Editing Abort (computing)

{{short description|Unscheduled termination of a process}}
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{{Wiktionary|abort}}
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In a [[computer]] or [[data transmission]] system, to '''abort''' means to [[Wiktionary:terminate|terminate]], usually in a controlled manner, a processing activity because it is impossible or undesirable for the activity to proceed or in conjunction with an error.  Such an action may be accompanied by [[Wiktionary:diagnostics|diagnostic]] information on the aborted process.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/a/abort.htm|title=What is Abort?|website=www.computerhope.com|language=en|access-date=2019-04-22|archive-date=2019-04-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422210450/https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/a/abort.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In addition to being a verb, abort also has two noun senses.  In the most general case, the event of aborting can be referred to as an abort.  Sometimes the event of aborting can be given a special name, as in the case of an abort involving a [[Unix]] [[Kernel (operating system)|kernel]] where it is known as a [[kernel panic]].  Specifically in the context of [[data transmission]], an abort is a function invoked by a sending station to cause the recipient to discard or ignore all [[bit]] sequences transmitted by the [[Sender (telephony)|sender]] since the preceding [[flag sequence]].

In the [[C (programming language)|C programming language]], [[C process control#abort|<code>abort()</code>]] is a standard library function that terminates the current application and returns an error code to the host environment.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/docs/n1570.pdf|title=C11 standard (ISO/IEC 9899:2011)|access-date=2020-03-11|archive-date=2018-03-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180329042731/http://www.open-std.org/jtc1/sc22/wg14/www/docs/n1570.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Types of aborts ==

# '''User-Initiated Aborts''': Users can often abort tasks using keyboard shortcuts (like Ctrl + C in terminal applications) or commands to terminate processes. This is especially useful for stopping unresponsive programs or those taking longer than expected to execute.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=24 May 2021 |title=What is Abort? {{!}} Webopedia |url=https://www.webopedia.org/definitions/abort/ |access-date=3 November 2024 |website=nojs-rotate.domaincntrol.com}}</ref>
# '''Programmatic Aborts''': Developers can implement abort logic in their code. For instance, when a program encounters an error or invalid input, it may call functions like <code>abort()</code> in C or [[C++]] to terminate execution. This approach helps prevent further errors or potential data corruption.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2010-07-09 |title=C exit(), abort() and assert() Functions |url=https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/c-exit-abort-and-assert-functions/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=GeeksforGeeks |language=en-US}}</ref>
# '''System-Level Aborts''': Operating systems might automatically abort processes under certain conditions, such as resource exhaustion or unresponsiveness. For example, a watchdog timer can terminate a process that remains idle beyond a specified time limit.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
# '''Database Transactions''': In database management, aborting (often termed ‘rolling back’) a transaction is crucial for maintaining data integrity. If a transaction cannot be completed successfully, aborting it returns the database to its previous state, which ensures that incomplete transactions don’t leave the data inconsistent.<ref name=":2" />

Aborts are typically logged, especially in critical systems, to facilitate troubleshooting and improve future runs.<ref name=":2" />

==See also==
* [[Abort, Retry, Fail?]]
* [[Abnormal end]]
* [[Crash (computing)|Crash]]
* [[Hang (computing)|Hang]]
* [[Reset (computing)|Reset]]
* [[Reboot (computing)|Reboot]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Computing terminology]]


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