[OpenLayers-Dev] Race condition in WMSGetFeatureInfo

[Gael Lafond]

Hello,

I use the WMSGetFeatureInfo object with multiple layers from 2 distinct
servers, with the DrillDown option.

The class has to send 2 requests. Since both servers are internals, the
answers come back very fast and the method handleResponse is call at the
exact same time for both servers (lets say with very few CPU cycles
difference). The problem is actually in the concat call of the
handleResponse method:
[...]
this._features = (this._features || []).concat(features);
[...]
I suspect this line to takes multiple CPU cycles, enough to actually
having it call at the same time for both requests. This result in having
both getting the content of this._features when it is actually empty,
and, at the end, the second request override what the first one has set
into it.

I can (kind of) prouve this by adding an alert just before the suspected
line. When I do so, I get 2 alerts at the same time (I though it was
impossible to have 2 alert windows at the same time), pausing both
process. Everything goes fine after I close those windows.

In java, I would propose to add the Synchronize keyword to the
handleResponse method, but this keyword do not seems to exists in
javascript. Implementing a mutex (or even a semaphore) is almost
impossible without been able to use the CPU call that check and set a
boolean in one operation. (the only solution I know is to use an array
of boolean, one for each process... I will not describe this here)

In my case, I have to place each response in a different Div so I have
to override this method anyway. That will solve my problem, but they
will still have a race condition in that method.

-- 
Gael Lafond
Programmer
Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)
PMB 3
Townsville MC
QLD 4810
Ph: +61 7 4753 4207
E-Mail: g.lafond at aims.gov.au


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