sync: tidy WaitGroup documentation, add WaitGroup.Go example

This reframes the WaitGroup documentation with Go at its center and
Add/Done as more "advanced" features.

Updates #63796

Change-Id: I8101972626fdb00c6f7fb185b685227823d10db1
Reviewed-on: https://go-review.googlesource.com/c/go/+/662975
LUCI-TryBot-Result: Go LUCI <golang-scoped@luci-project-accounts.iam.gserviceaccount.com>
Reviewed-by: Alan Donovan <adonovan@google.com>
Auto-Submit: Austin Clements <austin@google.com>
Reviewed-by: Carlos Amedee <carlos@golang.org>

src/sync/example_test.go

@@ -19,6 +19,26 @@ var http httpPkg
 // This example fetches several URLs concurrently,
 // using a WaitGroup to block until all the fetches are complete.
 func ExampleWaitGroup() {
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	var urls = []string{
+		"http://www.golang.org/",
+		"http://www.google.com/",
+		"http://www.example.com/",
+	}
+	for _, url := range urls {
+		// Launch a goroutine to fetch the URL.
+		wg.Go(func() {
+			// Fetch the URL.
+			http.Get(url)
+		})
+	}
+	// Wait for all HTTP fetches to complete.
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
+// This example is equivalent to the main example, but uses Add/Done
+// instead of Go.
+func ExampleWaitGroup_addAndDone() {
 	var wg sync.WaitGroup
 	var urls = []string{
 		"http://www.golang.org/",

src/sync/waitgroup.go

@@ -11,40 +11,39 @@ import (
 )
 
 // A WaitGroup is a counting semaphore typically used to wait
-// for a group of goroutines to finish.
+// for a group of goroutines or tasks to finish.
 //
-// The main goroutine calls [WaitGroup.Add] to set (or increase) the number of
+// Typically, a main goroutine will start tasks, each in a new
-// goroutines to wait for. Then each of the goroutines
+// goroutine, by calling [WaitGroup.Go] and then wait for all tasks to
-// runs and calls [WaitGroup.Done] when finished. At the same time,
+// complete by calling [WaitGroup.Wait]. For example:
-// [WaitGroup.Wait] can be used to block until all goroutines have finished.
+//
-//
+//	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-// This is a typical pattern of WaitGroup usage to
+//	wg.Go(task1)
-// synchronize 3 goroutines, each calling the function f:
+//	wg.Go(task2)
+//	wg.Wait()
+//
+// A WaitGroup may also be used for tracking tasks without using Go to
+// start new goroutines by using [WaitGroup.Add] and [WaitGroup.Done].
+//
+// The previous example can be rewritten using explicitly created
+// goroutines along with Add and Done:
 //
 //	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-//	for range 3 {
 //	wg.Add(1)
 //	go func() {
 //		defer wg.Done()
-//	       f()
+//		task1()
+//	}()
+//	wg.Add(1)
+//	go func() {
+//		defer wg.Done()
+//		task2()
 //	}()
-//	}
 //	wg.Wait()
 //
-// For convenience, the [WaitGroup.Go] method simplifies this pattern to:
+// This pattern is common in code that predates [WaitGroup.Go].
-//
-//	var wg sync.WaitGroup
-//	for range 3 {
-//	   wg.Go(f)
-//	}
-//	wg.Wait()
 //
 // A WaitGroup must not be copied after first use.
-//
-// In the terminology of [the Go memory model], a call to [WaitGroup.Done]
-// “synchronizes before” the return of any Wait call that it unblocks.
-//
-// [the Go memory model]: https://go.dev/ref/mem
 type WaitGroup struct {
 	noCopy noCopy
 
@@ -52,10 +51,12 @@ type WaitGroup struct {
 	sema  uint32
 }
 
-// Add adds delta, which may be negative, to the [WaitGroup] counter.
+// Add adds delta, which may be negative, to the [WaitGroup] task counter.
 // If the counter becomes zero, all goroutines blocked on [WaitGroup.Wait] are released.
 // If the counter goes negative, Add panics.
 //
+// Callers should prefer [WaitGroup.Go].
+//
 // Note that calls with a positive delta that occur when the counter is zero
 // must happen before a Wait. Calls with a negative delta, or calls with a
 // positive delta that start when the counter is greater than zero, may happen
@@ -107,12 +108,20 @@ func (wg *WaitGroup) Add(delta int) {
 	}
 }
 
-// Done decrements the [WaitGroup] counter by one.
+// Done decrements the [WaitGroup] task counter by one.
+// It is equivalent to Add(-1).
+//
+// Callers should prefer [WaitGroup.Go].
+//
+// In the terminology of [the Go memory model], a call to Done
+// "synchronizes before" the return of any Wait call that it unblocks.
+//
+// [the Go memory model]: https://go.dev/ref/mem
 func (wg *WaitGroup) Done() {
 	wg.Add(-1)
 }
 
-// Wait blocks until the [WaitGroup] counter is zero.
+// Wait blocks until the [WaitGroup] task counter is zero.
 func (wg *WaitGroup) Wait() {
 	if race.Enabled {
 		race.Disable()
@@ -151,7 +160,7 @@ func (wg *WaitGroup) Wait() {
 	}
 }
 
-// Go calls f in a new goroutine and adds that task to the WaitGroup.
+// Go calls f in a new goroutine and adds that task to the [WaitGroup].
 // When f returns, the task is removed from the WaitGroup.
 //
 // If the WaitGroup is empty, Go must happen before a [WaitGroup.Wait].
@@ -161,8 +170,10 @@ func (wg *WaitGroup) Wait() {
 // If a WaitGroup is reused to wait for several independent sets of tasks,
 // new Go calls must happen after all previous Wait calls have returned.
 //
-// In the terminology of [the Go memory model](https://go.dev/ref/mem),
+// In the terminology of [the Go memory model], the return from f
-// the return from f "synchronizes before" the return of any Wait call that it unblocks.
+// "synchronizes before" the return of any Wait call that it unblocks.
+//
+// [the Go memory model]: https://go.dev/ref/mem
 func (wg *WaitGroup) Go(f func()) {
 	wg.Add(1)
 	go func() {