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Comparing AnyEvent/README (file contents):
Revision 1.38 by root, Sun Apr 26 18:12:53 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.70 by root, Fri Apr 13 09:57:41 2012 UTC

…		…
1	NAME	1	NAME
2	AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops	2	AnyEvent - the DBI of event loop programming
3		3
4	EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event	4	EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Irssi, rxvt-unicode, IO::Async,
5	loops	5	Qt, FLTK and POE are various supported event loops/environments.
6		6
7	SYNOPSIS	7	SYNOPSIS
8	use AnyEvent;	8	use AnyEvent;
9		9
		10	# if you prefer function calls, look at the AE manpage for
		11	# an alternative API.
		12
10	# file descriptor readable	13	# file handle or descriptor readable
11	my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });	14	my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
12		15
13	# one-shot or repeating timers	16	# one-shot or repeating timers
14	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });	17	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
15	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...	18	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...);
16		19
17	print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time	20	print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
18	print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.	21	print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
19		22
20	# POSIX signal	23	# POSIX signal
37		40
38	INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL	41	INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
39	This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested in a	42	This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested in a
40	tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the AnyEvent::Intro	43	tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the AnyEvent::Intro
41	manpage.	44	manpage.
		45
		46	SUPPORT
		47	An FAQ document is available as AnyEvent::FAQ.
		48
		49	There also is a mailinglist for discussing all things AnyEvent, and an
		50	IRC channel, too.
		51
		52	See the AnyEvent project page at the Schmorpforge Ta-Sa Software
		53	Repository, at <http://anyevent.schmorp.de>, for more info.
42		54
43	WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)	55	WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)
44	Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen	56	Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
45	nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?	57	nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
46		58
…		…
61	module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event	73	module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event
62	model you use.	74	model you use.
63		75
64	For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is	76	For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is
65	actually doing all I/O synchronously...), using them in your module is	77	actually doing all I/O synchronously...), using them in your module is
66	like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you	78	like joining a cult: After you join, you are dependent on them and you
67	cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything	79	cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything
68	that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your module	80	that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your module
69	are also forced to use the same event loop you use.	81	are also forced to use the same event loop you use.
70		82
71	AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works	83	AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
72	fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together	84	fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together
73	with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if your	85	with the rest: POE + EV? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if your module
74	module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, too.	86	uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, too. But if
75	But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all event	87	your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all event models
76	models it supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those use	88	it supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those use one of
77	one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new event loops	89	the supported event loops. It is easy to add new event loops to
78	to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).	90	AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
79		91
80	In addition to being free of having to use *the one and only true event	92	In addition to being free of having to use *the one and only true event
81	model*, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar	93	model*, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
82	modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to	94	modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
83	follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by	95	follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and to the point, by only
84	only offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a	96	offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as
85	wrapper as technically possible.	97	technically possible.
86		98
87	Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox of	99	Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox of
88	useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100%	100	useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100%
89	non-blocking connects (even with TLS/SSL, IPv6 and on broken platforms	101	non-blocking connects (even with TLS/SSL, IPv6 and on broken platforms
90	such as Windows) and lots of real-world knowledge and workarounds for	102	such as Windows) and lots of real-world knowledge and workarounds for
…		…
93	Now, if you do want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat	105	Now, if you do want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat
94	useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event	106	useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
95	model, you should not use this module.	107	model, you should not use this module.
96		108
97	DESCRIPTION	109	DESCRIPTION
98	AnyEvent provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This	110	AnyEvent provides a uniform interface to various event loops. This
99	allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module	111	allows module authors to use event loop functionality without forcing
100	users to use the same event loop (as only a single event loop can	112	module users to use a specific event loop implementation (since more
101	coexist peacefully at any one time).	113	than one event loop cannot coexist peacefully).
102		114
103	The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the Event	115	The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the Event
104	module.	116	module.
105		117
106	During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries	118	During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
107	to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the	119	to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the
108	following modules is already loaded: EV, Event, Glib,	120	following modules is already loaded: EV, AnyEvent::Loop, Event, Glib,
109	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl, Tk, Event::Lib, Qt, POE. The first one found is	121	Tk, Event::Lib, Qt, POE. The first one found is used. If none are
110	used. If none are found, the module tries to load these modules	122	detected, the module tries to load the first four modules in the order
111	(excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl adaptor should	123	given; but note that if EV is not available, the pure-perl
112	always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can be	124	AnyEvent::Loop should always work, so the other two are not normally
113	successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be	125	tried.
114	found, AnyEvent will fall back to a pure-perl event loop, which is not
115	very efficient, but should work everywhere.
116		126
117	Because AnyEvent first checks for modules that are already loaded,	127	Because AnyEvent first checks for modules that are already loaded,
118	loading an event model explicitly before first using AnyEvent will	128	loading an event model explicitly before first using AnyEvent will
119	likely make that model the default. For example:	129	likely make that model the default. For example:
120		130
…		…
122	use AnyEvent;	132	use AnyEvent;
123		133
124	# .. AnyEvent will likely default to Tk	134	# .. AnyEvent will likely default to Tk
125		135
126	The likely means that, if any module loads another event model and	136	The likely means that, if any module loads another event model and
127	starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors	137	starts using it, all bets are off - this case should be very rare
128	to use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly...	138	though, as very few modules hardcode event loops without announcing this
		139	very loudly.
129		140
130	The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called	141	The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called "AnyEvent::Loop".
131	"AnyEvent::Impl::Perl". Like other event modules you can load it	142	Like other event modules you can load it explicitly and enjoy the high
132	explicitly and enjoy the high availability of that event loop :)	143	availability of that event loop :)
133		144
134	WATCHERS	145	WATCHERS
135	AnyEvent has the central concept of a watcher, which is an object that	146	AnyEvent has the central concept of a watcher, which is an object that
136	stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as	147	stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
137	the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.	148	the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
…		…
141	callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model is	152	callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model is
142	in control).	153	in control).
143		154
144	Note that callbacks must not permanently change global variables	155	Note that callbacks must not permanently change global variables
145	potentially in use by the event loop (such as $_ or $[) and that	156	potentially in use by the event loop (such as $_ or $[) and that
146	callbacks must not "die". The former is good programming practise in	157	callbacks must not "die". The former is good programming practice in
147	Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs	158	Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
148	widely between event loops.	159	widely between event loops.
149		160
150	To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the	161	To disable a watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
151	variable you store it in to "undef" or otherwise deleting all references	162	variable you store it in to "undef" or otherwise deleting all references
152	to it).	163	to it).
153		164
154	All watchers are created by calling a method on the "AnyEvent" class.	165	All watchers are created by calling a method on the "AnyEvent" class.
155		166
156	Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for	167	Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for
157	example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways.	168	example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways.
158		169
159	An any way to achieve that is this pattern:	170	One way to achieve that is this pattern:
160		171
161	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub {	172	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub {
162	# you can use $w here, for example to undef it	173	# you can use $w here, for example to undef it
163	undef $w;	174	undef $w;
164	});	175	});
…		…
166	Note that "my $w; $w =" combination. This is necessary because in Perl,	177	Note that "my $w; $w =" combination. This is necessary because in Perl,
167	my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are	178	my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
168	declared.	179	declared.
169		180
170	I/O WATCHERS	181	I/O WATCHERS
		182	$w = AnyEvent->io (
		183	fh => <filehandle_or_fileno>,
		184	poll => <"r" or "w">,
		185	cb => <callback>,
		186	);
		187
171	You can create an I/O watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->io" method with	188	You can create an I/O watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->io" method with
172	the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:	189	the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
173		190
174	"fh" is the Perl file handle (not file descriptor) to watch for	191	"fh" is the Perl file handle (or a naked file descriptor) to watch for
175	events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file	192	events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
176	handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which	193	handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
177	non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,	194	non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
178	most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example	195	most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example
179	files or block devices.	196	files or block devices.
…		…
189		206
190	The I/O watcher might use the underlying file descriptor or a copy of	207	The I/O watcher might use the underlying file descriptor or a copy of
191	it. You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on	208	it. You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on
192	the underlying file descriptor.	209	the underlying file descriptor.
193		210
194	Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should	211	Some event loops issue spurious readiness notifications, so you should
195	always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file	212	always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
196	handles.	213	handles.
197		214
198	Example: wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the	215	Example: wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the
199	watcher.	216	watcher.
…		…
203	warn "read: $input\n";	220	warn "read: $input\n";
204	undef $w;	221	undef $w;
205	});	222	});
206		223
207	TIME WATCHERS	224	TIME WATCHERS
		225	$w = AnyEvent->timer (after => <seconds>, cb => <callback>);
		226
		227	$w = AnyEvent->timer (
		228	after => <fractional_seconds>,
		229	interval => <fractional_seconds>,
		230	cb => <callback>,
		231	);
		232
208	You can create a time watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->timer" method	233	You can create a time watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->timer" method
209	with the following mandatory arguments:	234	with the following mandatory arguments:
210		235
211	"after" specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are	236	"after" specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are
212	supported) the callback should be invoked. "cb" is the callback to	237	supported) the callback should be invoked. "cb" is the callback to
…		…
214		239
215	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and	240	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
216	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent	241	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
217	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.	242	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
218		243
219	The callback will normally be invoked once only. If you specify another	244	The callback will normally be invoked only once. If you specify another
220	parameter, "interval", as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the	245	parameter, "interval", as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the
221	callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional	246	callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional
222	seconds) after the first invocation. If "interval" is specified with a	247	seconds) after the first invocation. If "interval" is specified with a
223	false value, then it is treated as if it were missing.	248	false value, then it is treated as if it were not specified at all.
224		249
225	The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no	250	The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no
226	attempt is done to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval	251	attempt is made to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval
227	is only approximate.	252	is only approximate.
228		253
229	Example: fire an event after 7.7 seconds.	254	Example: fire an event after 7.7 seconds.
230		255
231	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {	256	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {
…		…
248		273
249	While most event loops expect timers to specified in a relative way,	274	While most event loops expect timers to specified in a relative way,
250	they use absolute time internally. This makes a difference when your	275	they use absolute time internally. This makes a difference when your
251	clock "jumps", for example, when ntp decides to set your clock backwards	276	clock "jumps", for example, when ntp decides to set your clock backwards
252	from the wrong date of 2014-01-01 to 2008-01-01, a watcher that is	277	from the wrong date of 2014-01-01 to 2008-01-01, a watcher that is
253	supposed to fire "after" a second might actually take six years to	278	supposed to fire "after a second" might actually take six years to
254	finally fire.	279	finally fire.
255		280
256	AnyEvent cannot compensate for this. The only event loop that is	281	AnyEvent cannot compensate for this. The only event loop that is
257	conscious about these issues is EV, which offers both relative	282	conscious of these issues is EV, which offers both relative (ev_timer,
258	(ev_timer, based on true relative time) and absolute (ev_periodic, based	283	based on true relative time) and absolute (ev_periodic, based on
259	on wallclock time) timers.	284	wallclock time) timers.
260		285
261	AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the	286	AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the
262	AnyEvent API.	287	AnyEvent API.
263		288
264	AnyEvent has two additional methods that return the "current time":	289	AnyEvent has two additional methods that return the "current time":
…		…
283	*In almost all cases (in all cases if you don't care), this is the	308	*In almost all cases (in all cases if you don't care), this is the
284	function to call when you want to know the current time.*	309	function to call when you want to know the current time.*
285		310
286	This function is also often faster then "AnyEvent->time", and thus	311	This function is also often faster then "AnyEvent->time", and thus
287	the preferred method if you want some timestamp (for example,	312	the preferred method if you want some timestamp (for example,
288	AnyEvent::Handle uses this to update it's activity timeouts).	313	AnyEvent::Handle uses this to update its activity timeouts).
289		314
290	The rest of this section is only of relevance if you try to be very	315	The rest of this section is only of relevance if you try to be very
291	exact with your timing, you can skip it without bad conscience.	316	exact with your timing; you can skip it without a bad conscience.
292		317
293	For a practical example of when these times differ, consider	318	For a practical example of when these times differ, consider
294	Event::Lib and EV and the following set-up:	319	Event::Lib and EV and the following set-up:
295		320
296	The event loop is running and has just invoked one of your callback	321	The event loop is running and has just invoked one of your callbacks
297	at time=500 (assume no other callbacks delay processing). In your	322	at time=500 (assume no other callbacks delay processing). In your
298	callback, you wait a second by executing "sleep 1" (blocking the	323	callback, you wait a second by executing "sleep 1" (blocking the
299	process for a second) and then (at time=501) you create a relative	324	process for a second) and then (at time=501) you create a relative
300	timer that fires after three seconds.	325	timer that fires after three seconds.
301		326
…		…
322	can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking	347	can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking
323	the difference between "AnyEvent->time" and "AnyEvent->now" into	348	the difference between "AnyEvent->time" and "AnyEvent->now" into
324	account.	349	account.
325		350
326	AnyEvent->now_update	351	AnyEvent->now_update
327	Some event loops (such as EV or AnyEvent::Impl::Perl) cache the	352	Some event loops (such as EV or AnyEvent::Loop) cache the current
328	current time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of	353	time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of AnyEvent->now,
329	AnyEvent->now, above).	354	above).
330		355
331	When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps),	356	When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps),
332	then this "current" time will differ substantially from the real	357	then this "current" time will differ substantially from the real
333	time, which might affect timers and time-outs.	358	time, which might affect timers and time-outs.
334		359
335	When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update	360	When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update
336	the event loop's idea of "current time".	361	the event loop's idea of "current time".
337		362
		363	A typical example would be a script in a web server (e.g.
		364	"mod_perl") - when mod_perl executes the script, then the event loop
		365	will have the wrong idea about the "current time" (being potentially
		366	far in the past, when the script ran the last time). In that case
		367	you should arrange a call to "AnyEvent->now_update" each time the
		368	web server process wakes up again (e.g. at the start of your script,
		369	or in a handler).
		370
338	Note that updating the time might cause some events to be handled.	371	Note that updating the time might cause some events to be handled.
339		372
340	SIGNAL WATCHERS	373	SIGNAL WATCHERS
		374	$w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => <uppercase_signal_name>, cb => <callback>);
		375
341	You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, "signal" is the signal	376	You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, "signal" is the signal
342	name in uppercase and without any "SIG" prefix, "cb" is the Perl	377	name in uppercase and without any "SIG" prefix, "cb" is the Perl
343	callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.	378	callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
344		379
345	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and	380	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
…		…
350	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous	385	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous
351	means that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the	386	means that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the
352	process, but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.	387	process, but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
353		388
354	The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a	389	The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a
355	signal between multiple watchers.	390	signal between multiple watchers, and AnyEvent will ensure that signals
		391	will not interrupt your program at bad times.
356		392
357	This watcher might use %SIG, so programs overwriting those signals	393	This watcher might use %SIG (depending on the event loop used), so
358	directly will likely not work correctly.	394	programs overwriting those signals directly will likely not work
		395	correctly.
359		396
360	Example: exit on SIGINT	397	Example: exit on SIGINT
361		398
362	my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 });	399	my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 });
363		400
		401	Restart Behaviour
		402	While restart behaviour is up to the event loop implementation, most
		403	will not restart syscalls (that includes Async::Interrupt and AnyEvent's
		404	pure perl implementation).
		405
		406	Safe/Unsafe Signals
		407	Perl signals can be either "safe" (synchronous to opcode handling) or
		408	"unsafe" (asynchronous) - the former might delay signal delivery
		409	indefinitely, the latter might corrupt your memory.
		410
		411	AnyEvent signal handlers are, in addition, synchronous to the event
		412	loop, i.e. they will not interrupt your running perl program but will
		413	only be called as part of the normal event handling (just like timer,
		414	I/O etc. callbacks, too).
		415
		416	Signal Races, Delays and Workarounds
		417	Many event loops (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt, IO::Async) do not support attaching
		418	callbacks to signals in a generic way, which is a pity, as you cannot do
		419	race-free signal handling in perl, requiring C libraries for this.
		420	AnyEvent will try to do its best, which means in some cases, signals
		421	will be delayed. The maximum time a signal might be delayed is 10
		422	seconds by default, but can be overriden via
		423	$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY} or $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY
		424	- see the "ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES" section for details.
		425
		426	All these problems can be avoided by installing the optional
		427	Async::Interrupt module, which works with most event loops. It will not
		428	work with inherently broken event loops such as Event or Event::Lib (and
		429	not with POE currently). For those, you just have to suffer the delays.
		430
364	CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS	431	CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
		432	$w = AnyEvent->child (pid => <process id>, cb => <callback>);
		433
365	You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.	434	You can also watch for a child process exit and catch its exit status.
366		435
367	The child process is specified by the "pid" argument (if set to 0, it	436	The child process is specified by the "pid" argument (on some backends,
368	watches for any child process exit). The watcher will triggered only	437	using 0 watches for any child process exit, on others this will croak).
369	when the child process has finished and an exit status is available, not	438	The watcher will be triggered only when the child process has finished
370	on any trace events (stopped/continued).	439	and an exit status is available, not on any trace events
		440	(stopped/continued).
371		441
372	The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by	442	The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
373	waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you can rely on child watcher	443	waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you can rely on child watcher
374	callback arguments.	444	callback arguments.
375		445
…		…
380		450
381	There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start	451	There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start
382	them after the child process was created, and this means the process	452	them after the child process was created, and this means the process
383	could have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).	453	could have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
384		454
385	Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for	455	Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async
		456	do, see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event
386	event models that do handle this correctly, they usually need to be	457	models that do handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded
387	loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first	458	before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place).
388	place).	459	AnyEvent's pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless
		460	of when you start the watcher.
389		461
390	This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in	462	This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in
391	an AnyEvent program, you have to create at least one watcher before	463	an AnyEvent program, you have to create at least one watcher before
392	you "fork" the child (alternatively, you can call "AnyEvent::detect").	464	you "fork" the child (alternatively, you can call "AnyEvent::detect").
393		465
		466	As most event loops do not support waiting for child events, they will
		467	be emulated by AnyEvent in most cases, in which case the latency and
		468	race problems mentioned in the description of signal watchers apply.
		469
394	Example: fork a process and wait for it	470	Example: fork a process and wait for it
395		471
396	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;	472	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
397		473
398	my $pid = fork or exit 5;	474	my $pid = fork or exit 5;
399		475
400	my $w = AnyEvent->child (	476	my $w = AnyEvent->child (
401	pid => $pid,	477	pid => $pid,
402	cb => sub {	478	cb => sub {
403	my ($pid, $status) = @_;	479	my ($pid, $status) = @_;
404	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";	480	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
405	$done->send;	481	$done->send;
406	},	482	},
407	);	483	);
408		484
409	# do something else, then wait for process exit	485	# do something else, then wait for process exit
410	$done->recv;	486	$done->recv;
411		487
412	IDLE WATCHERS	488	IDLE WATCHERS
413	Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important to	489	$w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => <callback>);
414	do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
415	"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
416	attention by the event loop".
417		490
418	Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing better	491	This will repeatedly invoke the callback after the process becomes idle,
419	to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new events.	492	until either the watcher is destroyed or new events have been detected.
420	Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
421		493
422	Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only	494	Idle watchers are useful when there is a need to do something, but it is
		495	not so important (or wise) to do it instantly. The callback will be
		496	invoked only when there is "nothing better to do", which is usually
		497	defined as "all outstanding events have been handled and no new events
		498	have been detected". That means that idle watchers ideally get invoked
		499	when the event loop has just polled for new events but none have been
		500	detected. Instead of blocking to wait for more events, the idle watchers
		501	will be invoked.
		502
		503	Unfortunately, most event loops do not really support idle watchers
423	EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent	504	(only EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest,
424	will simply call the callback "from time to time".	505	AnyEvent will simply call the callback "from time to time".
425		506
426	Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the program	507	Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the program
427	is otherwise idle:	508	is otherwise idle:
428		509
429	my @lines; # read data	510	my @lines; # read data
…		…
442	}	523	}
443	});	524	});
444	});	525	});
445		526
446	CONDITION VARIABLES	527	CONDITION VARIABLES
		528	$cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
		529
		530	$cv->send (<list>);
		531	my @res = $cv->recv;
		532
447	If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them	533	If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
448	require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that	534	require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
449	will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.	535	will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
450		536
451	AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop	537	AnyEvent is slightly different: it expects somebody else to run the
452	and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).	538	event loop and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the
		539	user).
453		540
454	The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called	541	The tool to do that is called a "condition variable", so called because
455	because they represent a condition that must become true.	542	they represent a condition that must become true.
		543
		544	Now is probably a good time to look at the examples further below.
456		545
457	Condition variables can be created by calling the "AnyEvent->condvar"	546	Condition variables can be created by calling the "AnyEvent->condvar"
458	method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is	547	method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
459
460	"cb", which specifies a callback to be called when the condition	548	"cb", which specifies a callback to be called when the condition
461	variable becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument	549	variable becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument
462	(but not the results).	550	(but not the results).
463		551
464	After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes	552	After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes
465	"true" by calling the "send" method (or calling the condition variable	553	"true" by calling the "send" method (or calling the condition variable
466	as if it were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for	554	as if it were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for
467	the "->send" method).	555	the "->send" method).
468		556
469	Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can	557	Since condition variables are the most complex part of the AnyEvent API,
470	optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points	558	here are some different mental models of what they are - pick the ones
471	in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet	559	you can connect to:
472	another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can	560
473	be used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and	561	* Condition variables are like callbacks - you can call them (and pass
474	delivers a result.	562	them instead of callbacks). Unlike callbacks however, you can also
		563	wait for them to be called.
		564
		565	* Condition variables are signals - one side can emit or send them,
		566	the other side can wait for them, or install a handler that is
		567	called when the signal fires.
		568
		569	* Condition variables are like "Merge Points" - points in your program
		570	where you merge multiple independent results/control flows into one.
		571
		572	* Condition variables represent a transaction - functions that start
		573	some kind of transaction can return them, leaving the caller the
		574	choice between waiting in a blocking fashion, or setting a callback.
		575
		576	* Condition variables represent future values, or promises to deliver
		577	some result, long before the result is available.
475		578
476	Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has	579	Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has
477	finished, for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http	580	finished, for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http
478	requests, then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to	581	requests, then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to
479	signal the availability of results. The user can either act when the	582	signal the availability of results. The user can either act when the
…		…
492		595
493	Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys	596	Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
494	used by AnyEvent itself are all named "_ae_XXX" to make subclassing easy	597	used by AnyEvent itself are all named "_ae_XXX" to make subclassing easy
495	(it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of	598	(it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
496	AnyEvent). To subclass, use "AnyEvent::CondVar" as base class and call	599	AnyEvent). To subclass, use "AnyEvent::CondVar" as base class and call
497	it's "new" method in your own "new" method.	600	its "new" method in your own "new" method.
498		601
499	There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side"	602	There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side"
500	which eventually calls "-> send", and the "consumer side", which waits	603	which eventually calls "-> send", and the "consumer side", which waits
501	for the send to occur.	604	for the send to occur.
502		605
503	Example: wait for a timer.	606	Example: wait for a timer.
504		607
505	# wait till the result is ready	608	# condition: "wait till the timer is fired"
506	my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;	609	my $timer_fired = AnyEvent->condvar;
507		610
508	# do something such as adding a timer	611	# create the timer - we could wait for, say
509	# or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send	612	# a handle becomign ready, or even an
510	# when the "result" is ready.	613	# AnyEvent::HTTP request to finish, but
511	# in this case, we simply use a timer:	614	# in this case, we simply use a timer:
512	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (	615	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
513	after => 1,	616	after => 1,
514	cb => sub { $result_ready->send },	617	cb => sub { $timer_fired->send },
515	);	618	);
516		619
517	# this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback	620	# this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
518	# calls send	621	# calls ->send
519	$result_ready->recv;	622	$timer_fired->recv;
520		623
521	Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition	624	Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition
522	variables are also code references.	625	variables are also callable directly.
523		626
524	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;	627	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
525	my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);	628	my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
526	$done->recv;	629	$done->recv;
527		630
…		…
533		636
534	...	637	...
535		638
536	my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;	639	my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
537		640
538	And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the	641	And this is how you would just set a callback to be called whenever the
539	results are available:	642	results are available:
540		643
541	$couchdb->info->cb (sub {	644	$couchdb->info->cb (sub {
542	my @info = $_[0]->recv;	645	my @info = $_[0]->recv;
543	});	646	});
…		…
558		661
559	Any arguments passed to the "send" call will be returned by all	662	Any arguments passed to the "send" call will be returned by all
560	future "->recv" calls.	663	future "->recv" calls.
561		664
562	Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as	665	Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as
563	a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling	666	if they were a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as
564	"send". Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle	667	calling "send".
565	overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition
566	variable instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and
567	EV loops support overloading, however, as well as all functions that
568	use perl to invoke a callback (as in AnyEvent::Socket and
569	AnyEvent::DNS for example).
570		668
571	$cv->croak ($error)	669	$cv->croak ($error)
572	Similar to send, but causes all call's to "->recv" to invoke	670	Similar to send, but causes all calls to "->recv" to invoke
573	"Carp::croak" with the given error message/object/scalar.	671	"Carp::croak" with the given error message/object/scalar.
574		672
575	This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable	673	This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
576	user/consumer.	674	user/consumer. Doing it this way instead of calling "croak" directly
		675	delays the error detection, but has the overwhelming advantage that
		676	it diagnoses the error at the place where the result is expected,
		677	and not deep in some event callback with no connection to the actual
		678	code causing the problem.
577		679
578	$cv->begin ([group callback])	680	$cv->begin ([group callback])
579	$cv->end	681	$cv->end
580	These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
581
582	These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events	682	These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events
583	into one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel	683	into one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel
584	might want to use a condition variable for the whole process.	684	might want to use a condition variable for the whole process.
585		685
586	Every call to "->begin" will increment a counter, and every call to	686	Every call to "->begin" will increment a counter, and every call to
587	"->end" will decrement it. If the counter reaches 0 in "->end", the	687	"->end" will decrement it. If the counter reaches 0 in "->end", the
588	(last) callback passed to "begin" will be executed. That callback is	688	(last) callback passed to "begin" will be executed, passing the
589	supposed to call "->send", but that is not required. If no	689	condvar as first argument. That callback is supposed to call
		690	"->send", but that is not required. If no group callback was set,
590	callback was set, "send" will be called without any arguments.	691	"send" will be called without any arguments.
591		692
592	Let's clarify this with the ping example:	693	You can think of "$cv->send" giving you an OR condition (one call
		694	sends), while "$cv->begin" and "$cv->end" giving you an AND
		695	condition (all "begin" calls must be "end"'ed before the condvar
		696	sends).
		697
		698	Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for
		699	example, STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for
		700	both streams to close before activating a condvar:
593		701
594	my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;	702	my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
595		703
		704	$cv->begin; # first watcher
		705	my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
		706	defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
		707	or $cv->end;
		708	});
		709
		710	$cv->begin; # second watcher
		711	my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
		712	defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
		713	or $cv->end;
		714	});
		715
		716	$cv->recv;
		717
		718	This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle),
		719	there is one call to "begin", so the condvar waits for all calls to
		720	"end" before sending.
		721
		722	The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as
		723	the there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks
		724	that are begun can potentially be zero:
		725
		726	my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
		727
596	my %result;	728	my %result;
597	$cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });	729	$cv->begin (sub { shift->send (\%result) });
598		730
599	for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {	731	for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
600	$cv->begin;	732	$cv->begin;
601	ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {	733	ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
602	$result{$host} = ...;	734	$result{$host} = ...;
…		…
617	the loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the	749	the loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the
618	callback to be called once the counter reaches 0, and second, it	750	callback to be called once the counter reaches 0, and second, it
619	ensures that "send" is called even when "no" hosts are being pinged	751	ensures that "send" is called even when "no" hosts are being pinged
620	(the loop doesn't execute once).	752	(the loop doesn't execute once).
621		753
622	This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple	754	This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
623	subrequests: use an outer "begin"/"end" pair to set the callback and	755	potentially zero) subrequests: use an outer "begin"/"end" pair to
624	ensure "end" is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest	756	set the callback and ensure "end" is called at least once, and then,
625	you start, call "begin" and for each subrequest you finish, call	757	for each subrequest you start, call "begin" and for each subrequest
626	"end".	758	you finish, call "end".
627		759
628	METHODS FOR CONSUMERS	760	METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
629	These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the code	761	These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the code
630	awaits the condition.	762	awaits the condition.
631		763
632	$cv->recv	764	$cv->recv
633	Wait (blocking if necessary) until the "->send" or "->croak" methods	765	Wait (blocking if necessary) until the "->send" or "->croak" methods
634	have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally.	766	have been called on $cv, while servicing other watchers normally.
635		767
636	You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid	768	You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid
637	but will return immediately.	769	but will return immediately.
638		770
639	If an error condition has been set by calling "->croak", then this	771	If an error condition has been set by calling "->croak", then this
640	function will call "croak".	772	function will call "croak".
641		773
642	In list context, all parameters passed to "send" will be returned,	774	In list context, all parameters passed to "send" will be returned,
643	in scalar context only the first one will be returned.	775	in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
644		776
		777	Note that doing a blocking wait in a callback is not supported by
		778	any event loop, that is, recursive invocation of a blocking "->recv"
		779	is not allowed, and the "recv" call will "croak" if such a condition
		780	is detected. This condition can be slightly loosened by using
		781	Coro::AnyEvent, which allows you to do a blocking "->recv" from any
		782	thread that doesn't run the event loop itself.
		783
645	Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case	784	Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
646	(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so *if you are	785	(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so *if you are
647	using this from a module, never require a blocking wait*, but let	786	using this from a module, never require a blocking wait*. Instead,
648	the caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example,	787	let the caller decide whether the call will block or not (for
649	by coupling condition variables with some kind of request results	788	example, by coupling condition variables with some kind of request
650	and supporting callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result	789	results and supporting callbacks so the caller knows that getting
651	will not block, while still supporting blocking waits if the caller	790	the result will not block, while still supporting blocking waits if
652	so desires).	791	the caller so desires).
653		792
654	Another reason never to "->recv" in a module is that you cannot
655	sensibly have two "->recv"'s in parallel, as that would require
656	multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which
657	"AnyEvent" can supply.
658
659	The Coro module, however, can and does supply coroutines and, in
660	fact, Coro::AnyEvent replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
661	versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making
662	blocking "->recv" calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from
663	another coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
664
665	You can ensure that "-recv" never blocks by setting a callback and	793	You can ensure that "->recv" never blocks by setting a callback and
666	only calling "->recv" from within that callback (or at a later	794	only calling "->recv" from within that callback (or at a later
667	time). This will work even when the event loop does not support	795	time). This will work even when the event loop does not support
668	blocking waits otherwise.	796	blocking waits otherwise.
669		797
670	$bool = $cv->ready	798	$bool = $cv->ready
…		…
675	This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and	803	This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and
676	optionally replaces it before doing so.	804	optionally replaces it before doing so.
677		805
678	The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e.	806	The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e.
679	when "send" or "croak" are called, with the only argument being the	807	when "send" or "croak" are called, with the only argument being the
680	condition variable itself. Calling "recv" inside the callback or at	808	condition variable itself. If the condition is already true, the
		809	callback is called immediately when it is set. Calling "recv" inside
681	any later time is guaranteed not to block.	810	the callback or at any later time is guaranteed not to block.
		811
		812	SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
		813	The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
		814
		815	Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
		816	EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
		817	use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will fall back to its own
		818	pure-perl implementation, which is available everywhere as it comes
		819	with AnyEvent itself.
		820
		821	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
		822	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl AnyEvent::Loop, fast and portable.
		823
		824	Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
		825	These will be used if they are already loaded when the first watcher
		826	is created, in which case it is assumed that the application is
		827	using them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the
		828	right backend when the main program loads an event module before
		829	anything starts to create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done
		830	by the main program.
		831
		832	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
		833	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
		834	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
		835	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
		836	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
		837	AnyEvent::Impl::Irssi used when running within irssi.
		838	AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async.
		839	AnyEvent::Impl::Cocoa based on Cocoa::EventLoop.
		840	AnyEvent::Impl::FLTK based on FLTK (fltk 2 binding).
		841
		842	Backends with special needs.
		843	Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
		844	otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
		845	instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are
		846	created, everything should just work.
		847
		848	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
		849
		850	Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
		851	Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
		852
		853	There is no direct support for WxWidgets (Wx) or Prima.
		854
		855	WxWidgets has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
		856	use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that
		857	simply polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too
		858	horrible to even consider for AnyEvent.
		859
		860	Prima is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a
		861	POE backend, so it can be supported through POE.
		862
		863	AnyEvent knows about both Prima and Wx, however, and will try to
		864	load POE when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them
		865	up, in which case everything will be automatic.
682		866
683	GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS	867	GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
		868	These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
		869	write AnyEvent extension modules.
		870
684	$AnyEvent::MODEL	871	$AnyEvent::MODEL
685	Contains "undef" until the first watcher is being created. Then it	872	Contains "undef" until the first watcher is being created, before
		873	the backend has been autodetected.
		874
686	contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of	875	Afterwards it contains the event model that is being used, which is
687	the Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of	876	the name of the Perl class implementing the model. This class is
688	the "AnyEvent::Impl:xxx" modules, but can be any other class in the	877	usually one of the "AnyEvent::Impl::xxx" modules, but can be any
689	case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in rxvt-unicode).	878	other class in the case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g.
690		879	in rxvt-unicode it will be "urxvt::anyevent").
691	The known classes so far are:
692
693	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
694	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
695	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
696	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
697	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
698	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
699	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
700	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
701
702	There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
703	watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
704	POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
705	second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
706	AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by
707	using it's adaptor.
708
709	AnyEvent knows about Prima and Wx and will try to use POE when
710	autodetecting them.
711		880
712	AnyEvent::detect	881	AnyEvent::detect
713	Returns $AnyEvent::MODEL, forcing autodetection of the event model	882	Returns $AnyEvent::MODEL, forcing autodetection of the event model
714	if necessary. You should only call this function right before you	883	if necessary. You should only call this function right before you
715	would have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as	884	would have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as
716	possible at runtime.	885	possible at runtime, and not e.g. during initialisation of your
		886	module.
		887
		888	The effect of calling this function is as if a watcher had been
		889	created (specifically, actions that happen "when the first watcher
		890	is created" happen when calling detetc as well).
		891
		892	If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
		893	created, use "post_detect".
717		894
718	$guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }	895	$guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
719	Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event	896	Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event
720	model is autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).	897	model is autodetected (or immediately if that has already happened).
		898
		899	The block will be executed after the actual backend has been
		900	detected ($AnyEvent::MODEL is set), but before any watchers have
		901	been created, so it is possible to e.g. patch @AnyEvent::ISA or do
		902	other initialisations - see the sources of AnyEvent::Strict or
		903	AnyEvent::AIO to see how this is used.
		904
		905	The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without
		906	forcing event module detection too early, for example, AnyEvent::AIO
		907	creates and installs the global IO::AIO watcher in a "post_detect"
		908	block to avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
721		909
722	If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an	910	If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an
723	object that automatically removes the callback again when it is	911	object that automatically removes the callback again when it is
		912	destroyed (or "undef" when the hook was immediately executed). See
724	destroyed. See Coro::BDB for a case where this is useful.	913	AnyEvent::AIO for a case where this is useful.
		914
		915	Example: Create a watcher for the IO::AIO module and store it in
		916	$WATCHER, but do so only do so after the event loop is initialised.
		917
		918	our WATCHER;
		919
		920	my $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect {
		921	$WATCHER = AnyEvent->io (fh => IO::AIO::poll_fileno, poll => 'r', cb => \&IO::AIO::poll_cb);
		922	};
		923
		924	# the \|\|= is important in case post_detect immediately runs the block,
		925	# as to not clobber the newly-created watcher. assigning both watcher and
		926	# post_detect guard to the same variable has the advantage of users being
		927	# able to just C<undef $WATCHER> if the watcher causes them grief.
		928
		929	$WATCHER \|\|= $guard;
725		930
726	@AnyEvent::post_detect	931	@AnyEvent::post_detect
727	If there are any code references in this array (you can "push" to it	932	If there are any code references in this array (you can "push" to it
728	before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly	933	before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will be called directly
729	after the event loop has been chosen.	934	after the event loop has been chosen.
730		935
731	You should check $AnyEvent::MODEL before adding to this array,	936	You should check $AnyEvent::MODEL before adding to this array,
732	though: if it contains a true value then the event loop has already	937	though: if it is defined then the event loop has already been
733	been detected, and the array will be ignored.	938	detected, and the array will be ignored.
734		939
735	Best use "AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }" instead.	940	Best use "AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }" when your application
		941	allows it, as it takes care of these details.
		942
		943	This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something
		944	useful when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is
		945	initialised, but do not need to even load it by default. This array
		946	provides the means to hook into AnyEvent passively, without loading
		947	it.
		948
		949	Example: To load Coro::AnyEvent whenever Coro and AnyEvent are used
		950	together, you could put this into Coro (this is the actual code used
		951	by Coro to accomplish this):
		952
		953	if (defined $AnyEvent::MODEL) {
		954	# AnyEvent already initialised, so load Coro::AnyEvent
		955	require Coro::AnyEvent;
		956	} else {
		957	# AnyEvent not yet initialised, so make sure to load Coro::AnyEvent
		958	# as soon as it is
		959	push @AnyEvent::post_detect, sub { require Coro::AnyEvent };
		960	}
		961
		962	AnyEvent::postpone { BLOCK }
		963	Arranges for the block to be executed as soon as possible, but not
		964	before the call itself returns. In practise, the block will be
		965	executed just before the event loop polls for new events, or shortly
		966	afterwards.
		967
		968	This function never returns anything (to make the "return postpone {
		969	... }" idiom more useful.
		970
		971	To understand the usefulness of this function, consider a function
		972	that asynchronously does something for you and returns some
		973	transaction object or guard to let you cancel the operation. For
		974	example, "AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect":
		975
		976	# start a conenction attempt unless one is active
		977	$self->{connect_guard} \|\|= AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect "www.example.net", 80, sub {
		978	delete $self->{connect_guard};
		979	...
		980	};
		981
		982	Imagine that this function could instantly call the callback, for
		983	example, because it detects an obvious error such as a negative port
		984	number. Invoking the callback before the function returns causes
		985	problems however: the callback will be called and will try to delete
		986	the guard object. But since the function hasn't returned yet, there
		987	is nothing to delete. When the function eventually returns it will
		988	assign the guard object to "$self->{connect_guard}", where it will
		989	likely never be deleted, so the program thinks it is still trying to
		990	connect.
		991
		992	This is where "AnyEvent::postpone" should be used. Instead of
		993	calling the callback directly on error:
		994
		995	$cb->(undef), return # signal error to callback, BAD!
		996	if $some_error_condition;
		997
		998	It should use "postpone":
		999
		1000	AnyEvent::postpone { $cb->(undef) }, return # signal error to callback, later
		1001	if $some_error_condition;
		1002
		1003	AnyEvent::log $level, $msg[, @args]
		1004	Log the given $msg at the given $level.
		1005
		1006	If AnyEvent::Log is not loaded then this function makes a simple
		1007	test to see whether the message will be logged. If the test succeeds
		1008	it will load AnyEvent::Log and call "AnyEvent::Log::log" -
		1009	consequently, look at the AnyEvent::Log documentation for details.
		1010
		1011	If the test fails it will simply return. Right now this happens when
		1012	a numerical loglevel is used and it is larger than the level
		1013	specified via $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}.
		1014
		1015	If you want to sprinkle loads of logging calls around your code,
		1016	consider creating a logger callback with the "AnyEvent::Log::logger"
		1017	function, which can reduce typing, codesize and can reduce the
		1018	logging overhead enourmously.
736		1019
737	WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE	1020	WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
738	As a module author, you should "use AnyEvent" and call AnyEvent methods	1021	As a module author, you should "use AnyEvent" and call AnyEvent methods
739	freely, but you should not load a specific event module or rely on it.	1022	freely, but you should not load a specific event module or rely on it.
740		1023
…		…
748	stall the whole program, and the whole point of using events is to stay	1031	stall the whole program, and the whole point of using events is to stay
749	interactive.	1032	interactive.
750		1033
751	It is fine, however, to call "->recv" when the user of your module	1034	It is fine, however, to call "->recv" when the user of your module
752	requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method	1035	requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method
753	called "results" that returns the results, it should call "->recv"	1036	called "results" that returns the results, it may call "->recv" freely,
754	freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).	1037	as the user of your module knows what she is doing. Always).
755		1038
756	WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM	1039	WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
757	There will always be a single main program - the only place that should	1040	There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
758	dictate which event model to use.	1041	dictate which event model to use.
759		1042
760	If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not	1043	If the program is not event-based, it need not do anything special, even
761	do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let	1044	when it depends on a module that uses an AnyEvent. If the program itself
762	AnyEvent decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on	1045	uses AnyEvent, but does not care which event loop is used, all it needs
763	it.	1046	to do is "use AnyEvent". In either case, AnyEvent will choose the best
		1047	available loop implementation.
764		1048
765	If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in	1049	If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in
766	Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the	1050	Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the
767	event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it:	1051	event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it:
768	generally speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason	1052	generally speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason
769	is that modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent	1053	is that modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent
770	will decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers,	1054	will decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers,
771	and it might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one	1055	and it might choose the wrong one unless you load the correct one
772	yourself.	1056	yourself.
773		1057
774	You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the	1058	You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
775	"AnyEvent::Impl::Perl" module, which gives you similar behaviour	1059	"AnyEvent::Loop" module, which gives you similar behaviour everywhere,
776	everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.	1060	but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
777		1061
778	MAINLOOP EMULATION	1062	MAINLOOP EMULATION
779	Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who	1063	Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
780	only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event	1064	only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event
781	loop.	1065	loop.
…		…
791	variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program	1075	variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program
792	should exit cleanly.	1076	should exit cleanly.
793		1077
794	OTHER MODULES	1078	OTHER MODULES
795	The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use	1079	The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
796	AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules	1080	AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other
797	in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are	1081	AnyEvent modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the
798	available via CPAN.	1082	modules come as part of AnyEvent, the others are available via CPAN (see
		1083	<http://search.cpan.org/search?m=module&q=anyevent%3A%3A*> for a longer
		1084	non-exhaustive list), and the list is heavily biased towards modules of
		1085	the AnyEvent author himself :)
799		1086
800	AnyEvent::Util	1087	AnyEvent::Util
801	Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but	1088	Contains various utility functions that replace often-used blocking
802	blocking functions such as "inet_aton" by event-/callback-based	1089	functions such as "inet_aton" with event/callback-based versions.
803	versions.
804		1090
805	AnyEvent::Socket	1091	AnyEvent::Socket
806	Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,	1092	Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
807	addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking	1093	addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking
808	tcp connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and	1094	tcp connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and
809	more.	1095	more.
810		1096
811	AnyEvent::Handle	1097	AnyEvent::Handle
812	Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and	1098	Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and
813	writes, supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully	1099	writes, supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully
814	transparent and non-blocking SSL/TLS.	1100	transparent and non-blocking SSL/TLS (via AnyEvent::TLS).
815		1101
816	AnyEvent::DNS	1102	AnyEvent::DNS
817	Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.	1103	Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
818		1104
		1105	AnyEvent::HTTP, AnyEvent::IRC, AnyEvent::XMPP, AnyEvent::GPSD,
		1106	AnyEvent::IGS, AnyEvent::FCP
		1107	Implement event-based interfaces to the protocols of the same name
		1108	(for the curious, IGS is the International Go Server and FCP is the
		1109	Freenet Client Protocol).
		1110
819	AnyEvent::HTTP	1111	AnyEvent::AIO
820	A simple-to-use HTTP library that is capable of making a lot of	1112	Truly asynchronous (as opposed to non-blocking) I/O, should be in
821	concurrent HTTP requests.	1113	the toolbox of every event programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently
		1114	fuses IO::AIO and AnyEvent together, giving AnyEvent access to
		1115	event-based file I/O, and much more.
		1116
		1117	AnyEvent::Filesys::Notify
		1118	AnyEvent is good for non-blocking stuff, but it can't detect file or
		1119	path changes (e.g. "watch this directory for new files", "watch this
		1120	file for changes"). The AnyEvent::Filesys::Notify module promises to
		1121	do just that in a portbale fashion, supporting inotify on GNU/Linux
		1122	and some weird, without doubt broken, stuff on OS X to monitor
		1123	files. It can fall back to blocking scans at regular intervals
		1124	transparently on other platforms, so it's about as portable as it
		1125	gets.
		1126
		1127	(I haven't used it myself, but I haven't heard anybody complaining
		1128	about it yet).
		1129
		1130	AnyEvent::DBI
		1131	Executes DBI requests asynchronously in a proxy process for you,
		1132	notifying you in an event-based way when the operation is finished.
822		1133
823	AnyEvent::HTTPD	1134	AnyEvent::HTTPD
824	Provides a simple web application server framework.	1135	A simple embedded webserver.
825		1136
826	AnyEvent::FastPing	1137	AnyEvent::FastPing
827	The fastest ping in the west.	1138	The fastest ping in the west.
828		1139
829	AnyEvent::DBI
830	Executes DBI requests asynchronously in a proxy process.
831
832	AnyEvent::AIO
833	Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
834	programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses IO::AIO and AnyEvent
835	together.
836
837	AnyEvent::BDB
838	Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::BDB transparently
839	fuses BDB and AnyEvent together.
840
841	AnyEvent::GPSD
842	A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS
843	information.
844
845	AnyEvent::IGS
846	A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
847	App::IGS).
848
849	AnyEvent::IRC
850	AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older
851	Net::IRC3).
852
853	Net::XMPP2
854	AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
855
856	Net::FCP
857	AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol,
858	birthplace of AnyEvent.
859
860	Event::ExecFlow
861	High level API for event-based execution flow control.
862
863	Coro	1140	Coro
864	Has special support for AnyEvent via Coro::AnyEvent.	1141	Has special support for AnyEvent via Coro::AnyEvent, which allows
		1142	you to simply invert the flow control - don't call us, we will call
		1143	you:
865		1144
866	IO::Lambda	1145	async {
867	The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use	1146	Coro::AnyEvent::sleep 5; # creates a 5s timer and waits for it
868	AnyEvent.	1147	print "5 seconds later!\n";
		1148
		1149	Coro::AnyEvent::readable *STDIN; # uses an I/O watcher
		1150	my $line = <STDIN>; # works for ttys
		1151
		1152	AnyEvent::HTTP::http_get "url", Coro::rouse_cb;
		1153	my ($body, $hdr) = Coro::rouse_wait;
		1154	};
		1155
		1156	SIMPLIFIED AE API
		1157	Starting with version 5.0, AnyEvent officially supports a second, much
		1158	simpler, API that is designed to reduce the calling, typing and memory
		1159	overhead by using function call syntax and a fixed number of parameters.
		1160
		1161	See the AE manpage for details.
869		1162
870	ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING	1163	ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
871	In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the	1164	In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
872	caller to do that if required. The AnyEvent::Strict module (see also the	1165	caller to do that if required. The AnyEvent::Strict module (see also the
873	"PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" environment variable, below) provides strict	1166	"PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" environment variable, below) provides strict
…		…
882	The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually within	1175	The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually within
883	"condvar->recv"), the Event and EV modules call "$Event/EV::DIED->()",	1176	"condvar->recv"), the Event and EV modules call "$Event/EV::DIED->()",
884	Glib uses "install_exception_handler" and so on.	1177	Glib uses "install_exception_handler" and so on.
885		1178
886	ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES	1179	ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
887	The following environment variables are used by this module or its	1180	AnyEvent supports a number of environment variables that tune the
888	submodules:	1181	runtime behaviour. They are usually evaluated when AnyEvent is loaded,
		1182	initialised, or a submodule that uses them is loaded. Many of them also
		1183	cause AnyEvent to load additional modules - for example,
		1184	"PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_WRAP" causes the AnyEvent::Debug module to be
		1185	loaded.
		1186
		1187	All the environment variables documented here start with
		1188	"PERL_ANYEVENT_", which is what AnyEvent considers its own namespace.
		1189	Other modules are encouraged (but by no means required) to use
		1190	"PERL_ANYEVENT_SUBMODULE" if they have registered the
		1191	AnyEvent::Submodule namespace on CPAN, for any submodule. For example,
		1192	AnyEvent::HTTP could be expected to use "PERL_ANYEVENT_HTTP_PROXY" (it
		1193	should not access env variables starting with "AE_", see below).
		1194
		1195	All variables can also be set via the "AE_" prefix, that is, instead of
		1196	setting "PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE" you can also set "AE_VERBOSE". In case
		1197	there is a clash btween anyevent and another program that uses
		1198	"AE_something" you can set the corresponding "PERL_ANYEVENT_something"
		1199	variable to the empty string, as those variables take precedence.
		1200
		1201	When AnyEvent is first loaded, it copies all "AE_xxx" env variables to
		1202	their "PERL_ANYEVENT_xxx" counterpart unless that variable already
		1203	exists. If taint mode is on, then AnyEvent will remove all environment
		1204	variables starting with "PERL_ANYEVENT_" from %ENV (or replace them with
		1205	"undef" or the empty string, if the corresaponding "AE_" variable is
		1206	set).
		1207
		1208	The exact algorithm is currently:
		1209
		1210	1. if taint mode enabled, delete all PERL_ANYEVENT_xyz variables from %ENV
		1211	2. copy over AE_xyz to PERL_ANYEVENT_xyz unless the latter alraedy exists
		1212	3. if taint mode enabled, set all PERL_ANYEVENT_xyz variables to undef.
		1213
		1214	This ensures that child processes will not see the "AE_" variables.
		1215
		1216	The following environment variables are currently known to AnyEvent:
889		1217
890	"PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE"	1218	"PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE"
891	By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal	1219	By default, AnyEvent will log messages with loglevel 4 ("error") or
892	conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent	1220	higher (see AnyEvent::Log). You can set this environment variable to
893	more talkative.	1221	a numerical loglevel to make AnyEvent more (or less) talkative.
894		1222
		1223	If you want to do more than just set the global logging level you
		1224	should have a look at "PERL_ANYEVENT_LOG", which allows much more
		1225	complex specifications.
		1226
		1227	When set to 0 ("off"), then no messages whatsoever will be logged
		1228	with everything else at defaults.
		1229
895	When set to 1 or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected	1230	When set to 5 or higher ("warn"), AnyEvent warns about unexpected
896	conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified	1231	conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified
897	by "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL".	1232	by "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL", or a guard callback throwing an exception
		1233	- this is the minimum recommended level for use during development.
898		1234
899	When set to 2 or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which	1235	When set to 7 or higher (info), AnyEvent reports which event model
900	event model it chooses.	1236	it chooses.
		1237
		1238	When set to 8 or higher (debug), then AnyEvent will report extra
		1239	information on which optional modules it loads and how it implements
		1240	certain features.
		1241
		1242	"PERL_ANYEVENT_LOG"
		1243	Accepts rather complex logging specifications. For example, you
		1244	could log all "debug" messages of some module to stderr, warnings
		1245	and above to stderr, and errors and above to syslog, with:
		1246
		1247	PERL_ANYEVENT_LOG=Some::Module=debug,+log:filter=warn,+%syslog:%syslog=error,syslog
		1248
		1249	For the rather extensive details, see AnyEvent::Log.
		1250
		1251	This variable is evaluated when AnyEvent (or AnyEvent::Log) is
		1252	loaded, so will take effect even before AnyEvent has initialised
		1253	itself.
		1254
		1255	Note that specifying this environment variable causes the
		1256	AnyEvent::Log module to be loaded, while "PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE"
		1257	does not, so only using the latter saves a few hundred kB of memory
		1258	unless a module explicitly needs the extra features of
		1259	AnyEvent::Log.
901		1260
902	"PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT"	1261	"PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT"
903	AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough	1262	AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
904	argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true	1263	argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true
905	value will cause AnyEvent to load "AnyEvent::Strict" and then to	1264	value will cause AnyEvent to load "AnyEvent::Strict" and then to
906	thoroughly check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it	1265	thoroughly check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it
907	finds any problems it will croak.	1266	finds any problems, it will croak.
908		1267
909	In other words, enables "strict" mode.	1268	In other words, enables "strict" mode.
910		1269
911	Unlike "use strict", it is definitely recommended ot keep it off in	1270	Unlike "use strict" (or its modern cousin, "use common::sense", it
912	production. Keeping "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1" in your environment	1271	is definitely recommended to keep it off in production. Keeping
		1272	"PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1" in your environment while developing
913	while developing programs can be very useful, however.	1273	programs can be very useful, however.
		1274
		1275	"PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_SHELL"
		1276	If this env variable is nonempty, then its contents will be
		1277	interpreted by "AnyEvent::Socket::parse_hostport" and
		1278	"AnyEvent::Debug::shell" (after replacing every occurance of $$ by
		1279	the process pid). The shell object is saved in
		1280	$AnyEvent::Debug::SHELL.
		1281
		1282	This happens when the first watcher is created.
		1283
		1284	For example, to bind a debug shell on a unix domain socket in
		1285	/tmp/debug<pid>.sock, you could use this:
		1286
		1287	PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_SHELL=/tmp/debug\$\$.sock perlprog
		1288	# connect with e.g.: socat readline /tmp/debug123.sock
		1289
		1290	Or to bind to tcp port 4545 on localhost:
		1291
		1292	PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_SHELL=127.0.0.1:4545 perlprog
		1293	# connect with e.g.: telnet localhost 4545
		1294
		1295	Note that creating sockets in /tmp or on localhost is very unsafe on
		1296	multiuser systems.
		1297
		1298	"PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_WRAP"
		1299	Can be set to 0, 1 or 2 and enables wrapping of all watchers for
		1300	debugging purposes. See "AnyEvent::Debug::wrap" for details.
914		1301
915	"PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL"	1302	"PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL"
916	This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent,	1303	This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent,
917	before auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string	1304	before auto detection and -probing kicks in.
918	consisting entirely of ASCII letters. The string "AnyEvent::Impl::"	1305
919	gets prepended and the resulting module name is loaded and if the	1306	It normally is a string consisting entirely of ASCII letters (e.g.
920	load was successful, used as event model. If it fails to load	1307	"EV" or "IOAsync"). The string "AnyEvent::Impl::" gets prepended and
		1308	the resulting module name is loaded and - if the load was successful
		1309	- used as event model backend. If it fails to load then AnyEvent
921	AnyEvent will proceed with auto detection and -probing.	1310	will proceed with auto detection and -probing.
922		1311
923	This functionality might change in future versions.	1312	If the string ends with "::" instead (e.g. "AnyEvent::Impl::EV::")
		1313	then nothing gets prepended and the module name is used as-is (hint:
		1314	"::" at the end of a string designates a module name and quotes it
		1315	appropriately).
924		1316
925	For example, to force the pure perl model (AnyEvent::Impl::Perl) you	1317	For example, to force the pure perl model (AnyEvent::Loop::Perl) you
926	could start your program like this:	1318	could start your program like this:
927		1319
928	PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...	1320	PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
		1321
		1322	"PERL_ANYEVENT_IO_MODEL"
		1323	The current file I/O model - see AnyEvent::IO for more info.
		1324
		1325	At the moment, only "Perl" (small, pure-perl, synchronous) and
		1326	"IOAIO" (truly asynchronous) are supported. The default is "IOAIO"
		1327	if AnyEvent::AIO can be loaded, otherwise it is "Perl".
929		1328
930	"PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS"	1329	"PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS"
931	Used by both AnyEvent::DNS and AnyEvent::Socket to determine	1330	Used by both AnyEvent::DNS and AnyEvent::Socket to determine
932	preferences for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might	1331	preferences for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might
933	change, or be the result of auto probing).	1332	change, or be the result of auto probing).
…		…
947	"PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4" - only support IPv4, never try to	1346	"PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4" - only support IPv4, never try to
948	resolve or contact IPv6 addresses.	1347	resolve or contact IPv6 addresses.
949	"PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4" support either IPv4 or IPv6, but	1348	"PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4" support either IPv4 or IPv6, but
950	prefer IPv6 over IPv4.	1349	prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
951		1350
		1351	"PERL_ANYEVENT_HOSTS"
		1352	This variable, if specified, overrides the /etc/hosts file used by
		1353	AnyEvent::Socket"::resolve_sockaddr", i.e. hosts aliases will be
		1354	read from that file instead.
		1355
952	"PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0"	1356	"PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0"
953	Used by AnyEvent::DNS to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension	1357	Used by AnyEvent::DNS to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
954	for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic,	1358	for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic,
955	but some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it	1359	especially when DNSSEC is involved, but some (broken) firewalls drop
956	is off by default.	1360	such DNS packets, which is why it is off by default.
957		1361
958	Setting this variable to 1 will cause AnyEvent::DNS to announce	1362	Setting this variable to 1 will cause AnyEvent::DNS to announce
959	EDNS0 in its DNS requests.	1363	EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
960		1364
961	"PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS"	1365	"PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS"
962	The maximum number of child processes that	1366	The maximum number of child processes that
963	"AnyEvent::Util::fork_call" will create in parallel.	1367	"AnyEvent::Util::fork_call" will create in parallel.
		1368
		1369	"PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS"
		1370	The default value for the "max_outstanding" parameter for the
		1371	default DNS resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS
		1372	requests that are sent to the DNS server.
		1373
		1374	"PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY"
		1375	Perl has inherently racy signal handling (you can basically choose
		1376	between losing signals and memory corruption) - pure perl event
		1377	loops (including "AnyEvent::Loop", when "Async::Interrupt" isn't
		1378	available) therefore have to poll regularly to avoid losing signals.
		1379
		1380	Some event loops are racy, but don't poll regularly, and some event
		1381	loops are written in C but are still racy. For those event loops,
		1382	AnyEvent installs a timer that regularly wakes up the event loop.
		1383
		1384	By default, the interval for this timer is 10 seconds, but you can
		1385	override this delay with this environment variable (or by setting
		1386	the $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY variable before creating signal
		1387	watchers).
		1388
		1389	Lower values increase CPU (and energy) usage, higher values can
		1390	introduce long delays when reaping children or waiting for signals.
		1391
		1392	The AnyEvent::Async module, if available, will be used to avoid this
		1393	polling (with most event loops).
		1394
		1395	"PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF"
		1396	The absolute path to a resolv.conf-style file to use instead of
		1397	/etc/resolv.conf (or the OS-specific configuration) in the default
		1398	resolver, or the empty string to select the default configuration.
		1399
		1400	"PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE", "PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH".
		1401	When neither "ca_file" nor "ca_path" was specified during
		1402	AnyEvent::TLS context creation, and either of these environment
		1403	variables are nonempty, they will be used to specify CA certificate
		1404	locations instead of a system-dependent default.
		1405
		1406	"PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_GUARD" and "PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT"
		1407	When these are set to 1, then the respective modules are not loaded.
		1408	Mostly good for testing AnyEvent itself.
964		1409
965	SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE	1410	SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
966	This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent	1411	This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent
967	in a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want	1412	in a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want
968	to provide AnyEvent compatibility.	1413	to provide AnyEvent compatibility.
…		…
1023	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read	1468	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
1024	$cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i	1469	$cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
1025	},	1470	},
1026	);	1471	);
1027		1472
1028	my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
1029
1030	sub new_timer {
1031	$timer = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, cb => sub {	1473	my $time_watcher = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, interval => 1, cb => sub {
1032	warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' about every second	1474	warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' at most every second
1033	&new_timer; # and restart the time
1034	});
1035	}	1475	});
1036
1037	new_timer; # create first timer
1038		1476
1039	$cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i	1477	$cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
1040		1478
1041	REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE	1479	REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
1042	Consider the Net::FCP module. It features (among others) the following	1480	Consider the Net::FCP module. It features (among others) the following
…		…
1114		1552
1115	The actual code goes further and collects all errors ("die"s,	1553	The actual code goes further and collects all errors ("die"s,
1116	exceptions) that occurred during request processing. The "result" method	1554	exceptions) that occurred during request processing. The "result" method
1117	detects whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn	1555	detects whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn
1118	object) and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and	1556	object) and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and
1119	other problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result,	1557	other problems get reported to the code that tries to use the result,
1120	not in a random callback.	1558	not in a random callback.
1121		1559
1122	All of this enables the following usage styles:	1560	All of this enables the following usage styles:
1123		1561
1124	1. Blocking:	1562	1. Blocking:
…		…
1169	through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero	1607	through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
1170	timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,	1608	timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
1171	which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.	1609	which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
1172		1610
1173	Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench in the AnyEvent	1611	Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench in the AnyEvent
1174	distribution.	1612	distribution. It uses the AE interface, which makes a real difference
		1613	for the EV and Perl backends only.
1175		1614
1176	Explanation of the columns	1615	Explanation of the columns
1177	watcher is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since	1616	watcher is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
1178	different event models feature vastly different performances, each event	1617	different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
1179	loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is	1618	loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is
…		…
1198	destroy is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a	1637	destroy is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a
1199	single watcher.	1638	single watcher.
1200		1639
1201	Results	1640	Results
1202	name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment	1641	name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1203	EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface	1642	EV/EV 100000 223 0.47 0.43 0.27 EV native interface
1204	EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers	1643	EV/Any 100000 223 0.48 0.42 0.26 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1205	CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal	1644	Coro::EV/Any 100000 223 0.47 0.42 0.26 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1206	Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation	1645	Perl/Any 100000 431 2.70 0.74 0.92 pure perl implementation
1207	Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface	1646	Event/Event 16000 516 31.16 31.84 0.82 Event native interface
1208	Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers	1647	Event/Any 16000 1203 42.61 34.79 1.80 Event + AnyEvent watchers
		1648	IOAsync/Any 16000 1911 41.92 27.45 16.81 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
		1649	IOAsync/Any 16000 1726 40.69 26.37 15.25 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1209	Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour	1650	Glib/Any 16000 1118 89.00 12.57 51.17 quadratic behaviour
1210	Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers	1651	Tk/Any 2000 1346 20.96 10.75 8.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1211	POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event	1652	POE/Any 2000 6951 108.97 795.32 14.24 via POE::Loop::Event
1212	POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select	1653	POE/Any 2000 6648 94.79 774.40 575.51 via POE::Loop::Select
1213		1654
1214	Discussion	1655	Discussion
1215	The benchmark does not measure scalability of the event loop very	1656	The benchmark does not measure scalability of the event loop very
1216	well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)	1657	well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1217	can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of	1658	can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of
…		…
1228	benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with	1669	benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
1229	EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000	1670	EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000
1230	CPU cycles with POE.	1671	CPU cycles with POE.
1231		1672
1232	"EV" is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both	1673	"EV" is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
1233	maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses	1674	maximal/minimal, respectively. When using the AE API there is zero
		1675	overhead (when going through the AnyEvent API create is about 5-6 times
		1676	slower, with other times being equal, so still uses far less memory than
1234	far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event	1677	any other event loop and is still faster than Event natively).
1235	natively.
1236		1678
1237	The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the	1679	The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
1238	constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the	1680	constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the
1239	perl interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that	1681	perl interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that
1240	it adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend	1682	it adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend
…		…
1242	few of them active), of course, but this was not subject of this	1684	few of them active), of course, but this was not subject of this
1243	benchmark.	1685	benchmark.
1244		1686
1245	The "Event" module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation	1687	The "Event" module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1246	cost, but overall scores in on the third place.	1688	cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
		1689
		1690	"IO::Async" performs admirably well, about on par with "Event", even
		1691	when using its pure perl backend.
1247		1692
1248	"Glib"'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a faster	1693	"Glib"'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a faster
1249	callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as "Event".	1694	callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as "Event".
1250	However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of watchers	1695	However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of watchers
1251	increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, making it	1696	increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, making it
…		…
1283	when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable	1728	when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable
1284	performance with or without AnyEvent.	1729	performance with or without AnyEvent.
1285		1730
1286	* The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead	1731	* The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead
1287	of the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such	1732	of the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such
1288	as EV adds AnyEvent significant overhead.	1733	as EV does AnyEvent add significant overhead.
1289		1734
1290	* You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or	1735	* You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or
1291	reasonable memory usage.	1736	reasonable memory usage.
1292		1737
1293	BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE	1738	BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
…		…
1307	In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which	1752	In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which
1308	100 (1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with	1753	100 (1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with
1309	many connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.	1754	many connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1310		1755
1311	Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench2 in the AnyEvent	1756	Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench2 in the AnyEvent
1312	distribution.	1757	distribution. It uses the AE interface, which makes a real difference
		1758	for the EV and Perl backends only.
1313		1759
1314	Explanation of the columns	1760	Explanation of the columns
1315	sockets is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers"	1761	sockets is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers"
1316	(as each server has a read and write socket end).	1762	(as each server has a read and write socket end).
1317		1763
…		…
1322	single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and	1768	single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and
1323	forwarding it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout	1769	forwarding it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout
1324	and creating a new one that moves the timeout into the future.	1770	and creating a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1325		1771
1326	Results	1772	Results
1327	name sockets create request	1773	name sockets create request
1328	EV 20000 69.01 11.16	1774	EV 20000 62.66 7.99
1329	Perl 20000 73.32 35.87	1775	Perl 20000 68.32 32.64
1330	Event 20000 212.62 257.32	1776	IOAsync 20000 174.06 101.15 epoll
1331	Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30	1777	IOAsync 20000 174.67 610.84 poll
		1778	Event 20000 202.69 242.91
		1779	Glib 20000 557.01 1689.52
1332	POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event	1780	POE 20000 341.54 12086.32 uses POE::Loop::Event
1333		1781
1334	Discussion	1782	Discussion
1335	This benchmark does measure scalability and overall performance of the	1783	This benchmark does measure scalability and overall performance of the
1336	particular event loop.	1784	particular event loop.
1337		1785
1338	EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup	1786	EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup
1339	time is relatively high, though.	1787	time is relatively high, though.
1340		1788
1341	Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event	1789	Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1342	loops Event and Glib.	1790	loops Event and Glib.
		1791
		1792	IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still
		1793	quite good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1343		1794
1344	Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you	1795	Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you
1345	will understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead	1796	will understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead
1346	compared to the "$_->() for .."-style loop that the Perl event loop	1797	compared to the "$_->() for .."-style loop that the Perl event loop
1347	uses. Event uses select or poll in basically all documented	1798	uses. Event uses select or poll in basically all documented
…		…
1398		1849
1399	Summary	1850	Summary
1400	* C-based event loops perform very well with small number of watchers,	1851	* C-based event loops perform very well with small number of watchers,
1401	as the management overhead dominates.	1852	as the management overhead dominates.
1402		1853
		1854	THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
		1855	Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
		1856	could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the
		1857	benchmark simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks
		1858	better (which shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the
		1859	benchmark is fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from
		1860	IO::Lambda isn't very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used
		1861	without the extra baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent
		1862	benchmark for AnyEvent.
		1863
		1864	The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
		1865	connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
		1866	creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it
		1867	doesn't test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O,
		1868	but it is a benchmark nevertheless.
		1869
		1870	name runtime
		1871	Lambda/select 0.330 sec
		1872	+ optimized 0.122 sec
		1873	Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
		1874	+ optimized 0.138 sec
		1875	Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
		1876	POE/select, components 0.662 sec
		1877	POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
		1878	POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
		1879
		1880	AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
		1881	AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
		1882	+state machine 0.134 sec
		1883
		1884	The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
		1885	benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
		1886	defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
		1887	written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
		1888	AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
		1889	resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking
		1890	connects generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling
		1891	than blocking connects (which involve a single syscall only).
		1892
		1893	The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses AnyEvent::Handle, which
		1894	offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using
		1895	conventional Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the
		1896	client are 100% non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
		1897
		1898	As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
		1899	hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
		1900	backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
		1901
		1902	And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
		1903	slow :) AnyEvent::Handle abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda
		1904	higher level ("unoptimised") abstractions by a large margin, even though
		1905	it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O in a non-blocking way.
		1906
		1907	The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as eg/ae0.pl and
		1908	eg/ae2.pl in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
		1909	part of the IO::Lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
		1910
1403	SIGNALS	1911	SIGNALS
1404	AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:	1912	AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
1405		1913
1406	SIGCHLD	1914	SIGCHLD
1407	A handler for "SIGCHLD" is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher	1915	A handler for "SIGCHLD" is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
1408	emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also,	1916	emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also,
1409	some event loops install a similar handler.	1917	some event loops install a similar handler.
		1918
		1919	Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE,
		1920	then AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit
		1921	statuses.
1410		1922
1411	SIGPIPE	1923	SIGPIPE
1412	A no-op handler is installed for "SIGPIPE" when $SIG{PIPE} is	1924	A no-op handler is installed for "SIGPIPE" when $SIG{PIPE} is
1413	"undef" when AnyEvent gets loaded.	1925	"undef" when AnyEvent gets loaded.
1414		1926
…		…
1422	it is that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on	1934	it is that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on
1423	exec.	1935	exec.
1424		1936
1425	Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.	1937	Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
1426		1938
		1939	RECOMMENDED/OPTIONAL MODULES
		1940	One of AnyEvent's main goals is to be 100% Pure-Perl(tm): only perl (and
		1941	its built-in modules) are required to use it.
		1942
		1943	That does not mean that AnyEvent won't take advantage of some additional
		1944	modules if they are installed.
		1945
		1946	This section explains which additional modules will be used, and how
		1947	they affect AnyEvent's operation.
		1948
		1949	Async::Interrupt
		1950	This slightly arcane module is used to implement fast signal
		1951	handling: To my knowledge, there is no way to do completely
		1952	race-free and quick signal handling in pure perl. To ensure that
		1953	signals still get delivered, AnyEvent will start an interval timer
		1954	to wake up perl (and catch the signals) with some delay (default is
		1955	10 seconds, look for $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY).
		1956
		1957	If this module is available, then it will be used to implement
		1958	signal catching, which means that signals will not be delayed, and
		1959	the event loop will not be interrupted regularly, which is more
		1960	efficient (and good for battery life on laptops).
		1961
		1962	This affects not just the pure-perl event loop, but also other event
		1963	loops that have no signal handling on their own (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt).
		1964
		1965	Some event loops (POE, Event, Event::Lib) offer signal watchers
		1966	natively, and either employ their own workarounds (POE) or use
		1967	AnyEvent's workaround (using $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY).
		1968	Installing Async::Interrupt does nothing for those backends.
		1969
		1970	EV This module isn't really "optional", as it is simply one of the
		1971	backend event loops that AnyEvent can use. However, it is simply the
		1972	best event loop available in terms of features, speed and stability:
		1973	It supports the AnyEvent API optimally, implements all the watcher
		1974	types in XS, does automatic timer adjustments even when no monotonic
		1975	clock is available, can take avdantage of advanced kernel interfaces
		1976	such as "epoll" and "kqueue", and is the fastest backend by far.
		1977	You can even embed Glib/Gtk2 in it (or vice versa, see EV::Glib and
		1978	Glib::EV).
		1979
		1980	If you only use backends that rely on another event loop (e.g.
		1981	"Tk"), then this module will do nothing for you.
		1982
		1983	Guard
		1984	The guard module, when used, will be used to implement
		1985	"AnyEvent::Util::guard". This speeds up guards considerably (and
		1986	uses a lot less memory), but otherwise doesn't affect guard
		1987	operation much. It is purely used for performance.
		1988
		1989	JSON and JSON::XS
		1990	One of these modules is required when you want to read or write JSON
		1991	data via AnyEvent::Handle. JSON is also written in pure-perl, but
		1992	can take advantage of the ultra-high-speed JSON::XS module when it
		1993	is installed.
		1994
		1995	Net::SSLeay
		1996	Implementing TLS/SSL in Perl is certainly interesting, but not very
		1997	worthwhile: If this module is installed, then AnyEvent::Handle (with
		1998	the help of AnyEvent::TLS), gains the ability to do TLS/SSL.
		1999
		2000	Time::HiRes
		2001	This module is part of perl since release 5.008. It will be used
		2002	when the chosen event library does not come with a timing source of
		2003	its own. The pure-perl event loop (AnyEvent::Loop) will additionally
		2004	load it to try to use a monotonic clock for timing stability.
		2005
1427	FORK	2006	FORK
1428	Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are	2007	Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1429	because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe "select" or "poll" calls.	2008	because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe "select" or "poll" calls
1430	Only EV is fully fork-aware.	2009	- higher performance APIs such as BSD's kqueue or the dreaded Linux
		2010	epoll are usually badly thought-out hacks that are incompatible with
		2011	fork in one way or another. Only EV is fully fork-aware and ensures that
		2012	you continue event-processing in both parent and child (or both, if you
		2013	know what you are doing).
		2014
		2015	This means that, in general, you cannot fork and do event processing in
		2016	the child if the event library was initialised before the fork (which
		2017	usually happens when the first AnyEvent watcher is created, or the
		2018	library is loaded).
1431		2019
1432	If you have to fork, you must either do so before creating your first	2020	If you have to fork, you must either do so before creating your first
1433	watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.	2021	watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child OR you must do
		2022	something completely out of the scope of AnyEvent.
		2023
		2024	The problem of doing event processing in the parent and the child is
		2025	much more complicated: even for backends that are fork-aware or
		2026	fork-safe, their behaviour is not usually what you want: fork clones all
		2027	watchers, that means all timers, I/O watchers etc. are active in both
		2028	parent and child, which is almost never what you want. USing "exec" to
		2029	start worker children from some kind of manage rprocess is usually
		2030	preferred, because it is much easier and cleaner, at the expense of
		2031	having to have another binary.
1434		2032
1435	SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS	2033	SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
1436	AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via	2034	AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via
1437	$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}. While this cannot (to my knowledge) be used	2035	$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}. While this cannot (to my knowledge) be used
1438	to execute arbitrary code or directly gain access, it can easily be used	2036	to execute arbitrary code or directly gain access, it can easily be used
…		…
1442		2040
1443	You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it	2041	You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it
1444	before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a "BEGIN" block:	2042	before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a "BEGIN" block:
1445		2043
1446	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }	2044	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1447		2045
1448	use AnyEvent;	2046	use AnyEvent;
1449		2047
1450	Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can	2048	Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1451	be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which	2049	be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which
1452	is probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL),	2050	is probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL),
1453	and $ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}.	2051	and $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
		2052
		2053	Note that AnyEvent will remove all environment variables starting with
		2054	"PERL_ANYEVENT_" from %ENV when it is loaded while taint mode is
		2055	enabled.
1454		2056
1455	BUGS	2057	BUGS
1456	Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are	2058	Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are
1457	hard to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl	2059	hard to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl
1458	5.10 and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other	2060	5.10 and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other
1459	annoying memleaks, such as leaking on "map" and "grep" but it is usually	2061	annoying memleaks, such as leaking on "map" and "grep" but it is usually
1460	not as pronounced).	2062	not as pronounced).
1461		2063
1462	SEE ALSO	2064	SEE ALSO
1463	Utility functions: AnyEvent::Util.	2065	Tutorial/Introduction: AnyEvent::Intro.
1464		2066
1465	Event modules: EV, EV::Glib, Glib::EV, Event, Glib::Event, Glib, Tk,	2067	FAQ: AnyEvent::FAQ.
1466	Event::Lib, Qt, POE.	2068
		2069	Utility functions: AnyEvent::Util (misc. grab-bag), AnyEvent::Log
		2070	(simply logging).
		2071
		2072	Development/Debugging: AnyEvent::Strict (stricter checking),
		2073	AnyEvent::Debug (interactive shell, watcher tracing).
		2074
		2075	Supported event modules: AnyEvent::Loop, EV, EV::Glib, Glib::EV, Event,
		2076	Glib::Event, Glib, Tk, Event::Lib, Qt, POE, FLTK.
1467		2077
1468	Implementations: AnyEvent::Impl::EV, AnyEvent::Impl::Event,	2078	Implementations: AnyEvent::Impl::EV, AnyEvent::Impl::Event,
1469	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib, AnyEvent::Impl::Tk, AnyEvent::Impl::Perl,	2079	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib, AnyEvent::Impl::Tk, AnyEvent::Impl::Perl,
1470	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib, AnyEvent::Impl::Qt, AnyEvent::Impl::POE.	2080	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib, AnyEvent::Impl::Qt, AnyEvent::Impl::POE,
		2081	AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync, Anyevent::Impl::Irssi, AnyEvent::Impl::FLTK.
1471		2082
1472	Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and servers:	2083	Non-blocking handles, pipes, stream sockets, TCP clients and servers:
1473	AnyEvent::Handle, AnyEvent::Socket.	2084	AnyEvent::Handle, AnyEvent::Socket, AnyEvent::TLS.
		2085
		2086	Asynchronous File I/O: AnyEvent::IO.
1474		2087
1475	Asynchronous DNS: AnyEvent::DNS.	2088	Asynchronous DNS: AnyEvent::DNS.
1476		2089
1477	Coroutine support: Coro, Coro::AnyEvent, Coro::EV, Coro::Event,	2090	Thread support: Coro, Coro::AnyEvent, Coro::EV, Coro::Event.
1478		2091
1479	Nontrivial usage examples: Net::FCP, Net::XMPP2, AnyEvent::DNS.	2092	Nontrivial usage examples: AnyEvent::GPSD, AnyEvent::IRC,
		2093	AnyEvent::HTTP.
1480		2094
1481	AUTHOR	2095	AUTHOR
1482	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>	2096	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1483	http://home.schmorp.de/	2097	http://anyevent.schmorp.de
1484		2098

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Comparing AnyEvent/README (file contents): Revision 1.38 by root, Sun Apr 26 18:12:53 2009 UTC vs. Revision 1.70 by root, Fri Apr 13 09:57:41 2012 UTC

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Comparing AnyEvent/README (file contents):
Revision 1.38 by root, Sun Apr 26 18:12:53 2009 UTC vs.
Revision 1.70 by root, Fri Apr 13 09:57:41 2012 UTC