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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 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?
48isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are 48isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are
49I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use. 49I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.
50 50
51AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works 51AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
52fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together 52fine. 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 53with 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, 54your 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 55too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all
56event models it supports (including stuff like POE and IO::Async, as long 56event 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 57as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new
58event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof). 58event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
59 59
60In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event 60In 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 61model>, 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 62modules, 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 63follow. 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 64offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as
65technically possible. 65technically possible.
66 66
67Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox
68of useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100%
69non-blocking connects (even with TLS/SSL, IPv6 and on broken platforms
70such as Windows) and lots of real-world knowledge and workarounds for
71platform bugs and differences.
72
67Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat 73Now, 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 74useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
69model, you should I<not> use this module. 75model, you should I<not> use this module.
70
71 76
72=head1 DESCRIPTION 77=head1 DESCRIPTION
73 78
74L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This 79L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This
75allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module 80allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module
79The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event> 84The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>
80module. 85module.
81 86
82During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries 87During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
83to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the 88to 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>, 89following modules is already loaded: L<EV>,
85L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, 90L<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 91L<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 92to 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 93adaptor 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 94be 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 95found, AnyEvent will fall back to a pure-perl event loop, which is not
91very efficient, but should work everywhere. 96very efficient, but should work everywhere.
92 97
103starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to 108starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to
104use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly... 109use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly...
105 110
106The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called 111The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called
107C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it 112C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it
108explicitly. 113explicitly and enjoy the high availability of that event loop :)
109 114
110=head1 WATCHERS 115=head1 WATCHERS
111 116
112AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that 117AnyEvent 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 118stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
114the callback to call, the filehandle to watch, etc. 119the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
115 120
116These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 121These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
117creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 122creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
118callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 123callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
119is in control). 124is in control).
136 141
137Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl, 142Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl,
138my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are 143my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
139declared. 144declared.
140 145
141=head2 IO WATCHERS 146=head2 I/O WATCHERS
142 147
143You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 148You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
144with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 149with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
145 150
146C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for 151C<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 152for 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, 153which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events,
149respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle 154respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle
150becomes ready. 155becomes ready.
151 156
152As long as the I/O watcher exists it will keep the file descriptor or a 157Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
153copy of it alive/open. 158presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
159callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
154 160
161The 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 162You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on the
156on the underlying file descriptor. 163underlying file descriptor.
157 164
158Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should 165Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should
159always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file 166always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
160handles. 167handles.
161 168
172 179
173You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >> 180You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >>
174method with the following mandatory arguments: 181method with the following mandatory arguments:
175 182
176C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are 183C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are
177supported) should the timer activate. C<cb> the callback to invoke in that 184supported) the callback should be invoked. C<cb> is the callback to invoke
178case. 185in that case.
186
187Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
188presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
189callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
179 190
180The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating 191The 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 192timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk
182and Glib). 193and Glib).
183 194
228 239
229You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 240You 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 241I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to
231be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 242be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
232 243
244Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
245presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
246callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
247
233Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback 248Multiple signal occurrences can be clumped together into one callback
234invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means 249invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
235that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process, 250that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
236but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 251but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
237 252
238The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal 253The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
239between multiple watchers. 254between multiple watchers.
240 255
241This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals 256This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals
251 266
252The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 267The 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 268watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often
254as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 269as 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 270signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid
256and exit status (as returned by waitpid). 271and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types,
272you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments.
257 273
258Example: wait for pid 1333 274There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
275I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
276have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
277
278Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for
279event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be
280loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place).
281
282This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an
283AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you
284C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>).
285
286Example: fork a process and wait for it
287
288 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
289
290 my $pid = fork or exit 5;
259 291
260 my $w = AnyEvent->child ( 292 my $w = AnyEvent->child (
261 pid => 1333, 293 pid => $pid,
262 cb => sub { 294 cb => sub {
263 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 295 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
264 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status"; 296 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
297 $done->send;
265 }, 298 },
266 ); 299 );
267 300
301 # do something else, then wait for process exit
302 $done->recv;
303
268=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 304=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
269 305
306If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
307require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
308will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
309
310AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and
311will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
312
313The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
314because they represent a condition that must become true.
315
270Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >> 316Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
271method without any arguments. 317>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
318C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
319becomes true.
272 320
273A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<< 321After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
274->broadcast >> method has been called. 322by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
323were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
324->send >> method).
275 325
276They are very useful to signal that a condition has been fulfilled, for 326Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
327optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
328in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet
329another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can be
330used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and delivers
331a result.
332
333Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished,
277example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests, 334for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
278then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the 335then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the
279availability of results. 336availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is
337called or can synchronously C<< ->recv >> for the results.
280 338
281You can also use condition variables to block your main program until 339You can also use them to simulate traditional event loops - for example,
282an event occurs - for example, you could C<< ->wait >> in your main 340you 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<< 341could C<< ->recv >> in your main program until the user clicks the Quit
284->broadcast >> the "quit" event. 342button of your app, which would C<< ->send >> the "quit" event.
285 343
286Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have 344Note 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 345two 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 346lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but
289you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks, 347you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,
290as this asks for trouble. 348as this asks for trouble.
291 349
292This object has two methods: 350Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
351used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing
352easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
353AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call
354it's C<new> method in your own C<new> method.
355
356There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which
357eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits
358for the send to occur.
359
360Example: wait for a timer.
361
362 # wait till the result is ready
363 my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
364
365 # do something such as adding a timer
366 # or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send
367 # when the "result" is ready.
368 # in this case, we simply use a timer:
369 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
370 after => 1,
371 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
372 );
373
374 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
375 # calls send
376 $result_ready->recv;
377
378Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that
379condition variables are also code references.
380
381 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
382 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
383 $done->recv;
384
385=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
386
387These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
388code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
389the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
390uncommon for the consumer to create it as well.
293 391
294=over 4 392=over 4
295 393
394=item $cv->send (...)
395
396Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->recv >> and all further
397calls to C<recv> will (eventually) return after this method has been
398called. If nobody is waiting the send will be remembered.
399
400If a callback has been set on the condition variable, it is called
401immediately from within send.
402
403Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
404future C<< ->recv >> calls.
405
406Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly
407(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
408C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle
409overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
410instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
411support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
412invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
413example).
414
415=item $cv->croak ($error)
416
417Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
418C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
419
420This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
421user/consumer.
422
423=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
424
296=item $cv->wait 425=item $cv->end
297 426
298Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been 427These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
428
429These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
430one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
431to use a condition variable for the whole process.
432
433Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
434C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
435>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
436is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
437callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
438
439Let's clarify this with the ping example:
440
441 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
442
443 my %result;
444 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
445
446 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
447 $cv->begin;
448 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
449 $result{$host} = ...;
450 $cv->end;
451 };
452 }
453
454 $cv->end;
455
456This code fragment supposedly pings a number of hosts and calls
457C<send> after results for all then have have been gathered - in any
458order. To achieve this, the code issues a call to C<begin> when it starts
459each ping request and calls C<end> when it has received some result for
460it. Since C<begin> and C<end> only maintain a counter, the order in which
461results arrive is not relevant.
462
463There is an additional bracketing call to C<begin> and C<end> outside the
464loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
465to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
466C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
467doesn't execute once).
468
469This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests:
470use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end>
471is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call
472C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>.
473
474=back
475
476=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
477
478These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the
479code awaits the condition.
480
481=over 4
482
483=item $cv->recv
484
485Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
299called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally. 486>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
487normally.
300 488
301You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls will return 489You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
302immediately. 490will return immediately.
491
492If an error condition has been set by calling C<< ->croak >>, then this
493function will call C<croak>.
494
495In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
496in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
303 497
304Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 498Not 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 499(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 500using 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 501caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
308condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting 502condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
309callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block, 503callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
310while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires). 504while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
311 505
312Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot 506Another 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 507sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
314multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent> 508multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
315can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and 509can supply.
316L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
317from different coroutines, however).
318 510
319=item $cv->broadcast 511The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
512fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
513versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
514C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
515coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
320 516
321Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further 517You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
322calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been 518only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
323called. If nobody is waiting the broadcast will be remembered.. 519time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
520waits otherwise.
521
522=item $bool = $cv->ready
523
524Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
525C<croak> have been called.
526
527=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback])
528
529This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
530replaces it before doing so.
531
532The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
533C<send> or C<croak> are called. Calling C<recv> inside the callback
534or at any later time is guaranteed not to block.
324 535
325=back 536=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 $result_ready->wait;
344 537
345=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 538=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
346 539
347=over 4 540=over 4
348 541
354C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 547C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
355AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 548AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
356 549
357The known classes so far are: 550The known classes so far are:
358 551
359 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
360 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
361 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice). 552 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
362 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice. 553 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
554 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
363 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice. 555 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
364 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice. 556 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
365 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
366 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs). 557 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
367 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse. 558 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
368 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support. 559 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
369 560
370There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for 561There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
382Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 573Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
383if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 574if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
384have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 575have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
385runtime. 576runtime.
386 577
578=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
579
580Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
581autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
582
583If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
584that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
585L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
586
587=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
588
589If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
590before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
591the event loop has been chosen.
592
593You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
594if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected,
595and the array will be ignored.
596
597Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead.
598
387=back 599=back
388 600
389=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 601=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
390 602
391As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods 603As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods
394Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will 606Be 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 607decide 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 608by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module
397to load the event module first. 609to load the event module first.
398 610
399Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that 611Never call C<< ->recv >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that
400the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been called on it already. This is 612the C<< ->send >> method has been called on it already. This is
401because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using 613because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
402events is to stay interactive. 614events is to stay interactive.
403 615
404It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module 616It 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 617requests 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 >> 618called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->recv >>
407freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always). 619freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).
408 620
409=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM 621=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
410 622
411There will always be a single main program - the only place that should 623There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
413 625
414If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not 626If 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 627do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent
416decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it. 628decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.
417 629
418If the main program relies on a specific event model. For example, in 630If 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 631Gtk2 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 632event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally
421speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that 633speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that
422modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will 634modules 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 635decide 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. 636might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.
425 637
426You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by 638You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
427loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar 639C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour
428behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better. 640everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
641
642=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION
643
644Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
645only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event loop.
646
647In that case, you can use a condition variable like this:
648
649 AnyEvent->condvar->recv;
650
651This has the effect of entering the event loop and looping forever.
652
653Note that usually your program has some exit condition, in which case
654it is better to use the "traditional" approach of storing a condition
655variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program should
656exit cleanly.
657
658
659=head1 OTHER MODULES
660
661The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
662AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules
663in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are
664available via CPAN.
665
666=over 4
667
668=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
669
670Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
671functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
672
673=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
674
675Provide read and write buffers and manages watchers for reads and writes.
676
677=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
678
679Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
680addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
681connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more.
682
683=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
684
685Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
686
687=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
688
689Provides a simple web application server framework.
690
691=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
692
693The fastest ping in the west.
694
695=item L<Net::IRC3>
696
697AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
698
699=item L<Net::XMPP2>
700
701AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
702
703=item L<Net::FCP>
704
705AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
706of AnyEvent.
707
708=item L<Event::ExecFlow>
709
710High level API for event-based execution flow control.
711
712=item L<Coro>
713
714Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
715
716=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>, L<IO::AIO>
717
718Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
719programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses IO::AIO and AnyEvent
720together.
721
722=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>, L<BDB>
723
724Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses
725IO::AIO and AnyEvent together.
726
727=item L<IO::Lambda>
728
729The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
730
731=back
429 732
430=cut 733=cut
431 734
432package AnyEvent; 735package AnyEvent;
433 736
434no warnings; 737no warnings;
435use strict; 738use strict;
436 739
437use Carp; 740use Carp;
438 741
439our $VERSION = '3.3'; 742our $VERSION = '4.05';
440our $MODEL; 743our $MODEL;
441 744
442our $AUTOLOAD; 745our $AUTOLOAD;
443our @ISA; 746our @ISA;
444 747
748our @REGISTRY;
749
750our $WIN32;
751
752BEGIN {
753 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i);
754 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }";
755}
756
445our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 757our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
446 758
447our @REGISTRY; 759our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
760
761{
762 my $idx;
763 $PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx
764 for reverse split /\s*,\s*/,
765 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} || "ipv4,ipv6";
766}
448 767
449my @models = ( 768my @models = (
450 [Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
451 [Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
452 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::], 769 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],
453 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 770 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
454 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
455 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::],
456 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
457 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
458 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 771 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
459 # everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 772 # everything below here will not be autoprobed
773 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
774 # and is usually faster
775 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
776 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
460 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 777 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
461 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 778 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
462 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 779 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
780 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
781 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
463); 782);
464 783
465our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar broadcast wait one_event DESTROY); 784our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar one_event DESTROY);
785
786our @post_detect;
787
788sub post_detect(&) {
789 my ($cb) = @_;
790
791 if ($MODEL) {
792 $cb->();
793
794 1
795 } else {
796 push @post_detect, $cb;
797
798 defined wantarray
799 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect"
800 : ()
801 }
802}
803
804sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY {
805 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
806}
466 807
467sub detect() { 808sub detect() {
468 unless ($MODEL) { 809 unless ($MODEL) {
469 no strict 'refs'; 810 no strict 'refs';
811 local $SIG{__DIE__};
470 812
471 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) { 813 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
472 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1"; 814 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
473 if (eval "require $model") { 815 if (eval "require $model") {
474 $MODEL = $model; 816 $MODEL = $model;
504 last; 846 last;
505 } 847 }
506 } 848 }
507 849
508 $MODEL 850 $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."; 851 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.";
510 } 852 }
511 } 853 }
512 854
513 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 855 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
514 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 856 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
857
858 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
515 } 859 }
516 860
517 $MODEL 861 $MODEL
518} 862}
519 863
529 $class->$func (@_); 873 $class->$func (@_);
530} 874}
531 875
532package AnyEvent::Base; 876package AnyEvent::Base;
533 877
534# default implementation for ->condvar, ->wait, ->broadcast 878# default implementation for ->condvar
535 879
536sub condvar { 880sub condvar {
537 bless \my $flag, "AnyEvent::Base::CondVar" 881 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} 882}
547 883
548# default implementation for ->signal 884# default implementation for ->signal
549 885
550our %SIG_CB; 886our %SIG_CB;
603 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 939 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
604 940
605 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 941 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
606 942
607 unless ($WNOHANG) { 943 unless ($WNOHANG) {
608 $WNOHANG = eval { require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 944 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
609 } 945 }
610 946
611 unless ($CHLD_W) { 947 unless ($CHLD_W) {
612 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 948 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
613 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 949 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
623 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 959 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
624 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 960 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
625 961
626 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 962 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
627} 963}
964
965package AnyEvent::CondVar;
966
967our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
968
969package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
970
971use overload
972 '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
973 fallback => 1;
974
975sub _send {
976 # nop
977}
978
979sub send {
980 my $cv = shift;
981 $cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_];
982 (delete $cv->{_ae_cb})->($cv) if $cv->{_ae_cb};
983 $cv->_send;
984}
985
986sub croak {
987 $_[0]{_ae_croak} = $_[1];
988 $_[0]->send;
989}
990
991sub ready {
992 $_[0]{_ae_sent}
993}
994
995sub _wait {
996 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
997}
998
999sub recv {
1000 $_[0]->_wait;
1001
1002 Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak} if $_[0]{_ae_croak};
1003 wantarray ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} } : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0]
1004}
1005
1006sub cb {
1007 $_[0]{_ae_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1008 $_[0]{_ae_cb}
1009}
1010
1011sub begin {
1012 ++$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1013 $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1014}
1015
1016sub end {
1017 return if --$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1018 &{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} || sub { $_[0]->send } };
1019}
1020
1021# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1022*broadcast = \&send;
1023*wait = \&_wait;
628 1024
629=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1025=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
630 1026
631This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1027This 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 1028a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
689model it chooses. 1085model it chooses.
690 1086
691=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL> 1087=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
692 1088
693This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before 1089This 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 1090auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
695entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended 1091entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
696and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful, 1092and 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 1093used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
698autodetection and -probing. 1094auto detection and -probing.
699 1095
700This functionality might change in future versions. 1096This functionality might change in future versions.
701 1097
702For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you 1098For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
703could start your program like this: 1099could start your program like this:
704 1100
705 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ... 1101 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
706 1102
1103=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1104
1105Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1106for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1107of auto probing).
1108
1109Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1110current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1111used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1112list.
1113
1114This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1115against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1116small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1117
1118Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1119but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1120- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1121addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1122IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1123
1124=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1125
1126Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1127for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1128some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1129default.
1130
1131Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1132EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1133
1134=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1135
1136The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1137will create in parallel.
1138
707=back 1139=back
708 1140
709=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1141=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
710 1142
711The following program uses an IO watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1143The 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 1144to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
713program when the user enters quit: 1145program when the user enters quit:
714 1146
715 use AnyEvent; 1147 use AnyEvent;
716 1148
721 poll => 'r', 1153 poll => 'r',
722 cb => sub { 1154 cb => sub {
723 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r> 1155 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>
724 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line 1156 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line
725 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read 1157 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
726 $cv->broadcast if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i 1158 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
727 }, 1159 },
728 ); 1160 );
729 1161
730 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once 1162 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
731 1163
736 }); 1168 });
737 } 1169 }
738 1170
739 new_timer; # create first timer 1171 new_timer; # create first timer
740 1172
741 $cv->wait; # wait until user enters /^q/i 1173 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
742 1174
743=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE 1175=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
744 1176
745Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following 1177Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following
746API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http: 1178API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:
796 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request} 1228 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}
797 or die "connection or write error"; 1229 or die "connection or write error";
798 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r }); 1230 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });
799 1231
800Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the 1232Again, 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: 1233result and signals any possible waiters that the request has finished:
802 1234
803 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf}; 1235 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};
804 1236
805 if (end-of-file or data complete) { 1237 if (end-of-file or data complete) {
806 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf}; 1238 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};
807 $txn->{finished}->broadcast; 1239 $txn->{finished}->send;
808 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback 1240 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback
809 } 1241 }
810 1242
811The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the 1243The 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 1244request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the
813data: 1245data:
814 1246
815 $txn->{finished}->wait; 1247 $txn->{finished}->recv;
816 return $txn->{result}; 1248 return $txn->{result};
817 1249
818The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions) 1250The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)
819that occured during request processing. The C<result> method detects 1251that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
820whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object) 1252whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)
821and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other 1253and 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 1254problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a
823random callback. 1255random callback.
824 1256
855 1287
856 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar; 1288 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;
857 1289
858 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub { 1290 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {
859 ... 1291 ...
860 $quit->broadcast; 1292 $quit->send;
861 }); 1293 });
862 1294
863 $quit->wait; 1295 $quit->recv;
864 1296
865 1297
866=head1 BENCHMARK 1298=head1 BENCHMARKS
867 1299
868To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds 1300To 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 1301over 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 1302of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
871event models natively and with anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of 1303
872timers (with a zero timeout) and io watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to 1304=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
1305
1306Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
1307through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
1308timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
873become writable, which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys 1309which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
874them again.
875 1310
876Rewriting the benchmark to use many different sockets instead of using 1311Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
877the same filehandle for all io watchers results in a much longer runtime 1312distribution.
878(socket creation is expensive), but qualitatively the same figures, so it
879was not used.
880 1313
881=head2 Explanation of the columns 1314=head3 Explanation of the columns
882 1315
883I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since 1316I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
884different event models feature vastly different performances, each event 1317different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
885loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable 1318loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable
886and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib 1319and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib
896all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation 1329all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation
897and memory usage is not included in the figures. 1330and memory usage is not included in the figures.
898 1331
899I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple 1332I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple
900callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was 1333callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was
901invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to 1334invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->send >> a condvar once to
902signal the end of this phase. 1335signal the end of this phase.
903 1336
904I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single 1337I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single
905watcher. 1338watcher.
906 1339
907=head2 Results 1340=head3 Results
908 1341
909 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1342 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
910 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1343 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface
911 EV/Any 100000 610 3.52 0.91 0.75 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1344 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers
912 CoroEV/Any 100000 610 3.49 0.92 0.75 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1345 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal
913 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.91 0.92 1.15 pure perl implementation 1346 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation
914 Event/Event 16000 523 28.05 21.38 0.86 Event native interface 1347 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface
915 Event/Any 16000 943 34.43 20.48 1.39 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1348 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers
916 Glib/Any 16000 1357 96.99 12.55 55.51 quadratic behaviour 1349 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour
917 Tk/Any 2000 1855 27.01 66.61 14.03 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1350 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
918 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.15 768.19 14.33 via POE::Loop::Event 1351 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event
919 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.69 807.65 562.69 via POE::Loop::Select 1352 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select
920 1353
921=head2 Discussion 1354=head3 Discussion
922 1355
923The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1356The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
924well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1357well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
925can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of 1358can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of
926file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, only a single filehandle 1359file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, all events become ready at
927is used (although some of the AnyEvent adaptors dup() its file descriptor 1360the same time, so select/poll-based implementations get an unnatural speed
928to worka round bugs). 1361boost.
1362
1363Also, note that the number of watchers usually has a nonlinear effect on
1364overall speed, that is, creating twice as many watchers doesn't take twice
1365the time - usually it takes longer. This puts event loops tested with a
1366higher number of watchers at a disadvantage.
1367
1368To put the range of results into perspective, consider that on the
1369benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
1370EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 CPU
1371cycles with POE.
929 1372
930C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both 1373C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
931maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, there are 1374maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses
932only two event loops that use slightly less memory (the C<Event> module 1375far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event
933natively and the pure perl backend), and no faster event models, not even 1376natively.
934C<Event> natively.
935 1377
936The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the 1378The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
937zero timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl 1379constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl
938interpreter and the backend itself, and all watchers become ready at the 1380interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that it
939same time). Nevertheless this shows that it adds very little overhead in 1381adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its
940itself. Like any select-based backend its performance becomes really bad 1382performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
941with lots of file descriptors (and few of them active), of course, but 1383them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
942this was not subject of this benchmark.
943 1384
944The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation cost, 1385The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
945but overall scores on the third place. 1386cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
946 1387
947C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit bit higher, but it features a 1388C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
948faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1389faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
949C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1390C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
950watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1391watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
951making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers 1392making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers
952(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so 1393(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so
955The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with 1396The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with
956more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes 1397more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes
957precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the 1398precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the
958file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup() 1399file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()
959employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a 1400employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a
960hidden memory cost inside the kernel, though, that is not reflected in the 1401hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures
961figures above). 1402above).
962 1403
963C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (wether using its pure perl 1404C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure perl
964select-based backend or the Event module) shows abysmal performance and 1405select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend couldn't
1406be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance and
965memory usage: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory as EV watchers, 1407memory usage with AnyEvent: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory
966and 10 times as much memory as both Event or EV via AnyEvent. Watcher 1408as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory
1409requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher
967invocation is almost 700 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl 1410invocation speed is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl
1411implementation.
1412
968implementation. The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not 1413The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not really account
969really account for this, as session creation overhead is small compared 1414for the performance issues, though, as session creation overhead is
970to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty optimally within 1415small compared to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty
971L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. POE simply seems to be abysmally slow. 1416optimally within L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE> (and while everybody agrees that
1417using multiple sessions is not a good approach, especially regarding
1418memory usage, even the author of POE could not come up with a faster
1419design).
972 1420
973=head2 Summary 1421=head3 Summary
974 1422
1423=over 4
1424
975Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop, but most 1425=item * Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop
976event loops have acceptable performance with or without AnyEvent. 1426(even when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable
1427performance with or without AnyEvent.
977 1428
978The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of 1429=item * The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of
979the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as the EV 1430the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as EV
980adds AnyEvent significant overhead. 1431adds AnyEvent significant overhead.
981 1432
982And you should simply avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or 1433=item * You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or
983reasonable memory usage. 1434reasonable memory usage.
984 1435
1436=back
1437
1438=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
1439
1440This benchmark actually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
1441creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socket pair, a
1442timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
1443watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
1444watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
1445
1446The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
1447are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
1448fds for each loop iteration, but which fds these are is random). The
1449timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
1450most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
1451
1452In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1453(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1454connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1455
1456Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1457distribution.
1458
1459=head3 Explanation of the columns
1460
1461I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1462each server has a read and write socket end).
1463
1464I<create> is the time it takes to create a socket pair (which is
1465nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
1466
1467I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
1468single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
1469it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1470a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1471
1472=head3 Results
1473
1474 name sockets create request
1475 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1476 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1477 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1478 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1479 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1480
1481=head3 Discussion
1482
1483This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1484particular event loop.
1485
1486EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1487is relatively high, though.
1488
1489Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1490loops Event and Glib.
1491
1492Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1493understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1494the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1495uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1496
1497Glib is hit hard by its quadratic behaviour w.r.t. many watchers. It
1498clearly fails to perform with many filehandles or in busy servers.
1499
1500POE is still completely out of the picture, taking over 1000 times as long
1501as EV, and over 100 times as long as the Perl implementation, even though
1502it uses a C-based event loop in this case.
1503
1504=head3 Summary
1505
1506=over 4
1507
1508=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well.
1509
1510=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.
1511
1512=back
1513
1514=head2 BENCHMARKING SMALL SERVERS
1515
1516While event loops should scale (and select-based ones do not...) even to
1517large servers, most programs we (or I :) actually write have only a few
1518I/O watchers.
1519
1520In this benchmark, I use the same benchmark program as in the large server
1521case, but it uses only eight "servers", of which three are active at any
1522one time. This should reflect performance for a small server relatively
1523well.
1524
1525The columns are identical to the previous table.
1526
1527=head3 Results
1528
1529 name sockets create request
1530 EV 16 20.00 6.54
1531 Perl 16 25.75 12.62
1532 Event 16 81.27 35.86
1533 Glib 16 32.63 15.48
1534 POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event
1535
1536=head3 Discussion
1537
1538The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small
1539server. While knowing how various event loops perform is interesting, keep
1540in mind that their overhead in this case is usually not as important, due
1541to the small absolute number of watchers (that is, you need efficiency and
1542speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
1543them).
1544
1545EV is again fastest.
1546
1547Perl again comes second. It is noticeably faster than the C-based event
1548loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
1549matter.
1550
1551POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
1552others.
1553
1554=head3 Summary
1555
1556=over 4
1557
1558=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1559watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1560
1561=back
1562
985 1563
986=head1 FORK 1564=head1 FORK
987 1565
988Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 1566Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
989because they are so inefficient. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 1567because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1568calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
990 1569
991If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 1570If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
992watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 1571watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.
993 1572
994 1573
1006 1585
1007 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} } 1586 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1008 1587
1009 use AnyEvent; 1588 use AnyEvent;
1010 1589
1590Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1591be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1592probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL).
1593
1011 1594
1012=head1 SEE ALSO 1595=head1 SEE ALSO
1013 1596
1014Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, 1597Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>.
1015L<Coro::Event>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Coro>, L<Tk>, 1598
1599Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>,
1016L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 1600L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1017 1601
1018Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, 1602Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1019L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, 1603L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1020L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, 1604L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1021L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 1605L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
1022 1606
1607Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1608servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>.
1609
1610Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1611
1612Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>,
1613
1023Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>. 1614Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1024 1615
1025 1616
1026=head1 AUTHOR 1617=head1 AUTHOR
1027 1618
1028 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1619 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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