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1NAME 1NAME
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 and POE are various supported event loops/environments.
6 6
7SYNOPSIS 7SYNOPSIS
8 use AnyEvent; 8 use AnyEvent;
9 9
10 # file descriptor readable
10 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r|w", cb => sub { ... }); 11 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
11 12
13 # one-shot or repeating timers
12 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... }); 14 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
13 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ... 15 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...
14 16
15 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time 17 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
16 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time. 18 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
17 19
20 # POSIX signal
18 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... }); 21 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
19 22
23 # child process exit
20 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { 24 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
21 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 25 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
22 ... 26 ...
23 }); 27 });
28
29 # called when event loop idle (if applicable)
30 my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
24 31
25 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged 32 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
26 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's 33 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
27 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send 34 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
28 # use a condvar in callback mode: 35 # use a condvar in callback mode:
30 37
31INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL 38INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
32 This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested in a 39 This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested in a
33 tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the AnyEvent::Intro 40 tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the AnyEvent::Intro
34 manpage. 41 manpage.
42
43SUPPORT
44 There is a mailinglist for discussing all things AnyEvent, and an IRC
45 channel, too.
46
47 See the AnyEvent project page at the Schmorpforge Ta-Sa Software
48 Repository, at <http://anyevent.schmorp.de>, for more info.
35 49
36WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT) 50WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)
37 Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen 51 Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
38 nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent? 52 nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
39 53
132 These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 146 These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
133 creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 147 creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
134 callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model is 148 callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model is
135 in control). 149 in control).
136 150
151 Note that callbacks must not permanently change global variables
152 potentially in use by the event loop (such as $_ or $[) and that
153 callbacks must not "die". The former is good programming practise in
154 Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
155 widely between event loops.
156
137 To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the 157 To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
138 variable you store it in to "undef" or otherwise deleting all references 158 variable you store it in to "undef" or otherwise deleting all references
139 to it). 159 to it).
140 160
141 All watchers are created by calling a method on the "AnyEvent" class. 161 All watchers are created by calling a method on the "AnyEvent" class.
153 Note that "my $w; $w =" combination. This is necessary because in Perl, 173 Note that "my $w; $w =" combination. This is necessary because in Perl,
154 my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are 174 my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
155 declared. 175 declared.
156 176
157 I/O WATCHERS 177 I/O WATCHERS
178 $w = AnyEvent->io (
179 fh => <filehandle_or_fileno>,
180 poll => <"r" or "w">,
181 cb => <callback>,
182 );
183
158 You can create an I/O watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->io" method with 184 You can create an I/O watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->io" method with
159 the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 185 the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
160 186
161 "fh" the Perl *file handle* (*not* file descriptor) to watch for events 187 "fh" is the Perl *file handle* (or a naked file descriptor) to watch for
162 (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file handle). 188 events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
189 handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
190 non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
191 most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example
192 files or block devices.
193
163 "poll" must be a string that is either "r" or "w", which creates a 194 "poll" must be a string that is either "r" or "w", which creates a
164 watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively. "cb" 195 watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
196
165 is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready. 197 "cb" is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
166 198
167 Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 199 Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
168 presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 200 presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
169 callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 201 callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
170 202
184 warn "read: $input\n"; 216 warn "read: $input\n";
185 undef $w; 217 undef $w;
186 }); 218 });
187 219
188 TIME WATCHERS 220 TIME WATCHERS
221 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => <seconds>, cb => <callback>);
222
223 $w = AnyEvent->timer (
224 after => <fractional_seconds>,
225 interval => <fractional_seconds>,
226 cb => <callback>,
227 );
228
189 You can create a time watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->timer" method 229 You can create a time watcher by calling the "AnyEvent->timer" method
190 with the following mandatory arguments: 230 with the following mandatory arguments:
191 231
192 "after" specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are 232 "after" specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are
193 supported) the callback should be invoked. "cb" is the callback to 233 supported) the callback should be invoked. "cb" is the callback to
302 In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you 342 In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
303 can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking 343 can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking
304 the difference between "AnyEvent->time" and "AnyEvent->now" into 344 the difference between "AnyEvent->time" and "AnyEvent->now" into
305 account. 345 account.
306 346
347 AnyEvent->now_update
348 Some event loops (such as EV or AnyEvent::Impl::Perl) cache the
349 current time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of
350 AnyEvent->now, above).
351
352 When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps),
353 then this "current" time will differ substantially from the real
354 time, which might affect timers and time-outs.
355
356 When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update
357 the event loop's idea of "current time".
358
359 A typical example would be a script in a web server (e.g.
360 "mod_perl") - when mod_perl executes the script, then the event loop
361 will have the wrong idea about the "current time" (being potentially
362 far in the past, when the script ran the last time). In that case
363 you should arrange a call to "AnyEvent->now_update" each time the
364 web server process wakes up again (e.g. at the start of your script,
365 or in a handler).
366
367 Note that updating the time *might* cause some events to be handled.
368
307 SIGNAL WATCHERS 369 SIGNAL WATCHERS
370 $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => <uppercase_signal_name>, cb => <callback>);
371
308 You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, "signal" is the signal 372 You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, "signal" is the signal
309 *name* in uppercase and without any "SIG" prefix, "cb" is the Perl 373 *name* in uppercase and without any "SIG" prefix, "cb" is the Perl
310 callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 374 callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
311 375
312 Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 376 Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
317 invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous 381 invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous
318 means that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the 382 means that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the
319 process, but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 383 process, but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
320 384
321 The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a 385 The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a
322 signal between multiple watchers. 386 signal between multiple watchers, and AnyEvent will ensure that signals
387 will not interrupt your program at bad times.
323 388
324 This watcher might use %SIG, so programs overwriting those signals 389 This watcher might use %SIG (depending on the event loop used), so
325 directly will likely not work correctly. 390 programs overwriting those signals directly will likely not work
391 correctly.
326 392
327 Example: exit on SIGINT 393 Example: exit on SIGINT
328 394
329 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 }); 395 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 });
330 396
397 Restart Behaviour
398 While restart behaviour is up to the event loop implementation, most
399 will not restart syscalls (that includes Async::Interrupt and AnyEvent's
400 pure perl implementation).
401
402 Safe/Unsafe Signals
403 Perl signals can be either "safe" (synchronous to opcode handling) or
404 "unsafe" (asynchronous) - the former might get delayed indefinitely, the
405 latter might corrupt your memory.
406
407 AnyEvent signal handlers are, in addition, synchronous to the event
408 loop, i.e. they will not interrupt your running perl program but will
409 only be called as part of the normal event handling (just like timer,
410 I/O etc. callbacks, too).
411
412 Signal Races, Delays and Workarounds
413 Many event loops (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt, IO::Async) do not support attaching
414 callbacks to signals in a generic way, which is a pity, as you cannot do
415 race-free signal handling in perl, requiring C libraries for this.
416 AnyEvent will try to do it's best, which means in some cases, signals
417 will be delayed. The maximum time a signal might be delayed is specified
418 in $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY (default: 10 seconds). This variable
419 can be changed only before the first signal watcher is created, and
420 should be left alone otherwise. This variable determines how often
421 AnyEvent polls for signals (in case a wake-up was missed). Higher values
422 will cause fewer spurious wake-ups, which is better for power and CPU
423 saving.
424
425 All these problems can be avoided by installing the optional
426 Async::Interrupt module, which works with most event loops. It will not
427 work with inherently broken event loops such as Event or Event::Lib (and
428 not with POE currently, as POE does it's own workaround with one-second
429 latency). For those, you just have to suffer the delays.
430
331 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 431 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
432 $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => <process id>, cb => <callback>);
433
332 You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 434 You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
333 435
334 The child process is specified by the "pid" argument (if set to 0, it 436 The child process is specified by the "pid" argument (one some backends,
335 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).
336 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
337 on any trace events (stopped/continued). 439 and an exit status is available, not on any trace events
440 (stopped/continued).
338 441
339 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
340 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
341 callback arguments. 444 callback arguments.
342 445
347 450
348 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
349 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
350 could have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 453 could have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
351 454
352 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
353 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
354 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).
355 place). 459 AnyEvent's pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless
460 of when you start the watcher.
356 461
357 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
358 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
359 you "fork" the child (alternatively, you can call "AnyEvent::detect"). 464 you "fork" the child (alternatively, you can call "AnyEvent::detect").
360 465
466 As most event loops do not support waiting for child events, they will
467 be emulated by AnyEvent in most cases, in which the latency and race
468 problems mentioned in the description of signal watchers apply.
469
361 Example: fork a process and wait for it 470 Example: fork a process and wait for it
362 471
363 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 472 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
364 473
365 my $pid = fork or exit 5; 474 my $pid = fork or exit 5;
366 475
367 my $w = AnyEvent->child ( 476 my $w = AnyEvent->child (
368 pid => $pid, 477 pid => $pid,
369 cb => sub { 478 cb => sub {
370 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 479 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
371 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status"; 480 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
372 $done->send; 481 $done->send;
373 }, 482 },
374 ); 483 );
375 484
376 # do something else, then wait for process exit 485 # do something else, then wait for process exit
377 $done->recv; 486 $done->recv;
378 487
488 IDLE WATCHERS
489 $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => <callback>);
490
491 Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important to
492 do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
493 "nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
494 attention by the event loop".
495
496 Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing better
497 to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new events.
498 Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
499
500 Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
501 EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
502 will simply call the callback "from time to time".
503
504 Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the program
505 is otherwise idle:
506
507 my @lines; # read data
508 my $idle_w;
509 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
510 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
511
512 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
513 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
514 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
515 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
516 print "handled when idle: $line";
517 } else {
518 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
519 undef $idle_w;
520 }
521 });
522 });
523
379 CONDITION VARIABLES 524 CONDITION VARIABLES
525 $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
526
527 $cv->send (<list>);
528 my @res = $cv->recv;
529
380 If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them 530 If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
381 require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that 531 require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
382 will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 532 will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
383 533
384 AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop 534 AnyEvent is slightly different: it expects somebody else to run the
385 and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user). 535 event loop and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the
536 user).
386 537
387 The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 538 The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
388 because they represent a condition that must become true. 539 because they represent a condition that must become true.
389 540
541 Now is probably a good time to look at the examples further below.
542
390 Condition variables can be created by calling the "AnyEvent->condvar" 543 Condition variables can be created by calling the "AnyEvent->condvar"
391 method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 544 method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
392
393 "cb", which specifies a callback to be called when the condition 545 "cb", which specifies a callback to be called when the condition
394 variable becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument 546 variable becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument
395 (but not the results). 547 (but not the results).
396 548
397 After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes 549 After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes
402 Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can 554 Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
403 optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points 555 optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
404 in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet 556 in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet
405 another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can 557 another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can
406 be used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and 558 be used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and
407 delivers a result. 559 delivers a result. And yet some people know them as "futures" - a
560 promise to compute/deliver something that you can wait for.
408 561
409 Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has 562 Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has
410 finished, for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http 563 finished, for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http
411 requests, then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to 564 requests, then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to
412 signal the availability of results. The user can either act when the 565 signal the availability of results. The user can either act when the
446 after => 1, 599 after => 1,
447 cb => sub { $result_ready->send }, 600 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
448 ); 601 );
449 602
450 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback 603 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
451 # calls send 604 # calls ->send
452 $result_ready->recv; 605 $result_ready->recv;
453 606
454 Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition 607 Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition
455 variables are also code references. 608 variables are also callable directly.
456 609
457 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 610 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
458 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 611 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
459 $done->recv; 612 $done->recv;
460 613
466 619
467 ... 620 ...
468 621
469 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv; 622 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
470 623
471 And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the 624 And this is how you would just set a callback to be called whenever the
472 results are available: 625 results are available:
473 626
474 $couchdb->info->cb (sub { 627 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
475 my @info = $_[0]->recv; 628 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
476 }); 629 });
491 644
492 Any arguments passed to the "send" call will be returned by all 645 Any arguments passed to the "send" call will be returned by all
493 future "->recv" calls. 646 future "->recv" calls.
494 647
495 Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as 648 Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as
496 a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling 649 if they were a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as
497 "send". Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle 650 calling "send".
498 overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition
499 variable instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and
500 EV loops support overloading, however, as well as all functions that
501 use perl to invoke a callback (as in AnyEvent::Socket and
502 AnyEvent::DNS for example).
503 651
504 $cv->croak ($error) 652 $cv->croak ($error)
505 Similar to send, but causes all call's to "->recv" to invoke 653 Similar to send, but causes all call's to "->recv" to invoke
506 "Carp::croak" with the given error message/object/scalar. 654 "Carp::croak" with the given error message/object/scalar.
507 655
508 This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable 656 This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
509 user/consumer. 657 user/consumer. Doing it this way instead of calling "croak" directly
658 delays the error detetcion, but has the overwhelmign advantage that
659 it diagnoses the error at the place where the result is expected,
660 and not deep in some event clalback without connection to the actual
661 code causing the problem.
510 662
511 $cv->begin ([group callback]) 663 $cv->begin ([group callback])
512 $cv->end 664 $cv->end
513 These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
514
515 These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events 665 These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events
516 into one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel 666 into one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel
517 might want to use a condition variable for the whole process. 667 might want to use a condition variable for the whole process.
518 668
519 Every call to "->begin" will increment a counter, and every call to 669 Every call to "->begin" will increment a counter, and every call to
520 "->end" will decrement it. If the counter reaches 0 in "->end", the 670 "->end" will decrement it. If the counter reaches 0 in "->end", the
521 (last) callback passed to "begin" will be executed. That callback is 671 (last) callback passed to "begin" will be executed, passing the
522 *supposed* to call "->send", but that is not required. If no 672 condvar as first argument. That callback is *supposed* to call
673 "->send", but that is not required. If no group callback was set,
523 callback was set, "send" will be called without any arguments. 674 "send" will be called without any arguments.
524 675
525 Let's clarify this with the ping example: 676 You can think of "$cv->send" giving you an OR condition (one call
677 sends), while "$cv->begin" and "$cv->end" giving you an AND
678 condition (all "begin" calls must be "end"'ed before the condvar
679 sends).
680
681 Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for
682 example, STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for
683 both streams to close before activating a condvar:
526 684
527 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 685 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
528 686
687 $cv->begin; # first watcher
688 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
689 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
690 or $cv->end;
691 });
692
693 $cv->begin; # second watcher
694 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
695 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
696 or $cv->end;
697 });
698
699 $cv->recv;
700
701 This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle),
702 there is one call to "begin", so the condvar waits for all calls to
703 "end" before sending.
704
705 The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as
706 the there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks
707 that are begung can potentially be zero:
708
709 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
710
529 my %result; 711 my %result;
530 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 712 $cv->begin (sub { shift->send (\%result) });
531 713
532 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) { 714 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
533 $cv->begin; 715 $cv->begin;
534 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub { 716 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
535 $result{$host} = ...; 717 $result{$host} = ...;
550 the loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the 732 the loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the
551 callback to be called once the counter reaches 0, and second, it 733 callback to be called once the counter reaches 0, and second, it
552 ensures that "send" is called even when "no" hosts are being pinged 734 ensures that "send" is called even when "no" hosts are being pinged
553 (the loop doesn't execute once). 735 (the loop doesn't execute once).
554 736
555 This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple 737 This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
556 subrequests: use an outer "begin"/"end" pair to set the callback and 738 potentially none) subrequests: use an outer "begin"/"end" pair to
557 ensure "end" is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest 739 set the callback and ensure "end" is called at least once, and then,
558 you start, call "begin" and for each subrequest you finish, call 740 for each subrequest you start, call "begin" and for each subrequest
559 "end". 741 you finish, call "end".
560 742
561 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 743 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
562 These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the code 744 These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the code
563 awaits the condition. 745 awaits the condition.
564 746
573 function will call "croak". 755 function will call "croak".
574 756
575 In list context, all parameters passed to "send" will be returned, 757 In list context, all parameters passed to "send" will be returned,
576 in scalar context only the first one will be returned. 758 in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
577 759
760 Note that doing a blocking wait in a callback is not supported by
761 any event loop, that is, recursive invocation of a blocking "->recv"
762 is not allowed, and the "recv" call will "croak" if such a condition
763 is detected. This condition can be slightly loosened by using
764 Coro::AnyEvent, which allows you to do a blocking "->recv" from any
765 thread that doesn't run the event loop itself.
766
578 Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 767 Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
579 (programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so *if you are 768 (programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so *if you are
580 using this from a module, never require a blocking wait*, but let 769 using this from a module, never require a blocking wait*. Instead,
581 the caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, 770 let the caller decide whether the call will block or not (for
582 by coupling condition variables with some kind of request results 771 example, by coupling condition variables with some kind of request
583 and supporting callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result 772 results and supporting callbacks so the caller knows that getting
584 will not block, while still supporting blocking waits if the caller 773 the result will not block, while still supporting blocking waits if
585 so desires). 774 the caller so desires).
586
587 Another reason *never* to "->recv" in a module is that you cannot
588 sensibly have two "->recv"'s in parallel, as that would require
589 multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which
590 "AnyEvent" can supply.
591
592 The Coro module, however, *can* and *does* supply coroutines and, in
593 fact, Coro::AnyEvent replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
594 versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making
595 blocking "->recv" calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from
596 another coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
597 775
598 You can ensure that "-recv" never blocks by setting a callback and 776 You can ensure that "-recv" never blocks by setting a callback and
599 only calling "->recv" from within that callback (or at a later 777 only calling "->recv" from within that callback (or at a later
600 time). This will work even when the event loop does not support 778 time). This will work even when the event loop does not support
601 blocking waits otherwise. 779 blocking waits otherwise.
606 784
607 $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv)) 785 $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
608 This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and 786 This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and
609 optionally replaces it before doing so. 787 optionally replaces it before doing so.
610 788
611 The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. 789 The callback will be called when the condition becomes (or already
612 when "send" or "croak" are called, with the only argument being the 790 was) "true", i.e. when "send" or "croak" are called (or were
613 condition variable itself. Calling "recv" inside the callback or at 791 called), with the only argument being the condition variable itself.
792 Calling "recv" inside the callback or at any later time is
614 any later time is guaranteed not to block. 793 guaranteed not to block.
794
795SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
796 The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
797
798 Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
799 EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
800 use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will fall back to its own
801 pure-perl implementation, which is available everywhere as it comes
802 with AnyEvent itself.
803
804 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
805 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
806
807 Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
808 These will be used when they are currently loaded when the first
809 watcher is created, in which case it is assumed that the application
810 is using them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the
811 right backend when the main program loads an event module before
812 anything starts to create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done
813 by the main program.
814
815 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
816 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
817 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
818 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
819 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
820 AnyEvent::Impl::Irssi used when running within irssi.
821
822 Backends with special needs.
823 Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
824 otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
825 instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are
826 created, everything should just work.
827
828 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
829
830 Support for IO::Async can only be partial, as it is too broken and
831 architecturally limited to even support the AnyEvent API. It also is
832 the only event loop that needs the loop to be set explicitly, so it
833 can only be used by a main program knowing about AnyEvent. See
834 AnyEvent::Impl::Async for the gory details.
835
836 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed.
837
838 Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
839 Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
840
841 There is no direct support for WxWidgets (Wx) or Prima.
842
843 WxWidgets has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
844 use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that
845 simply polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too
846 horrible to even consider for AnyEvent.
847
848 Prima is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a
849 POE backend, so it can be supported through POE.
850
851 AnyEvent knows about both Prima and Wx, however, and will try to
852 load POE when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them
853 up, in which case everything will be automatic.
615 854
616GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 855GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
856 These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
857 write AnyEvent extension modules.
858
617 $AnyEvent::MODEL 859 $AnyEvent::MODEL
618 Contains "undef" until the first watcher is being created. Then it 860 Contains "undef" until the first watcher is being created, before
861 the backend has been autodetected.
862
619 contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of 863 Afterwards it contains the event model that is being used, which is
620 the Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of 864 the name of the Perl class implementing the model. This class is
621 the "AnyEvent::Impl:xxx" modules, but can be any other class in the 865 usually one of the "AnyEvent::Impl:xxx" modules, but can be any
622 case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in *rxvt-unicode*). 866 other class in the case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g.
623 867 in *rxvt-unicode* it will be "urxvt::anyevent").
624 The known classes so far are:
625
626 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
627 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
628 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
629 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
630 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
631 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
632 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
633 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
634
635 There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
636 watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
637 POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
638 second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
639 AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by
640 using it's adaptor.
641
642 AnyEvent knows about Prima and Wx and will try to use POE when
643 autodetecting them.
644 868
645 AnyEvent::detect 869 AnyEvent::detect
646 Returns $AnyEvent::MODEL, forcing autodetection of the event model 870 Returns $AnyEvent::MODEL, forcing autodetection of the event model
647 if necessary. You should only call this function right before you 871 if necessary. You should only call this function right before you
648 would have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as 872 would have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as
649 possible at runtime. 873 possible at runtime, and not e.g. while initialising of your module.
874
875 If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
876 created, use "post_detect".
650 877
651 $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK } 878 $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
652 Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event 879 Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event
653 model is autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened). 880 model is autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
654 881
882 The block will be executed *after* the actual backend has been
883 detected ($AnyEvent::MODEL is set), but *before* any watchers have
884 been created, so it is possible to e.g. patch @AnyEvent::ISA or do
885 other initialisations - see the sources of AnyEvent::Strict or
886 AnyEvent::AIO to see how this is used.
887
888 The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without
889 forcing event module detection too early, for example, AnyEvent::AIO
890 creates and installs the global IO::AIO watcher in a "post_detect"
891 block to avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
892
655 If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an 893 If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an
656 object that automatically removes the callback again when it is 894 object that automatically removes the callback again when it is
895 destroyed (or "undef" when the hook was immediately executed). See
657 destroyed. See Coro::BDB for a case where this is useful. 896 AnyEvent::AIO for a case where this is useful.
897
898 Example: Create a watcher for the IO::AIO module and store it in
899 $WATCHER. Only do so after the event loop is initialised, though.
900
901 our WATCHER;
902
903 my $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect {
904 $WATCHER = AnyEvent->io (fh => IO::AIO::poll_fileno, poll => 'r', cb => \&IO::AIO::poll_cb);
905 };
906
907 # the ||= is important in case post_detect immediately runs the block,
908 # as to not clobber the newly-created watcher. assigning both watcher and
909 # post_detect guard to the same variable has the advantage of users being
910 # able to just C<undef $WATCHER> if the watcher causes them grief.
911
912 $WATCHER ||= $guard;
658 913
659 @AnyEvent::post_detect 914 @AnyEvent::post_detect
660 If there are any code references in this array (you can "push" to it 915 If there are any code references in this array (you can "push" to it
661 before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly 916 before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly
662 after the event loop has been chosen. 917 after the event loop has been chosen.
663 918
664 You should check $AnyEvent::MODEL before adding to this array, 919 You should check $AnyEvent::MODEL before adding to this array,
665 though: if it contains a true value then the event loop has already 920 though: if it is defined then the event loop has already been
666 been detected, and the array will be ignored. 921 detected, and the array will be ignored.
667 922
668 Best use "AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }" instead. 923 Best use "AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }" when your application
924 allows it, as it takes care of these details.
925
926 This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something
927 useful when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is
928 initialised, but do not need to even load it by default. This array
929 provides the means to hook into AnyEvent passively, without loading
930 it.
931
932 Example: To load Coro::AnyEvent whenever Coro and AnyEvent are used
933 together, you could put this into Coro (this is the actual code used
934 by Coro to accomplish this):
935
936 if (defined $AnyEvent::MODEL) {
937 # AnyEvent already initialised, so load Coro::AnyEvent
938 require Coro::AnyEvent;
939 } else {
940 # AnyEvent not yet initialised, so make sure to load Coro::AnyEvent
941 # as soon as it is
942 push @AnyEvent::post_detect, sub { require Coro::AnyEvent };
943 }
669 944
670WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 945WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
671 As a module author, you should "use AnyEvent" and call AnyEvent methods 946 As a module author, you should "use AnyEvent" and call AnyEvent methods
672 freely, but you should not load a specific event module or rely on it. 947 freely, but you should not load a specific event module or rely on it.
673 948
724 variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program 999 variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program
725 should exit cleanly. 1000 should exit cleanly.
726 1001
727OTHER MODULES 1002OTHER MODULES
728 The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 1003 The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
729 AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 1004 AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other
730 in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are 1005 AnyEvent modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the
731 available via CPAN. 1006 modules come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
732 1007
733 AnyEvent::Util 1008 AnyEvent::Util
734 Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but 1009 Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but
735 blocking functions such as "inet_aton" by event-/callback-based 1010 blocking functions such as "inet_aton" by event-/callback-based
736 versions. 1011 versions.
742 more. 1017 more.
743 1018
744 AnyEvent::Handle 1019 AnyEvent::Handle
745 Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and 1020 Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and
746 writes, supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully 1021 writes, supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully
747 transparent and non-blocking SSL/TLS. 1022 transparent and non-blocking SSL/TLS (via AnyEvent::TLS.
748 1023
749 AnyEvent::DNS 1024 AnyEvent::DNS
750 Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 1025 Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
751 1026
752 AnyEvent::HTTP 1027 AnyEvent::HTTP
773 1048
774 AnyEvent::GPSD 1049 AnyEvent::GPSD
775 A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS 1050 A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS
776 information. 1051 information.
777 1052
1053 AnyEvent::IRC
1054 AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older
1055 Net::IRC3).
1056
1057 AnyEvent::XMPP
1058 AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the
1059 older Net::XMPP2>.
1060
778 AnyEvent::IGS 1061 AnyEvent::IGS
779 A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by 1062 A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
780 App::IGS). 1063 App::IGS).
781 1064
782 AnyEvent::IRC
783 AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older
784 Net::IRC3).
785
786 Net::XMPP2
787 AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
788
789 Net::FCP 1065 Net::FCP
790 AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, 1066 AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol,
791 birthplace of AnyEvent. 1067 birthplace of AnyEvent.
792 1068
793 Event::ExecFlow 1069 Event::ExecFlow
794 High level API for event-based execution flow control. 1070 High level API for event-based execution flow control.
795 1071
796 Coro 1072 Coro
797 Has special support for AnyEvent via Coro::AnyEvent. 1073 Has special support for AnyEvent via Coro::AnyEvent.
798 1074
799 IO::Lambda 1075SIMPLIFIED AE API
800 The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use 1076 Starting with version 5.0, AnyEvent officially supports a second, much
801 AnyEvent. 1077 simpler, API that is designed to reduce the calling, typing and memory
1078 overhead.
1079
1080 See the AE manpage for details.
802 1081
803ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING 1082ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
804 In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the 1083 In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
805 caller to do that if required. The AnyEvent::Strict module (see also the 1084 caller to do that if required. The AnyEvent::Strict module (see also the
806 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" environment variable, below) provides strict 1085 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" environment variable, below) provides strict
816 "condvar->recv"), the Event and EV modules call "$Event/EV::DIED->()", 1095 "condvar->recv"), the Event and EV modules call "$Event/EV::DIED->()",
817 Glib uses "install_exception_handler" and so on. 1096 Glib uses "install_exception_handler" and so on.
818 1097
819ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES 1098ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
820 The following environment variables are used by this module or its 1099 The following environment variables are used by this module or its
821 submodules: 1100 submodules.
1101
1102 Note that AnyEvent will remove *all* environment variables starting with
1103 "PERL_ANYEVENT_" from %ENV when it is loaded while taint mode is
1104 enabled.
822 1105
823 "PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE" 1106 "PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE"
824 By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal 1107 By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
825 conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent 1108 conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent
826 more talkative. 1109 more talkative.
829 conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified 1112 conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified
830 by "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL". 1113 by "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL".
831 1114
832 When set to 2 or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which 1115 When set to 2 or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which
833 event model it chooses. 1116 event model it chooses.
1117
1118 When set to 8 or higher, then AnyEvent will report extra information
1119 on which optional modules it loads and how it implements certain
1120 features.
834 1121
835 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" 1122 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT"
836 AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough 1123 AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
837 argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true 1124 argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true
838 value will cause AnyEvent to load "AnyEvent::Strict" and then to 1125 value will cause AnyEvent to load "AnyEvent::Strict" and then to
839 thoroughly check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it 1126 thoroughly check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it
840 finds any problems it will croak. 1127 finds any problems, it will croak.
841 1128
842 In other words, enables "strict" mode. 1129 In other words, enables "strict" mode.
843 1130
844 Unlike "use strict", it is definitely recommended ot keep it off in 1131 Unlike "use strict" (or it's modern cousin, "use common::sense", it
845 production. Keeping "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1" in your environment 1132 is definitely recommended to keep it off in production. Keeping
1133 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1" in your environment while developing
846 while developing programs can be very useful, however. 1134 programs can be very useful, however.
847 1135
848 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL" 1136 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL"
849 This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, 1137 This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent,
850 before auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string 1138 before auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string
851 consisting entirely of ASCII letters. The string "AnyEvent::Impl::" 1139 consisting entirely of ASCII letters. The string "AnyEvent::Impl::"
870 mentioned will be used, and preference will be given to protocols 1158 mentioned will be used, and preference will be given to protocols
871 mentioned earlier in the list. 1159 mentioned earlier in the list.
872 1160
873 This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks 1161 This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
874 against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is 1162 against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is
875 likely small, as the program has to handle connection errors 1163 likely small, as the program has to handle conenction and other
876 already- 1164 failures anyways.
877 1165
878 Examples: "PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6" - prefer IPv4 over 1166 Examples: "PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6" - prefer IPv4 over
879 IPv6, but support both and try to use both. 1167 IPv6, but support both and try to use both.
880 "PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4" - only support IPv4, never try to 1168 "PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4" - only support IPv4, never try to
881 resolve or contact IPv6 addresses. 1169 resolve or contact IPv6 addresses.
892 EDNS0 in its DNS requests. 1180 EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
893 1181
894 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS" 1182 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS"
895 The maximum number of child processes that 1183 The maximum number of child processes that
896 "AnyEvent::Util::fork_call" will create in parallel. 1184 "AnyEvent::Util::fork_call" will create in parallel.
1185
1186 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS"
1187 The default value for the "max_outstanding" parameter for the
1188 default DNS resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS
1189 requests that are sent to the DNS server.
1190
1191 "PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF"
1192 The file to use instead of /etc/resolv.conf (or OS-specific
1193 configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty
1194 string, no default config will be used.
1195
1196 "PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE", "PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH".
1197 When neither "ca_file" nor "ca_path" was specified during
1198 AnyEvent::TLS context creation, and either of these environment
1199 variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate
1200 locations instead of a system-dependent default.
1201
1202 "PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_GUARD" and "PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT"
1203 When these are set to 1, then the respective modules are not loaded.
1204 Mostly good for testing AnyEvent itself.
897 1205
898SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1206SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
899 This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent 1207 This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent
900 in a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want 1208 in a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want
901 to provide AnyEvent compatibility. 1209 to provide AnyEvent compatibility.
956 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read 1264 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
957 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i 1265 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
958 }, 1266 },
959 ); 1267 );
960 1268
961 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
962
963 sub new_timer {
964 $timer = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, cb => sub { 1269 my $time_watcher = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, interval => 1, cb => sub {
965 warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' about every second 1270 warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' at most every second
966 &new_timer; # and restart the time
967 });
968 } 1271 });
969
970 new_timer; # create first timer
971 1272
972 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i 1273 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
973 1274
974REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE 1275REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
975 Consider the Net::FCP module. It features (among others) the following 1276 Consider the Net::FCP module. It features (among others) the following
1102 through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero 1403 through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
1103 timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable, 1404 timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
1104 which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again. 1405 which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
1105 1406
1106 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench in the AnyEvent 1407 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench in the AnyEvent
1107 distribution. 1408 distribution. It uses the AE interface, which makes a real difference
1409 for the EV and Perl backends only.
1108 1410
1109 Explanation of the columns 1411 Explanation of the columns
1110 *watcher* is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since 1412 *watcher* is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
1111 different event models feature vastly different performances, each event 1413 different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
1112 loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is 1414 loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is
1131 *destroy* is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a 1433 *destroy* is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a
1132 single watcher. 1434 single watcher.
1133 1435
1134 Results 1436 Results
1135 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1437 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1136 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1438 EV/EV 100000 223 0.47 0.43 0.27 EV native interface
1137 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1439 EV/Any 100000 223 0.48 0.42 0.26 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1138 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1440 Coro::EV/Any 100000 223 0.47 0.42 0.26 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1139 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 1441 Perl/Any 100000 431 2.70 0.74 0.92 pure perl implementation
1140 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 1442 Event/Event 16000 516 31.16 31.84 0.82 Event native interface
1141 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1443 Event/Any 16000 1203 42.61 34.79 1.80 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1444 IOAsync/Any 16000 1911 41.92 27.45 16.81 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1445 IOAsync/Any 16000 1726 40.69 26.37 15.25 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1142 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 1446 Glib/Any 16000 1118 89.00 12.57 51.17 quadratic behaviour
1143 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1447 Tk/Any 2000 1346 20.96 10.75 8.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1144 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 1448 POE/Any 2000 6951 108.97 795.32 14.24 via POE::Loop::Event
1145 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 1449 POE/Any 2000 6648 94.79 774.40 575.51 via POE::Loop::Select
1146 1450
1147 Discussion 1451 Discussion
1148 The benchmark does *not* measure scalability of the event loop very 1452 The benchmark does *not* measure scalability of the event loop very
1149 well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1453 well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1150 can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of 1454 can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of
1161 benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with 1465 benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
1162 EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 1466 EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000
1163 CPU cycles with POE. 1467 CPU cycles with POE.
1164 1468
1165 "EV" is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both 1469 "EV" is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
1166 maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses 1470 maximal/minimal, respectively. When using the AE API there is zero
1471 overhead (when going through the AnyEvent API create is about 5-6 times
1472 slower, with other times being equal, so still uses far less memory than
1167 far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event 1473 any other event loop and is still faster than Event natively).
1168 natively.
1169 1474
1170 The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the 1475 The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
1171 constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the 1476 constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the
1172 perl interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that 1477 perl interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that
1173 it adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend 1478 it adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend
1175 few of them active), of course, but this was not subject of this 1480 few of them active), of course, but this was not subject of this
1176 benchmark. 1481 benchmark.
1177 1482
1178 The "Event" module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1483 The "Event" module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1179 cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1484 cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1485
1486 "IO::Async" performs admirably well, about on par with "Event", even
1487 when using its pure perl backend.
1180 1488
1181 "Glib"'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a faster 1489 "Glib"'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a faster
1182 callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as "Event". 1490 callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as "Event".
1183 However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of watchers 1491 However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of watchers
1184 increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, making it 1492 increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, making it
1240 In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 1548 In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which
1241 100 (1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with 1549 100 (1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with
1242 many connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time. 1550 many connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1243 1551
1244 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench2 in the AnyEvent 1552 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench2 in the AnyEvent
1245 distribution. 1553 distribution. It uses the AE interface, which makes a real difference
1554 for the EV and Perl backends only.
1246 1555
1247 Explanation of the columns 1556 Explanation of the columns
1248 *sockets* is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" 1557 *sockets* is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers"
1249 (as each server has a read and write socket end). 1558 (as each server has a read and write socket end).
1250 1559
1255 single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and 1564 single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and
1256 forwarding it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout 1565 forwarding it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout
1257 and creating a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 1566 and creating a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1258 1567
1259 Results 1568 Results
1260 name sockets create request 1569 name sockets create request
1261 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 1570 EV 20000 62.66 7.99
1262 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 1571 Perl 20000 68.32 32.64
1263 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 1572 IOAsync 20000 174.06 101.15 epoll
1264 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 1573 IOAsync 20000 174.67 610.84 poll
1574 Event 20000 202.69 242.91
1575 Glib 20000 557.01 1689.52
1265 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 1576 POE 20000 341.54 12086.32 uses POE::Loop::Event
1266 1577
1267 Discussion 1578 Discussion
1268 This benchmark *does* measure scalability and overall performance of the 1579 This benchmark *does* measure scalability and overall performance of the
1269 particular event loop. 1580 particular event loop.
1270 1581
1271 EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup 1582 EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup
1272 time is relatively high, though. 1583 time is relatively high, though.
1273 1584
1274 Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 1585 Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1275 loops Event and Glib. 1586 loops Event and Glib.
1587
1588 IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still
1589 quite good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1276 1590
1277 Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you 1591 Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you
1278 will understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead 1592 will understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead
1279 compared to the "$_->() for .."-style loop that the Perl event loop 1593 compared to the "$_->() for .."-style loop that the Perl event loop
1280 uses. Event uses select or poll in basically all documented 1594 uses. Event uses select or poll in basically all documented
1331 1645
1332 Summary 1646 Summary
1333 * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of watchers, 1647 * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of watchers,
1334 as the management overhead dominates. 1648 as the management overhead dominates.
1335 1649
1650 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
1651 Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
1652 could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the
1653 benchmark simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks
1654 better (which shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the
1655 benchmark is fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from
1656 IO::Lambda isn't very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used
1657 without the extra baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent
1658 benchmark for AnyEvent.
1659
1660 The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
1661 connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
1662 creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it
1663 doesn't test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O,
1664 but it is a benchmark nevertheless.
1665
1666 name runtime
1667 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
1668 + optimized 0.122 sec
1669 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
1670 + optimized 0.138 sec
1671 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
1672 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
1673 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
1674 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
1675
1676 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
1677 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
1678 +state machine 0.134 sec
1679
1680 The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
1681 benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
1682 defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
1683 written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
1684 AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
1685 resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking
1686 connects generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling
1687 than blocking connects (which involve a single syscall only).
1688
1689 The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses AnyEvent::Handle, which
1690 offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using
1691 conventional Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the
1692 client are 100% non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
1693
1694 As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
1695 hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
1696 backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
1697
1698 And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
1699 slow :) AnyEvent::Handle abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda
1700 higher level ("unoptimised") abstractions by a large margin, even though
1701 it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O in a non-blocking way.
1702
1703 The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as eg/ae0.pl and
1704 eg/ae2.pl in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
1705 part of the IO::Lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
1706
1336SIGNALS 1707SIGNALS
1337 AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals: 1708 AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
1338 1709
1339 SIGCHLD 1710 SIGCHLD
1340 A handler for "SIGCHLD" is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher 1711 A handler for "SIGCHLD" is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
1341 emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, 1712 emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also,
1342 some event loops install a similar handler. 1713 some event loops install a similar handler.
1714
1715 Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE,
1716 then AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit
1717 statuses.
1343 1718
1344 SIGPIPE 1719 SIGPIPE
1345 A no-op handler is installed for "SIGPIPE" when $SIG{PIPE} is 1720 A no-op handler is installed for "SIGPIPE" when $SIG{PIPE} is
1346 "undef" when AnyEvent gets loaded. 1721 "undef" when AnyEvent gets loaded.
1347 1722
1355 it is that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on 1730 it is that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on
1356 exec. 1731 exec.
1357 1732
1358 Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults. 1733 Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
1359 1734
1735RECOMMENDED/OPTIONAL MODULES
1736 One of AnyEvent's main goals is to be 100% Pure-Perl(tm): only perl (and
1737 it's built-in modules) are required to use it.
1738
1739 That does not mean that AnyEvent won't take advantage of some additional
1740 modules if they are installed.
1741
1742 This section explains which additional modules will be used, and how
1743 they affect AnyEvent's operation.
1744
1745 Async::Interrupt
1746 This slightly arcane module is used to implement fast signal
1747 handling: To my knowledge, there is no way to do completely
1748 race-free and quick signal handling in pure perl. To ensure that
1749 signals still get delivered, AnyEvent will start an interval timer
1750 to wake up perl (and catch the signals) with some delay (default is
1751 10 seconds, look for $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY).
1752
1753 If this module is available, then it will be used to implement
1754 signal catching, which means that signals will not be delayed, and
1755 the event loop will not be interrupted regularly, which is more
1756 efficient (and good for battery life on laptops).
1757
1758 This affects not just the pure-perl event loop, but also other event
1759 loops that have no signal handling on their own (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt).
1760
1761 Some event loops (POE, Event, Event::Lib) offer signal watchers
1762 natively, and either employ their own workarounds (POE) or use
1763 AnyEvent's workaround (using $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY).
1764 Installing Async::Interrupt does nothing for those backends.
1765
1766 EV This module isn't really "optional", as it is simply one of the
1767 backend event loops that AnyEvent can use. However, it is simply the
1768 best event loop available in terms of features, speed and stability:
1769 It supports the AnyEvent API optimally, implements all the watcher
1770 types in XS, does automatic timer adjustments even when no monotonic
1771 clock is available, can take avdantage of advanced kernel interfaces
1772 such as "epoll" and "kqueue", and is the fastest backend *by far*.
1773 You can even embed Glib/Gtk2 in it (or vice versa, see EV::Glib and
1774 Glib::EV).
1775
1776 Guard
1777 The guard module, when used, will be used to implement
1778 "AnyEvent::Util::guard". This speeds up guards considerably (and
1779 uses a lot less memory), but otherwise doesn't affect guard
1780 operation much. It is purely used for performance.
1781
1782 JSON and JSON::XS
1783 One of these modules is required when you want to read or write JSON
1784 data via AnyEvent::Handle. It is also written in pure-perl, but can
1785 take advantage of the ultra-high-speed JSON::XS module when it is
1786 installed.
1787
1788 In fact, AnyEvent::Handle will use JSON::XS by default if it is
1789 installed.
1790
1791 Net::SSLeay
1792 Implementing TLS/SSL in Perl is certainly interesting, but not very
1793 worthwhile: If this module is installed, then AnyEvent::Handle (with
1794 the help of AnyEvent::TLS), gains the ability to do TLS/SSL.
1795
1796 Time::HiRes
1797 This module is part of perl since release 5.008. It will be used
1798 when the chosen event library does not come with a timing source on
1799 it's own. The pure-perl event loop (AnyEvent::Impl::Perl) will
1800 additionally use it to try to use a monotonic clock for timing
1801 stability.
1802
1360FORK 1803FORK
1361 Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 1804 Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1362 because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe "select" or "poll" calls. 1805 because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe "select" or "poll" calls.
1363 Only EV is fully fork-aware. 1806 Only EV is fully fork-aware.
1364 1807
1808 This means that, in general, you cannot fork and do event processing in
1809 the child if a watcher was created before the fork (which in turn
1810 initialises the event library).
1811
1365 If you have to fork, you must either do so *before* creating your first 1812 If you have to fork, you must either do so *before* creating your first
1366 watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 1813 watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child OR you must do
1814 something completely out of the scope of AnyEvent.
1815
1816 The problem of doing event processing in the parent *and* the child is
1817 much more complicated: even for backends that *are* fork-aware or
1818 fork-safe, their behaviour is not usually what you want: fork clones all
1819 watchers, that means all timers, I/O watchers etc. are active in both
1820 parent and child, which is almost never what you want.
1367 1821
1368SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 1822SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
1369 AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via 1823 AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via
1370 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}. While this cannot (to my knowledge) be used 1824 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}. While this cannot (to my knowledge) be used
1371 to execute arbitrary code or directly gain access, it can easily be used 1825 to execute arbitrary code or directly gain access, it can easily be used
1375 1829
1376 You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it 1830 You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it
1377 before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a "BEGIN" block: 1831 before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a "BEGIN" block:
1378 1832
1379 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} } 1833 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1380 1834
1381 use AnyEvent; 1835 use AnyEvent;
1382 1836
1383 Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 1837 Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1384 be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which 1838 be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which
1385 is probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), 1839 is probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL),
1386 and $ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}. 1840 and $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
1841
1842 Note that AnyEvent will remove *all* environment variables starting with
1843 "PERL_ANYEVENT_" from %ENV when it is loaded while taint mode is
1844 enabled.
1387 1845
1388BUGS 1846BUGS
1389 Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are 1847 Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are
1390 hard to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 1848 hard to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl
1391 5.10 and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other 1849 5.10 and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other
1392 annoying mamleaks, such as leaking on "map" and "grep" but it is usually 1850 annoying memleaks, such as leaking on "map" and "grep" but it is usually
1393 not as pronounced). 1851 not as pronounced).
1394 1852
1395SEE ALSO 1853SEE ALSO
1396 Utility functions: AnyEvent::Util. 1854 Utility functions: AnyEvent::Util.
1397 1855
1398 Event modules: EV, EV::Glib, Glib::EV, Event, Glib::Event, Glib, Tk, 1856 Event modules: EV, EV::Glib, Glib::EV, Event, Glib::Event, Glib, Tk,
1399 Event::Lib, Qt, POE. 1857 Event::Lib, Qt, POE.
1400 1858
1401 Implementations: AnyEvent::Impl::EV, AnyEvent::Impl::Event, 1859 Implementations: AnyEvent::Impl::EV, AnyEvent::Impl::Event,
1402 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib, AnyEvent::Impl::Tk, AnyEvent::Impl::Perl, 1860 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib, AnyEvent::Impl::Tk, AnyEvent::Impl::Perl,
1403 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib, AnyEvent::Impl::Qt, AnyEvent::Impl::POE. 1861 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib, AnyEvent::Impl::Qt, AnyEvent::Impl::POE,
1862 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync, Anyevent::Impl::Irssi.
1404 1863
1405 Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and servers: 1864 Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and servers:
1406 AnyEvent::Handle, AnyEvent::Socket. 1865 AnyEvent::Handle, AnyEvent::Socket, AnyEvent::TLS.
1407 1866
1408 Asynchronous DNS: AnyEvent::DNS. 1867 Asynchronous DNS: AnyEvent::DNS.
1409 1868
1410 Coroutine support: Coro, Coro::AnyEvent, Coro::EV, Coro::Event, 1869 Coroutine support: Coro, Coro::AnyEvent, Coro::EV, Coro::Event,
1411 1870
1412 Nontrivial usage examples: Net::FCP, Net::XMPP2, AnyEvent::DNS. 1871 Nontrivial usage examples: AnyEvent::GPSD, AnyEvent::XMPP,
1872 AnyEvent::HTTP.
1413 1873
1414AUTHOR 1874AUTHOR
1415 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1875 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1416 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1876 http://home.schmorp.de/
1417 1877

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