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

Comparing AnyEvent/lib/AnyEvent.pm (file contents):
Revision 1.98 by root, Sun Apr 27 16:31:48 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	#TODO#
72
73	Net::IRC3
74	AnyEvent::HTTPD
75	AnyEvent::DNS
76	IO::AnyEvent
77	Net::FPing
78	Net::XMPP2
79	Coro
80
81	AnyEvent::IRC
82	AnyEvent::HTTPD
83	AnyEvent::DNS
84	AnyEvent::Handle
85	AnyEvent::Socket
86	AnyEvent::FPing
87	AnyEvent::XMPP
88	AnyEvent::SNMP
89	Coro
90		70
91	=head1 DESCRIPTION	71	=head1 DESCRIPTION
92		72
93	L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This	73	L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This
94	allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module	74	allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module
…		…
98	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>
99	module.	79	module.
100		80
101	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
102	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
103	following modules is already loaded: L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, L<EV>,	83	following modules is already loaded: L<EV>,
104	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>,
105	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
106	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
107	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
108	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
…		…
128		108
129	=head1 WATCHERS	109	=head1 WATCHERS
130		110
131	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
132	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
133	the callback to call, the filehandle to watch, etc.	113	the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
134		114
135	These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After	115	These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
136	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
137	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
138	is in control).	118	is in control).
…		…
257		237
258	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and	238	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
259	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent	239	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
260	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.	240	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
261		241
262	Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback	242	Multiple signal occurrences can be clumped together into one callback
263	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means	243	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
264	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,
265	but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.	245	but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
266		246
267	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
268	between multiple watchers.	248	between multiple watchers.
269		249
270	This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals	250	This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals
…		…
299		279
300	Example: fork a process and wait for it	280	Example: fork a process and wait for it
301		281
302	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;	282	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
303		283
304	AnyEvent::detect; # force event module to be initialised
305
306	my $pid = fork or exit 5;	284	my $pid = fork or exit 5;
307		285
308	my $w = AnyEvent->child (	286	my $w = AnyEvent->child (
309	pid => $pid,	287	pid => $pid,
310	cb => sub {	288	cb => sub {
311	my ($pid, $status) = @_;	289	my ($pid, $status) = @_;
312	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";	290	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
313	$done->broadcast;	291	$done->send;
314	},	292	},
315	);	293	);
316		294
317	# do something else, then wait for process exit	295	# do something else, then wait for process exit
318	$done->wait;	296	$done->recv;
319		297
320	=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES	298	=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
321		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
322	Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >>	310	Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
323	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.
324		314
325	A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<<	315	After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
326	->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).
327		319
328	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,
329	example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,	328	for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
330	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
331	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.
332		332
333	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,
334	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
335	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
336	->broadcast >> the "quit" event.	336	button of your app, which would C<< ->send >> the "quit" event.
337		337
338	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
339	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
340	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
341	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,
342	as this asks for trouble.	342	as this asks for trouble.
343		343
344	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.
345		385
346	=over 4	386	=over 4
347		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
348	=item $cv->wait	419	=item $cv->end
349		420
350	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 $cv->recv
		478
		479	Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
351	called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally.	480	>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
		481	normally.
352		482
353	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
354	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.
355		491
356	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
357	(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
358	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
359	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
360	condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting	496	condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
361	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,
362	while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).	498	while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
363		499
364	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
365	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
366	multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>	502	multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
367	can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and	503	can supply.
368	L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
369	from different coroutines, however).
370		504
371	=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).
372		510
373	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
374	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
375	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.
376		529
377	=back	530	=back
378
379	Example:
380
381	# wait till the result is ready
382	my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
383
384	# do something such as adding a timer
385	# or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->broadcast
386	# when the "result" is ready.
387	# in this case, we simply use a timer:
388	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
389	after => 1,
390	cb => sub { $result_ready->broadcast },
391	);
392
393	# this "blocks" (while handling events) till the watcher
394	# calls broadcast
395	$result_ready->wait;
396		531
397	=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS	532	=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
398		533
399	=over 4	534	=over 4
400		535
…		…
406	C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case	541	C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
407	AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).	542	AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
408		543
409	The known classes so far are:	544	The known classes so far are:
410		545
411	AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
412	AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
413	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).	546	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
414	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.	547	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
		548	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
415	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.	549	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
416	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
417	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.	550	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
418	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).	551	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
419	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.	552	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
420	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.	553	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
421		554
…		…
434	Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model	567	Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
435	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
436	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
437	runtime.	570	runtime.
438		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
439	=back	593	=back
440		594
441	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE	595	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
442		596
443	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
…		…
446	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
447	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
448	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
449	to load the event module first.	603	to load the event module first.
450		604
451	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
452	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
453	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
454	events is to stay interactive.	608	events is to stay interactive.
455		609
456	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
457	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
458	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 >>
459	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).
460		614
461	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM	615	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
462		616
463	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
…		…
465		619
466	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
467	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
468	decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.	622	decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.
469		623
470	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
471	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
472	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
473	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
474	modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will	628	modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will
475	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
476	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.
477		631
478	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
479	loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar	633	C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour
480	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
481		726
482	=cut	727	=cut
483		728
484	package AnyEvent;	729	package AnyEvent;
485		730
486	no warnings;	731	no warnings;
487	use strict;	732	use strict;
488		733
489	use Carp;	734	use Carp;
490		735
491	our $VERSION = '3.3';	736	our $VERSION = '4.04';
492	our $MODEL;	737	our $MODEL;
493		738
494	our $AUTOLOAD;	739	our $AUTOLOAD;
495	our @ISA;	740	our @ISA;
496		741
		742	our @REGISTRY;
		743
		744	our $WIN32;
		745
		746	BEGIN {
		747	my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i);
		748	eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }";
		749	}
		750
497	our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;	751	our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
498		752
499	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	$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} \|\| "ipv4,ipv6";
		760	}
500		761
501	my @models = (	762	my @models = (
502	[Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
503	[Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
504	[EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],	763	[EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],
505	[Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],	764	[Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
506	[Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
507	[Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::],
508	[Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
509	[Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
510	[AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],	765	[AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
511	# everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere	766	# everything below here will not be autoprobed
		767	# as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
		768	# and is usually faster
		769	[Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
		770	[Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
512	[Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy	771	[Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
513	[Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program	772	[Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
514	[POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza	773	[POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
		774	[Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
		775	[Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
515	);	776	);
516		777
517	our %method = map +($_ => 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	}
518		801
519	sub detect() {	802	sub detect() {
520	unless ($MODEL) {	803	unless ($MODEL) {
521	no strict 'refs';	804	no strict 'refs';
		805	local $SIG{__DIE__};
522		806
523	if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {	807	if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
524	my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";	808	my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
525	if (eval "require $model") {	809	if (eval "require $model") {
526	$MODEL = $model;	810	$MODEL = $model;
…		…
556	last;	840	last;
557	}	841	}
558	}	842	}
559		843
560	$MODEL	844	$MODEL
561	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.";
562	}	846	}
563	}	847	}
564		848
565	unshift @ISA, $MODEL;	849	unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
566	push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";	850	push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
		851
		852	(shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
567	}	853	}
568		854
569	$MODEL	855	$MODEL
570	}	856	}
571		857
…		…
581	$class->$func (@_);	867	$class->$func (@_);
582	}	868	}
583		869
584	package AnyEvent::Base;	870	package AnyEvent::Base;
585		871
586	# default implementation for ->condvar, ->wait, ->broadcast	872	# default implementation for ->condvar
587		873
588	sub condvar {	874	sub condvar {
589	bless \my $flag, "AnyEvent::Base::CondVar"	875	bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar::
590	}
591
592	sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::broadcast {
593	${$_[0]}++;
594	}
595
596	sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::wait {
597	AnyEvent->one_event while !${$_[0]};
598	}	876	}
599		877
600	# default implementation for ->signal	878	# default implementation for ->signal
601		879
602	our %SIG_CB;	880	our %SIG_CB;
…		…
655	or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";	933	or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
656		934
657	$PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};	935	$PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
658		936
659	unless ($WNOHANG) {	937	unless ($WNOHANG) {
660	$WNOHANG = eval { require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } \|\| 1;	938	$WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } \|\| 1;
661	}	939	}
662		940
663	unless ($CHLD_W) {	941	unless ($CHLD_W) {
664	$CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);	942	$CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
665	# 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
…		…
675	delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};	953	delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
676	delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };	954	delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
677		955
678	undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;	956	undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
679	}	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;
680		1018
681	=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE	1019	=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
682		1020
683	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
684	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
…		…
741	model it chooses.	1079	model it chooses.
742		1080
743	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>	1081	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
744		1082
745	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
746	autodetection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting	1084	auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
747	entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended	1085	entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
748	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,
749	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
750	autodetection and -probing.	1088	auto detection and -probing.
751		1089
752	This functionality might change in future versions.	1090	This functionality might change in future versions.
753		1091
754	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
755	could start your program like this:	1093	could start your program like this:
756		1094
757	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.
758		1127
759	=back	1128	=back
760		1129
761	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM	1130	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
762		1131
…		…
773	poll => 'r',	1142	poll => 'r',
774	cb => sub {	1143	cb => sub {
775	warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>	1144	warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>
776	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line	1145	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line
777	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read	1146	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
778	$cv->broadcast if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i	1147	$cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
779	},	1148	},
780	);	1149	);
781		1150
782	my $time_watcher; # can only be used once	1151	my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
783		1152
…		…
788	});	1157	});
789	}	1158	}
790		1159
791	new_timer; # create first timer	1160	new_timer; # create first timer
792		1161
793	$cv->wait; # wait until user enters /^q/i	1162	$cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
794		1163
795	=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE	1164	=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
796		1165
797	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
798	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:
…		…
848	syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}	1217	syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}
849	or die "connection or write error";	1218	or die "connection or write error";
850	$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 });
851		1220
852	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
853	result and signals any possible waiters that the request ahs finished:	1222	result and signals any possible waiters that the request has finished:
854		1223
855	sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};	1224	sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};
856		1225
857	if (end-of-file or data complete) {	1226	if (end-of-file or data complete) {
858	$txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};	1227	$txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};
859	$txn->{finished}->broadcast;	1228	$txn->{finished}->send;
860	$txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback	1229	$txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback
861	}	1230	}
862		1231
863	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
864	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
865	data:	1234	data:
866		1235
867	$txn->{finished}->wait;	1236	$txn->{finished}->recv;
868	return $txn->{result};	1237	return $txn->{result};
869		1238
870	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)
871	that occured during request processing. The C<result> method detects	1240	that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
872	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)
873	and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other	1242	and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other
874	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
875	random callback.	1244	random callback.
876		1245
…		…
907		1276
908	my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;	1277	my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;
909		1278
910	$fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {	1279	$fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {
911	...	1280	...
912	$quit->broadcast;	1281	$quit->send;
913	});	1282	});
914		1283
915	$quit->wait;	1284	$quit->recv;
916		1285
917		1286
918	=head1 BENCHMARKS	1287	=head1 BENCHMARKS
919		1288
920	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
…		…
922	of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.	1291	of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
923		1292
924	=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD	1293	=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
925		1294
926	Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and	1295	Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
927	through anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero	1296	through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
928	timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,	1297	timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
929	which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.	1298	which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
930		1299
931	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent	1300	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
932	distribution.	1301	distribution.
…		…
949	all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation	1318	all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation
950	and memory usage is not included in the figures.	1319	and memory usage is not included in the figures.
951		1320
952	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
953	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
954	invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to	1323	invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->send >> a condvar once to
955	signal the end of this phase.	1324	signal the end of this phase.
956		1325
957	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
958	watcher.	1327	watcher.
959		1328
…		…
1019	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()
1020	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
1021	hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures	1390	hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures
1022	above).	1391	above).
1023		1392
1024	C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure	1393	C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure perl
1025	perl select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend	1394	select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend couldn't
1026	couldn't be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance	1395	be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance and
1027	and memory usage: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory as	1396	memory usage with AnyEvent: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory
1028	EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory	1397	as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory
1029	requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher	1398	requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher
1030	invocation speed 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
1031	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
1032	really account for this, as session creation overhead is small compared	1403	for the performance issues, though, as session creation overhead is
1033	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
1034	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).
1035		1409
1036	=head3 Summary	1410	=head3 Summary
1037		1411
1038	=over 4	1412	=over 4
1039		1413
…		…
1050		1424
1051	=back	1425	=back
1052		1426
1053	=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE	1427	=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
1054		1428
1055	This benchmark atcually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by	1429	This benchmark actually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
1056	creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socketpair, a	1430	creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socket pair, a
1057	timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O	1431	timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
1058	watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket	1432	watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
1059	watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".	1433	watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
1060		1434
1061	The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which	1435	The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
1062	are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active	1436	are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
1063	fds for each loop iterstaion, but which fds these are is random). The	1437	fds for each loop iteration, but which fds these are is random). The
1064	timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how	1438	timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
1065	most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).	1439	most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
1066		1440
1067	In this benchmark, we use 10000 socketpairs (20000 sockets), of which 100	1441	In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1068	(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many	1442	(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1069	connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.	1443	connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1070		1444
1071	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent	1445	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1072	distribution.	1446	distribution.
…		…
1074	=head3 Explanation of the columns	1448	=head3 Explanation of the columns
1075		1449
1076	I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as	1450	I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1077	each server has a read and write socket end).	1451	each server has a read and write socket end).
1078		1452
1079	I<create> is the time it takes to create a socketpair (which is	1453	I<create> is the time it takes to create a socket pair (which is
1080	nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.	1454	nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
1081		1455
1082	I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a	1456	I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
1083	single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding	1457	single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
1084	it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating	1458	it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
…		…
1086		1460
1087	=head3 Results	1461	=head3 Results
1088		1462
1089	name sockets create request	1463	name sockets create request
1090	EV 20000 69.01 11.16	1464	EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1091	Perl 20000 75.28 112.76	1465	Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1092	Event 20000 212.62 257.32	1466	Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1093	Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30	1467	Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1094	POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event	1468	POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1095		1469
1096	=head3 Discussion	1470	=head3 Discussion
…		…
1118		1492
1119	=head3 Summary	1493	=head3 Summary
1120		1494
1121	=over 4	1495	=over 4
1122		1496
1123	=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well, considering	1497	=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well.
1124	that it uses select.
1125		1498
1126	=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.	1499	=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.
1127		1500
1128	=back	1501	=back
1129		1502
…		…
1142		1515
1143	=head3 Results	1516	=head3 Results
1144		1517
1145	name sockets create request	1518	name sockets create request
1146	EV 16 20.00 6.54	1519	EV 16 20.00 6.54
		1520	Perl 16 25.75 12.62
1147	Event 16 81.27 35.86	1521	Event 16 81.27 35.86
1148	Glib 16 32.63 15.48	1522	Glib 16 32.63 15.48
1149	Perl 16 24.62 162.37
1150	POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event	1523	POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event
1151		1524
1152	=head3 Discussion	1525	=head3 Discussion
1153		1526
1154	The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small	1527	The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small
…		…
1158	speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of	1531	speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
1159	them).	1532	them).
1160		1533
1161	EV is again fastest.	1534	EV is again fastest.
1162		1535
1163	The C-based event loops Event and Glib come in second this time, as the	1536	Perl again comes second. It is noticeably faster than the C-based event
1164	overhead of running an iteration is much smaller in C than in Perl (little	1537	loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
1165	code to execute in the inner loop, and perl's function calling overhead is	1538	matter.
1166	high, and updating all the data structures is costly).
1167
1168	The pure perl event loop is much slower, but still competitive.
1169		1539
1170	POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the	1540	POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
1171	others.	1541	others.
1172		1542
1173	=head3 Summary	1543	=head3 Summary
…		…
1181		1551
1182		1552
1183	=head1 FORK	1553	=head1 FORK
1184		1554
1185	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
1186	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.
1187		1558
1188	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
1189	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.
1190		1561
1191		1562
…		…
1203		1574
1204	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }	1575	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1205		1576
1206	use AnyEvent;	1577	use AnyEvent;
1207		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
1208		1583
1209	=head1 SEE ALSO	1584	=head1 SEE ALSO
1210		1585
1211	Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>,	1586	Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>.
1212	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>,
1213	L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.	1589	L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1214		1590
1215	Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>,	1591	Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1216	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>,
1217	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>,	1593	L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1218	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.	1594	L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
1219		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
1220	Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>.	1603	Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1221		1604
1222		1605
1223	=head1 AUTHOR	1606	=head1 AUTHOR
1224		1607
1225	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>	1608	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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Comparing AnyEvent/lib/AnyEvent.pm (file contents): Revision 1.98 by root, Sun Apr 27 16:31:48 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 1.98 by root, Sun Apr 27 16:31:48 2008 UTC vs.
Revision 1.140 by root, Mon May 26 06:18:53 2008 UTC