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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 Repeatedly invoke the callback after the process becomes idle, until
492 either the watcher is destroyed or new events have been detected.
493
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
504 (only EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest,
505 AnyEvent will simply call the callback "from time to time".
506
507 Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the program
508 is otherwise idle:
509
510 my @lines; # read data
511 my $idle_w;
512 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
513 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
514
515 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
516 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
517 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
518 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
519 print "handled when idle: $line";
520 } else {
521 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
522 undef $idle_w;
523 }
524 });
525 });
526
379 CONDITION VARIABLES 527 CONDITION VARIABLES
528 $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
529
530 $cv->send (<list>);
531 my @res = $cv->recv;
532
380 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
381 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
382 will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 535 will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
383 536
384 AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop 537 AnyEvent is slightly different: it expects somebody else to run the
385 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).
386 540
387 The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 541 The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
388 because they represent a condition that must become true. 542 because they represent a condition that must become true.
389 543
544 Now is probably a good time to look at the examples further below.
545
390 Condition variables can be created by calling the "AnyEvent->condvar" 546 Condition variables can be created by calling the "AnyEvent->condvar"
391 method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 547 method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
392
393 "cb", which specifies a callback to be called when the condition 548 "cb", which specifies a callback to be called when the condition
394 variable becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument 549 variable becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument
395 (but not the results). 550 (but not the results).
396 551
397 After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes 552 After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes
402 Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can 557 Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
403 optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points 558 optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
404 in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet 559 in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet
405 another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can 560 another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can
406 be used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and 561 be used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and
407 delivers a result. 562 delivers a result. And yet some people know them as "futures" - a
563 promise to compute/deliver something that you can wait for.
408 564
409 Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has 565 Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has
410 finished, for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http 566 finished, for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http
411 requests, then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to 567 requests, then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to
412 signal the availability of results. The user can either act when the 568 signal the availability of results. The user can either act when the
446 after => 1, 602 after => 1,
447 cb => sub { $result_ready->send }, 603 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
448 ); 604 );
449 605
450 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback 606 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
451 # calls send 607 # calls ->send
452 $result_ready->recv; 608 $result_ready->recv;
453 609
454 Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition 610 Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition
455 variables are also code references. 611 variables are also callable directly.
456 612
457 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 613 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
458 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 614 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
459 $done->recv; 615 $done->recv;
460 616
466 622
467 ... 623 ...
468 624
469 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv; 625 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
470 626
471 And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the 627 And this is how you would just set a callback to be called whenever the
472 results are available: 628 results are available:
473 629
474 $couchdb->info->cb (sub { 630 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
475 my @info = $_[0]->recv; 631 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
476 }); 632 });
491 647
492 Any arguments passed to the "send" call will be returned by all 648 Any arguments passed to the "send" call will be returned by all
493 future "->recv" calls. 649 future "->recv" calls.
494 650
495 Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as 651 Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as
496 a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling 652 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 653 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).
503 654
504 $cv->croak ($error) 655 $cv->croak ($error)
505 Similar to send, but causes all call's to "->recv" to invoke 656 Similar to send, but causes all call's to "->recv" to invoke
506 "Carp::croak" with the given error message/object/scalar. 657 "Carp::croak" with the given error message/object/scalar.
507 658
508 This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable 659 This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
509 user/consumer. 660 user/consumer. Doing it this way instead of calling "croak" directly
661 delays the error detetcion, but has the overwhelmign advantage that
662 it diagnoses the error at the place where the result is expected,
663 and not deep in some event clalback without connection to the actual
664 code causing the problem.
510 665
511 $cv->begin ([group callback]) 666 $cv->begin ([group callback])
512 $cv->end 667 $cv->end
513 These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
514
515 These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events 668 These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events
516 into one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel 669 into one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel
517 might want to use a condition variable for the whole process. 670 might want to use a condition variable for the whole process.
518 671
519 Every call to "->begin" will increment a counter, and every call to 672 Every call to "->begin" will increment a counter, and every call to
520 "->end" will decrement it. If the counter reaches 0 in "->end", the 673 "->end" will decrement it. If the counter reaches 0 in "->end", the
521 (last) callback passed to "begin" will be executed. That callback is 674 (last) callback passed to "begin" will be executed, passing the
522 *supposed* to call "->send", but that is not required. If no 675 condvar as first argument. That callback is *supposed* to call
676 "->send", but that is not required. If no group callback was set,
523 callback was set, "send" will be called without any arguments. 677 "send" will be called without any arguments.
524 678
525 Let's clarify this with the ping example: 679 You can think of "$cv->send" giving you an OR condition (one call
680 sends), while "$cv->begin" and "$cv->end" giving you an AND
681 condition (all "begin" calls must be "end"'ed before the condvar
682 sends).
683
684 Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for
685 example, STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for
686 both streams to close before activating a condvar:
526 687
527 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 688 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
528 689
690 $cv->begin; # first watcher
691 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
692 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
693 or $cv->end;
694 });
695
696 $cv->begin; # second watcher
697 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
698 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
699 or $cv->end;
700 });
701
702 $cv->recv;
703
704 This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle),
705 there is one call to "begin", so the condvar waits for all calls to
706 "end" before sending.
707
708 The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as
709 the there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks
710 that are begung can potentially be zero:
711
712 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
713
529 my %result; 714 my %result;
530 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 715 $cv->begin (sub { shift->send (\%result) });
531 716
532 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) { 717 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
533 $cv->begin; 718 $cv->begin;
534 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub { 719 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
535 $result{$host} = ...; 720 $result{$host} = ...;
550 the loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the 735 the loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the
551 callback to be called once the counter reaches 0, and second, it 736 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 737 ensures that "send" is called even when "no" hosts are being pinged
553 (the loop doesn't execute once). 738 (the loop doesn't execute once).
554 739
555 This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple 740 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 741 potentially none) subrequests: use an outer "begin"/"end" pair to
557 ensure "end" is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest 742 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 743 for each subrequest you start, call "begin" and for each subrequest
559 "end". 744 you finish, call "end".
560 745
561 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 746 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
562 These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the code 747 These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the code
563 awaits the condition. 748 awaits the condition.
564 749
573 function will call "croak". 758 function will call "croak".
574 759
575 In list context, all parameters passed to "send" will be returned, 760 In list context, all parameters passed to "send" will be returned,
576 in scalar context only the first one will be returned. 761 in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
577 762
763 Note that doing a blocking wait in a callback is not supported by
764 any event loop, that is, recursive invocation of a blocking "->recv"
765 is not allowed, and the "recv" call will "croak" if such a condition
766 is detected. This condition can be slightly loosened by using
767 Coro::AnyEvent, which allows you to do a blocking "->recv" from any
768 thread that doesn't run the event loop itself.
769
578 Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 770 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 771 (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 772 using this from a module, never require a blocking wait*. Instead,
581 the caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, 773 let the caller decide whether the call will block or not (for
582 by coupling condition variables with some kind of request results 774 example, by coupling condition variables with some kind of request
583 and supporting callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result 775 results and supporting callbacks so the caller knows that getting
584 will not block, while still supporting blocking waits if the caller 776 the result will not block, while still supporting blocking waits if
585 so desires). 777 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).
597 778
598 You can ensure that "-recv" never blocks by setting a callback and 779 You can ensure that "-recv" never blocks by setting a callback and
599 only calling "->recv" from within that callback (or at a later 780 only calling "->recv" from within that callback (or at a later
600 time). This will work even when the event loop does not support 781 time). This will work even when the event loop does not support
601 blocking waits otherwise. 782 blocking waits otherwise.
606 787
607 $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv)) 788 $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
608 This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and 789 This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and
609 optionally replaces it before doing so. 790 optionally replaces it before doing so.
610 791
611 The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. 792 The callback will be called when the condition becomes (or already
612 when "send" or "croak" are called, with the only argument being the 793 was) "true", i.e. when "send" or "croak" are called (or were
613 condition variable itself. Calling "recv" inside the callback or at 794 called), with the only argument being the condition variable itself.
795 Calling "recv" inside the callback or at any later time is
614 any later time is guaranteed not to block. 796 guaranteed not to block.
797
798SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
799 The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
800
801 Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
802 EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
803 use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will fall back to its own
804 pure-perl implementation, which is available everywhere as it comes
805 with AnyEvent itself.
806
807 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
808 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
809
810 Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
811 These will be used when they are currently loaded when the first
812 watcher is created, in which case it is assumed that the application
813 is using them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the
814 right backend when the main program loads an event module before
815 anything starts to create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done
816 by the main program.
817
818 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
819 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
820 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
821 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
822 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
823 AnyEvent::Impl::Irssi used when running within irssi.
824
825 Backends with special needs.
826 Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
827 otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
828 instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are
829 created, everything should just work.
830
831 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
832
833 Support for IO::Async can only be partial, as it is too broken and
834 architecturally limited to even support the AnyEvent API. It also is
835 the only event loop that needs the loop to be set explicitly, so it
836 can only be used by a main program knowing about AnyEvent. See
837 AnyEvent::Impl::Async for the gory details.
838
839 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed.
840
841 Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
842 Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
843
844 There is no direct support for WxWidgets (Wx) or Prima.
845
846 WxWidgets has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
847 use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that
848 simply polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too
849 horrible to even consider for AnyEvent.
850
851 Prima is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a
852 POE backend, so it can be supported through POE.
853
854 AnyEvent knows about both Prima and Wx, however, and will try to
855 load POE when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them
856 up, in which case everything will be automatic.
615 857
616GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 858GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
859 These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
860 write AnyEvent extension modules.
861
617 $AnyEvent::MODEL 862 $AnyEvent::MODEL
618 Contains "undef" until the first watcher is being created. Then it 863 Contains "undef" until the first watcher is being created, before
864 the backend has been autodetected.
865
619 contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of 866 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 867 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 868 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*). 869 other class in the case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g.
623 870 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.
644 871
645 AnyEvent::detect 872 AnyEvent::detect
646 Returns $AnyEvent::MODEL, forcing autodetection of the event model 873 Returns $AnyEvent::MODEL, forcing autodetection of the event model
647 if necessary. You should only call this function right before you 874 if necessary. You should only call this function right before you
648 would have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as 875 would have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as
649 possible at runtime. 876 possible at runtime, and not e.g. while initialising of your module.
877
878 If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
879 created, use "post_detect".
650 880
651 $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK } 881 $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
652 Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event 882 Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event
653 model is autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened). 883 model is autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
654 884
885 The block will be executed *after* the actual backend has been
886 detected ($AnyEvent::MODEL is set), but *before* any watchers have
887 been created, so it is possible to e.g. patch @AnyEvent::ISA or do
888 other initialisations - see the sources of AnyEvent::Strict or
889 AnyEvent::AIO to see how this is used.
890
891 The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without
892 forcing event module detection too early, for example, AnyEvent::AIO
893 creates and installs the global IO::AIO watcher in a "post_detect"
894 block to avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
895
655 If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an 896 If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an
656 object that automatically removes the callback again when it is 897 object that automatically removes the callback again when it is
898 destroyed (or "undef" when the hook was immediately executed). See
657 destroyed. See Coro::BDB for a case where this is useful. 899 AnyEvent::AIO for a case where this is useful.
900
901 Example: Create a watcher for the IO::AIO module and store it in
902 $WATCHER. Only do so after the event loop is initialised, though.
903
904 our WATCHER;
905
906 my $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect {
907 $WATCHER = AnyEvent->io (fh => IO::AIO::poll_fileno, poll => 'r', cb => \&IO::AIO::poll_cb);
908 };
909
910 # the ||= is important in case post_detect immediately runs the block,
911 # as to not clobber the newly-created watcher. assigning both watcher and
912 # post_detect guard to the same variable has the advantage of users being
913 # able to just C<undef $WATCHER> if the watcher causes them grief.
914
915 $WATCHER ||= $guard;
658 916
659 @AnyEvent::post_detect 917 @AnyEvent::post_detect
660 If there are any code references in this array (you can "push" to it 918 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 919 before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly
662 after the event loop has been chosen. 920 after the event loop has been chosen.
663 921
664 You should check $AnyEvent::MODEL before adding to this array, 922 You should check $AnyEvent::MODEL before adding to this array,
665 though: if it contains a true value then the event loop has already 923 though: if it is defined then the event loop has already been
666 been detected, and the array will be ignored. 924 detected, and the array will be ignored.
667 925
668 Best use "AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }" instead. 926 Best use "AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }" when your application
927 allows it, as it takes care of these details.
928
929 This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something
930 useful when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is
931 initialised, but do not need to even load it by default. This array
932 provides the means to hook into AnyEvent passively, without loading
933 it.
934
935 Example: To load Coro::AnyEvent whenever Coro and AnyEvent are used
936 together, you could put this into Coro (this is the actual code used
937 by Coro to accomplish this):
938
939 if (defined $AnyEvent::MODEL) {
940 # AnyEvent already initialised, so load Coro::AnyEvent
941 require Coro::AnyEvent;
942 } else {
943 # AnyEvent not yet initialised, so make sure to load Coro::AnyEvent
944 # as soon as it is
945 push @AnyEvent::post_detect, sub { require Coro::AnyEvent };
946 }
669 947
670WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 948WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
671 As a module author, you should "use AnyEvent" and call AnyEvent methods 949 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. 950 freely, but you should not load a specific event module or rely on it.
673 951
724 variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program 1002 variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program
725 should exit cleanly. 1003 should exit cleanly.
726 1004
727OTHER MODULES 1005OTHER MODULES
728 The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 1006 The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
729 AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 1007 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 1008 AnyEvent modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the
731 available via CPAN. 1009 modules come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
732 1010
733 AnyEvent::Util 1011 AnyEvent::Util
734 Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but 1012 Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but
735 blocking functions such as "inet_aton" by event-/callback-based 1013 blocking functions such as "inet_aton" by event-/callback-based
736 versions. 1014 versions.
742 more. 1020 more.
743 1021
744 AnyEvent::Handle 1022 AnyEvent::Handle
745 Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and 1023 Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and
746 writes, supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully 1024 writes, supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully
747 transparent and non-blocking SSL/TLS. 1025 transparent and non-blocking SSL/TLS (via AnyEvent::TLS.
748 1026
749 AnyEvent::DNS 1027 AnyEvent::DNS
750 Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 1028 Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
751 1029
752 AnyEvent::HTTP 1030 AnyEvent::HTTP
773 1051
774 AnyEvent::GPSD 1052 AnyEvent::GPSD
775 A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS 1053 A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS
776 information. 1054 information.
777 1055
1056 AnyEvent::IRC
1057 AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older
1058 Net::IRC3).
1059
1060 AnyEvent::XMPP
1061 AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the
1062 older Net::XMPP2>.
1063
778 AnyEvent::IGS 1064 AnyEvent::IGS
779 A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by 1065 A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
780 App::IGS). 1066 App::IGS).
781 1067
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 1068 Net::FCP
790 AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, 1069 AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol,
791 birthplace of AnyEvent. 1070 birthplace of AnyEvent.
792 1071
793 Event::ExecFlow 1072 Event::ExecFlow
794 High level API for event-based execution flow control. 1073 High level API for event-based execution flow control.
795 1074
796 Coro 1075 Coro
797 Has special support for AnyEvent via Coro::AnyEvent. 1076 Has special support for AnyEvent via Coro::AnyEvent.
798 1077
799 IO::Lambda 1078SIMPLIFIED AE API
800 The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use 1079 Starting with version 5.0, AnyEvent officially supports a second, much
801 AnyEvent. 1080 simpler, API that is designed to reduce the calling, typing and memory
1081 overhead.
1082
1083 See the AE manpage for details.
802 1084
803ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING 1085ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
804 In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the 1086 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 1087 caller to do that if required. The AnyEvent::Strict module (see also the
806 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" environment variable, below) provides strict 1088 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" environment variable, below) provides strict
816 "condvar->recv"), the Event and EV modules call "$Event/EV::DIED->()", 1098 "condvar->recv"), the Event and EV modules call "$Event/EV::DIED->()",
817 Glib uses "install_exception_handler" and so on. 1099 Glib uses "install_exception_handler" and so on.
818 1100
819ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES 1101ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
820 The following environment variables are used by this module or its 1102 The following environment variables are used by this module or its
821 submodules: 1103 submodules.
1104
1105 Note that AnyEvent will remove *all* environment variables starting with
1106 "PERL_ANYEVENT_" from %ENV when it is loaded while taint mode is
1107 enabled.
822 1108
823 "PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE" 1109 "PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE"
824 By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal 1110 By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
825 conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent 1111 conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent
826 more talkative. 1112 more talkative.
829 conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified 1115 conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified
830 by "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL". 1116 by "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL".
831 1117
832 When set to 2 or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which 1118 When set to 2 or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which
833 event model it chooses. 1119 event model it chooses.
1120
1121 When set to 8 or higher, then AnyEvent will report extra information
1122 on which optional modules it loads and how it implements certain
1123 features.
834 1124
835 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT" 1125 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT"
836 AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough 1126 AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
837 argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true 1127 argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true
838 value will cause AnyEvent to load "AnyEvent::Strict" and then to 1128 value will cause AnyEvent to load "AnyEvent::Strict" and then to
839 thoroughly check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it 1129 thoroughly check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it
840 finds any problems it will croak. 1130 finds any problems, it will croak.
841 1131
842 In other words, enables "strict" mode. 1132 In other words, enables "strict" mode.
843 1133
844 Unlike "use strict", it is definitely recommended ot keep it off in 1134 Unlike "use strict" (or it's modern cousin, "use common::sense", it
845 production. Keeping "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1" in your environment 1135 is definitely recommended to keep it off in production. Keeping
1136 "PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1" in your environment while developing
846 while developing programs can be very useful, however. 1137 programs can be very useful, however.
847 1138
848 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL" 1139 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL"
849 This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, 1140 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 1141 before auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string
851 consisting entirely of ASCII letters. The string "AnyEvent::Impl::" 1142 consisting entirely of ASCII letters. The string "AnyEvent::Impl::"
892 EDNS0 in its DNS requests. 1183 EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
893 1184
894 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS" 1185 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS"
895 The maximum number of child processes that 1186 The maximum number of child processes that
896 "AnyEvent::Util::fork_call" will create in parallel. 1187 "AnyEvent::Util::fork_call" will create in parallel.
1188
1189 "PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS"
1190 The default value for the "max_outstanding" parameter for the
1191 default DNS resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS
1192 requests that are sent to the DNS server.
1193
1194 "PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF"
1195 The file to use instead of /etc/resolv.conf (or OS-specific
1196 configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty
1197 string, no default config will be used.
1198
1199 "PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE", "PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH".
1200 When neither "ca_file" nor "ca_path" was specified during
1201 AnyEvent::TLS context creation, and either of these environment
1202 variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate
1203 locations instead of a system-dependent default.
1204
1205 "PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_GUARD" and "PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT"
1206 When these are set to 1, then the respective modules are not loaded.
1207 Mostly good for testing AnyEvent itself.
897 1208
898SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1209SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
899 This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent 1210 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 1211 in a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want
901 to provide AnyEvent compatibility. 1212 to provide AnyEvent compatibility.
956 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read 1267 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
957 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i 1268 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
958 }, 1269 },
959 ); 1270 );
960 1271
961 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
962
963 sub new_timer {
964 $timer = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, cb => sub { 1272 my $time_watcher = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, interval => 1, cb => sub {
965 warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' about every second 1273 warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' at most every second
966 &new_timer; # and restart the time
967 });
968 } 1274 });
969
970 new_timer; # create first timer
971 1275
972 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i 1276 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
973 1277
974REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE 1278REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
975 Consider the Net::FCP module. It features (among others) the following 1279 Consider the Net::FCP module. It features (among others) the following
1102 through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero 1406 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, 1407 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. 1408 which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
1105 1409
1106 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench in the AnyEvent 1410 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench in the AnyEvent
1107 distribution. 1411 distribution. It uses the AE interface, which makes a real difference
1412 for the EV and Perl backends only.
1108 1413
1109 Explanation of the columns 1414 Explanation of the columns
1110 *watcher* is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since 1415 *watcher* is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
1111 different event models feature vastly different performances, each event 1416 different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
1112 loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is 1417 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 1436 *destroy* is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a
1132 single watcher. 1437 single watcher.
1133 1438
1134 Results 1439 Results
1135 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1440 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1136 EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface 1441 EV/EV 100000 223 0.47 0.43 0.27 EV native interface
1137 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1442 EV/Any 100000 223 0.48 0.42 0.26 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1138 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1443 Coro::EV/Any 100000 223 0.47 0.42 0.26 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1139 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation 1444 Perl/Any 100000 431 2.70 0.74 0.92 pure perl implementation
1140 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface 1445 Event/Event 16000 516 31.16 31.84 0.82 Event native interface
1141 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1446 Event/Any 16000 1203 42.61 34.79 1.80 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1447 IOAsync/Any 16000 1911 41.92 27.45 16.81 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1448 IOAsync/Any 16000 1726 40.69 26.37 15.25 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1142 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour 1449 Glib/Any 16000 1118 89.00 12.57 51.17 quadratic behaviour
1143 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1450 Tk/Any 2000 1346 20.96 10.75 8.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1144 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event 1451 POE/Any 2000 6951 108.97 795.32 14.24 via POE::Loop::Event
1145 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select 1452 POE/Any 2000 6648 94.79 774.40 575.51 via POE::Loop::Select
1146 1453
1147 Discussion 1454 Discussion
1148 The benchmark does *not* measure scalability of the event loop very 1455 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) 1456 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 1457 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 1468 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 1469 EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000
1163 CPU cycles with POE. 1470 CPU cycles with POE.
1164 1471
1165 "EV" is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both 1472 "EV" is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
1166 maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses 1473 maximal/minimal, respectively. When using the AE API there is zero
1474 overhead (when going through the AnyEvent API create is about 5-6 times
1475 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 1476 any other event loop and is still faster than Event natively).
1168 natively.
1169 1477
1170 The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the 1478 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 1479 constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the
1172 perl interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that 1480 perl interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that
1173 it adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend 1481 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 1483 few of them active), of course, but this was not subject of this
1176 benchmark. 1484 benchmark.
1177 1485
1178 The "Event" module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1486 The "Event" module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1179 cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1487 cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1488
1489 "IO::Async" performs admirably well, about on par with "Event", even
1490 when using its pure perl backend.
1180 1491
1181 "Glib"'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a faster 1492 "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". 1493 callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as "Event".
1183 However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of watchers 1494 However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of watchers
1184 increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, making it 1495 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 1551 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 1552 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. 1553 many connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1243 1554
1244 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench2 in the AnyEvent 1555 Source code for this benchmark is found as eg/bench2 in the AnyEvent
1245 distribution. 1556 distribution. It uses the AE interface, which makes a real difference
1557 for the EV and Perl backends only.
1246 1558
1247 Explanation of the columns 1559 Explanation of the columns
1248 *sockets* is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" 1560 *sockets* is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers"
1249 (as each server has a read and write socket end). 1561 (as each server has a read and write socket end).
1250 1562
1255 single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and 1567 single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and
1256 forwarding it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout 1568 forwarding it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout
1257 and creating a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 1569 and creating a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1258 1570
1259 Results 1571 Results
1260 name sockets create request 1572 name sockets create request
1261 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 1573 EV 20000 62.66 7.99
1262 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 1574 Perl 20000 68.32 32.64
1263 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 1575 IOAsync 20000 174.06 101.15 epoll
1264 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 1576 IOAsync 20000 174.67 610.84 poll
1577 Event 20000 202.69 242.91
1578 Glib 20000 557.01 1689.52
1265 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 1579 POE 20000 341.54 12086.32 uses POE::Loop::Event
1266 1580
1267 Discussion 1581 Discussion
1268 This benchmark *does* measure scalability and overall performance of the 1582 This benchmark *does* measure scalability and overall performance of the
1269 particular event loop. 1583 particular event loop.
1270 1584
1271 EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup 1585 EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup
1272 time is relatively high, though. 1586 time is relatively high, though.
1273 1587
1274 Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 1588 Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1275 loops Event and Glib. 1589 loops Event and Glib.
1590
1591 IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still
1592 quite good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1276 1593
1277 Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you 1594 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 1595 will understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead
1279 compared to the "$_->() for .."-style loop that the Perl event loop 1596 compared to the "$_->() for .."-style loop that the Perl event loop
1280 uses. Event uses select or poll in basically all documented 1597 uses. Event uses select or poll in basically all documented
1331 1648
1332 Summary 1649 Summary
1333 * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of watchers, 1650 * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of watchers,
1334 as the management overhead dominates. 1651 as the management overhead dominates.
1335 1652
1653 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
1654 Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
1655 could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the
1656 benchmark simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks
1657 better (which shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the
1658 benchmark is fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from
1659 IO::Lambda isn't very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used
1660 without the extra baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent
1661 benchmark for AnyEvent.
1662
1663 The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
1664 connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
1665 creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it
1666 doesn't test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O,
1667 but it is a benchmark nevertheless.
1668
1669 name runtime
1670 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
1671 + optimized 0.122 sec
1672 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
1673 + optimized 0.138 sec
1674 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
1675 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
1676 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
1677 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
1678
1679 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
1680 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
1681 +state machine 0.134 sec
1682
1683 The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
1684 benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
1685 defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
1686 written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
1687 AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
1688 resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking
1689 connects generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling
1690 than blocking connects (which involve a single syscall only).
1691
1692 The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses AnyEvent::Handle, which
1693 offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using
1694 conventional Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the
1695 client are 100% non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
1696
1697 As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
1698 hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
1699 backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
1700
1701 And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
1702 slow :) AnyEvent::Handle abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda
1703 higher level ("unoptimised") abstractions by a large margin, even though
1704 it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O in a non-blocking way.
1705
1706 The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as eg/ae0.pl and
1707 eg/ae2.pl in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
1708 part of the IO::Lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
1709
1336SIGNALS 1710SIGNALS
1337 AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals: 1711 AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
1338 1712
1339 SIGCHLD 1713 SIGCHLD
1340 A handler for "SIGCHLD" is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher 1714 A handler for "SIGCHLD" is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
1341 emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, 1715 emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also,
1342 some event loops install a similar handler. 1716 some event loops install a similar handler.
1717
1718 Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE,
1719 then AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit
1720 statuses.
1343 1721
1344 SIGPIPE 1722 SIGPIPE
1345 A no-op handler is installed for "SIGPIPE" when $SIG{PIPE} is 1723 A no-op handler is installed for "SIGPIPE" when $SIG{PIPE} is
1346 "undef" when AnyEvent gets loaded. 1724 "undef" when AnyEvent gets loaded.
1347 1725
1355 it is that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on 1733 it is that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on
1356 exec. 1734 exec.
1357 1735
1358 Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults. 1736 Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
1359 1737
1738RECOMMENDED/OPTIONAL MODULES
1739 One of AnyEvent's main goals is to be 100% Pure-Perl(tm): only perl (and
1740 it's built-in modules) are required to use it.
1741
1742 That does not mean that AnyEvent won't take advantage of some additional
1743 modules if they are installed.
1744
1745 This section explains which additional modules will be used, and how
1746 they affect AnyEvent's operation.
1747
1748 Async::Interrupt
1749 This slightly arcane module is used to implement fast signal
1750 handling: To my knowledge, there is no way to do completely
1751 race-free and quick signal handling in pure perl. To ensure that
1752 signals still get delivered, AnyEvent will start an interval timer
1753 to wake up perl (and catch the signals) with some delay (default is
1754 10 seconds, look for $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY).
1755
1756 If this module is available, then it will be used to implement
1757 signal catching, which means that signals will not be delayed, and
1758 the event loop will not be interrupted regularly, which is more
1759 efficient (and good for battery life on laptops).
1760
1761 This affects not just the pure-perl event loop, but also other event
1762 loops that have no signal handling on their own (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt).
1763
1764 Some event loops (POE, Event, Event::Lib) offer signal watchers
1765 natively, and either employ their own workarounds (POE) or use
1766 AnyEvent's workaround (using $AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY).
1767 Installing Async::Interrupt does nothing for those backends.
1768
1769 EV This module isn't really "optional", as it is simply one of the
1770 backend event loops that AnyEvent can use. However, it is simply the
1771 best event loop available in terms of features, speed and stability:
1772 It supports the AnyEvent API optimally, implements all the watcher
1773 types in XS, does automatic timer adjustments even when no monotonic
1774 clock is available, can take avdantage of advanced kernel interfaces
1775 such as "epoll" and "kqueue", and is the fastest backend *by far*.
1776 You can even embed Glib/Gtk2 in it (or vice versa, see EV::Glib and
1777 Glib::EV).
1778
1779 Guard
1780 The guard module, when used, will be used to implement
1781 "AnyEvent::Util::guard". This speeds up guards considerably (and
1782 uses a lot less memory), but otherwise doesn't affect guard
1783 operation much. It is purely used for performance.
1784
1785 JSON and JSON::XS
1786 One of these modules is required when you want to read or write JSON
1787 data via AnyEvent::Handle. It is also written in pure-perl, but can
1788 take advantage of the ultra-high-speed JSON::XS module when it is
1789 installed.
1790
1791 In fact, AnyEvent::Handle will use JSON::XS by default if it is
1792 installed.
1793
1794 Net::SSLeay
1795 Implementing TLS/SSL in Perl is certainly interesting, but not very
1796 worthwhile: If this module is installed, then AnyEvent::Handle (with
1797 the help of AnyEvent::TLS), gains the ability to do TLS/SSL.
1798
1799 Time::HiRes
1800 This module is part of perl since release 5.008. It will be used
1801 when the chosen event library does not come with a timing source on
1802 it's own. The pure-perl event loop (AnyEvent::Impl::Perl) will
1803 additionally use it to try to use a monotonic clock for timing
1804 stability.
1805
1360FORK 1806FORK
1361 Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 1807 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. 1808 because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe "select" or "poll" calls
1363 Only EV is fully fork-aware. 1809 - higher performance APIs such as BSD's kqueue or the dreaded Linux
1810 epoll are usually badly thought-out hacks that are incompatible with
1811 fork in one way or another. Only EV is fully fork-aware and ensures that
1812 you continue event-processing in both parent and child (or both, if you
1813 know what you are doing).
1814
1815 This means that, in general, you cannot fork and do event processing in
1816 the child if the event library was initialised before the fork (which
1817 usually happens when the first AnyEvent watcher is created, or the
1818 library is loaded).
1364 1819
1365 If you have to fork, you must either do so *before* creating your first 1820 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. 1821 watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child OR you must do
1822 something completely out of the scope of AnyEvent.
1823
1824 The problem of doing event processing in the parent *and* the child is
1825 much more complicated: even for backends that *are* fork-aware or
1826 fork-safe, their behaviour is not usually what you want: fork clones all
1827 watchers, that means all timers, I/O watchers etc. are active in both
1828 parent and child, which is almost never what you want. USing "exec" to
1829 start worker children from some kind of manage rprocess is usually
1830 preferred, because it is much easier and cleaner, at the expense of
1831 having to have another binary.
1367 1832
1368SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 1833SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
1369 AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via 1834 AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via
1370 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}. While this cannot (to my knowledge) be used 1835 $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 1836 to execute arbitrary code or directly gain access, it can easily be used
1375 1840
1376 You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it 1841 You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it
1377 before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a "BEGIN" block: 1842 before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a "BEGIN" block:
1378 1843
1379 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} } 1844 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1380 1845
1381 use AnyEvent; 1846 use AnyEvent;
1382 1847
1383 Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 1848 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 1849 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), 1850 is probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL),
1386 and $ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}. 1851 and $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
1852
1853 Note that AnyEvent will remove *all* environment variables starting with
1854 "PERL_ANYEVENT_" from %ENV when it is loaded while taint mode is
1855 enabled.
1387 1856
1388BUGS 1857BUGS
1389 Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are 1858 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 1859 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 1860 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 1861 annoying memleaks, such as leaking on "map" and "grep" but it is usually
1393 not as pronounced). 1862 not as pronounced).
1394 1863
1395SEE ALSO 1864SEE ALSO
1396 Utility functions: AnyEvent::Util. 1865 Utility functions: AnyEvent::Util.
1397 1866
1398 Event modules: EV, EV::Glib, Glib::EV, Event, Glib::Event, Glib, Tk, 1867 Event modules: EV, EV::Glib, Glib::EV, Event, Glib::Event, Glib, Tk,
1399 Event::Lib, Qt, POE. 1868 Event::Lib, Qt, POE.
1400 1869
1401 Implementations: AnyEvent::Impl::EV, AnyEvent::Impl::Event, 1870 Implementations: AnyEvent::Impl::EV, AnyEvent::Impl::Event,
1402 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib, AnyEvent::Impl::Tk, AnyEvent::Impl::Perl, 1871 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib, AnyEvent::Impl::Tk, AnyEvent::Impl::Perl,
1403 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib, AnyEvent::Impl::Qt, AnyEvent::Impl::POE. 1872 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib, AnyEvent::Impl::Qt, AnyEvent::Impl::POE,
1873 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync, Anyevent::Impl::Irssi.
1404 1874
1405 Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and servers: 1875 Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and servers:
1406 AnyEvent::Handle, AnyEvent::Socket. 1876 AnyEvent::Handle, AnyEvent::Socket, AnyEvent::TLS.
1407 1877
1408 Asynchronous DNS: AnyEvent::DNS. 1878 Asynchronous DNS: AnyEvent::DNS.
1409 1879
1410 Coroutine support: Coro, Coro::AnyEvent, Coro::EV, Coro::Event, 1880 Coroutine support: Coro, Coro::AnyEvent, Coro::EV, Coro::Event,
1411 1881
1412 Nontrivial usage examples: Net::FCP, Net::XMPP2, AnyEvent::DNS. 1882 Nontrivial usage examples: AnyEvent::GPSD, AnyEvent::XMPP,
1883 AnyEvent::HTTP.
1413 1884
1414AUTHOR 1885AUTHOR
1415 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1886 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1416 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1887 http://home.schmorp.de/
1417 1888

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