pthread_attr_setdetachstate(3C) Syntax

int pthread_attr_setdetachstate(pthread_attr_t *tattr,int detachstate);

#include <pthread.h> 
pthread_attr_t tattr; 
int ret; 
/* set the thread detach state */
ret = pthread_attr_setdetachstate(&tattr,PTHREAD_CREATE_DETACHED);

When a thread is created nondetached with PTHREAD_CREATE_JOINABLE, the assumption is that your application will wait for the thread to complete. That is, the program will execute a pthread_join() on the thread.

Whether a thread is created detached or nondetached, the process does not exit until all threads have exited. See Finishing Up for a discussion of process termination caused by premature exit from main().

When no explicit synchronization prevents a newly created, detached thread from exiting, its thread ID can be reassigned to another new thread before its creator returns from pthread_create().

Nondetached threads must have a thread join with the nondetached thread after the nondetached thread terminates. Otherwise, the resources of that thread are not released for use by new threads that commonly results in a memory leak. So, when you do not want a thread to be joined, create the thread as a detached thread.

Example 3–1 Creating a Detached Thread

#include <pthread.h>

pthread_attr_t tattr;
pthread_t tid;
void *start_routine;
void arg
int ret;

/* initialized with default attributes */
ret = pthread_attr_init (&tattr);
ret = pthread_attr_setdetachstate (&tattr,PTHREAD_CREATE_DETACHED);
ret = pthread_create (&tid, &tattr, start_routine, arg);