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Revision 1.138 by root, Mon May 26 05:09:53 2008 UTC

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?
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, 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
71 70
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
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
109 108
110=head1 WATCHERS 109=head1 WATCHERS
111 110
112AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that 111AnyEvent 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 112stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
114the callback to call, the filehandle to watch, etc. 113the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
115 114
116These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 115These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
117creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 116creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
118callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 117callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
119is in control). 118is in control).
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 occurrences 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 guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
237 246
238The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal 247The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
239between multiple watchers. 248between multiple watchers.
240 249
241This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals 250This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals
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 my $pid = fork or exit 5;
259 285
260 my $w = AnyEvent->child ( 286 my $w = AnyEvent->child (
261 pid => 1333, 287 pid => $pid,
262 cb => sub { 288 cb => sub {
263 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 289 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
264 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status"; 290 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
291 $done->send;
265 }, 292 },
266 ); 293 );
267 294
295 # do something else, then wait for process exit
296 $done->recv;
297
268=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 298=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
269 299
300If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
301require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
302will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
303
304AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and
305will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
306
307The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
308because they represent a condition that must become true.
309
270Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >> 310Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
271method without any arguments. 311>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
312C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
313becomes true.
272 314
273A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<< 315After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
274->broadcast >> method has been called. 316by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
317were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
318->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 outstanding events have been processed. And yet
323another way to call them is transactions - 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<< ->recv >> 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<< ->recv >> 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<< ->recv >> in a round-robin 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: wait for a timer.
355
356 # wait till the result is ready
357 my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
358
359 # do something such as adding a timer
360 # or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send
361 # when the "result" is ready.
362 # in this case, we simply use a timer:
363 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
364 after => 1,
365 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
366 );
367
368 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
369 # calls send
370 $result_ready->recv;
371
372Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that
373condition variables are also code references.
374
375 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
376 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
377 $done->recv;
378
379=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
380
381These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
382code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
383the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
384uncommon for the consumer to create it as well.
293 385
294=over 4 386=over 4
295 387
388=item $cv->send (...)
389
390Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->recv >> and all further
391calls to C<recv> will (eventually) return after this method has been
392called. If nobody is waiting the send will be remembered.
393
394If a callback has been set on the condition variable, it is called
395immediately from within send.
396
397Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
398future C<< ->recv >> calls.
399
400Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly
401(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
402C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle
403overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
404instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
405support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
406invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
407example).
408
409=item $cv->croak ($error)
410
411Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
412C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
413
414This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
415user/consumer.
416
417=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
418
296=item $cv->wait 419=item $cv->end
297 420
298Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been 421These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
422
423These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
424one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
425to use a condition variable for the whole process.
426
427Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
428C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
429>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
430is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
431callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
432
433Let's clarify this with the ping example:
434
435 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
436
437 my %result;
438 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
439
440 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
441 $cv->begin;
442 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
443 $result{$host} = ...;
444 $cv->end;
445 };
446 }
447
448 $cv->end;
449
450This code fragment supposedly pings a number of hosts and calls
451C<send> after results for all then have have been gathered - in any
452order. To achieve this, the code issues a call to C<begin> when it starts
453each ping request and calls C<end> when it has received some result for
454it. Since C<begin> and C<end> only maintain a counter, the order in which
455results arrive is not relevant.
456
457There is an additional bracketing call to C<begin> and C<end> outside the
458loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
459to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
460C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
461doesn't execute once).
462
463This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests:
464use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end>
465is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call
466C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>.
467
468=back
469
470=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
471
472These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the
473code awaits the condition.
474
475=over 4
476
477=item $cv->recv
478
479Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
299called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally. 480>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
481normally.
300 482
301You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls will return 483You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
302immediately. 484will return immediately.
485
486If an error condition has been set by calling C<< ->croak >>, then this
487function will call C<croak>.
488
489In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
490in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
303 491
304Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 492Not 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 493(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 494using 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 495caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
308condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting 496condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
309callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block, 497callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
310while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires). 498while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
311 499
312Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot 500Another 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 501sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
314multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent> 502multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
315can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and 503can supply.
316L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
317from different coroutines, however).
318 504
319=item $cv->broadcast 505The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
506fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
507versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
508C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
509coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
320 510
321Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further 511You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
322calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been 512only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
323called. If nobody is waiting the broadcast will be remembered.. 513time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
514waits otherwise.
515
516=item $bool = $cv->ready
517
518Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
519C<croak> have been called.
520
521=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback])
522
523This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
524replaces it before doing so.
525
526The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
527C<send> or C<croak> are called. Calling C<recv> inside the callback
528or at any later time is guaranteed not to block.
324 529
325=back 530=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 $result_ready->wait;
344 531
345=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 532=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
346 533
347=over 4 534=over 4
348 535
354C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 541C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
355AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 542AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
356 543
357The known classes so far are: 544The known classes so far are:
358 545
359 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
360 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
361 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice). 546 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
362 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice. 547 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
548 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
363 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice. 549 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
364 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice. 550 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
365 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
366 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs). 551 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
367 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse. 552 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
368 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support. 553 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
369 554
370There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for 555There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
382Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 567Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
383if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 568if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
384have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 569have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
385runtime. 570runtime.
386 571
572=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
573
574Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
575autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
576
577If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
578that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
579L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
580
581=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
582
583If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
584before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
585the event loop has been chosen.
586
587You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
588if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected,
589and the array will be ignored.
590
591Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead.
592
387=back 593=back
388 594
389=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 595=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
390 596
391As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods 597As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods
394Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will 600Be 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 601decide 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 602by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module
397to load the event module first. 603to load the event module first.
398 604
399Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that 605Never call C<< ->recv >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that
400the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been called on it already. This is 606the C<< ->send >> method has been called on it already. This is
401because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using 607because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
402events is to stay interactive. 608events is to stay interactive.
403 609
404It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module 610It 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 611requests 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 >> 612called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->recv >>
407freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always). 613freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).
408 614
409=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM 615=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
410 616
411There will always be a single main program - the only place that should 617There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
413 619
414If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not 620If 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 621do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent
416decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it. 622decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.
417 623
418If the main program relies on a specific event model. For example, in 624If 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 625Gtk2 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 626event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally
421speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that 627speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that
422modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will 628modules 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 629decide 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. 630might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.
425 631
426You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by 632You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
427loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar 633C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour
428behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better. 634everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
635
636=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION
637
638Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
639only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event loop.
640
641In that case, you can use a condition variable like this:
642
643 AnyEvent->condvar->recv;
644
645This has the effect of entering the event loop and looping forever.
646
647Note that usually your program has some exit condition, in which case
648it is better to use the "traditional" approach of storing a condition
649variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program should
650exit cleanly.
651
652
653=head1 OTHER MODULES
654
655The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
656AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules
657in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are
658available via CPAN.
659
660=over 4
661
662=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
663
664Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
665functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
666
667=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
668
669Provide read and write buffers and manages watchers for reads and writes.
670
671=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
672
673Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
674addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
675connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more.
676
677=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
678
679Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
680
681=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
682
683Provides a simple web application server framework.
684
685=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
686
687The fastest ping in the west.
688
689=item L<Net::IRC3>
690
691AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
692
693=item L<Net::XMPP2>
694
695AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
696
697=item L<Net::FCP>
698
699AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
700of AnyEvent.
701
702=item L<Event::ExecFlow>
703
704High level API for event-based execution flow control.
705
706=item L<Coro>
707
708Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
709
710=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>, L<IO::AIO>
711
712Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
713programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses IO::AIO and AnyEvent
714together.
715
716=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>, L<BDB>
717
718Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses
719IO::AIO and AnyEvent together.
720
721=item L<IO::Lambda>
722
723The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
724
725=back
429 726
430=cut 727=cut
431 728
432package AnyEvent; 729package AnyEvent;
433 730
434no warnings; 731no warnings;
435use strict; 732use strict;
436 733
437use Carp; 734use Carp;
438 735
439our $VERSION = '3.3'; 736our $VERSION = '4.03';
440our $MODEL; 737our $MODEL;
441 738
442our $AUTOLOAD; 739our $AUTOLOAD;
443our @ISA; 740our @ISA;
444 741
742our @REGISTRY;
743
744our $WIN32;
745
746BEGIN {
747 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i);
748 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }";
749}
750
445our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 751our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
446 752
447our @REGISTRY; 753our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
754
755{
756 my $idx;
757 $PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx
758 for reverse split /\s*,\s*/,
759 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} || "ipv4,ipv6";
760}
761
762sub import {
763 shift;
764 return unless @_;
765
766 my $pkg = caller;
767
768 no strict 'refs';
769
770 for (@_) {
771 *{"$pkg\::WIN32"} = *WIN32 if $_ eq "WIN32";
772 }
773}
448 774
449my @models = ( 775my @models = (
450 [Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
451 [Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
452 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::], 776 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],
453 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 777 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
454 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
455 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::],
456 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
457 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
458 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 778 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
459 # everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 779 # everything below here will not be autoprobed
780 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
781 # and is usually faster
782 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
783 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
460 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 784 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
461 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 785 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
462 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 786 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
787 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
788 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
463); 789);
464 790
465our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar broadcast wait one_event DESTROY); 791our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar one_event DESTROY);
792
793our @post_detect;
794
795sub post_detect(&) {
796 my ($cb) = @_;
797
798 if ($MODEL) {
799 $cb->();
800
801 1
802 } else {
803 push @post_detect, $cb;
804
805 defined wantarray
806 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect"
807 : ()
808 }
809}
810
811sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY {
812 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
813}
466 814
467sub detect() { 815sub detect() {
468 unless ($MODEL) { 816 unless ($MODEL) {
469 no strict 'refs'; 817 no strict 'refs';
818 local $SIG{__DIE__};
470 819
471 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) { 820 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
472 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1"; 821 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
473 if (eval "require $model") { 822 if (eval "require $model") {
474 $MODEL = $model; 823 $MODEL = $model;
504 last; 853 last;
505 } 854 }
506 } 855 }
507 856
508 $MODEL 857 $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."; 858 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.";
510 } 859 }
511 } 860 }
512 861
513 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 862 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
514 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 863 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
864
865 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
515 } 866 }
516 867
517 $MODEL 868 $MODEL
518} 869}
519 870
529 $class->$func (@_); 880 $class->$func (@_);
530} 881}
531 882
532package AnyEvent::Base; 883package AnyEvent::Base;
533 884
534# default implementation for ->condvar, ->wait, ->broadcast 885# default implementation for ->condvar
535 886
536sub condvar { 887sub condvar {
537 bless \my $flag, "AnyEvent::Base::CondVar" 888 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} 889}
547 890
548# default implementation for ->signal 891# default implementation for ->signal
549 892
550our %SIG_CB; 893our %SIG_CB;
603 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 946 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
604 947
605 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 948 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
606 949
607 unless ($WNOHANG) { 950 unless ($WNOHANG) {
608 $WNOHANG = eval { require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 951 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
609 } 952 }
610 953
611 unless ($CHLD_W) { 954 unless ($CHLD_W) {
612 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 955 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
613 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 956 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
623 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 966 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
624 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 967 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
625 968
626 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 969 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
627} 970}
971
972package AnyEvent::CondVar;
973
974our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
975
976package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
977
978use overload
979 '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
980 fallback => 1;
981
982sub _send {
983 # nop
984}
985
986sub send {
987 my $cv = shift;
988 $cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_];
989 (delete $cv->{_ae_cb})->($cv) if $cv->{_ae_cb};
990 $cv->_send;
991}
992
993sub croak {
994 $_[0]{_ae_croak} = $_[1];
995 $_[0]->send;
996}
997
998sub ready {
999 $_[0]{_ae_sent}
1000}
1001
1002sub _wait {
1003 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
1004}
1005
1006sub recv {
1007 $_[0]->_wait;
1008
1009 Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak} if $_[0]{_ae_croak};
1010 wantarray ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} } : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0]
1011}
1012
1013sub cb {
1014 $_[0]{_ae_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1015 $_[0]{_ae_cb}
1016}
1017
1018sub begin {
1019 ++$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1020 $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1021}
1022
1023sub end {
1024 return if --$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1025 &{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} || sub { $_[0]->send } };
1026}
1027
1028# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1029*broadcast = \&send;
1030*wait = \&_wait;
628 1031
629=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1032=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
630 1033
631This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1034This 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 1035a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
689model it chooses. 1092model it chooses.
690 1093
691=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL> 1094=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
692 1095
693This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before 1096This 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 1097auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
695entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended 1098entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
696and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful, 1099and 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 1100used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
698autodetection and -probing. 1101auto detection and -probing.
699 1102
700This functionality might change in future versions. 1103This functionality might change in future versions.
701 1104
702For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you 1105For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
703could start your program like this: 1106could start your program like this:
704 1107
705 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ... 1108 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
706 1109
1110=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1111
1112Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1113for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1114of auto probing).
1115
1116Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1117current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1118used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1119list.
1120
1121This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1122against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1123small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1124
1125Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1126but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1127- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1128addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1129IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1130
1131=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1132
1133Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1134for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1135some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1136default.
1137
1138Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1139EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1140
707=back 1141=back
708 1142
709=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1143=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
710 1144
711The following program uses an IO watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1145The 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 1146to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
713program when the user enters quit: 1147program when the user enters quit:
714 1148
715 use AnyEvent; 1149 use AnyEvent;
716 1150
721 poll => 'r', 1155 poll => 'r',
722 cb => sub { 1156 cb => sub {
723 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r> 1157 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>
724 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line 1158 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line
725 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read 1159 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
726 $cv->broadcast if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i 1160 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
727 }, 1161 },
728 ); 1162 );
729 1163
730 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once 1164 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
731 1165
736 }); 1170 });
737 } 1171 }
738 1172
739 new_timer; # create first timer 1173 new_timer; # create first timer
740 1174
741 $cv->wait; # wait until user enters /^q/i 1175 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
742 1176
743=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE 1177=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
744 1178
745Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following 1179Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following
746API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http: 1180API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:
796 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request} 1230 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}
797 or die "connection or write error"; 1231 or die "connection or write error";
798 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r }); 1232 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });
799 1233
800Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the 1234Again, 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: 1235result and signals any possible waiters that the request has finished:
802 1236
803 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf}; 1237 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};
804 1238
805 if (end-of-file or data complete) { 1239 if (end-of-file or data complete) {
806 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf}; 1240 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};
807 $txn->{finished}->broadcast; 1241 $txn->{finished}->send;
808 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback 1242 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback
809 } 1243 }
810 1244
811The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the 1245The 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 1246request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the
813data: 1247data:
814 1248
815 $txn->{finished}->wait; 1249 $txn->{finished}->recv;
816 return $txn->{result}; 1250 return $txn->{result};
817 1251
818The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions) 1252The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)
819that occured during request processing. The C<result> method detects 1253that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
820whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object) 1254whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)
821and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other 1255and 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 1256problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a
823random callback. 1257random callback.
824 1258
855 1289
856 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar; 1290 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;
857 1291
858 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub { 1292 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {
859 ... 1293 ...
860 $quit->broadcast; 1294 $quit->send;
861 }); 1295 });
862 1296
863 $quit->wait; 1297 $quit->recv;
864 1298
865 1299
866=head1 BENCHMARK 1300=head1 BENCHMARKS
867 1301
868To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds 1302To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds
869over the backends directly, here is a benchmark of various supported event 1303over the event loops themselves and to give you an impression of the speed
870models natively and with anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers 1304of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
871(with a zero timeout) and io events (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become 1305
1306=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
1307
1308Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
1309through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
1310timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
872writable), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again. 1311which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
873 1312
874Explanation of the fields: 1313Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
1314distribution.
875 1315
1316=head3 Explanation of the columns
1317
876I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Sicne 1318I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
877different event models have vastly different performance each backend was 1319different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
878handed a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable and 1320loop was given a number of watchers so that overall runtime is acceptable
879similar to all backends (and keep them from crashing). 1321and similar between tested event loop (and keep them from crashing): Glib
1322would probably take thousands of years if asked to process the same number
1323of watchers as EV in this benchmark.
880 1324
881I<bytes> is the number of bytes (as measured by resident set size) used by 1325I<bytes> is the number of bytes (as measured by the resident set size,
882each watcher. 1326RSS) consumed by each watcher. This method of measuring captures both C
1327and Perl-based overheads.
883 1328
884I<create> is the time, in microseconds, to create a single watcher. 1329I<create> is the time, in microseconds (millionths of seconds), that it
1330takes to create a single watcher. The callback is a closure shared between
1331all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation
1332and memory usage is not included in the figures.
885 1333
886I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple callback 1334I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple
887that simply counts down. 1335callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was
1336invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->send >> a condvar once to
1337signal the end of this phase.
888 1338
889I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, to destroy a single watcher. 1339I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single
1340watcher.
890 1341
1342=head3 Results
1343
891 name watcher bytes create invoke destroy comment 1344 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
892 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1345 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface
893 EV/Any 100000 610 3.52 0.91 0.75 1346 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers
894 CoroEV/Any 100000 610 3.49 0.92 0.75 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1347 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal
895 Perl/Any 10000 654 4.64 1.22 0.77 pure perl implementation 1348 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation
896 Event/Event 10000 523 28.05 21.38 5.22 Event native interface 1349 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface
897 Event/Any 10000 943 34.43 20.48 1.39 1350 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers
898 Glib/Any 16000 1357 96.99 12.55 55.51 quadratic behaviour 1351 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour
899 Tk/Any 2000 1855 27.01 66.61 14.03 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1352 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
900 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.69 807.65 562.69 POE::Loop::Select
901 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.15 768.19 14.33 POE::Loop::Event 1353 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event
1354 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select
902 1355
903Discussion: The benchmark does I<not> bench scalability of the 1356=head3 Discussion
1357
1358The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
904backend. For example a select-based backend (such as the pureperl one) can 1359well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
905never compete with a backend using epoll. In this benchmark, only a single 1360can never compete with an event loop that uses epoll when the number of
906filehandle is used. 1361file descriptors grows high. In this benchmark, all events become ready at
1362the same time, so select/poll-based implementations get an unnatural speed
1363boost.
907 1364
1365Also, note that the number of watchers usually has a nonlinear effect on
1366overall speed, that is, creating twice as many watchers doesn't take twice
1367the time - usually it takes longer. This puts event loops tested with a
1368higher number of watchers at a disadvantage.
1369
1370To put the range of results into perspective, consider that on the
1371benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
1372EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 CPU
1373cycles with POE.
1374
908EV is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both 1375C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
909maximal/minimal. Even when going through AnyEvent, there is only one event 1376maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses
910loop that uses less memory (the Event module natively), and no faster 1377far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event
911event model. 1378natively.
912 1379
913The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the 1380The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
914zero timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl 1381constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl
915interpreter and the backend itself), but it shows that it adds very little 1382interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that it
916overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend it's performance becomes 1383adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its
917really bad with lots of file descriptors. 1384performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1385them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
918 1386
919The Event module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation cost, 1387The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
920but overall scores on the third place. 1388cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
921 1389
922Glib has a little higher memory cost, a bit fster callback invocation and 1390C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
923has a similar speed as Event. 1391faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1392C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1393watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1394making it completely unusable when using larger numbers of watchers
1395(note that only a single file descriptor was used in the benchmark, so
1396inefficiencies of C<poll> do not account for this).
924 1397
925The Tk backend works relatively well, the fact that it crashes with 1398The C<Tk> adaptor works relatively well. The fact that it crashes with
926more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes 1399more than 2000 watchers is a big setback, however, as correctness takes
927precedence over speed. 1400precedence over speed. Nevertheless, its performance is surprising, as the
1401file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()
1402employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a
1403hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures
1404above).
928 1405
929POE, regardless of backend (wether it's pure perl select backend or the 1406C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure perl
930Event backend) shows abysmal performance and memory usage: Watchers use 1407select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend couldn't
931almost 30 times as much memory as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory 1408be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance and
932as both Event or EV via AnyEvent. 1409memory usage with AnyEvent: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory
1410as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory
1411requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher
1412invocation speed is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl
1413implementation.
933 1414
1415The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not really account
1416for the performance issues, though, as session creation overhead is
1417small compared to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty
1418optimally within L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE> (and while everybody agrees that
1419using multiple sessions is not a good approach, especially regarding
1420memory usage, even the author of POE could not come up with a faster
1421design).
1422
1423=head3 Summary
1424
1425=over 4
1426
934Summary: using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event 1427=item * Using EV through AnyEvent is faster than any other event loop
935loop. The overhead AnyEvent adds can be very small, and you should avoid 1428(even when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable
936POE like the plague if you want performance or reasonable memory usage. 1429performance with or without AnyEvent.
1430
1431=item * The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of
1432the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as EV
1433adds AnyEvent significant overhead.
1434
1435=item * You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or
1436reasonable memory usage.
1437
1438=back
1439
1440=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
1441
1442This benchmark actually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
1443creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socket pair, a
1444timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
1445watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
1446watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
1447
1448The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
1449are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
1450fds for each loop iteration, but which fds these are is random). The
1451timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
1452most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
1453
1454In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1455(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1456connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1457
1458Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1459distribution.
1460
1461=head3 Explanation of the columns
1462
1463I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1464each server has a read and write socket end).
1465
1466I<create> is the time it takes to create a socket pair (which is
1467nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
1468
1469I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
1470single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
1471it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1472a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1473
1474=head3 Results
1475
1476 name sockets create request
1477 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1478 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1479 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1480 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1481 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1482
1483=head3 Discussion
1484
1485This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1486particular event loop.
1487
1488EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1489is relatively high, though.
1490
1491Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1492loops Event and Glib.
1493
1494Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1495understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1496the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1497uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1498
1499Glib is hit hard by its quadratic behaviour w.r.t. many watchers. It
1500clearly fails to perform with many filehandles or in busy servers.
1501
1502POE is still completely out of the picture, taking over 1000 times as long
1503as EV, and over 100 times as long as the Perl implementation, even though
1504it uses a C-based event loop in this case.
1505
1506=head3 Summary
1507
1508=over 4
1509
1510=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well.
1511
1512=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.
1513
1514=back
1515
1516=head2 BENCHMARKING SMALL SERVERS
1517
1518While event loops should scale (and select-based ones do not...) even to
1519large servers, most programs we (or I :) actually write have only a few
1520I/O watchers.
1521
1522In this benchmark, I use the same benchmark program as in the large server
1523case, but it uses only eight "servers", of which three are active at any
1524one time. This should reflect performance for a small server relatively
1525well.
1526
1527The columns are identical to the previous table.
1528
1529=head3 Results
1530
1531 name sockets create request
1532 EV 16 20.00 6.54
1533 Perl 16 25.75 12.62
1534 Event 16 81.27 35.86
1535 Glib 16 32.63 15.48
1536 POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event
1537
1538=head3 Discussion
1539
1540The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small
1541server. While knowing how various event loops perform is interesting, keep
1542in mind that their overhead in this case is usually not as important, due
1543to the small absolute number of watchers (that is, you need efficiency and
1544speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
1545them).
1546
1547EV is again fastest.
1548
1549Perl again comes second. It is noticeably faster than the C-based event
1550loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
1551matter.
1552
1553POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
1554others.
1555
1556=head3 Summary
1557
1558=over 4
1559
1560=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1561watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1562
1563=back
937 1564
938 1565
939=head1 FORK 1566=head1 FORK
940 1567
941Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 1568Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
942because they are so inefficient. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 1569because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1570calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
943 1571
944If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 1572If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
945watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 1573watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.
946 1574
947 1575
959 1587
960 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} } 1588 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
961 1589
962 use AnyEvent; 1590 use AnyEvent;
963 1591
1592Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1593be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1594probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL).
1595
964 1596
965=head1 SEE ALSO 1597=head1 SEE ALSO
966 1598
967Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, 1599Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>.
968L<Coro::Event>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Coro>, L<Tk>, 1600
1601Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>,
969L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 1602L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
970 1603
971Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, 1604Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
972L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, 1605L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
973L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, 1606L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
974L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 1607L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
975 1608
1609Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1610servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>.
1611
1612Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1613
1614Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>,
1615
976Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>. 1616Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
977 1617
978 1618
979=head1 AUTHOR 1619=head1 AUTHOR
980 1620
981 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1621 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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