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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->wait; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->broadcast 20 $w->wait; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
21 $w->broadcast; # wake up current and all future wait's 21 $w->send; # 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
25Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen 25Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
26nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent? 26nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
66 66
67Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat 67Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat
68useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event 68useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
69model, you should I<not> use this module. 69model, you should I<not> use this module.
70 70
71
72=head1 DESCRIPTION 71=head1 DESCRIPTION
73 72
74L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This 73L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This
75allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module 74allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module
76users to use the same event loop (as only a single event loop can coexist 75users to use the same event loop (as only a single event loop can coexist
79The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event> 78The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>
80module. 79module.
81 80
82During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries 81During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
83to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the 82to 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>, 83following modules is already loaded: L<EV>,
85L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, 84L<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 85L<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 86to 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 87adaptor 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 88be 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 89found, AnyEvent will fall back to a pure-perl event loop, which is not
91very efficient, but should work everywhere. 90very efficient, but should work everywhere.
92 91
136 135
137Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl, 136Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl,
138my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are 137my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
139declared. 138declared.
140 139
141=head2 IO WATCHERS 140=head2 I/O WATCHERS
142 141
143You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 142You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
144with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 143with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
145 144
146C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for 145C<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 146for 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, 147which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events,
149respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle 148respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle
150becomes ready. 149becomes ready.
151 150
152As long as the I/O watcher exists it will keep the file descriptor or a 151Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
153copy of it alive/open. 152presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
153callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
154 154
155The 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 156You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on the
156on the underlying file descriptor. 157underlying file descriptor.
157 158
158Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should 159Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should
159always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file 160always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
160handles. 161handles.
161 162
172 173
173You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >> 174You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >>
174method with the following mandatory arguments: 175method with the following mandatory arguments:
175 176
176C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are 177C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are
177supported) should the timer activate. C<cb> the callback to invoke in that 178supported) the callback should be invoked. C<cb> is the callback to invoke
178case. 179in that case.
180
181Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
182presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
183callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
179 184
180The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating 185The 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 186timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk
182and Glib). 187and Glib).
183 188
228 233
229You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 234You 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 235I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to
231be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 236be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
232 237
238Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
239presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
240callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
241
233Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback 242Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback
234invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means 243invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means
235that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process, 244that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
236but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 245but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
237 246
251 260
252The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 261The 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 262watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often
254as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 263as 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 264signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid
256and exit status (as returned by waitpid). 265and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types,
266you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments.
257 267
258Example: wait for pid 1333 268There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
269I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
270have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
271
272Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for
273event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be
274loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place).
275
276This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an
277AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you
278C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>).
279
280Example: fork a process and wait for it
281
282 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
283
284 AnyEvent::detect; # force event module to be initialised
285
286 my $pid = fork or exit 5;
259 287
260 my $w = AnyEvent->child ( 288 my $w = AnyEvent->child (
261 pid => 1333, 289 pid => $pid,
262 cb => sub { 290 cb => sub {
263 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 291 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
264 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status"; 292 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
293 $done->send;
265 }, 294 },
266 ); 295 );
267 296
297 # do something else, then wait for process exit
298 $done->wait;
299
268=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 300=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
269 301
302If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
303require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
304will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
305
306AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and
307will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
308
309The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
310because they represent a condition that must become true.
311
270Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >> 312Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
271method without any arguments. 313>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
314C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
315becomes true.
272 316
273A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<< 317After creation, the conditon variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
274->broadcast >> method has been called. 318by calling the C<send> method.
275 319
276They are very useful to signal that a condition has been fulfilled, for 320Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
321optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
322in time where multiple outstandign events have been processed. And yet
323another way to call them is transations - each condition variable can be
324used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and delivers
325a result.
326
327Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished,
277example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests, 328for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
278then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the 329then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the
279availability of results. 330availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is
331called or can synchronously C<< ->wait >> for the results.
280 332
281You can also use condition variables to block your main program until 333You can also use them to simulate traditional event loops - for example,
282an event occurs - for example, you could C<< ->wait >> in your main 334you 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<< 335could C<< ->wait >> in your main program until the user clicks the Quit
284->broadcast >> the "quit" event. 336button of your app, which would C<< ->send >> the "quit" event.
285 337
286Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have 338Note 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 339two pieces of code that call C<< ->wait >> in a round-robbin fashion, you
288lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but 340lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but
289you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks, 341you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,
290as this asks for trouble. 342as this asks for trouble.
291 343
292This object has two methods: 344Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
345used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing
346easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
347AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call
348it's C<new> method in your own C<new> method.
349
350There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which
351eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits
352for the send to occur.
353
354Example:
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->wait;
371
372=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
373
374These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
375code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
376the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
377uncommon for the consumer to create it as well.
293 378
294=over 4 379=over 4
295 380
381=item $cv->send (...)
382
383Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further
384calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been
385called. If nobody is waiting the send will be remembered.
386
387If a callback has been set on the condition variable, it is called
388immediately from within send.
389
390Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
391future C<< ->wait >> calls.
392
393=item $cv->croak ($error)
394
395Similar to send, but causes all call's wait C<< ->wait >> to invoke
396C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
397
398This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
399user/consumer.
400
401=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
402
403=item $cv->end
404
405These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
406one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
407to use a condition variable for the whole process.
408
409Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
410C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
411>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
412is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
413callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
414
415Let's clarify this with the ping example:
416
417 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
418
419 my %result;
420 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
421
422 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
423 $cv->begin;
424 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
425 $result{$host} = ...;
426 $cv->end;
427 };
428 }
429
430 $cv->end;
431
432This code fragment supposedly pings a number of hosts and calls
433C<send> after results for all then have have been gathered - in any
434order. To achieve this, the code issues a call to C<begin> when it starts
435each ping request and calls C<end> when it has received some result for
436it. Since C<begin> and C<end> only maintain a counter, the order in which
437results arrive is not relevant.
438
439There is an additional bracketing call to C<begin> and C<end> outside the
440loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
441to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
442C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
443doesn't execute once).
444
445This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests:
446use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end>
447is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call
448C<begin> and for eahc subrequest you finish, call C<end>.
449
450=back
451
452=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
453
454These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the
455code awaits the condition.
456
457=over 4
458
296=item $cv->wait 459=item $cv->wait
297 460
298Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been 461Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
299called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally. 462>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
463normally.
300 464
301You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls will return 465You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
302immediately. 466will return immediately.
467
468If an error condition has been set by calling C<< ->croak >>, then this
469function will call C<croak>.
470
471In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
472in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
303 473
304Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 474Not 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 475(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 476using 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 477caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
310while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires). 480while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
311 481
312Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot 482Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot
313sensibly have two C<< ->wait >>'s in parallel, as that would require 483sensibly have two C<< ->wait >>'s in parallel, as that would require
314multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent> 484multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
315can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and 485can supply.
316L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
317from different coroutines, however).
318 486
319=item $cv->broadcast 487The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
488fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
489versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
490C<< ->wait >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
491coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
320 492
321Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further 493You can ensure that C<< -wait >> never blocks by setting a callback and
322calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been 494only calling C<< ->wait >> from within that callback (or at a later
323called. If nobody is waiting the broadcast will be remembered.. 495time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
496waits otherwise.
497
498=item $bool = $cv->ready
499
500Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
501C<croak> have been called.
502
503=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback])
504
505This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
506replaces it before doing so.
507
508The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
509C<send> or C<croak> are called. Calling C<wait> inside the callback
510or at any later time is guaranteed not to block.
324 511
325=back 512=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 $result_ready->wait;
344 513
345=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 514=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
346 515
347=over 4 516=over 4
348 517
354C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 523C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
355AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 524AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
356 525
357The known classes so far are: 526The known classes so far are:
358 527
359 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
360 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
361 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice). 528 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
362 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice. 529 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
530 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
363 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice. 531 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
364 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice. 532 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
365 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
366 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs). 533 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
367 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse. 534 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
368 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support. 535 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
369 536
370There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for 537There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
382Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 549Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
383if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 550if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
384have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 551have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
385runtime. 552runtime.
386 553
554=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
555
556Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
557autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
558
559If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
560that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
561L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
562
563=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
564
565If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
566before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
567the event loop has been chosen.
568
569You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
570if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected,
571and the array will be ignored.
572
573Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead.
574
387=back 575=back
388 576
389=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 577=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
390 578
391As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods 579As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods
395decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so 583decide 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 584by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module
397to load the event module first. 585to load the event module first.
398 586
399Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that 587Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that
400the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been called on it already. This is 588the C<< ->send >> method has been called on it already. This is
401because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using 589because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
402events is to stay interactive. 590events is to stay interactive.
403 591
404It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module 592It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module
405requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method 593requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method
425 613
426You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by 614You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by
427loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar 615loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar
428behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better. 616behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better.
429 617
618=head1 OTHER MODULES
619
620The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
621AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules
622in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are
623available via CPAN.
624
625=over 4
626
627=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
628
629Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
630functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
631
632=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
633
634Provide read and write buffers and manages watchers for reads and writes.
635
636=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
637
638Provides a means to do non-blocking connects, accepts etc.
639
640=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
641
642Provides a simple web application server framework.
643
644=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
645
646Provides asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities, beyond what
647L<AnyEvent::Util> offers.
648
649=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
650
651The fastest ping in the west.
652
653=item L<Net::IRC3>
654
655AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
656
657=item L<Net::XMPP2>
658
659AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
660
661=item L<Net::FCP>
662
663AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
664of AnyEvent.
665
666=item L<Event::ExecFlow>
667
668High level API for event-based execution flow control.
669
670=item L<Coro>
671
672Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
673
674=item L<IO::Lambda>
675
676The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
677
678=item L<IO::AIO>
679
680Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
681programmer. Can be trivially made to use AnyEvent.
682
683=item L<BDB>
684
685Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. Can be trivially made to use
686AnyEvent.
687
688=back
689
430=cut 690=cut
431 691
432package AnyEvent; 692package AnyEvent;
433 693
434no warnings; 694no warnings;
435use strict; 695use strict;
436 696
437use Carp; 697use Carp;
438 698
439our $VERSION = '3.3'; 699our $VERSION = '3.4';
440our $MODEL; 700our $MODEL;
441 701
442our $AUTOLOAD; 702our $AUTOLOAD;
443our @ISA; 703our @ISA;
444 704
445our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 705our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
446 706
447our @REGISTRY; 707our @REGISTRY;
448 708
449my @models = ( 709my @models = (
450 [Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
451 [Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
452 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::], 710 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],
453 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 711 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
454 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
455 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], 712 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::],
456 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 713 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
457 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 714 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
458 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 715 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
459 # everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 716 # everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
717 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
460 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 718 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
461 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 719 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
462 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 720 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
463); 721);
464 722
465our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar broadcast wait one_event DESTROY); 723our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar one_event DESTROY);
724
725our @post_detect;
726
727sub post_detect(&) {
728 my ($cb) = @_;
729
730 if ($MODEL) {
731 $cb->();
732
733 1
734 } else {
735 push @post_detect, $cb;
736
737 defined wantarray
738 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::Guard"
739 : ()
740 }
741}
742
743sub AnyEvent::Util::Guard::DESTROY {
744 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
745}
466 746
467sub detect() { 747sub detect() {
468 unless ($MODEL) { 748 unless ($MODEL) {
469 no strict 'refs'; 749 no strict 'refs';
470 750
504 last; 784 last;
505 } 785 }
506 } 786 }
507 787
508 $MODEL 788 $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."; 789 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.";
510 } 790 }
511 } 791 }
512 792
513 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 793 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
514 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 794 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
795
796 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
515 } 797 }
516 798
517 $MODEL 799 $MODEL
518} 800}
519 801
706 988
707=back 989=back
708 990
709=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 991=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
710 992
711The following program uses an IO watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 993The 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 994to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
713program when the user enters quit: 995program when the user enters quit:
714 996
715 use AnyEvent; 997 use AnyEvent;
716 998
861 }); 1143 });
862 1144
863 $quit->wait; 1145 $quit->wait;
864 1146
865 1147
866=head1 BENCHMARK 1148=head1 BENCHMARKS
867 1149
868To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds 1150To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds
869over the event loops directly, here is a benchmark of various supported 1151over the event loops themselves and to give you an impression of the speed
870event models natively and with anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of 1152of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
871timers (with a zero timeout) and io watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to 1153
1154=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
1155
1156Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
1157through anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
1158timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
872become writable, which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys 1159which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
873them again.
874 1160
1161Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
1162distribution.
1163
875=head2 Explanation of the columns 1164=head3 Explanation of the columns
876 1165
877I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since 1166I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
878different event models feature vastly different performances, each event 1167different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
879loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable 1168loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable
880and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib 1169and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib
893I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple 1182I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple
894callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was 1183callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was
895invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to 1184invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to
896signal the end of this phase. 1185signal the end of this phase.
897 1186
898I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes destroy a single 1187I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single
899watcher. 1188watcher.
900 1189
901=head2 Results 1190=head3 Results
902 1191
903 name watcher bytes create invoke destroy comment 1192 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
904 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1193 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface
905 EV/Any 100000 610 3.52 0.91 0.75 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1194 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers
906 CoroEV/Any 100000 610 3.49 0.92 0.75 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1195 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal
907 Perl/Any 16000 654 4.64 1.22 0.77 pure perl implementation 1196 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation
908 Event/Event 16000 523 28.05 21.38 0.86 Event native interface 1197 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface
909 Event/Any 16000 943 34.43 20.48 1.39 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1198 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers
910 Glib/Any 16000 1357 96.99 12.55 55.51 quadratic behaviour 1199 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour
911 Tk/Any 2000 1855 27.01 66.61 14.03 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1200 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
912 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.15 768.19 14.33 via POE::Loop::Event 1201 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event
913 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.69 807.65 562.69 via POE::Loop::Select 1202 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select
914 1203
915=head2 Discussion 1204=head3 Discussion
916 1205
917The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1206The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
918well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1207well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
919can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of 1208can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of
920file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, only a single filehandle 1209file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, all events become ready at
921is used (although some of the AnyEvent adaptors dup() its file descriptor 1210the same time, so select/poll-based implementations get an unnatural speed
922to worka round bugs). 1211boost.
1212
1213Also, note that the number of watchers usually has a nonlinear effect on
1214overall speed, that is, creating twice as many watchers doesn't take twice
1215the time - usually it takes longer. This puts event loops tested with a
1216higher number of watchers at a disadvantage.
1217
1218To put the range of results into perspective, consider that on the
1219benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
1220EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 CPU
1221cycles with POE.
923 1222
924C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both 1223C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
925maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, there is 1224maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses
926only one event loop that uses less memory (the C<Event> module natively), and 1225far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event
927no faster event model, not event C<Event> natively. 1226natively.
928 1227
929The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the 1228The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
930zero timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl 1229constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl
931interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless tis shows that it 1230interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that it
932adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its 1231adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its
933performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors, of course, 1232performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
934but this was not subjetc of this benchmark. 1233them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
935 1234
936The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation cost, 1235The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
937but overall scores on the third place. 1236cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
938 1237
939C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit bit higher, features a faster 1238C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
940callback invocation and overall lands in the same class as C<Event>. 1239faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1240C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1241watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1242making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers
1243(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so
1244inefficiencies of C<poll> do not account for this).
941 1245
942The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well, the fact that it crashes with 1246The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with
943more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes 1247more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes
944precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the 1248precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the
945file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup() 1249file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()
946employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a 1250employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a
947hidden memory cost inside the kernel, though). 1251hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures
1252above).
948 1253
949C<POE>, regardless of backend (wether using its pure perl select-based 1254C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure perl
950backend or the Event backend) shows abysmal performance and memory 1255select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend couldn't
951usage: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory as EV watchers, and 10 1256be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance and
952times as much memory as both Event or EV via AnyEvent. Watcher invocation 1257memory usage with AnyEvent: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory
953is almost 700 times slower as with AnyEvent's pure perl implementation. 1258as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory
1259requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher
1260invocation speed is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl
1261implementation.
954 1262
1263The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not really account
1264for the performance issues, though, as session creation overhead is
1265small compared to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty
1266optimally within L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE> (and while everybody agrees that
1267using multiple sessions is not a good approach, especially regarding
1268memory usage, even the author of POE could not come up with a faster
1269design).
1270
1271=head3 Summary
1272
1273=over 4
1274
955Summary: using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event 1275=item * Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop
956loop. The overhead AnyEvent adds can be very small, and you should avoid 1276(even when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable
957POE like the plague if you want performance or reasonable memory usage. 1277performance with or without AnyEvent.
1278
1279=item * The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of
1280the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as EV
1281adds AnyEvent significant overhead.
1282
1283=item * You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or
1284reasonable memory usage.
1285
1286=back
1287
1288=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
1289
1290This benchmark atcually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
1291creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socketpair, a
1292timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
1293watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
1294watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
1295
1296The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
1297are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
1298fds for each loop iterstaion, but which fds these are is random). The
1299timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
1300most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
1301
1302In this benchmark, we use 10000 socketpairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1303(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1304connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1305
1306Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1307distribution.
1308
1309=head3 Explanation of the columns
1310
1311I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1312each server has a read and write socket end).
1313
1314I<create> is the time it takes to create a socketpair (which is
1315nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
1316
1317I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
1318single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
1319it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1320a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1321
1322=head3 Results
1323
1324 name sockets create request
1325 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1326 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1327 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1328 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1329 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1330
1331=head3 Discussion
1332
1333This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1334particular event loop.
1335
1336EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1337is relatively high, though.
1338
1339Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1340loops Event and Glib.
1341
1342Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1343understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1344the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1345uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1346
1347Glib is hit hard by its quadratic behaviour w.r.t. many watchers. It
1348clearly fails to perform with many filehandles or in busy servers.
1349
1350POE is still completely out of the picture, taking over 1000 times as long
1351as EV, and over 100 times as long as the Perl implementation, even though
1352it uses a C-based event loop in this case.
1353
1354=head3 Summary
1355
1356=over 4
1357
1358=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well.
1359
1360=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.
1361
1362=back
1363
1364=head2 BENCHMARKING SMALL SERVERS
1365
1366While event loops should scale (and select-based ones do not...) even to
1367large servers, most programs we (or I :) actually write have only a few
1368I/O watchers.
1369
1370In this benchmark, I use the same benchmark program as in the large server
1371case, but it uses only eight "servers", of which three are active at any
1372one time. This should reflect performance for a small server relatively
1373well.
1374
1375The columns are identical to the previous table.
1376
1377=head3 Results
1378
1379 name sockets create request
1380 EV 16 20.00 6.54
1381 Perl 16 25.75 12.62
1382 Event 16 81.27 35.86
1383 Glib 16 32.63 15.48
1384 POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event
1385
1386=head3 Discussion
1387
1388The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small
1389server. While knowing how various event loops perform is interesting, keep
1390in mind that their overhead in this case is usually not as important, due
1391to the small absolute number of watchers (that is, you need efficiency and
1392speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
1393them).
1394
1395EV is again fastest.
1396
1397Perl again comes second. It is noticably faster than the C-based event
1398loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
1399matter.
1400
1401POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
1402others.
1403
1404=head3 Summary
1405
1406=over 4
1407
1408=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1409watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1410
1411=back
958 1412
959 1413
960=head1 FORK 1414=head1 FORK
961 1415
962Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 1416Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
963because they are so inefficient. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 1417because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1418calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
964 1419
965If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 1420If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
966watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 1421watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.
967 1422
968 1423
980 1435
981 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} } 1436 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
982 1437
983 use AnyEvent; 1438 use AnyEvent;
984 1439
1440Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1441be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1442probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL).
1443
985 1444
986=head1 SEE ALSO 1445=head1 SEE ALSO
987 1446
988Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, 1447Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>,
989L<Coro::Event>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Coro>, L<Tk>,
990L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 1448L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
991 1449
992Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, 1450Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
993L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, 1451L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
994L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, 1452L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
995L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 1453L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
1454
1455Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>,
996 1456
997Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>. 1457Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>.
998 1458
999 1459
1000=head1 AUTHOR 1460=head1 AUTHOR

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