Alternatives to dispatch_get_current_queue() for completion blocks in iOS 6?

Solution 1:

The pattern of "run on whatever queue the caller was on" is appealing, but ultimately not a great idea. That queue could be a low priority queue, the main queue, or some other queue with odd properties.

My favorite approach to this is to say "the completion block runs on an implementation defined queue with these properties: x, y, z", and let the block dispatch to a particular queue if the caller wants more control than that. A typical set of properties to specify would be something like "serial, non-reentrant, and async with respect to any other application-visible queue".

** EDIT **

Catfish_Man put an example in the comments below, I'm just adding it to his answer.

- (void) aMethodWithCompletionBlock:(dispatch_block_t)completionHandler     
{ 
    dispatch_async(self.workQueue, ^{ 
        [self doSomeWork]; 
        dispatch_async(self.callbackQueue, completionHandler); 
    } 
}

Solution 2:

This is fundamentally the wrong approach for the API you are describing to take. If an API accepts a block and a completion block to run, the following facts need to be true:

1. The "block to run" should be run on an internal queue, e.g. a queue which is private to the API and hence entirely under that API's control. The only exception to this is if the API specifically declares that the block will be run on the main queue or one of the global concurrent queues.

2. The completion block should always be expressed as a tuple (queue, block) unless the same assumptions as for #1 hold true, e.g. the completion block will be run on a known global queue. The completion block should furthermore be dispatched async on the passed-in queue.

These are not just stylistic points, they're entirely necessary if your API is to be safe from deadlocks or other edge-case behavior that WILL otherwise hang you from the nearest tree someday. :-)

Solution 3:

The other answers are great, but for the me the answer is structural. I have a method like this that's on a Singleton:

- (void) dispatchOnHighPriorityNonMainQueue:(simplest_block)block forceAsync:(BOOL)forceAsync {
    if (forceAsync || [NSThread isMainThread])
        dispatch_async_on_high_priority_queue(block);
    else
        block();
}

which has two dependencies, which are:

static void dispatch_async_on_high_priority_queue(dispatch_block_t block) {
    dispatch_async(dispatch_get_global_queue(DISPATCH_QUEUE_PRIORITY_HIGH, 0), block);
}

and

typedef void (^simplest_block)(void); // also could use dispatch_block_t

That way I centralize my calls to dispatch on the other thread.