Add example of using compareExchange return value (mdn#33972)

OnkarRuikar · Jun 17, 2024 · cc91ba6 · cc91ba6
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diff --git a/.../en-us/web/javascript/reference/global_objects/atomics/compareexchange/index.md b/.../en-us/web/javascript/reference/global_objects/atomics/compareexchange/index.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Atomics.compareExchange(typedArray, index, expectedValue, replacementValue)
 
 ### Return value
 
-The old value at the given position (`typedArray[index]`).
+The old value at the given position (`typedArray[index]`). If the return value is equal to `expectedValue`, the exchange was successful; otherwise, the exchange failed.
 
 ### Exceptions
 
@@ -52,6 +52,25 @@ Atomics.compareExchange(ta, 0, 7, 12); // returns 7, the old value
 Atomics.load(ta, 0); // 12
 ```
 
+### Checking the return value
+
+[Compare-and-swap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compare-and-swap) guarantees that the new value is calculated based on up-to-date information; if the value had been updated by another thread in the meantime, the write would fail. Therefore, you should check the return value of `compareExchange()` to check if it has failed, and retry if necessary.
+
+Here is one example of an atomic adder (same functionality as {{jsxref("Atomics.add()")}}), adapted from the linked Wikipedia article:
+
+```js
+function add(mem, index, value) {
+ let done = false;
+ while (!done) {
+ const value = Atomics.load(mem, index);
+ done = Atomics.compareExchange(p, value, value + a) === value;
+ }
+ return value + a;
+}
+```
+
+It first reads the value at the given index, then tries to update it with the new value. It keeps retrying until it successfully updates the value.
+
 ## Specifications
 
 {{Specifications}}

diff --git a/files/en-us/web/javascript/reference/global_objects/atomics/islockfree/index.md b/files/en-us/web/javascript/reference/global_objects/atomics/islockfree/index.md
@@ -7,12 +7,7 @@ browser-compat: javascript.builtins.Atomics.isLockFree
 
 {{JSRef}}
 
-The **`Atomics.isLockFree()`** static
-method is used to determine whether the `Atomics` methods use locks
-or atomic hardware operations when applied to typed arrays with the given element
-byte size.
-It returns `false` if the given size is not one of the [BYTES_PER_ELEMENT](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/TypedArray/BYTES_PER_ELEMENT)
-property of integer TypedArray types.
+The **`Atomics.isLockFree()`** static method is used to determine whether the `Atomics` methods use locks or atomic hardware operations when applied to typed arrays with the given element byte size. It is intended as an optimization primitive, so that high-performance algorithms can determine whether to use locks or atomic operations in critical sections. If an atomic primitive is not lock-free, it is often more efficient for an algorithm to provide its own locking.
 
 {{EmbedInteractiveExample("pages/js/atomics-islockfree.html")}}
 
@@ -31,19 +26,22 @@ Atomics.isLockFree(size)
 
 A `true` or `false` value indicating whether the operation is lock free.
 
+- Always `true` if `size` is 4, because all known platforms support 4-byte atomic operations.
+- Always `false` if the given size is not one of the [`BYTES_PER_ELEMENT`](/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/TypedArray/BYTES_PER_ELEMENT) property of integer TypedArray types.
+
 ## Examples
 
 ### Using isLockFree
 
 ```js
-Atomics.isLockFree(1); // true
-Atomics.isLockFree(2); // true
+Atomics.isLockFree(1); // true (platform-dependent)
+Atomics.isLockFree(2); // true (platform-dependent)
 Atomics.isLockFree(3); // false
 Atomics.isLockFree(4); // true
 Atomics.isLockFree(5); // false
 Atomics.isLockFree(6); // false
 Atomics.isLockFree(7); // false
-Atomics.isLockFree(8); // true
+Atomics.isLockFree(8); // true (platform-dependent)
 ```
 
 ## Specifications