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1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops 3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops
4 4
5EV, Event, Coro::EV, Coro::Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops 5EV, 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
23=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
24
25This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested
26in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the
27L<AnyEvent::Intro> manpage.
22 28
23=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT) 29=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)
24 30
25Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen 31Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
26nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent? 32nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
48isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are 54isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are
49I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use. 55I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.
50 56
51AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works 57AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
52fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together 58fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together
53with the rest: POE + IO::Async? no go. Tk + Event? no go. Again: if 59with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if
54your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, 60your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it,
55too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all 61too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all
56event models it supports (including stuff like POE and IO::Async, as long 62event models it supports (including stuff like POE and IO::Async, as long
57as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new 63as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new
58event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof). 64event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
59 65
60In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event 66In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event
61model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar 67model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
62modules, you get an enourmous amount of code and strict rules you have to 68modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
63follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only 69follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only
64offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as 70offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as
65technically possible. 71technically possible.
66 72
73Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox
74of useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100%
75non-blocking connects (even with TLS/SSL, IPv6 and on broken platforms
76such as Windows) and lots of real-world knowledge and workarounds for
77platform bugs and differences.
78
67Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat 79Now, if you I<do want> lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat
68useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event 80useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
69model, you should I<not> use this module. 81model, you should I<not> use this module.
70
71 82
72=head1 DESCRIPTION 83=head1 DESCRIPTION
73 84
74L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This 85L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This
75allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module 86allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module
79The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event> 90The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>
80module. 91module.
81 92
82During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries 93During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
83to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the 94to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the
84following modules is already loaded: L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, L<EV>, 95following modules is already loaded: L<EV>,
85L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, 96L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>,
86L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries 97L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries
87to load these modules (excluding Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl 98to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl
88adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can 99adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can
89be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be 100be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be
90found, AnyEvent will fall back to a pure-perl event loop, which is not 101found, AnyEvent will fall back to a pure-perl event loop, which is not
91very efficient, but should work everywhere. 102very efficient, but should work everywhere.
92 103
103starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to 114starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to
104use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly... 115use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly...
105 116
106The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called 117The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called
107C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it 118C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it
108explicitly. 119explicitly and enjoy the high availability of that event loop :)
109 120
110=head1 WATCHERS 121=head1 WATCHERS
111 122
112AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that 123AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that
113stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as 124stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
114the callback to call, the filehandle to watch, etc. 125the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
115 126
116These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 127These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
117creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 128creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
118callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 129callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
119is in control). 130is in control).
127Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for 138Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for
128example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways. 139example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways.
129 140
130An any way to achieve that is this pattern: 141An any way to achieve that is this pattern:
131 142
132 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub { 143 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub {
133 # you can use $w here, for example to undef it 144 # you can use $w here, for example to undef it
134 undef $w; 145 undef $w;
135 }); 146 });
136 147
137Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl, 148Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl,
138my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are 149my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
139declared. 150declared.
140 151
141=head2 IO WATCHERS 152=head2 I/O WATCHERS
142 153
143You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 154You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
144with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 155with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
145 156
146C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for 157C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch
147events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which 158for events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>,
148creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, 159which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events,
149respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle 160respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle
150becomes ready. 161becomes ready.
151 162
152As long as the I/O watcher exists it will keep the file descriptor or a 163Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
153copy of it alive/open. 164presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
165callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
154 166
167The I/O watcher might use the underlying file descriptor or a copy of it.
155It is not allowed to close a file handle as long as any watcher is active 168You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on the
156on the underlying file descriptor. 169underlying file descriptor.
157 170
158Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should 171Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should
159always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file 172always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
160handles. 173handles.
161 174
172 185
173You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >> 186You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >>
174method with the following mandatory arguments: 187method with the following mandatory arguments:
175 188
176C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are 189C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are
177supported) should the timer activate. C<cb> the callback to invoke in that 190supported) the callback should be invoked. C<cb> is the callback to invoke
178case. 191in that case.
192
193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
179 196
180The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating 197The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating
181timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk 198timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk
182and Glib). 199and Glib).
183 200
222timers. 239timers.
223 240
224AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the 241AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the
225AnyEvent API. 242AnyEvent API.
226 243
244AnyEvent has two additional methods that return the "current time":
245
246=over 4
247
248=item AnyEvent->time
249
250This returns the "current wallclock time" as a fractional number of
251seconds since the Epoch (the same thing as C<time> or C<Time::HiRes::time>
252return, and the result is guaranteed to be compatible with those).
253
254It progresses independently of any event loop processing, i.e. each call
255will check the system clock, which usually gets updated frequently.
256
257=item AnyEvent->now
258
259This also returns the "current wallclock time", but unlike C<time>, above,
260this value might change only once per event loop iteration, depending on
261the event loop (most return the same time as C<time>, above). This is the
262time that AnyEvent's timers get scheduled against.
263
264I<In almost all cases (in all cases if you don't care), this is the
265function to call when you want to know the current time.>
266
267This function is also often faster then C<< AnyEvent->time >>, and
268thus the preferred method if you want some timestamp (for example,
269L<AnyEvent::Handle> uses this to update it's activity timeouts).
270
271The rest of this section is only of relevance if you try to be very exact
272with your timing, you can skip it without bad conscience.
273
274For a practical example of when these times differ, consider L<Event::Lib>
275and L<EV> and the following set-up:
276
277The event loop is running and has just invoked one of your callback at
278time=500 (assume no other callbacks delay processing). In your callback,
279you wait a second by executing C<sleep 1> (blocking the process for a
280second) and then (at time=501) you create a relative timer that fires
281after three seconds.
282
283With L<Event::Lib>, C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> will
284both return C<501>, because that is the current time, and the timer will
285be scheduled to fire at time=504 (C<501> + C<3>).
286
287With L<EV>, C<< AnyEvent->time >> returns C<501> (as that is the current
288time), but C<< AnyEvent->now >> returns C<500>, as that is the time the
289last event processing phase started. With L<EV>, your timer gets scheduled
290to run at time=503 (C<500> + C<3>).
291
292In one sense, L<Event::Lib> is more exact, as it uses the current time
293regardless of any delays introduced by event processing. However, most
294callbacks do not expect large delays in processing, so this causes a
295higher drift (and a lot more system calls to get the current time).
296
297In another sense, L<EV> is more exact, as your timer will be scheduled at
298the same time, regardless of how long event processing actually took.
299
300In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
301can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the
302difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
303account.
304
305=back
306
227=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 307=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
228 308
229You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 309You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
230I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to 310I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to
231be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 311be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
232 312
313Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
314presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
315callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
316
233Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback 317Multiple signal occurrences can be clumped together into one callback
234invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means 318invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
235that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process, 319that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
236but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 320but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
237 321
238The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal 322The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
239between multiple watchers. 323between multiple watchers.
240 324
241This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals 325This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals
251 335
252The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 336The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
253watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 337watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often
254as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 338as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a
255signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 339signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid
256and exit status (as returned by waitpid). 340and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types,
341you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments.
257 342
258Example: wait for pid 1333 343There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
344I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
345have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
259 346
347Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for
348event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be
349loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place).
350
351This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an
352AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you
353C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>).
354
355Example: fork a process and wait for it
356
357 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
358
359 my $pid = fork or exit 5;
360
260 my $w = AnyEvent->child ( 361 my $w = AnyEvent->child (
261 pid => 1333, 362 pid => $pid,
262 cb => sub { 363 cb => sub {
263 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 364 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
264 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status"; 365 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
366 $done->send;
265 }, 367 },
266 ); 368 );
369
370 # do something else, then wait for process exit
371 $done->recv;
267 372
268=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 373=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
269 374
375If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
376require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
377will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
378
379AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and
380will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
381
382The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
383because they represent a condition that must become true.
384
270Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >> 385Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
271method without any arguments. 386>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
387C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
388becomes true.
272 389
273A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<< 390After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
274->broadcast >> method has been called. 391by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
392were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
393->send >> method).
275 394
276They are very useful to signal that a condition has been fulfilled, for 395Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
396optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
397in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet
398another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can be
399used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and delivers
400a result.
401
402Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished,
277example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests, 403for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
278then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the 404then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the
279availability of results. 405availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is
406called or can synchronously C<< ->recv >> for the results.
280 407
281You can also use condition variables to block your main program until 408You can also use them to simulate traditional event loops - for example,
282an event occurs - for example, you could C<< ->wait >> in your main 409you can block your main program until an event occurs - for example, you
283program until the user clicks the Quit button in your app, which would C<< 410could C<< ->recv >> in your main program until the user clicks the Quit
284->broadcast >> the "quit" event. 411button of your app, which would C<< ->send >> the "quit" event.
285 412
286Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have 413Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have
287two pirces of code that call C<< ->wait >> in a round-robbin fashion, you 414two pieces of code that call C<< ->recv >> in a round-robin fashion, you
288lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but 415lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but
289you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks, 416you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,
290as this asks for trouble. 417as this asks for trouble.
291 418
292This object has two methods: 419Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
420used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing
421easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
422AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call
423it's C<new> method in your own C<new> method.
424
425There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which
426eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits
427for the send to occur.
428
429Example: wait for a timer.
430
431 # wait till the result is ready
432 my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
433
434 # do something such as adding a timer
435 # or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send
436 # when the "result" is ready.
437 # in this case, we simply use a timer:
438 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
439 after => 1,
440 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
441 );
442
443 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
444 # calls send
445 $result_ready->recv;
446
447Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that
448condition variables are also code references.
449
450 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
451 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
452 $done->recv;
453
454=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
455
456These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
457code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
458the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
459uncommon for the consumer to create it as well.
293 460
294=over 4 461=over 4
295 462
463=item $cv->send (...)
464
465Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->recv >> and all further
466calls to C<recv> will (eventually) return after this method has been
467called. If nobody is waiting the send will be remembered.
468
469If a callback has been set on the condition variable, it is called
470immediately from within send.
471
472Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
473future C<< ->recv >> calls.
474
475Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly
476(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
477C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle
478overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
479instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
480support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
481invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
482example).
483
484=item $cv->croak ($error)
485
486Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
487C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
488
489This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
490user/consumer.
491
492=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
493
296=item $cv->wait 494=item $cv->end
297 495
298Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been 496These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
497
498These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
499one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
500to use a condition variable for the whole process.
501
502Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
503C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
504>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
505is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
506callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
507
508Let's clarify this with the ping example:
509
510 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
511
512 my %result;
513 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
514
515 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
516 $cv->begin;
517 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
518 $result{$host} = ...;
519 $cv->end;
520 };
521 }
522
523 $cv->end;
524
525This code fragment supposedly pings a number of hosts and calls
526C<send> after results for all then have have been gathered - in any
527order. To achieve this, the code issues a call to C<begin> when it starts
528each ping request and calls C<end> when it has received some result for
529it. Since C<begin> and C<end> only maintain a counter, the order in which
530results arrive is not relevant.
531
532There is an additional bracketing call to C<begin> and C<end> outside the
533loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
534to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
535C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
536doesn't execute once).
537
538This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests:
539use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end>
540is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call
541C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>.
542
543=back
544
545=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
546
547These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the
548code awaits the condition.
549
550=over 4
551
552=item $cv->recv
553
554Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
299called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally. 555>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
556normally.
300 557
301You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls will return 558You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
302immediately. 559will return immediately.
560
561If an error condition has been set by calling C<< ->croak >>, then this
562function will call C<croak>.
563
564In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
565in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
303 566
304Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 567Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
305(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are 568(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
306using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the 569using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the
307caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling 570caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
308condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting 571condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
309callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block, 572callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
310while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires). 573while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
311 574
312Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot 575Another reason I<never> to C<< ->recv >> in a module is that you cannot
313sensibly have two C<< ->wait >>'s in parallel, as that would require 576sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
314multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent> 577multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
315can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and 578can supply.
316L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
317from different coroutines, however).
318 579
319=item $cv->broadcast 580The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
581fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
582versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
583C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
584coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
320 585
321Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further 586You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
322calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been 587only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
323called. If nobody is waiting the broadcast will be remembered.. 588time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
589waits otherwise.
590
591=item $bool = $cv->ready
592
593Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
594C<croak> have been called.
595
596=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback])
597
598This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
599replaces it before doing so.
600
601The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
602C<send> or C<croak> are called, with the only argument being the condition
603variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time
604is guaranteed not to block.
324 605
325=back 606=back
326
327Example:
328
329 # wait till the result is ready
330 my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
331
332 # do something such as adding a timer
333 # or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->broadcast
334 # when the "result" is ready.
335 # in this case, we simply use a timer:
336 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
337 after => 1,
338 cb => sub { $result_ready->broadcast },
339 );
340
341 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the watcher
342 # calls broadcast
343 $result_ready->wait;
344 607
345=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 608=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
346 609
347=over 4 610=over 4
348 611
354C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 617C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
355AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 618AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
356 619
357The known classes so far are: 620The known classes so far are:
358 621
359 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
360 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
361 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice). 622 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
362 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice. 623 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
624 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
363 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice. 625 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
364 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice. 626 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
365 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
366 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs). 627 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
367 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse. 628 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
368 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support. 629 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
369 630
370There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for 631There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
382Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 643Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
383if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 644if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
384have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 645have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
385runtime. 646runtime.
386 647
648=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
649
650Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
651autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
652
653If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
654that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
655L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
656
657=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
658
659If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
660before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
661the event loop has been chosen.
662
663You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
664if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected,
665and the array will be ignored.
666
667Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead.
668
387=back 669=back
388 670
389=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 671=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
390 672
391As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods 673As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods
394Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will 676Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will
395decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so 677decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so
396by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module 678by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module
397to load the event module first. 679to load the event module first.
398 680
399Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that 681Never call C<< ->recv >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that
400the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been called on it already. This is 682the C<< ->send >> method has been called on it already. This is
401because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using 683because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
402events is to stay interactive. 684events is to stay interactive.
403 685
404It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module 686It is fine, however, to call C<< ->recv >> when the user of your module
405requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method 687requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method
406called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->wait >> 688called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->recv >>
407freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always). 689freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).
408 690
409=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM 691=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
410 692
411There will always be a single main program - the only place that should 693There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
413 695
414If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not 696If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not
415do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent 697do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent
416decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it. 698decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.
417 699
418If the main program relies on a specific event model. For example, in 700If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in
419Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module. You should load the 701Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the
420event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally 702event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally
421speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that 703speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that
422modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will 704modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will
423decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it 705decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it
424might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself. 706might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.
425 707
426You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by 708You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
427loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar 709C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour
428behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better. 710everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
711
712=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION
713
714Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
715only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event loop.
716
717In that case, you can use a condition variable like this:
718
719 AnyEvent->condvar->recv;
720
721This has the effect of entering the event loop and looping forever.
722
723Note that usually your program has some exit condition, in which case
724it is better to use the "traditional" approach of storing a condition
725variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program should
726exit cleanly.
727
728
729=head1 OTHER MODULES
730
731The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
732AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules
733in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are
734available via CPAN.
735
736=over 4
737
738=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
739
740Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
741functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
742
743=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
744
745Provide read and write buffers and manages watchers for reads and writes.
746
747=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
748
749Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
750addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
751connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more.
752
753=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
754
755Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
756
757=item L<AnyEvent::HTTP>
758
759A simple-to-use HTTP library that is capable of making a lot of concurrent
760HTTP requests.
761
762=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
763
764Provides a simple web application server framework.
765
766=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
767
768The fastest ping in the west.
769
770=item L<Net::IRC3>
771
772AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
773
774=item L<Net::XMPP2>
775
776AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
777
778=item L<Net::FCP>
779
780AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
781of AnyEvent.
782
783=item L<Event::ExecFlow>
784
785High level API for event-based execution flow control.
786
787=item L<Coro>
788
789Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
790
791=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>, L<IO::AIO>
792
793Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
794programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses IO::AIO and AnyEvent
795together.
796
797=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>, L<BDB>
798
799Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses
800IO::AIO and AnyEvent together.
801
802=item L<IO::Lambda>
803
804The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
805
806=back
429 807
430=cut 808=cut
431 809
432package AnyEvent; 810package AnyEvent;
433 811
434no warnings; 812no warnings;
435use strict; 813use strict;
436 814
437use Carp; 815use Carp;
438 816
439our $VERSION = '3.3'; 817our $VERSION = 4.14;
440our $MODEL; 818our $MODEL;
441 819
442our $AUTOLOAD; 820our $AUTOLOAD;
443our @ISA; 821our @ISA;
444 822
823our @REGISTRY;
824
825our $WIN32;
826
827BEGIN {
828 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i);
829 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }";
830}
831
445our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 832our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
446 833
447our @REGISTRY; 834our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
835
836{
837 my $idx;
838 $PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx
839 for reverse split /\s*,\s*/,
840 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} || "ipv4,ipv6";
841}
448 842
449my @models = ( 843my @models = (
450 [Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
451 [Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
452 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::], 844 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],
453 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 845 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
454 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
455 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::],
456 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
457 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
458 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 846 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
459 # everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 847 # everything below here will not be autoprobed
848 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
849 # and is usually faster
850 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
851 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
460 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 852 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
461 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 853 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
462 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 854 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
855 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
856 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
463); 857);
464 858
465our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar broadcast wait one_event DESTROY); 859our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY);
860
861our @post_detect;
862
863sub post_detect(&) {
864 my ($cb) = @_;
865
866 if ($MODEL) {
867 $cb->();
868
869 1
870 } else {
871 push @post_detect, $cb;
872
873 defined wantarray
874 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect"
875 : ()
876 }
877}
878
879sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY {
880 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
881}
466 882
467sub detect() { 883sub detect() {
468 unless ($MODEL) { 884 unless ($MODEL) {
469 no strict 'refs'; 885 no strict 'refs';
886 local $SIG{__DIE__};
470 887
471 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) { 888 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
472 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1"; 889 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
473 if (eval "require $model") { 890 if (eval "require $model") {
474 $MODEL = $model; 891 $MODEL = $model;
504 last; 921 last;
505 } 922 }
506 } 923 }
507 924
508 $MODEL 925 $MODEL
509 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."; 926 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.";
510 } 927 }
511 } 928 }
512 929
513 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 930 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
514 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 931 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
932
933 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
515 } 934 }
516 935
517 $MODEL 936 $MODEL
518} 937}
519 938
529 $class->$func (@_); 948 $class->$func (@_);
530} 949}
531 950
532package AnyEvent::Base; 951package AnyEvent::Base;
533 952
953# default implementation for now and time
954
955use Time::HiRes ();
956
957sub time { Time::HiRes::time }
958sub now { Time::HiRes::time }
959
534# default implementation for ->condvar, ->wait, ->broadcast 960# default implementation for ->condvar
535 961
536sub condvar { 962sub condvar {
537 bless \my $flag, "AnyEvent::Base::CondVar" 963 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar::
538}
539
540sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::broadcast {
541 ${$_[0]}++;
542}
543
544sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::wait {
545 AnyEvent->one_event while !${$_[0]};
546} 964}
547 965
548# default implementation for ->signal 966# default implementation for ->signal
549 967
550our %SIG_CB; 968our %SIG_CB;
603 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1021 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
604 1022
605 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1023 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
606 1024
607 unless ($WNOHANG) { 1025 unless ($WNOHANG) {
608 $WNOHANG = eval { require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1026 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
609 } 1027 }
610 1028
611 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1029 unless ($CHLD_W) {
612 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1030 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
613 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1031 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
623 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1041 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
624 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1042 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
625 1043
626 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1044 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
627} 1045}
1046
1047package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1048
1049our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1050
1051package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
1052
1053use overload
1054 '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
1055 fallback => 1;
1056
1057sub _send {
1058 # nop
1059}
1060
1061sub send {
1062 my $cv = shift;
1063 $cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_];
1064 (delete $cv->{_ae_cb})->($cv) if $cv->{_ae_cb};
1065 $cv->_send;
1066}
1067
1068sub croak {
1069 $_[0]{_ae_croak} = $_[1];
1070 $_[0]->send;
1071}
1072
1073sub ready {
1074 $_[0]{_ae_sent}
1075}
1076
1077sub _wait {
1078 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
1079}
1080
1081sub recv {
1082 $_[0]->_wait;
1083
1084 Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak} if $_[0]{_ae_croak};
1085 wantarray ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} } : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0]
1086}
1087
1088sub cb {
1089 $_[0]{_ae_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1090 $_[0]{_ae_cb}
1091}
1092
1093sub begin {
1094 ++$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1095 $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1096}
1097
1098sub end {
1099 return if --$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1100 &{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} || sub { $_[0]->send } };
1101}
1102
1103# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1104*broadcast = \&send;
1105*wait = \&_wait;
628 1106
629=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1107=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
630 1108
631This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1109This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
632a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 1110a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
689model it chooses. 1167model it chooses.
690 1168
691=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL> 1169=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
692 1170
693This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before 1171This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
694autodetection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting 1172auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
695entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended 1173entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
696and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful, 1174and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
697used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with 1175used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
698autodetection and -probing. 1176auto detection and -probing.
699 1177
700This functionality might change in future versions. 1178This functionality might change in future versions.
701 1179
702For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you 1180For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
703could start your program like this: 1181could start your program like this:
704 1182
705 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ... 1183 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1184
1185=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1186
1187Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1188for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1189of auto probing).
1190
1191Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1192current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1193used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1194list.
1195
1196This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1197against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1198small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1199
1200Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1201but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1202- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1203addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1204IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1205
1206=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1207
1208Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1209for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1210some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1211default.
1212
1213Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1214EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1215
1216=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1217
1218The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1219will create in parallel.
706 1220
707=back 1221=back
708 1222
709=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1223=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
710 1224
711The following program uses an IO watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1225The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
712to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 1226to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
713program when the user enters quit: 1227program when the user enters quit:
714 1228
715 use AnyEvent; 1229 use AnyEvent;
716 1230
721 poll => 'r', 1235 poll => 'r',
722 cb => sub { 1236 cb => sub {
723 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r> 1237 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>
724 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line 1238 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line
725 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read 1239 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
726 $cv->broadcast if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i 1240 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
727 }, 1241 },
728 ); 1242 );
729 1243
730 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once 1244 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
731 1245
736 }); 1250 });
737 } 1251 }
738 1252
739 new_timer; # create first timer 1253 new_timer; # create first timer
740 1254
741 $cv->wait; # wait until user enters /^q/i 1255 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
742 1256
743=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE 1257=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
744 1258
745Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following 1259Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following
746API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http: 1260API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:
796 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request} 1310 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}
797 or die "connection or write error"; 1311 or die "connection or write error";
798 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r }); 1312 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });
799 1313
800Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the 1314Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the
801result and signals any possible waiters that the request ahs finished: 1315result and signals any possible waiters that the request has finished:
802 1316
803 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf}; 1317 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};
804 1318
805 if (end-of-file or data complete) { 1319 if (end-of-file or data complete) {
806 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf}; 1320 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};
807 $txn->{finished}->broadcast; 1321 $txn->{finished}->send;
808 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback 1322 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback
809 } 1323 }
810 1324
811The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the 1325The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the
812request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the 1326request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the
813data: 1327data:
814 1328
815 $txn->{finished}->wait; 1329 $txn->{finished}->recv;
816 return $txn->{result}; 1330 return $txn->{result};
817 1331
818The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions) 1332The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)
819that occured during request processing. The C<result> method detects 1333that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
820whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object) 1334whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)
821and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other 1335and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other
822problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a 1336problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a
823random callback. 1337random callback.
824 1338
855 1369
856 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar; 1370 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;
857 1371
858 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub { 1372 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {
859 ... 1373 ...
860 $quit->broadcast; 1374 $quit->send;
861 }); 1375 });
862 1376
863 $quit->wait; 1377 $quit->recv;
864 1378
865 1379
866=head1 BENCHMARK 1380=head1 BENCHMARKS
867 1381
868To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds 1382To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds
869over the event loops themselves (and to give you an impression of the 1383over the event loops themselves and to give you an impression of the speed
870speed of various event loops), here is a benchmark of various supported 1384of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
871event models natively and with anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of 1385
872timers (with a zero timeout) and io watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to 1386=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
1387
1388Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
1389through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
1390timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
873become writable, which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys 1391which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
874them again.
875 1392
1393Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
1394distribution.
1395
876=head2 Explanation of the columns 1396=head3 Explanation of the columns
877 1397
878I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since 1398I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
879different event models feature vastly different performances, each event 1399different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
880loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable 1400loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable
881and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib 1401and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib
891all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation 1411all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation
892and memory usage is not included in the figures. 1412and memory usage is not included in the figures.
893 1413
894I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple 1414I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple
895callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was 1415callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was
896invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to 1416invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->send >> a condvar once to
897signal the end of this phase. 1417signal the end of this phase.
898 1418
899I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single 1419I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single
900watcher. 1420watcher.
901 1421
902=head2 Results 1422=head3 Results
903 1423
904 name watcher bytes create invoke destroy comment 1424 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
905 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1425 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface
906 EV/Any 100000 610 3.52 0.91 0.75 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1426 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers
907 CoroEV/Any 100000 610 3.49 0.92 0.75 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1427 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal
908 Perl/Any 16000 654 4.64 1.22 0.77 pure perl implementation 1428 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation
909 Event/Event 16000 523 28.05 21.38 0.86 Event native interface 1429 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface
910 Event/Any 16000 943 34.43 20.48 1.39 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1430 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers
911 Glib/Any 16000 1357 96.99 12.55 55.51 quadratic behaviour 1431 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour
912 Tk/Any 2000 1855 27.01 66.61 14.03 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1432 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
913 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.15 768.19 14.33 via POE::Loop::Event 1433 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event
914 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.69 807.65 562.69 via POE::Loop::Select 1434 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select
915 1435
916=head2 Discussion 1436=head3 Discussion
917 1437
918The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1438The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
919well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1439well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
920can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of 1440can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of
921file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, only a single filehandle 1441file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, all events become ready at
922is used (although some of the AnyEvent adaptors dup() its file descriptor 1442the same time, so select/poll-based implementations get an unnatural speed
923to worka round bugs). 1443boost.
1444
1445Also, note that the number of watchers usually has a nonlinear effect on
1446overall speed, that is, creating twice as many watchers doesn't take twice
1447the time - usually it takes longer. This puts event loops tested with a
1448higher number of watchers at a disadvantage.
1449
1450To put the range of results into perspective, consider that on the
1451benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
1452EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 CPU
1453cycles with POE.
924 1454
925C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both 1455C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
926maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, there is 1456maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses
927only one event loop that uses less memory (the C<Event> module natively), and 1457far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event
928no faster event model, not event C<Event> natively. 1458natively.
929 1459
930The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the 1460The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
931zero timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl 1461constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl
932interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless tis shows that it 1462interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that it
933adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its 1463adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its
934performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors, of course, 1464performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
935but this was not subjetc of this benchmark. 1465them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
936 1466
937The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation cost, 1467The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
938but overall scores on the third place. 1468cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
939 1469
940C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit bit higher, but it features a 1470C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
941faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1471faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
942C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1472C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
943watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1473watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
944making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers 1474making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers
945(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so 1475(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so
948The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with 1478The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with
949more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes 1479more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes
950precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the 1480precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the
951file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup() 1481file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()
952employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a 1482employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a
953hidden memory cost inside the kernel, though). 1483hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures
1484above).
954 1485
955C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (wether using its pure perl 1486C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure perl
956select-based backend or the Event module) shows abysmal performance and 1487select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend couldn't
1488be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance and
957memory usage: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory as EV watchers, 1489memory usage with AnyEvent: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory
958and 10 times as much memory as both Event or EV via AnyEvent. Watcher 1490as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory
1491requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher
959invocation is almost 700 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl 1492invocation speed is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl
1493implementation.
1494
960implementation. The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not 1495The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not really account
961really account for this, as session creation overhead is small compared 1496for the performance issues, though, as session creation overhead is
962to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty optimally within 1497small compared to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty
963L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. POE simply seems to be abysmally slow. 1498optimally within L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE> (and while everybody agrees that
1499using multiple sessions is not a good approach, especially regarding
1500memory usage, even the author of POE could not come up with a faster
1501design).
964 1502
965=head2 Summary 1503=head3 Summary
966 1504
1505=over 4
1506
967Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop, but most 1507=item * Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop
968event loops have acceptable performance with or without AnyEvent. 1508(even when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable
1509performance with or without AnyEvent.
969 1510
970The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of 1511=item * The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of
971the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as the EV 1512the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as EV
972adds AnyEvent significant overhead. 1513adds AnyEvent significant overhead.
973 1514
974And you should simply avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or 1515=item * You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or
975reasonable memory usage. 1516reasonable memory usage.
976 1517
1518=back
1519
1520=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
1521
1522This benchmark actually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
1523creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socket pair, a
1524timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
1525watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
1526watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
1527
1528The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
1529are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
1530fds for each loop iteration, but which fds these are is random). The
1531timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
1532most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
1533
1534In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1535(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1536connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1537
1538Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1539distribution.
1540
1541=head3 Explanation of the columns
1542
1543I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1544each server has a read and write socket end).
1545
1546I<create> is the time it takes to create a socket pair (which is
1547nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
1548
1549I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
1550single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
1551it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1552a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1553
1554=head3 Results
1555
1556 name sockets create request
1557 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1558 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1559 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1560 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1561 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1562
1563=head3 Discussion
1564
1565This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1566particular event loop.
1567
1568EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1569is relatively high, though.
1570
1571Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1572loops Event and Glib.
1573
1574Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1575understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1576the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1577uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1578
1579Glib is hit hard by its quadratic behaviour w.r.t. many watchers. It
1580clearly fails to perform with many filehandles or in busy servers.
1581
1582POE is still completely out of the picture, taking over 1000 times as long
1583as EV, and over 100 times as long as the Perl implementation, even though
1584it uses a C-based event loop in this case.
1585
1586=head3 Summary
1587
1588=over 4
1589
1590=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well.
1591
1592=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.
1593
1594=back
1595
1596=head2 BENCHMARKING SMALL SERVERS
1597
1598While event loops should scale (and select-based ones do not...) even to
1599large servers, most programs we (or I :) actually write have only a few
1600I/O watchers.
1601
1602In this benchmark, I use the same benchmark program as in the large server
1603case, but it uses only eight "servers", of which three are active at any
1604one time. This should reflect performance for a small server relatively
1605well.
1606
1607The columns are identical to the previous table.
1608
1609=head3 Results
1610
1611 name sockets create request
1612 EV 16 20.00 6.54
1613 Perl 16 25.75 12.62
1614 Event 16 81.27 35.86
1615 Glib 16 32.63 15.48
1616 POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event
1617
1618=head3 Discussion
1619
1620The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small
1621server. While knowing how various event loops perform is interesting, keep
1622in mind that their overhead in this case is usually not as important, due
1623to the small absolute number of watchers (that is, you need efficiency and
1624speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
1625them).
1626
1627EV is again fastest.
1628
1629Perl again comes second. It is noticeably faster than the C-based event
1630loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
1631matter.
1632
1633POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
1634others.
1635
1636=head3 Summary
1637
1638=over 4
1639
1640=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1641watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1642
1643=back
1644
977 1645
978=head1 FORK 1646=head1 FORK
979 1647
980Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 1648Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
981because they are so inefficient. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 1649because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1650calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
982 1651
983If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 1652If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
984watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 1653watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.
985 1654
986 1655
994specified in the variable. 1663specified in the variable.
995 1664
996You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it 1665You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it
997before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a C<BEGIN> block: 1666before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a C<BEGIN> block:
998 1667
999 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} } 1668 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1000 1669
1001 use AnyEvent; 1670 use AnyEvent;
1671
1672Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1673be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1674probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL).
1002 1675
1003 1676
1004=head1 SEE ALSO 1677=head1 SEE ALSO
1005 1678
1006Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, 1679Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>.
1007L<Coro::Event>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Coro>, L<Tk>, 1680
1681Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>,
1008L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 1682L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1009 1683
1010Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, 1684Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1011L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, 1685L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1012L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, 1686L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1013L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 1687L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
1014 1688
1689Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1690servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>.
1691
1692Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1693
1694Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>,
1695
1015Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>. 1696Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1016 1697
1017 1698
1018=head1 AUTHOR 1699=head1 AUTHOR
1019 1700
1020 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1701 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1021 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1702 http://home.schmorp.de/
1022 1703
1023=cut 1704=cut
1024 1705
10251 17061
1026 1707

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