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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, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops 5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt and POE are various supported
6event loops.
6 7
7=head1 SYNOPSIS 8=head1 SYNOPSIS
8 9
9 use AnyEvent; 10 use AnyEvent;
10 11
12 # file descriptor readable
11 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r|w", cb => sub { 13 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
14
15 # one-shot or repeating timers
16 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
17 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...
18
19 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
20 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
21
22 # POSIX signal
23 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
24
25 # child process exit
26 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
27 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
12 ... 28 ...
13 }); 29 });
14 30
15 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { 31 # called when event loop idle (if applicable)
16 ... 32 my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
17 });
18 33
19 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged 34 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
20 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's 35 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
21 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send 36 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
37 # use a condvar in callback mode:
38 $w->cb (sub { $_[0]->recv });
22 39
23=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL 40=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
24 41
25This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested 42This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested
26in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the 43in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the
33 50
34Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of 51Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of
35policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>. 52policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>.
36 53
37First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only 54First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only
38interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use in a 55interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use, in a
39pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike, 56pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike,
40the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general, 57the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general,
41only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent 58only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent
42helps hiding the differences between those event loops. 59cannot change this, but it can hide the differences between those event
60loops.
43 61
44The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event 62The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event
45programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a 63programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a
46religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your 64religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your
47module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event 65module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event
48model you use. 66model you use.
49 67
50For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is 68For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is
51actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is 69actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is
52like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you 70like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you
53cannot use anything else, as it is simply incompatible to everything that 71cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything
54isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are 72that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your
55I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use. 73module are I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.
56 74
57AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works 75AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
58fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together 76fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together
59with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if 77with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if
60your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, 78your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it,
61too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all 79too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all
62event models it supports (including stuff like POE and IO::Async, as long 80event models it supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those
63as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new 81use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new event loops
64event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof). 82to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
65 83
66In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event 84In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event
67model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar 85model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
68modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to 86modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
69follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only 87follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only
127These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 145These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
128creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 146creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
129callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 147callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
130is in control). 148is in control).
131 149
150Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
151potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> or C<$[>) and that B<<
152callbacks must not C<die> >>. The former is good programming practise in
153Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
154widely between event loops.
155
132To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the 156To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
133variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references 157variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references
134to it). 158to it).
135 159
136All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class. 160All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.
152=head2 I/O WATCHERS 176=head2 I/O WATCHERS
153 177
154You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 178You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
155with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 179with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
156 180
157C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch 181C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (or a naked file descriptor) to watch
182for events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
183handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
184non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
185most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example files
186or block devices.
187
158for events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, 188C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
159which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, 189watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
190
160respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle 191C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
161becomes ready.
162 192
163Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
164presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
165callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
166 196
193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 223Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 224presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks. 225callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
196 226
197The callback will normally be invoked once only. If you specify another 227The callback will normally be invoked once only. If you specify another
198parameter, C<interval>, as a positive number, then the callback will be 228parameter, C<interval>, as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the
199invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional seconds) after the first 229callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional
200invocation. 230seconds) after the first invocation. If C<interval> is specified with a
231false value, then it is treated as if it were missing.
201 232
202The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no 233The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no
203attempt is done to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval is 234attempt is done to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval is
204only approximate. 235only approximate.
205 236
297In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you 328In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
298can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the 329can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the
299difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into 330difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
300account. 331account.
301 332
333=item AnyEvent->now_update
334
335Some event loops (such as L<EV> or L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) cache
336the current time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of L<<
337AnyEvent->now >>, above).
338
339When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps), then
340this "current" time will differ substantially from the real time, which
341might affect timers and time-outs.
342
343When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update the
344event loop's idea of "current time".
345
346Note that updating the time I<might> cause some events to be handled.
347
302=back 348=back
303 349
304=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 350=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
305 351
306You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 352You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
307I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to 353I<name> in uppercase and without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl
308be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 354callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
309 355
310Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 356Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
311presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 357presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
312callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks. 358callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
313 359
329=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 375=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
330 376
331You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 377You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
332 378
333The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 379The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
334watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 380watches for any child process exit). The watcher will triggered only when
335as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 381the child process has finished and an exit status is available, not on
336signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 382any trace events (stopped/continued).
337and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, 383
338you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments. 384The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
385waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
386callback arguments.
387
388This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
389and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
390random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
391C<system>, is just fine).
339 392
340There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them 393There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
341I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could 394I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
342have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 395have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
343 396
344Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for 397Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
398see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
345event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be 399that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
346loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). 400the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
401pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
402start the watcher.
347 403
348This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an 404This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
349AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you 405thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
350C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 406watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
407C<AnyEvent::detect>).
351 408
352Example: fork a process and wait for it 409Example: fork a process and wait for it
353 410
354 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 411 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
355 412
365 ); 422 );
366 423
367 # do something else, then wait for process exit 424 # do something else, then wait for process exit
368 $done->recv; 425 $done->recv;
369 426
427=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
428
429Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important
430to do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
431"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
432attention by the event loop".
433
434Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing
435better to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new
436events. Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
437
438Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
439EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
440will simply call the callback "from time to time".
441
442Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
443program is otherwise idle:
444
445 my @lines; # read data
446 my $idle_w;
447 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
448 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
449
450 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
451 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
452 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
453 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
454 print "handled when idle: $line";
455 } else {
456 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
457 undef $idle_w;
458 }
459 });
460 });
461
370=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 462=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
371 463
372If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them 464If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
373require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that 465require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
374will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 466will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
379The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 471The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
380because they represent a condition that must become true. 472because they represent a condition that must become true.
381 473
382Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar 474Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
383>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 475>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
476
384C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable 477C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
385becomes true. 478becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
479the results).
386 480
387After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true" 481After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
388by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it 482by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
389were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<< 483were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
390->send >> method). 484->send >> method).
446 540
447 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 541 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
448 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 542 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
449 $done->recv; 543 $done->recv;
450 544
545Example: Imagine an API that returns a condvar and doesn't support
546callbacks. This is how you make a synchronous call, for example from
547the main program:
548
549 use AnyEvent::CouchDB;
550
551 ...
552
553 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
554
555And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the
556results are available:
557
558 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
559 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
560 });
561
451=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS 562=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
452 563
453These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the 564These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
454code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also 565code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
455the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't 566the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
488 599
489=item $cv->begin ([group callback]) 600=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
490 601
491=item $cv->end 602=item $cv->end
492 603
493These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
494
495These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into 604These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
496one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want 605one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
497to use a condition variable for the whole process. 606to use a condition variable for the whole process.
498 607
499Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to 608Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
500C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end 609C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
501>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback 610>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
502is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no 611is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
503callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments. 612callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
504 613
505Let's clarify this with the ping example: 614You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
615sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
616condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
617
618Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
619STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
620close before activating a condvar:
621
622 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
623
624 $cv->begin; # first watcher
625 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
626 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
627 or $cv->end;
628 });
629
630 $cv->begin; # second watcher
631 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
632 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
633 or $cv->end;
634 });
635
636 $cv->recv;
637
638This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
639one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
640sending.
641
642The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
643there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
644begung can potentially be zero:
506 645
507 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 646 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
508 647
509 my %result; 648 my %result;
510 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 649 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
530loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback 669loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
531to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that 670to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
532C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop 671C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
533doesn't execute once). 672doesn't execute once).
534 673
535This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests: 674This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
536use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end> 675potentially none) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
537is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call 676the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
538C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>. 677subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
678call C<end>.
539 679
540=back 680=back
541 681
542=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 682=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
543 683
588=item $bool = $cv->ready 728=item $bool = $cv->ready
589 729
590Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or 730Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
591C<croak> have been called. 731C<croak> have been called.
592 732
593=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback]) 733=item $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
594 734
595This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally 735This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
596replaces it before doing so. 736replaces it before doing so.
597 737
598The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when 738The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
600variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time 740variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time
601is guaranteed not to block. 741is guaranteed not to block.
602 742
603=back 743=back
604 744
745=head1 SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
746
747The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
748
749=over 4
750
751=item Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
752
753EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
754use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will try Event, and, failing
755that, will fall back to its own pure-perl implementation, which is
756available everywhere as it comes with AnyEvent itself.
757
758 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
759 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
760 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
761
762=item Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
763
764These will be used when they are currently loaded when the first watcher
765is created, in which case it is assumed that the application is using
766them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the right backend
767when the main program loads an event module before anything starts to
768create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done by the main program.
769
770 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
771 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
772 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
773 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
774
775=item Backends with special needs.
776
777Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
778otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
779instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are created,
780everything should just work.
781
782 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
783
784Support for IO::Async can only be partial, as it is too broken and
785architecturally limited to even support the AnyEvent API. It also
786is the only event loop that needs the loop to be set explicitly, so
787it can only be used by a main program knowing about AnyEvent. See
788L<AnyEvent::Impl::Async> for the gory details.
789
790 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed.
791
792=item Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
793
794Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
795
796There is no direct support for WxWidgets (L<Wx>) or L<Prima>.
797
798B<WxWidgets> has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
799use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply
800polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too horrible to even
801consider for AnyEvent.
802
803B<Prima> is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a POE
804backend, so it can be supported through POE.
805
806AnyEvent knows about both L<Prima> and L<Wx>, however, and will try to
807load L<POE> when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them up,
808in which case everything will be automatic.
809
810=back
811
605=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 812=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
606 813
814These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
815write AnyEvent extension modules.
816
607=over 4 817=over 4
608 818
609=item $AnyEvent::MODEL 819=item $AnyEvent::MODEL
610 820
611Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created. Then it 821Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created, before the
822backend has been autodetected.
823
612contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of the 824Afterwards it contains the event model that is being used, which is the
613Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of the 825name of the Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one
614C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 826of the C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the
615AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 827case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode> it
616 828will be C<urxvt::anyevent>).
617The known classes so far are:
618
619 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
620 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
621 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
622 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
623 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
624 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
625 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
626 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
627
628There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
629watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
630POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
631second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
632AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
633it's adaptor.
634
635AnyEvent knows about L<Prima> and L<Wx> and will try to use L<POE> when
636autodetecting them.
637 829
638=item AnyEvent::detect 830=item AnyEvent::detect
639 831
640Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 832Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
641if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 833if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
642have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 834have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
643runtime. 835runtime, and not e.g. while initialising of your module.
836
837If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
838created, use C<post_detect>.
644 839
645=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK } 840=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
646 841
647Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is 842Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
648autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened). 843autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
844
845The block will be executed I<after> the actual backend has been detected
846(C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> is set), but I<before> any watchers have been
847created, so it is possible to e.g. patch C<@AnyEvent::ISA> or do
848other initialisations - see the sources of L<AnyEvent::Strict> or
849L<AnyEvent::AIO> to see how this is used.
850
851The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without forcing
852event module detection too early, for example, L<AnyEvent::AIO> creates
853and installs the global L<IO::AIO> watcher in a C<post_detect> block to
854avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
649 855
650If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object 856If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
651that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See 857that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
652L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful. 858L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
653 859
656If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it 862If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
657before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after 863before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
658the event loop has been chosen. 864the event loop has been chosen.
659 865
660You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though: 866You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
661if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected, 867if it is defined then the event loop has already been detected, and the
662and the array will be ignored. 868array will be ignored.
663 869
664Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead. 870Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> when your application allows
871it,as it takes care of these details.
872
873This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something useful
874when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is initialised, but do
875not need to even load it by default. This array provides the means to hook
876into AnyEvent passively, without loading it.
665 877
666=back 878=back
667 879
668=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 880=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
669 881
724 936
725 937
726=head1 OTHER MODULES 938=head1 OTHER MODULES
727 939
728The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 940The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
729AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 941AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent
730in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are 942modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the modules
731available via CPAN. 943come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
732 944
733=over 4 945=over 4
734 946
735=item L<AnyEvent::Util> 947=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
736 948
745 957
746=item L<AnyEvent::Handle> 958=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
747 959
748Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes, 960Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
749supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and 961supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
750non-blocking SSL/TLS. 962non-blocking SSL/TLS (via L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
751 963
752=item L<AnyEvent::DNS> 964=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
753 965
754Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 966Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
755 967
783 995
784=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD> 996=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
785 997
786A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information. 998A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
787 999
1000=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
1001
1002AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
1003
1004=item L<AnyEvent::XMPP>
1005
1006AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the older
1007Net::XMPP2>.
1008
788=item L<AnyEvent::IGS> 1009=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
789 1010
790A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by 1011A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
791L<App::IGS>). 1012L<App::IGS>).
792 1013
793=item L<Net::IRC3>
794
795AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
796
797=item L<Net::XMPP2>
798
799AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
800
801=item L<Net::FCP> 1014=item L<Net::FCP>
802 1015
803AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace 1016AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
804of AnyEvent. 1017of AnyEvent.
805 1018
809 1022
810=item L<Coro> 1023=item L<Coro>
811 1024
812Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>. 1025Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
813 1026
814=item L<IO::Lambda>
815
816The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
817
818=back 1027=back
819 1028
820=cut 1029=cut
821 1030
822package AnyEvent; 1031package AnyEvent;
823 1032
824no warnings; 1033no warnings;
825use strict; 1034use strict qw(vars subs);
826 1035
827use Carp; 1036use Carp;
828 1037
829our $VERSION = 4.2; 1038our $VERSION = 4.82;
830our $MODEL; 1039our $MODEL;
831 1040
832our $AUTOLOAD; 1041our $AUTOLOAD;
833our @ISA; 1042our @ISA;
834 1043
835our @REGISTRY; 1044our @REGISTRY;
836 1045
837our $WIN32; 1046our $WIN32;
838 1047
839BEGIN { 1048BEGIN {
840 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 1049 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
841 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }"; 1050 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
1051
1052 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
1053 if ${^TAINT};
842} 1054}
843 1055
844our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 1056our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
845 1057
846our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 1058our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
857 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 1069 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
858 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 1070 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
859 # everything below here will not be autoprobed 1071 # everything below here will not be autoprobed
860 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 1072 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
861 # and is usually faster 1073 # and is usually faster
862 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
863 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers 1074 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
864 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1075 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
1076 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
865 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1077 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
866 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1078 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
867 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1079 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
868 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1080 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1081 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workarounds for its
1082 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
1083 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1084 # obvious default class.
1085# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1086# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1087# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
869); 1088);
870 1089
871our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY); 1090our %method = map +($_ => 1),
1091 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
872 1092
873our @post_detect; 1093our @post_detect;
874 1094
875sub post_detect(&) { 1095sub post_detect(&) {
876 my ($cb) = @_; 1096 my ($cb) = @_;
881 1 1101 1
882 } else { 1102 } else {
883 push @post_detect, $cb; 1103 push @post_detect, $cb;
884 1104
885 defined wantarray 1105 defined wantarray
886 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect" 1106 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
887 : () 1107 : ()
888 } 1108 }
889} 1109}
890 1110
891sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY { 1111sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
892 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect; 1112 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
893} 1113}
894 1114
895sub detect() { 1115sub detect() {
896 unless ($MODEL) { 1116 unless ($MODEL) {
933 last; 1153 last;
934 } 1154 }
935 } 1155 }
936 1156
937 $MODEL 1157 $MODEL
938 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib."; 1158 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
939 } 1159 }
940 } 1160 }
941 1161
1162 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
1163
942 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 1164 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
943 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 1165
1166 require AnyEvent::Strict if $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT};
944 1167
945 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect; 1168 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
946 } 1169 }
947 1170
948 $MODEL 1171 $MODEL
958 1181
959 my $class = shift; 1182 my $class = shift;
960 $class->$func (@_); 1183 $class->$func (@_);
961} 1184}
962 1185
1186# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
1187# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
1188# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
1189sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1190 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1191
1192 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1193 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<") : ($w, ">");
1194
1195 open my $fh2, "$mode&", $fh
1196 or die "AnyEvent->io: cannot dup() filehandle in mode '$poll': $!,";
1197
1198 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
1199
1200 ($fh2, $rw)
1201}
1202
963package AnyEvent::Base; 1203package AnyEvent::Base;
964 1204
965# default implementation for now and time 1205# default implementations for many methods
966 1206
967use Time::HiRes (); 1207BEGIN {
1208 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1209 *_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
1210 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1211 } else {
1212 *_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
1213 }
1214}
968 1215
969sub time { Time::HiRes::time } 1216sub time { _time }
970sub now { Time::HiRes::time } 1217sub now { _time }
1218sub now_update { }
971 1219
972# default implementation for ->condvar 1220# default implementation for ->condvar
973 1221
974sub condvar { 1222sub condvar {
975 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar:: 1223 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
976} 1224}
977 1225
978# default implementation for ->signal 1226# default implementation for ->signal
979 1227
980our %SIG_CB; 1228our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1229
1230sub _signal_exec {
1231 sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 4;
1232
1233 while (%SIG_EV) {
1234 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1235 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1236 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1237 }
1238 }
1239}
981 1240
982sub signal { 1241sub signal {
983 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1242 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
984 1243
1244 unless ($SIGPIPE_R) {
1245 require Fcntl;
1246
1247 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1248 require AnyEvent::Util;
1249
1250 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1251 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1252 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1253 } else {
1254 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1255 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1256 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1257
1258 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1259 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1260 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1261 }
1262
1263 $SIGPIPE_R
1264 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1265
1266 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1267 }
1268
985 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1269 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
986 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing"; 1270 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
987 1271
988 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1272 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
989 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1273 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
990 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1274 local $!;
1275 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1276 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
991 }; 1277 };
992 1278
993 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1279 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
994} 1280}
995 1281
996sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY { 1282sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
997 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1283 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
998 1284
999 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1285 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1000 1286
1287 # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1288 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1289 # instead of getting the default action.
1001 delete $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1290 undef $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1002} 1291}
1003 1292
1004# default implementation for ->child 1293# default implementation for ->child
1005 1294
1006our %PID_CB; 1295our %PID_CB;
1007our $CHLD_W; 1296our $CHLD_W;
1008our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1297our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1009our $PID_IDLE;
1010our $WNOHANG; 1298our $WNOHANG;
1011 1299
1012sub _child_wait { 1300sub _sigchld {
1013 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1301 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
1014 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1302 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }),
1015 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1303 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} });
1016 } 1304 }
1017
1018 undef $PID_IDLE;
1019}
1020
1021sub _sigchld {
1022 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
1023 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
1024 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1025 &_child_wait;
1026 });
1027} 1305}
1028 1306
1029sub child { 1307sub child {
1030 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1308 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1031 1309
1032 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1310 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
1033 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1311 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
1034 1312
1035 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1313 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1036 1314
1037 unless ($WNOHANG) {
1038 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1315 $WNOHANG ||= eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1039 }
1040 1316
1041 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1317 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1042 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1318 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
1043 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1319 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
1044 &_sigchld; 1320 &_sigchld;
1045 } 1321 }
1046 1322
1047 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1323 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
1048} 1324}
1049 1325
1050sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1326sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
1051 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1327 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1052 1328
1053 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1329 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
1054 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1330 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
1055 1331
1056 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1332 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1333}
1334
1335# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1336# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1337# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1338sub idle {
1339 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1340
1341 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1342
1343 $rcb = sub {
1344 if ($cb) {
1345 $w = _time;
1346 &$cb;
1347 $w = _time - $w;
1348
1349 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1350 # within some limits
1351 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1352 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1353
1354 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
1355 } else {
1356 # clean up...
1357 undef $w;
1358 undef $rcb;
1359 }
1360 };
1361
1362 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
1363
1364 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1365}
1366
1367sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
1368 undef $${$_[0]};
1057} 1369}
1058 1370
1059package AnyEvent::CondVar; 1371package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1060 1372
1061our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::; 1373our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1113} 1425}
1114 1426
1115# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4 1427# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1116*broadcast = \&send; 1428*broadcast = \&send;
1117*wait = \&_wait; 1429*wait = \&_wait;
1430
1431=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1432
1433In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1434caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1435the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1436checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1437development.
1438
1439As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1440executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1441also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1442program.
1443
1444The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1445within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1446$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1447so on.
1448
1449=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1450
1451The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1452submodules.
1453
1454Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1455C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1456enabled.
1457
1458=over 4
1459
1460=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1461
1462By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1463conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1464talkative.
1465
1466When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1467conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1468C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1469
1470When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1471model it chooses.
1472
1473=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1474
1475AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1476argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1477will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1478check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1479it will croak.
1480
1481In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1482
1483Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in
1484production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while
1485developing programs can be very useful, however.
1486
1487=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1488
1489This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1490auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1491entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1492and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1493used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1494auto detection and -probing.
1495
1496This functionality might change in future versions.
1497
1498For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1499could start your program like this:
1500
1501 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1502
1503=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1504
1505Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1506for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1507of auto probing).
1508
1509Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1510current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1511used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1512list.
1513
1514This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1515against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1516small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
1517
1518Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1519but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1520- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1521addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1522IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1523
1524=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1525
1526Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1527for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1528some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1529default.
1530
1531Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1532EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1533
1534=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1535
1536The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1537will create in parallel.
1538
1539=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
1540
1541The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
1542resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
1543sent to the DNS server.
1544
1545=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
1546
1547The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
1548configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
1549default config will be used.
1550
1551=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE>, C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH>.
1552
1553When neither C<ca_file> nor C<ca_path> was specified during
1554L<AnyEvent::TLS> context creation, and either of these environment
1555variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate locations
1556instead of a system-dependent default.
1557
1558=back
1118 1559
1119=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1560=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1120 1561
1121This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1562This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
1122a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 1563a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
1156 1597
1157I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 1598I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
1158condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 1599condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
1159C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 1600C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
1160not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 1601not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
1161
1162=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1163
1164The following environment variables are used by this module:
1165
1166=over 4
1167
1168=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1169
1170By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1171conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1172talkative.
1173
1174When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1175conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1176C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1177
1178When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1179model it chooses.
1180
1181=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1182
1183This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1184auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1185entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1186and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1187used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1188auto detection and -probing.
1189
1190This functionality might change in future versions.
1191
1192For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1193could start your program like this:
1194
1195 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1196
1197=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1198
1199Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1200for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1201of auto probing).
1202
1203Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1204current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1205used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1206list.
1207
1208This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1209against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1210small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1211
1212Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1213but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1214- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1215addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1216IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1217
1218=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1219
1220Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1221for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1222some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1223default.
1224
1225Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1226EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1227
1228=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1229
1230The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1231will create in parallel.
1232
1233=back
1234 1602
1235=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1603=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
1236 1604
1237The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1605The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
1238to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 1606to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
1432watcher. 1800watcher.
1433 1801
1434=head3 Results 1802=head3 Results
1435 1803
1436 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1804 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1437 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1805 EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface
1438 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1806 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1439 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1807 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1440 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 1808 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
1441 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 1809 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
1442 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1810 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1811 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1812 IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1443 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 1813 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
1444 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1814 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1445 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 1815 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
1446 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 1816 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1447 1817
1448=head3 Discussion 1818=head3 Discussion
1449 1819
1450The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1820The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
1451well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1821well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1476performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 1846performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1477them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 1847them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1478 1848
1479The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1849The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1480cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1850cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1851
1852C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
1853when using its pure perl backend.
1481 1854
1482C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 1855C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1483faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1856faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1484C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1857C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1485watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1858watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1563it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 1936it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1564a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 1937a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1565 1938
1566=head3 Results 1939=head3 Results
1567 1940
1568 name sockets create request 1941 name sockets create request
1569 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 1942 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1570 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 1943 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1944 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
1945 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1571 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 1946 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1572 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 1947 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1573 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 1948 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1574 1949
1575=head3 Discussion 1950=head3 Discussion
1576 1951
1577This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 1952This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1578particular event loop. 1953particular event loop.
1580EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 1955EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1581is relatively high, though. 1956is relatively high, though.
1582 1957
1583Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 1958Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1584loops Event and Glib. 1959loops Event and Glib.
1960
1961IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
1962good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1585 1963
1586Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 1964Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1587understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 1965understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1588the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 1966the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1589uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 1967uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1652=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 2030=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1653watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 2031watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1654 2032
1655=back 2033=back
1656 2034
2035=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
2036
2037Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
2038could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
2039simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
2040shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
2041fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
2042very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
2043baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
2044
2045The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
2046connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
2047creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
2048test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
2049benchmark nevertheless.
2050
2051 name runtime
2052 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
2053 + optimized 0.122 sec
2054 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
2055 + optimized 0.138 sec
2056 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
2057 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
2058 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
2059 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
2060
2061 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
2062 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
2063 +state machine 0.134 sec
2064
2065The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
2066benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
2067defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
2068written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
2069AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2070resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2071generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2072connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2073
2074The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2075offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2076Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2077non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2078
2079As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2080hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2081backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2082
2083And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2084slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2085large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2086in a non-blocking way.
2087
2088The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2089F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2090part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2091
2092
2093=head1 SIGNALS
2094
2095AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2096
2097=over 4
2098
2099=item SIGCHLD
2100
2101A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2102emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2103event loops install a similar handler.
2104
2105Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then
2106AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2107
2108=item SIGPIPE
2109
2110A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2111when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2112
2113The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2114on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2115badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2116program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2117some random socket.
2118
2119The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2120that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2121
2122Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2123
2124=back
2125
2126=cut
2127
2128undef $SIG{CHLD}
2129 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2130
2131$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2132 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
1657 2133
1658=head1 FORK 2134=head1 FORK
1659 2135
1660Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2136Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1661because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> 2137because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1681 2157
1682 use AnyEvent; 2158 use AnyEvent;
1683 2159
1684Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2160Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1685be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2161be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1686probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL). 2162probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
2163$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2164
2165Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2166C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2167enabled.
1687 2168
1688 2169
1689=head1 BUGS 2170=head1 BUGS
1690 2171
1691Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2172Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
1692to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10 2173to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
1693and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying 2174and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
1694mamleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as 2175memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
1695pronounced). 2176pronounced).
1696 2177
1697 2178
1698=head1 SEE ALSO 2179=head1 SEE ALSO
1699 2180
1703L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 2184L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1704 2185
1705Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, 2186Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1706L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, 2187L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1707L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, 2188L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1708L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 2189L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync>.
1709 2190
1710Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and 2191Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1711servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>. 2192servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>, L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
1712 2193
1713Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2194Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1714 2195
1715Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, 2196Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>,
2197L<Coro::Event>,
1716 2198
1717Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2199Nontrivial usage examples: L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::XMPP>,
2200L<AnyEvent::HTTP>.
1718 2201
1719 2202
1720=head1 AUTHOR 2203=head1 AUTHOR
1721 2204
1722 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 2205 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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