Java Thread Programming

Chapter 18. First-In-First-Out (FIFO) Queue

IN THIS CHAPTER

• How a FIFO Queue Works

• Implementing a FIFO with an Array

• Simple Implementation in Java: SimpleObjectFIFO

• An Expanded FIFO Queue for Object References: ObjectFIFO

• A FIFO Queue for Bytes: ByteFIFO

The First-In-First-Out (FIFO) queue is a data structure that has many applications in systems development. In this chapter, I'll show you a version of a FIFO queue that supports simultaneous access by multiple threads. In particular, I'll present two versions that are usable in the real world, as they are, and extendable:

• ObjectFIFO, which holds references to objects

• ByteFIFO, which holds byte values directly

How a FIFO Queue Works

As elements are added to a FIFO queue, they are stored in order. When elements ...