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+NSPR provides an execution environment that promotes the use of
+lightweight threads. Each thread is an execution entity that is
+scheduled independently from other threads in the same process. This
+chapter describes the basic NSPR threading API.
+
+- `Threading Types and Constants <#Threading_Types_and_Constants>`__
+- `Threading Functions <#Threading_Functions>`__
+
+A thread has a limited number of resources that it truly owns. These
+resources include a stack and the CPU registers (including PC). To an
+NSPR client, a thread is represented by a pointer to an opaque structure
+of type :ref:`PRThread`. A thread is created by an explicit client request
+and remains a valid, independent execution entity until it returns from
+its root function or the process abnormally terminates. Threads are
+critical resources and therefore require some management. To synchronize
+the termination of a thread, you can **join** it with another thread
+(see :ref:`PR_JoinThread`). Joining a thread provides definitive proof that
+the target thread has terminated and has finished with both the
+resources to which the thread has access and the resources of the thread
+itself.
+
+For an overview of the NSPR threading model and sample code that
+illustrates its use, see `Introduction to
+NSPR <Introduction_to_NSPR>`__.
+
+For API reference information related to thread synchronization, see
+`Locks <Locks>`__ and `Condition Variables <Condition_Variables>`__.
+
+.. _Threading_Types_and_Constants:
+
+Threading Types and Constants
+-----------------------------
+
+ - :ref:`PRThread`
+ - :ref:`PRThreadType`
+ - :ref:`PRThreadScope`
+ - :ref:`PRThreadState`
+ - :ref:`PRThreadPriority`
+ - :ref:`PRThreadPrivateDTOR`
+
+.. _Threading_Functions:
+
+Threading Functions
+-------------------
+
+Most of the functions described here accept a pointer to the thread as
+an argument. NSPR does not check for the validity of the thread. It is
+the caller's responsibility to ensure that the thread is valid. The
+effects of these functions on invalid threads are undefined.
+
+- `Creating, Joining, and Identifying
+ Threads <#Creating,_Joining,_and_Identifying_Threads>`__
+- `Controlling Thread Priorities <#Controlling_Thread_Priorities>`__
+- `Interrupting and Yielding <#Interrupting_and_Yielding>`__
+- `Setting Global Thread
+ Concurrency <#Setting_Global_Thread_Concurrency>`__
+- `Getting a Thread's Scope <#Getting_a_Thread's_Scope>`__
+
+.. _Creating.2C_Joining.2C_and_Identifying_Threads:
+
+Creating, Joining, and Identifying Threads
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+ - :ref:`PR_CreateThread` creates a new thread.
+ - :ref:`PR_JoinThread` blocks the calling thread until a specified thread
+ terminates.
+ - :ref:`PR_GetCurrentThread` returns the current thread object for the
+ currently running code.
+ - :ref:`PR_AttachThread`` associates a :ref:`PRThread` object with an existing
+ native thread.
+ - :ref:`PR_DetachThread`` disassociates a :ref:`PRThread` object from a native
+ thread.
+
+.. _Controlling_Thread_Priorities:
+
+Controlling Thread Priorities
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+For an overview of the way NSPR controls thread priorities, see `Setting
+Thread Priorities <Introduction_to_NSPR#Setting_Thread_Priorities.>`__.
+
+You set a thread's NSPR priority when you create it with
+:ref:`PR_CreateThread`. After a thread has been created, you can get and
+set its priority with these functions:
+
+ - :ref:`PR_GetThreadPriority`
+ - :ref:`PR_SetThreadPriority`
+
+.. _Controlling_Per-Thread_Private_Data:
+
+Controlling Per-Thread Private Data
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+You can use these functions to associate private data with each of the
+threads in a process:
+
+ - :ref:`PR_NewThreadPrivateIndex` allocates a unique index. If the call is
+ successful, every thread in the same process is capable of
+ associating private data with the new index.
+ - :ref:`PR_SetThreadPrivate` associates private thread data with an index.
+ - :ref:`PR_GetThreadPrivate` retrieves data associated with an index.
+
+.. _Interrupting_and_Yielding:
+
+Interrupting and Yielding
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+ - :ref:`PR_Interrupt` requests an interrupt of another thread. Once the
+ target thread has been notified of the request, the request stays
+ with the thread until the notification either has been delivered
+ exactly once or is cleared.
+ - :ref:`PR_ClearInterrupt` clears a previous interrupt request.
+ - :ref:`PR_Sleep` causes a thread to yield to other threads for a
+ specified number of ticks.
+
+.. _Setting_Global_Thread_Concurrency:
+
+Setting Global Thread Concurrency
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+ - :ref:`PR_SetConcurrency` sets the number of global threads used by NSPR
+ to create local threads.
+
+.. _Getting_a_Thread.27s_Scope:
+
+Getting a Thread's Scope
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+ - :ref:`PR_GetThreadScope` gets the scoping of the current thread.