java.lang.IllegalThreadStateException: Thread already started

[jite eghagha]

hi,

Here's what i'm doing.

From HomeActivity, using an Intent, i start MenuActivity

		intent_MenuActivity = new Intent(Home.this, MenuActivity.class);

In MenuActivity, i create an instance of GameView, which extends SurfaceView

	        g = new GameView(this);

GameView is a video game, and so it is passed to GameLoopThread which extends Thread (GameLoopThread calls onDraw() over and over to move Sprites).

Below is the run method in GameLoopThread.

       public void run() {
             long ticksPS = 1000 / FPS;
             long startTime;
             long sleepTime;
             
             while (isRunning()) {
                    Canvas c = null;
                    startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
                    try {
						   c = view.getHolder().lockCanvas();
						   synchronized (view.getHolder()) {
						   view.onDraw(c);
				        	/*if(view.isGameOver()==true){
				        		running = false;
				        	}*/						  
                       }
                    } 
                    finally {
                           if (c != null) {
                                  view.getHolder().unlockCanvasAndPost(c);
                           }
                    }
                    sleepTime = ticksPS - (System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime);
                    try {
                           if (sleepTime > 0)
                                  sleep(sleepTime);
                           else
                                  sleep(10);
                    } catch (Exception e) {}
             }
            
       }

When i click on a Sprite, i start ItemActivity using an Intent

When i click on the back button on my phone i expect to exit the ItemActivity and return to the GameView g, but i get the "Thread already started error"

The error is occurs in GameView g in a SurfaceHolders Callback method.

new SurfaceHolder.Callback() {

                 public void surfaceDestroyed(SurfaceHolder holder) {
             		Log.e(LOG_TAG, "  surfaceDestroyed() called");

                        boolean retry = true;
                        getGameLoopThread().setRunning(false);
                        while (retry) {
                               try {
                            		Log.e(LOG_TAG, "  in while retry() called");
                            	   
                                     getGameLoopThread().join();
                                     retry = false;
                               } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                            	   
                               }
                        }
                 }

                 public void surfaceCreated(SurfaceHolder holder) {
             		Log.e(LOG_TAG, "  surfaceCreated() called"); 
               	 
                        getGameLoopThread().setRunning(true);
             		Log.e(LOG_TAG, "  setRunning() called");                	 

                        getGameLoopThread().start();
                        Log.e(LOG_TAG, "  start() called but this line was never reached");

                 }

                 public void surfaceChanged(SurfaceHolder holder, int format, int width, int height) {
                 }
          });

There error causes me to ask....
How do i handle the Thread that GameView g is running in? Can i kill it?, can it sleep?, what happens to it when ItemActivity is destroyed and MenuActivity (GameView g) is brought back to the front.