Re: tasks, protected types and entries

["chris.danx" <chris.danx@ntlworld.com>]

"chris.danx" <chris.danx@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:%12l8.9656$%_6.1717935@news11-gui.server.ntli.net...
> Hi,
>
> What is the difference between an entry and a procedure?  I think the
> difference is that a procedure will always execute regardless of any
> condition, but that an entry can have a guard to allow/prevent its
execution
> if a given condition is satisfied.
>
> So for a (protected) queue, the procedure Enqueue (someitem) would run in
> any circumstance and the entry Dequeue (an_item: out sometype) would run
> only when it is sensible to do so.  i.e. when there are items in the
Queue.

That's ambiguous.  I meant to say,

"the procedure Enqueue (someitem) would run when called, but the entry
Dequeue (an_item : out sometype) would run when called, but only when it
made sense to do so. i.e. when there are items in the Queue."

Another thought:  Calls to entries can time out, right?  Does that mean
after a certain time of the Queue being empty the calling task will abandon
the call to Dequeue, possibly doing something else?


Chris