? ›Starting thread pool size is 1, core pool size is 5, max pool size is 10 and the queue is 100. As requests come in, threads will be created up to 5 and then tasks will be added to the queue until it reaches 100.
What is a good thread pool size? ›The size of our thread pool needs to be at least 100 threads. Also, to process 1000 QPS we need 10 CPU processors (or 5 CPU cores, assuming each core can run two threads).
What happens when you call shutdownNow () on a ThreadPoolExecutor? ›shutdownNow. Attempts to stop all actively executing tasks, halts the processing of waiting tasks, and returns a list of the tasks that were awaiting execution. These tasks are drained (removed) from the task queue upon return from this method. This method does not wait for actively executing tasks to terminate.
How do you wait 15 seconds in Python? ›If you've got a Python program and you want to make it wait, you can use a simple function like this one: time. sleep(x) where x is the number of seconds that you want your program to wait.
How do you wait until a process finishes in Python? ›Though there are a plethora of ways to make a pause in Python the most prevalent way is to use the wait() function. The wait() method in Python is used to make a running process wait for another function to complete its execution, such as a child process, before having to return to the parent class or event.
How to wait for all processes to finish in multiprocessing Python? ›You can wait for tasks issued to the multiprocessing pool to complete by calling AsyncResult. wait() or calling Pool. join().
Why is it a good idea to use a ThreadPoolExecutor? ›Use the ThreadPoolExecutor if your tasks are independent. This means that each task is not dependent on other tasks that could execute at the same time. It also may mean tasks that are not dependent on any data other than data provided via function arguments to the task.
Why is it a good idea to use a ThreadPoolExecutor as a context manager when you can? ›Why Use a ThreadPoolExecutor? ThreadPoolExecutors provide a simple abstraction around spinning up multiple threads and using these threads to perform tasks in a concurrent fashion. Adding threading to your application can help to drastically improve the speed of your application when used in the right context.
Why use ThreadPool Executor? ›Use the ThreadPoolExecutor class when you need to be able to check on the status of tasks during their execution. Use the ThreadPoolExecutor class when you need to take action based on the results of tasks, such as the first task to complete, the first task to raise an exception, or results as they become available.
Is Python ThreadPoolExecutor thread safe? ›
ThreadPoolExecutor Thread-Safety
Although the ThreadPoolExecutor uses threads internally, you do not need to work with threads directly in order to execute tasks and get results. Nevertheless, when accessing resources or critical sections, thread-safety may be a concern.
ThreadPoolExecutor. ThreadPoolExecutor is an Executor subclass that uses a pool of threads to execute calls asynchronously. An Executor subclass that uses a pool of at most max_workers threads to execute calls asynchronously. All threads enqueued to ThreadPoolExecutor will be joined before the interpreter can exit.
Does ThreadPoolExecutor reuse threads Python? ›sabo no. Threads are fully blocking so they will not return to the pool until run() returns regardless of calls to sleep or blocking IO.
How do I shut down ExecutorService? ›To properly shut down an ExecutorService, we have the shutdown() and shutdownNow() APIs. This method returns a list of tasks that are waiting to be processed.
How do I stop a thread in ExecutorService? ›Two different methods are provided for shutting down an ExecutorService. The shutdown() method will allow previously submitted tasks to execute before terminating, while the shutdownNow() method prevents waiting tasks from starting and attempts to stop currently executing tasks.
How do you close a listening socket in Python? ›To close the connection, break the while loop. Garbage collection will remove the thread or process but join will ensure none get left behind. Persistent sockets close when the user closes them or they timeout. Non-persistent, like static webpages will close after they've sent the information.
What is a ThreadPoolExecutor Python? ›ThreadPoolExecutor is an Executor subclass that uses a pool of threads to execute calls asynchronously. Deadlocks can occur when the callable associated with a Future waits on the results of another Future . For example: import time def wait_on_b(): time. sleep(5) print(b.
What happens when you call shutdownNow () on a Threadpoolexecutor? ›shutdownNow. Attempts to stop all actively executing tasks, halts the processing of waiting tasks, and returns a list of the tasks that were awaiting execution. These tasks are drained (removed) from the task queue upon return from this method. This method does not wait for actively executing tasks to terminate.
Should I shut down Executor? ›When finished using an ExecutorService , you need to shut it down explicitly. From its javadoc: "An unused ExecutorService should be shut down to allow reclamation of its resources." Calling shutdown initiates a gradual and orderly shutdown.
What happens if we don't shutdown ExecutorService? ›Using shutdown() and awaitTermination()
In general, the ExecutorService will not be automatically destroyed when there is no task to process. It will stay alive and wait for new tasks to come. It simply means that JVM will not terminate if we are expecting it to.
What does socket close () do? ›
close() call shuts down the socket associated with the socket descriptor socket, and frees resources allocated to the socket. If socket refers to an open TCP connection, the connection is closed. If a stream socket is closed when there is input data queued, the TCP connection is reset rather than being cleanly closed.
How do I remove a socket from event listener? ›removeAllListeners([eventName]) Removes all listeners, or those of the specified eventName.
What does listen () do in Python? ›The .listen() method has a backlog parameter. It specifies the number of unaccepted connections that the system will allow before refusing new connections. Starting in Python 3.5, it's optional. If not specified, a default backlog value is chosen.