[ViewVC] Diff of: cvs/AnyEvent/lib/AnyEvent.pm

Comparing AnyEvent/lib/AnyEvent.pm (file contents):
Revision 1.84 by root, Fri Apr 25 13:48:42 2008 UTC vs.
Revision 1.140 by root, Mon May 26 06:18:53 2008 UTC

…		…
1	=head1 NAME	1	=head1 => NAME
2		2
3	AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops	3	AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops
4		4
5	EV, Event, Coro::EV, Coro::Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops	5	EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops
6		6
7	=head1 SYNOPSIS	7	=head1 SYNOPSIS
8		8
9	use AnyEvent;	9	use AnyEvent;
10		10
15	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub {	15	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub {
16	...	16	...
17	});	17	});
18		18
19	my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged	19	my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
		20	$w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
20	$w->wait; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->broadcast	21	$w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
21	$w->broadcast; # wake up current and all future wait's
22		22
23	=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)	23	=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)
24		24
25	Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen	25	Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
26	nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?	26	nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
…		…
57	as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new	57	as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new
58	event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).	58	event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
59		59
60	In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event	60	In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event
61	model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar	61	model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
62	modules, you get an enourmous amount of code and strict rules you have to	62	modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
63	follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only	63	follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only
64	offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as	64	offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as
65	technically possible.	65	technically possible.
66		66
67	Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat	67	Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat
68	useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event	68	useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
69	model, you should I<not> use this module.	69	model, you should I<not> use this module.
70
71		70
72	=head1 DESCRIPTION	71	=head1 DESCRIPTION
73		72
74	L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This	73	L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This
75	allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module	74	allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module
…		…
79	The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>	78	The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>
80	module.	79	module.
81		80
82	During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries	81	During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
83	to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the	82	to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the
84	following modules is already loaded: L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, L<EV>,	83	following modules is already loaded: L<EV>,
85	L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>,	84	L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>,
86	L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries	85	L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries
87	to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl	86	to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl
88	adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can	87	adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can
89	be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be	88	be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be
…		…
109		108
110	=head1 WATCHERS	109	=head1 WATCHERS
111		110
112	AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that	111	AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that
113	stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as	112	stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
114	the callback to call, the filehandle to watch, etc.	113	the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
115		114
116	These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After	115	These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
117	creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the	116	creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
118	callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model	117	callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
119	is in control).	118	is in control).
…		…
141	=head2 I/O WATCHERS	140	=head2 I/O WATCHERS
142		141
143	You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method	142	You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
144	with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:	143	with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
145		144
146	C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for	145	C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch
147	events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which	146	for events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>,
148	creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events,	147	which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events,
149	respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle	148	respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle
150	becomes ready.	149	becomes ready.
		150
		151	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
		152	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
		153	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
151		154
152	The I/O watcher might use the underlying file descriptor or a copy of it.	155	The I/O watcher might use the underlying file descriptor or a copy of it.
153	You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on the	156	You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on the
154	underlying file descriptor.	157	underlying file descriptor.
155		158
156	Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should	159	Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should
157	always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file	160	always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
158	handles.	161	handles.
159
160	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
161	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
162	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
163		162
164	Example:	163	Example:
165		164
166	# wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the watcher	165	# wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the watcher
167	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {	166	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
…		…
174		173
175	You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >>	174	You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >>
176	method with the following mandatory arguments:	175	method with the following mandatory arguments:
177		176
178	C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are	177	C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are
179	supported) should the timer activate. C<cb> the callback to invoke in that	178	supported) the callback should be invoked. C<cb> is the callback to invoke
180	case.	179	in that case.
		180
		181	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
		182	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
		183	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
181		184
182	The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating	185	The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating
183	timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk	186	timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk
184	and Glib).	187	and Glib).
185
186	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
187	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
188	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
189		188
190	Example:	189	Example:
191		190
192	# fire an event after 7.7 seconds	191	# fire an event after 7.7 seconds
193	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {	192	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {
…		…
234		233
235	You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal	234	You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
236	I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to	235	I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to
237	be invoked whenever a signal occurs.	236	be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
238		237
		238	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
		239	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
		240	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
		241
239	Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback	242	Multiple signal occurrences can be clumped together into one callback
240	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means	243	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
241	that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,	244	that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
242	but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.	245	but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
243		246
244	The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal	247	The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
245	between multiple watchers.	248	between multiple watchers.
246		249
247	This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals	250	This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals
…		…
257		260
258	The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it	261	The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
259	watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often	262	watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often
260	as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a	263	as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a
261	signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid	264	signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid
262	and exit status (as returned by waitpid).	265	and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types,
		266	you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments.
263		267
264	There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them	268	There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
265	I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could	269	I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
266	have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).	270	have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
267		271
…		…
274	C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>).	278	C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>).
275		279
276	Example: fork a process and wait for it	280	Example: fork a process and wait for it
277		281
278	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;	282	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
279
280	AnyEvent::detect; # force event module to be initialised
281		283
282	my $pid = fork or exit 5;	284	my $pid = fork or exit 5;
283		285
284	my $w = AnyEvent->child (	286	my $w = AnyEvent->child (
285	pid => $pid,	287	pid => $pid,
286	cb => sub {	288	cb => sub {
287	my ($pid, $status) = @_;	289	my ($pid, $status) = @_;
288	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";	290	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
289	$done->broadcast;	291	$done->send;
290	},	292	},
291	);	293	);
292		294
293	# do something else, then wait for process exit	295	# do something else, then wait for process exit
294	$done->wait;	296	$done->recv;
295		297
296	=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES	298	=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
297		299
		300	If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
		301	require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
		302	will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
		303
		304	AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and
		305	will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
		306
		307	The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
		308	because they represent a condition that must become true.
		309
298	Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >>	310	Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
299	method without any arguments.	311	>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
		312	C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
		313	becomes true.
300		314
301	A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<<	315	After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
302	->broadcast >> method has been called.	316	by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
		317	were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
		318	->send >> method).
303		319
304	They are very useful to signal that a condition has been fulfilled, for	320	Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
		321	optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
		322	in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet
		323	another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can be
		324	used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and delivers
		325	a result.
		326
		327	Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished,
305	example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,	328	for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
306	then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the	329	then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the
307	availability of results.	330	availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is
		331	called or can synchronously C<< ->recv >> for the results.
308		332
309	You can also use condition variables to block your main program until	333	You can also use them to simulate traditional event loops - for example,
310	an event occurs - for example, you could C<< ->wait >> in your main	334	you can block your main program until an event occurs - for example, you
311	program until the user clicks the Quit button in your app, which would C<<	335	could C<< ->recv >> in your main program until the user clicks the Quit
312	->broadcast >> the "quit" event.	336	button of your app, which would C<< ->send >> the "quit" event.
313		337
314	Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have	338	Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have
315	two pirces of code that call C<< ->wait >> in a round-robbin fashion, you	339	two pieces of code that call C<< ->recv >> in a round-robin fashion, you
316	lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but	340	lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but
317	you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,	341	you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,
318	as this asks for trouble.	342	as this asks for trouble.
319		343
320	This object has two methods:	344	Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
		345	used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing
		346	easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
		347	AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call
		348	it's C<new> method in your own C<new> method.
		349
		350	There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which
		351	eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits
		352	for the send to occur.
		353
		354	Example: wait for a timer.
		355
		356	# wait till the result is ready
		357	my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
		358
		359	# do something such as adding a timer
		360	# or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send
		361	# when the "result" is ready.
		362	# in this case, we simply use a timer:
		363	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
		364	after => 1,
		365	cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
		366	);
		367
		368	# this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
		369	# calls send
		370	$result_ready->recv;
		371
		372	Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that
		373	condition variables are also code references.
		374
		375	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
		376	my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
		377	$done->recv;
		378
		379	=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
		380
		381	These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
		382	code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
		383	the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
		384	uncommon for the consumer to create it as well.
321		385
322	=over 4	386	=over 4
323		387
		388	=item $cv->send (...)
		389
		390	Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->recv >> and all further
		391	calls to C<recv> will (eventually) return after this method has been
		392	called. If nobody is waiting the send will be remembered.
		393
		394	If a callback has been set on the condition variable, it is called
		395	immediately from within send.
		396
		397	Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
		398	future C<< ->recv >> calls.
		399
		400	Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly
		401	(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
		402	C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle
		403	overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
		404	instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
		405	support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
		406	invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
		407	example).
		408
		409	=item $cv->croak ($error)
		410
		411	Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
		412	C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
		413
		414	This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
		415	user/consumer.
		416
		417	=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
		418
324	=item $cv->wait	419	=item $cv->end
325		420
326	Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been	421	These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
		422
		423	These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
		424	one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
		425	to use a condition variable for the whole process.
		426
		427	Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
		428	C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
		429	>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
		430	is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
		431	callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
		432
		433	Let's clarify this with the ping example:
		434
		435	my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
		436
		437	my %result;
		438	$cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
		439
		440	for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
		441	$cv->begin;
		442	ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
		443	$result{$host} = ...;
		444	$cv->end;
		445	};
		446	}
		447
		448	$cv->end;
		449
		450	This code fragment supposedly pings a number of hosts and calls
		451	C<send> after results for all then have have been gathered - in any
		452	order. To achieve this, the code issues a call to C<begin> when it starts
		453	each ping request and calls C<end> when it has received some result for
		454	it. Since C<begin> and C<end> only maintain a counter, the order in which
		455	results arrive is not relevant.
		456
		457	There is an additional bracketing call to C<begin> and C<end> outside the
		458	loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
		459	to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
		460	C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
		461	doesn't execute once).
		462
		463	This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests:
		464	use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end>
		465	is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call
		466	C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>.
		467
		468	=back
		469
		470	=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
		471
		472	These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the
		473	code awaits the condition.
		474
		475	=over 4
		476
		477	=item $cv->recv
		478
		479	Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
327	called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally.	480	>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
		481	normally.
328		482
329	You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls will return	483	You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
330	immediately.	484	will return immediately.
		485
		486	If an error condition has been set by calling C<< ->croak >>, then this
		487	function will call C<croak>.
		488
		489	In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
		490	in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
331		491
332	Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case	492	Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
333	(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are	493	(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
334	using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the	494	using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the
335	caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling	495	caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
336	condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting	496	condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
337	callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,	497	callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
338	while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).	498	while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
339		499
340	Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot	500	Another reason I<never> to C<< ->recv >> in a module is that you cannot
341	sensibly have two C<< ->wait >>'s in parallel, as that would require	501	sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
342	multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>	502	multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
343	can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and	503	can supply.
344	L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
345	from different coroutines, however).
346		504
347	=item $cv->broadcast	505	The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
		506	fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
		507	versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
		508	C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
		509	coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
348		510
349	Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further	511	You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
350	calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been	512	only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
351	called. If nobody is waiting the broadcast will be remembered..	513	time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
		514	waits otherwise.
		515
		516	=item $bool = $cv->ready
		517
		518	Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
		519	C<croak> have been called.
		520
		521	=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback])
		522
		523	This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
		524	replaces it before doing so.
		525
		526	The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
		527	C<send> or C<croak> are called. Calling C<recv> inside the callback
		528	or at any later time is guaranteed not to block.
352		529
353	=back	530	=back
354
355	Example:
356
357	# wait till the result is ready
358	my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
359
360	# do something such as adding a timer
361	# or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->broadcast
362	# when the "result" is ready.
363	# in this case, we simply use a timer:
364	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
365	after => 1,
366	cb => sub { $result_ready->broadcast },
367	);
368
369	# this "blocks" (while handling events) till the watcher
370	# calls broadcast
371	$result_ready->wait;
372		531
373	=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS	532	=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
374		533
375	=over 4	534	=over 4
376		535
…		…
382	C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case	541	C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
383	AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).	542	AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
384		543
385	The known classes so far are:	544	The known classes so far are:
386		545
387	AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
388	AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
389	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).	546	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
390	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.	547	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
		548	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
391	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.	549	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
392	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
393	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.	550	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
394	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).	551	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
395	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.	552	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
396	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.	553	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
397		554
…		…
410	Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model	567	Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
411	if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would	568	if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
412	have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at	569	have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
413	runtime.	570	runtime.
414		571
		572	=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
		573
		574	Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
		575	autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
		576
		577	If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
		578	that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
		579	L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
		580
		581	=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
		582
		583	If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
		584	before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
		585	the event loop has been chosen.
		586
		587	You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
		588	if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected,
		589	and the array will be ignored.
		590
		591	Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead.
		592
415	=back	593	=back
416		594
417	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE	595	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
418		596
419	As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods	597	As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods
…		…
422	Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will	600	Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will
423	decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so	601	decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so
424	by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module	602	by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module
425	to load the event module first.	603	to load the event module first.
426		604
427	Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that	605	Never call C<< ->recv >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that
428	the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been called on it already. This is	606	the C<< ->send >> method has been called on it already. This is
429	because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using	607	because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
430	events is to stay interactive.	608	events is to stay interactive.
431		609
432	It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module	610	It is fine, however, to call C<< ->recv >> when the user of your module
433	requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method	611	requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method
434	called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->wait >>	612	called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->recv >>
435	freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).	613	freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).
436		614
437	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM	615	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
438		616
439	There will always be a single main program - the only place that should	617	There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
…		…
441		619
442	If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not	620	If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not
443	do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent	621	do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent
444	decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.	622	decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.
445		623
446	If the main program relies on a specific event model. For example, in	624	If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in
447	Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module. You should load the	625	Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the
448	event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally	626	event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally
449	speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that	627	speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that
450	modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will	628	modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will
451	decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it	629	decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it
452	might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.	630	might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.
453		631
454	You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by	632	You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
455	loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar	633	C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour
456	behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better.	634	everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
		635
		636	=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION
		637
		638	Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
		639	only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event loop.
		640
		641	In that case, you can use a condition variable like this:
		642
		643	AnyEvent->condvar->recv;
		644
		645	This has the effect of entering the event loop and looping forever.
		646
		647	Note that usually your program has some exit condition, in which case
		648	it is better to use the "traditional" approach of storing a condition
		649	variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program should
		650	exit cleanly.
		651
		652
		653	=head1 OTHER MODULES
		654
		655	The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
		656	AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules
		657	in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are
		658	available via CPAN.
		659
		660	=over 4
		661
		662	=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
		663
		664	Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
		665	functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
		666
		667	=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
		668
		669	Provide read and write buffers and manages watchers for reads and writes.
		670
		671	=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
		672
		673	Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
		674	addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
		675	connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more.
		676
		677	=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
		678
		679	Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
		680
		681	=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
		682
		683	Provides a simple web application server framework.
		684
		685	=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
		686
		687	The fastest ping in the west.
		688
		689	=item L<Net::IRC3>
		690
		691	AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
		692
		693	=item L<Net::XMPP2>
		694
		695	AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
		696
		697	=item L<Net::FCP>
		698
		699	AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
		700	of AnyEvent.
		701
		702	=item L<Event::ExecFlow>
		703
		704	High level API for event-based execution flow control.
		705
		706	=item L<Coro>
		707
		708	Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
		709
		710	=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>, L<IO::AIO>
		711
		712	Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
		713	programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses IO::AIO and AnyEvent
		714	together.
		715
		716	=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>, L<BDB>
		717
		718	Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses
		719	IO::AIO and AnyEvent together.
		720
		721	=item L<IO::Lambda>
		722
		723	The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
		724
		725	=back
457		726
458	=cut	727	=cut
459		728
460	package AnyEvent;	729	package AnyEvent;
461		730
462	no warnings;	731	no warnings;
463	use strict;	732	use strict;
464		733
465	use Carp;	734	use Carp;
466		735
467	our $VERSION = '3.3';	736	our $VERSION = '4.04';
468	our $MODEL;	737	our $MODEL;
469		738
470	our $AUTOLOAD;	739	our $AUTOLOAD;
471	our @ISA;	740	our @ISA;
472		741
		742	our @REGISTRY;
		743
		744	our $WIN32;
		745
		746	BEGIN {
		747	my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i);
		748	eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }";
		749	}
		750
473	our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;	751	our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
474		752
475	our @REGISTRY;	753	our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4\|ipv6) => (1\|2), higher numbers are preferred
		754
		755	{
		756	my $idx;
		757	$PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx
		758	for reverse split /\s,\s/,
		759	$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} \|\| "ipv4,ipv6";
		760	}
476		761
477	my @models = (	762	my @models = (
478	[Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
479	[Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
480	[EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],	763	[EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],
481	[Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],	764	[Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
482	[Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
483	[Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::],
484	[Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
485	[Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
486	[AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],	765	[AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
487	# everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere	766	# everything below here will not be autoprobed
		767	# as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
		768	# and is usually faster
		769	[Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
		770	[Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
488	[Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy	771	[Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
489	[Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program	772	[Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
490	[POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza	773	[POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
		774	[Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
		775	[Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
491	);	776	);
492		777
493	our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar broadcast wait one_event DESTROY);	778	our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar one_event DESTROY);
		779
		780	our @post_detect;
		781
		782	sub post_detect(&) {
		783	my ($cb) = @_;
		784
		785	if ($MODEL) {
		786	$cb->();
		787
		788	1
		789	} else {
		790	push @post_detect, $cb;
		791
		792	defined wantarray
		793	? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect"
		794	: ()
		795	}
		796	}
		797
		798	sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY {
		799	@post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
		800	}
494		801
495	sub detect() {	802	sub detect() {
496	unless ($MODEL) {	803	unless ($MODEL) {
497	no strict 'refs';	804	no strict 'refs';
		805	local $SIG{__DIE__};
498		806
499	if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {	807	if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
500	my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";	808	my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
501	if (eval "require $model") {	809	if (eval "require $model") {
502	$MODEL = $model;	810	$MODEL = $model;
…		…
532	last;	840	last;
533	}	841	}
534	}	842	}
535		843
536	$MODEL	844	$MODEL
537	or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV (or Coro+EV), Event (or Coro+Event) or Glib.";	845	or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.";
538	}	846	}
539	}	847	}
540		848
541	unshift @ISA, $MODEL;	849	unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
542	push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";	850	push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
		851
		852	(shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
543	}	853	}
544		854
545	$MODEL	855	$MODEL
546	}	856	}
547		857
…		…
557	$class->$func (@_);	867	$class->$func (@_);
558	}	868	}
559		869
560	package AnyEvent::Base;	870	package AnyEvent::Base;
561		871
562	# default implementation for ->condvar, ->wait, ->broadcast	872	# default implementation for ->condvar
563		873
564	sub condvar {	874	sub condvar {
565	bless \my $flag, "AnyEvent::Base::CondVar"	875	bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar::
566	}
567
568	sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::broadcast {
569	${$_[0]}++;
570	}
571
572	sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::wait {
573	AnyEvent->one_event while !${$_[0]};
574	}	876	}
575		877
576	# default implementation for ->signal	878	# default implementation for ->signal
577		879
578	our %SIG_CB;	880	our %SIG_CB;
…		…
631	or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";	933	or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
632		934
633	$PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};	935	$PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
634		936
635	unless ($WNOHANG) {	937	unless ($WNOHANG) {
636	$WNOHANG = eval { require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } \|\| 1;	938	$WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } \|\| 1;
637	}	939	}
638		940
639	unless ($CHLD_W) {	941	unless ($CHLD_W) {
640	$CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);	942	$CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
641	# child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round	943	# child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
…		…
651	delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};	953	delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
652	delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };	954	delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
653		955
654	undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;	956	undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
655	}	957	}
		958
		959	package AnyEvent::CondVar;
		960
		961	our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
		962
		963	package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
		964
		965	use overload
		966	'&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
		967	fallback => 1;
		968
		969	sub _send {
		970	# nop
		971	}
		972
		973	sub send {
		974	my $cv = shift;
		975	$cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_];
		976	(delete $cv->{_ae_cb})->($cv) if $cv->{_ae_cb};
		977	$cv->_send;
		978	}
		979
		980	sub croak {
		981	$_[0]{_ae_croak} = $_[1];
		982	$_[0]->send;
		983	}
		984
		985	sub ready {
		986	$_[0]{_ae_sent}
		987	}
		988
		989	sub _wait {
		990	AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
		991	}
		992
		993	sub recv {
		994	$_[0]->_wait;
		995
		996	Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak} if $_[0]{_ae_croak};
		997	wantarray ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} } : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0]
		998	}
		999
		1000	sub cb {
		1001	$_[0]{_ae_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
		1002	$_[0]{_ae_cb}
		1003	}
		1004
		1005	sub begin {
		1006	++$_[0]{_ae_counter};
		1007	$_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
		1008	}
		1009
		1010	sub end {
		1011	return if --$_[0]{_ae_counter};
		1012	&{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} \|\| sub { $_[0]->send } };
		1013	}
		1014
		1015	# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
		1016	*broadcast = \&send;
		1017	*wait = \&_wait;
656		1018
657	=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE	1019	=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
658		1020
659	This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in	1021	This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
660	a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to	1022	a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
…		…
717	model it chooses.	1079	model it chooses.
718		1080
719	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>	1081	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
720		1082
721	This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before	1083	This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
722	autodetection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting	1084	auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
723	entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended	1085	entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
724	and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,	1086	and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
725	used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with	1087	used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
726	autodetection and -probing.	1088	auto detection and -probing.
727		1089
728	This functionality might change in future versions.	1090	This functionality might change in future versions.
729		1091
730	For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you	1092	For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
731	could start your program like this:	1093	could start your program like this:
732		1094
733	PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...	1095	PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
		1096
		1097	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
		1098
		1099	Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
		1100	for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
		1101	of auto probing).
		1102
		1103	Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
		1104	current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
		1105	used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
		1106	list.
		1107
		1108	This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
		1109	against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
		1110	small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
		1111
		1112	Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
		1113	but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
		1114	- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
		1115	addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
		1116	IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
		1117
		1118	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
		1119
		1120	Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
		1121	for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
		1122	some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
		1123	default.
		1124
		1125	Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
		1126	EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
734		1127
735	=back	1128	=back
736		1129
737	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM	1130	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
738		1131
…		…
749	poll => 'r',	1142	poll => 'r',
750	cb => sub {	1143	cb => sub {
751	warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>	1144	warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>
752	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line	1145	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line
753	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read	1146	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
754	$cv->broadcast if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i	1147	$cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
755	},	1148	},
756	);	1149	);
757		1150
758	my $time_watcher; # can only be used once	1151	my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
759		1152
…		…
764	});	1157	});
765	}	1158	}
766		1159
767	new_timer; # create first timer	1160	new_timer; # create first timer
768		1161
769	$cv->wait; # wait until user enters /^q/i	1162	$cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
770		1163
771	=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE	1164	=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
772		1165
773	Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following	1166	Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following
774	API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:	1167	API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:
…		…
824	syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}	1217	syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}
825	or die "connection or write error";	1218	or die "connection or write error";
826	$txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });	1219	$txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });
827		1220
828	Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the	1221	Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the
829	result and signals any possible waiters that the request ahs finished:	1222	result and signals any possible waiters that the request has finished:
830		1223
831	sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};	1224	sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};
832		1225
833	if (end-of-file or data complete) {	1226	if (end-of-file or data complete) {
834	$txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};	1227	$txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};
835	$txn->{finished}->broadcast;	1228	$txn->{finished}->send;
836	$txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback	1229	$txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback
837	}	1230	}
838		1231
839	The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the	1232	The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the
840	request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the	1233	request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the
841	data:	1234	data:
842		1235
843	$txn->{finished}->wait;	1236	$txn->{finished}->recv;
844	return $txn->{result};	1237	return $txn->{result};
845		1238
846	The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)	1239	The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)
847	that occured during request processing. The C<result> method detects	1240	that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
848	whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)	1241	whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)
849	and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other	1242	and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other
850	problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a	1243	problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a
851	random callback.	1244	random callback.
852		1245
…		…
883		1276
884	my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;	1277	my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;
885		1278
886	$fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {	1279	$fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {
887	...	1280	...
888	$quit->broadcast;	1281	$quit->send;
889	});	1282	});
890		1283
891	$quit->wait;	1284	$quit->recv;
892		1285
893		1286
894	=head1 BENCHMARK	1287	=head1 BENCHMARKS
895		1288
896	To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds	1289	To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds
897	over the event loops themselves (and to give you an impression of the	1290	over the event loops themselves and to give you an impression of the speed
898	speed of various event loops), here is a benchmark of various supported	1291	of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
899	event models natively and with anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of	1292
900	timers (with a zero timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to	1293	=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
		1294
		1295	Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
		1296	through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
		1297	timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
901	become writable, which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys	1298	which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
902	them again.
903		1299
904	Rewriting the benchmark to use many different sockets instead of using	1300	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
905	the same filehandle for all I/O watchers results in a much longer runtime	1301	distribution.
906	(socket creation is expensive), but qualitatively the same figures, so it
907	was not used.
908		1302
909	=head2 Explanation of the columns	1303	=head3 Explanation of the columns
910		1304
911	I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since	1305	I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
912	different event models feature vastly different performances, each event	1306	different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
913	loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable	1307	loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable
914	and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib	1308	and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib
…		…
924	all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation	1318	all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation
925	and memory usage is not included in the figures.	1319	and memory usage is not included in the figures.
926		1320
927	I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple	1321	I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple
928	callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was	1322	callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was
929	invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to	1323	invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->send >> a condvar once to
930	signal the end of this phase.	1324	signal the end of this phase.
931		1325
932	I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single	1326	I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single
933	watcher.	1327	watcher.
934		1328
935	=head2 Results	1329	=head3 Results
936		1330
937	name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment	1331	name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
938	EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface	1332	EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface
939	EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers	1333	EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers
940	CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal	1334	CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal
941	Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation	1335	Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation
942	Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface	1336	Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface
943	Event/Any 16000 936 39.17 33.63 1.43 Event + AnyEvent watchers	1337	Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers
944	Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour	1338	Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour
945	Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers	1339	Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
946	POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event	1340	POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event
947	POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select	1341	POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select
948		1342
949	=head2 Discussion	1343	=head3 Discussion
950		1344
951	The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very	1345	The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
952	well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)	1346	well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
953	can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of	1347	can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of
954	file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, all events become ready at	1348	file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, all events become ready at
955	the same time, so select/poll-based implementations get an unnatural speed	1349	the same time, so select/poll-based implementations get an unnatural speed
956	boost.	1350	boost.
957		1351
		1352	Also, note that the number of watchers usually has a nonlinear effect on
		1353	overall speed, that is, creating twice as many watchers doesn't take twice
		1354	the time - usually it takes longer. This puts event loops tested with a
		1355	higher number of watchers at a disadvantage.
		1356
		1357	To put the range of results into perspective, consider that on the
		1358	benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
		1359	EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 CPU
		1360	cycles with POE.
		1361
958	C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both	1362	C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
959	maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses	1363	maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses
960	far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event	1364	far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event
961	natively.	1365	natively.
962		1366
963	The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the	1367	The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
964	zero timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl	1368	constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl
965	interpreter and the backend itself, and all watchers become ready at the	1369	interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that it
966	same time). Nevertheless this shows that it adds very little overhead in	1370	adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its
967	itself. Like any select-based backend its performance becomes really bad	1371	performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
968	with lots of file descriptors (and few of them active), of course, but	1372	them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
969	this was not subject of this benchmark.
970		1373
971	The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation cost,	1374	The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
972	but overall scores on the third place.	1375	cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
973		1376
974	C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit bit higher, but it features a	1377	C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
975	faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as	1378	faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
976	C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of	1379	C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
977	watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,	1380	watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
978	making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers	1381	making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers
979	(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so	1382	(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so
…		…
982	The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with	1385	The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with
983	more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes	1386	more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes
984	precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the	1387	precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the
985	file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()	1388	file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()
986	employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a	1389	employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a
987	hidden memory cost inside the kernel, though, that is not reflected in the	1390	hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures
988	figures above).	1391	above).
989		1392
990	C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (wether using its pure perl	1393	C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure perl
991	select-based backend or the Event module) shows abysmal performance and	1394	select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend couldn't
		1395	be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance and
992	memory usage: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory as EV watchers,	1396	memory usage with AnyEvent: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory
993	and 10 times as much memory as both Event or EV via AnyEvent. Watcher	1397	as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory
		1398	requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher
994	invocation is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl	1399	invocation speed is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl
		1400	implementation.
		1401
995	implementation. The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not	1402	The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not really account
996	really account for this, as session creation overhead is small compared	1403	for the performance issues, though, as session creation overhead is
997	to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty optimally within	1404	small compared to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty
998	L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. POE simply seems to be abysmally slow.	1405	optimally within L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE> (and while everybody agrees that
		1406	using multiple sessions is not a good approach, especially regarding
		1407	memory usage, even the author of POE could not come up with a faster
		1408	design).
999		1409
1000	=head2 Summary	1410	=head3 Summary
1001		1411
		1412	=over 4
		1413
1002	Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop, but most	1414	=item * Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop
1003	event loops have acceptable performance with or without AnyEvent.	1415	(even when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable
		1416	performance with or without AnyEvent.
1004		1417
1005	The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of	1418	=item * The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of
1006	the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as the EV	1419	the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as EV
1007	adds AnyEvent significant overhead.	1420	adds AnyEvent significant overhead.
1008		1421
1009	And you should simply avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or	1422	=item * You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or
1010	reasonable memory usage.	1423	reasonable memory usage.
1011		1424
		1425	=back
		1426
		1427	=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
		1428
		1429	This benchmark actually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
		1430	creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socket pair, a
		1431	timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
		1432	watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
		1433	watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
		1434
		1435	The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
		1436	are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
		1437	fds for each loop iteration, but which fds these are is random). The
		1438	timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
		1439	most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
		1440
		1441	In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
		1442	(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
		1443	connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
		1444
		1445	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
		1446	distribution.
		1447
		1448	=head3 Explanation of the columns
		1449
		1450	I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
		1451	each server has a read and write socket end).
		1452
		1453	I<create> is the time it takes to create a socket pair (which is
		1454	nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
		1455
		1456	I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
		1457	single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
		1458	it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
		1459	a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
		1460
		1461	=head3 Results
		1462
		1463	name sockets create request
		1464	EV 20000 69.01 11.16
		1465	Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
		1466	Event 20000 212.62 257.32
		1467	Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
		1468	POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
		1469
		1470	=head3 Discussion
		1471
		1472	This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
		1473	particular event loop.
		1474
		1475	EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
		1476	is relatively high, though.
		1477
		1478	Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
		1479	loops Event and Glib.
		1480
		1481	Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
		1482	understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
		1483	the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
		1484	uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
		1485
		1486	Glib is hit hard by its quadratic behaviour w.r.t. many watchers. It
		1487	clearly fails to perform with many filehandles or in busy servers.
		1488
		1489	POE is still completely out of the picture, taking over 1000 times as long
		1490	as EV, and over 100 times as long as the Perl implementation, even though
		1491	it uses a C-based event loop in this case.
		1492
		1493	=head3 Summary
		1494
		1495	=over 4
		1496
		1497	=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well.
		1498
		1499	=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.
		1500
		1501	=back
		1502
		1503	=head2 BENCHMARKING SMALL SERVERS
		1504
		1505	While event loops should scale (and select-based ones do not...) even to
		1506	large servers, most programs we (or I :) actually write have only a few
		1507	I/O watchers.
		1508
		1509	In this benchmark, I use the same benchmark program as in the large server
		1510	case, but it uses only eight "servers", of which three are active at any
		1511	one time. This should reflect performance for a small server relatively
		1512	well.
		1513
		1514	The columns are identical to the previous table.
		1515
		1516	=head3 Results
		1517
		1518	name sockets create request
		1519	EV 16 20.00 6.54
		1520	Perl 16 25.75 12.62
		1521	Event 16 81.27 35.86
		1522	Glib 16 32.63 15.48
		1523	POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event
		1524
		1525	=head3 Discussion
		1526
		1527	The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small
		1528	server. While knowing how various event loops perform is interesting, keep
		1529	in mind that their overhead in this case is usually not as important, due
		1530	to the small absolute number of watchers (that is, you need efficiency and
		1531	speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
		1532	them).
		1533
		1534	EV is again fastest.
		1535
		1536	Perl again comes second. It is noticeably faster than the C-based event
		1537	loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
		1538	matter.
		1539
		1540	POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
		1541	others.
		1542
		1543	=head3 Summary
		1544
		1545	=over 4
		1546
		1547	=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
		1548	watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
		1549
		1550	=back
		1551
1012		1552
1013	=head1 FORK	1553	=head1 FORK
1014		1554
1015	Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are	1555	Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1016	because they are so inefficient. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.	1556	because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
		1557	calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
1017		1558
1018	If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first	1559	If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
1019	watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.	1560	watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.
1020		1561
1021		1562
…		…
1033		1574
1034	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }	1575	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1035		1576
1036	use AnyEvent;	1577	use AnyEvent;
1037		1578
		1579	Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
		1580	be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
		1581	probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL).
		1582
1038		1583
1039	=head1 SEE ALSO	1584	=head1 SEE ALSO
1040		1585
1041	Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>,	1586	Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>.
1042	L<Coro::Event>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Coro>, L<Tk>,	1587
		1588	Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>,
1043	L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.	1589	L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1044		1590
1045	Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>,	1591	Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1046	L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>,	1592	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1047	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>,	1593	L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1048	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.	1594	L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
1049		1595
		1596	Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
		1597	servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>.
		1598
		1599	Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
		1600
		1601	Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>,
		1602
1050	Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>.	1603	Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1051		1604
1052		1605
1053	=head1 AUTHOR	1606	=head1 AUTHOR
1054		1607
1055	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>	1608	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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Comparing AnyEvent/lib/AnyEvent.pm (file contents): Revision 1.84 by root, Fri Apr 25 13:48:42 2008 UTC vs. Revision 1.140 by root, Mon May 26 06:18:53 2008 UTC

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Comparing AnyEvent/lib/AnyEvent.pm (file contents):
Revision 1.84 by root, Fri Apr 25 13:48:42 2008 UTC vs.
Revision 1.140 by root, Mon May 26 06:18:53 2008 UTC