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Revision 1.175 by root, Sun Jul 27 08:43:32 2008 UTC vs.
Revision 1.246 by root, Sat Jul 18 15:51:52 2009 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, 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 { ... });
12 14
15 # one-shot or repeating timers
13 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... }); 16 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
14 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ... 17 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...
15 18
16 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time 19 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
17 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time. 20 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
18 21
22 # POSIX signal
19 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... }); 23 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
20 24
25 # child process exit
21 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { 26 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
22 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 27 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
23 ... 28 ...
24 }); 29 });
30
31 # called when event loop idle (if applicable)
32 my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
25 33
26 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged 34 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
27 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's 35 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
28 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send 36 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
29 # use a condvar in callback mode: 37 # use a condvar in callback mode:
137These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 145These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
138creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 146creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
139callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 147callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
140is in control). 148is in control).
141 149
150Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
151potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> 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
142To 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
143variable 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
144to it). 158to it).
145 159
146All 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.
162=head2 I/O WATCHERS 176=head2 I/O WATCHERS
163 177
164You 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
165with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 179with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
166 180
167C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for events 181C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (or a naked file descriptor) to watch
168(AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file handle). C<poll> 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
169must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a watcher 188C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
170waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively. C<cb> is the 189watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
190
171callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready. 191C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
172 192
173Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
174presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
175callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
176 196
308In 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
309can 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
310difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into 330difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
311account. 331account.
312 332
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
313=back 348=back
314 349
315=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 350=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
316 351
317You 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
326invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means 361invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
327that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process, 362that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
328but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 363but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
329 364
330The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal 365The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
331between multiple watchers. 366between multiple watchers, and AnyEvent will ensure that signals will not
367interrupt your program at bad times.
332 368
333This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals 369This watcher might use C<%SIG> (depending on the event loop used),
334directly will likely not work correctly. 370so programs overwriting those signals directly will likely not work
371correctly.
372
373Also note that many event loops (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt, IO::Async) do not
374support attaching callbacks to signals, which is a pity, as you cannot do
375race-free signal handling in perl. AnyEvent will try to do it's best, but
376in some cases, signals will be delayed. The maximum time a signal might
377be delayed is specified in C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY> (default: 10
378seconds). This variable can be changed only before the first signal
379watcher is created, and should be left alone otherwise. Higher values
380will cause fewer spurious wake-ups, which is better for power and CPU
381saving. All these problems can be avoided by installing the optional
382L<Async::Interrupt> module.
335 383
336Example: exit on SIGINT 384Example: exit on SIGINT
337 385
338 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 }); 386 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 });
339 387
340=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 388=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
341 389
342You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 390You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
343 391
344The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 392The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
345watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 393watches for any child process exit). The watcher will triggered only when
346as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 394the child process has finished and an exit status is available, not on
347signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 395any trace events (stopped/continued).
348and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, 396
349you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments. 397The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
398waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
399callback arguments.
400
401This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
402and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
403random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
404C<system>, is just fine).
350 405
351There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them 406There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
352I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could 407I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
353have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 408have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
354 409
355Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for 410Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
411see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
356event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be 412that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
357loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). 413the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
414pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
415start the watcher.
358 416
359This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an 417This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
360AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you 418thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
361C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 419watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
420C<AnyEvent::detect>).
421
422As most event loops do not support waiting for child events, they will be
423emulated by AnyEvent in most cases, in which the latency and race problems
424mentioned in the description of signal watchers apply.
362 425
363Example: fork a process and wait for it 426Example: fork a process and wait for it
364 427
365 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 428 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
366 429
376 ); 439 );
377 440
378 # do something else, then wait for process exit 441 # do something else, then wait for process exit
379 $done->recv; 442 $done->recv;
380 443
444=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
445
446Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important
447to do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
448"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
449attention by the event loop".
450
451Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing
452better to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new
453events. Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
454
455Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
456EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
457will simply call the callback "from time to time".
458
459Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
460program is otherwise idle:
461
462 my @lines; # read data
463 my $idle_w;
464 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
465 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
466
467 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
468 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
469 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
470 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
471 print "handled when idle: $line";
472 } else {
473 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
474 undef $idle_w;
475 }
476 });
477 });
478
381=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 479=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
382 480
383If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them 481If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
384require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that 482require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
385will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 483will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
386 484
387AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and 485AnyEvent is slightly different: it expects somebody else to run the event
388will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user). 486loop and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
389 487
390The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 488The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
391because they represent a condition that must become true. 489because they represent a condition that must become true.
392 490
491Now is probably a good time to look at the examples further below.
492
393Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar 493Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
394>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 494>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
395
396C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable 495C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
397becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not 496becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
398the results). 497the results).
399 498
400After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true" 499After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
449 after => 1, 548 after => 1,
450 cb => sub { $result_ready->send }, 549 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
451 ); 550 );
452 551
453 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback 552 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
454 # calls send 553 # calls -<send
455 $result_ready->recv; 554 $result_ready->recv;
456 555
457Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that 556Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition
458condition variables are also code references. 557variables are also callable directly.
459 558
460 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 559 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
461 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 560 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
462 $done->recv; 561 $done->recv;
463 562
469 568
470 ... 569 ...
471 570
472 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv; 571 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
473 572
474And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the 573And this is how you would just set a callback to be called whenever the
475results are available: 574results are available:
476 575
477 $couchdb->info->cb (sub { 576 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
478 my @info = $_[0]->recv; 577 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
479 }); 578 });
497immediately from within send. 596immediately from within send.
498 597
499Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all 598Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
500future C<< ->recv >> calls. 599future C<< ->recv >> calls.
501 600
502Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly 601Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as if
503(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling 602they were a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
504C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle 603C<send>.
505overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
506instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
507support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
508invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
509example).
510 604
511=item $cv->croak ($error) 605=item $cv->croak ($error)
512 606
513Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke 607Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
514C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar. 608C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
515 609
516This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable 610This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
517user/consumer. 611user/consumer. Doing it this way instead of calling C<croak> directly
612delays the error detetcion, but has the overwhelmign advantage that it
613diagnoses the error at the place where the result is expected, and not
614deep in some event clalback without connection to the actual code causing
615the problem.
518 616
519=item $cv->begin ([group callback]) 617=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
520 618
521=item $cv->end 619=item $cv->end
522
523These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
524 620
525These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into 621These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
526one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want 622one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
527to use a condition variable for the whole process. 623to use a condition variable for the whole process.
528 624
530C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end 626C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
531>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback 627>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
532is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no 628is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
533callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments. 629callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
534 630
535Let's clarify this with the ping example: 631You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
632sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
633condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
634
635Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
636STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
637close before activating a condvar:
638
639 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
640
641 $cv->begin; # first watcher
642 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
643 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
644 or $cv->end;
645 });
646
647 $cv->begin; # second watcher
648 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
649 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
650 or $cv->end;
651 });
652
653 $cv->recv;
654
655This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
656one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
657sending.
658
659The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
660there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
661begung can potentially be zero:
536 662
537 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 663 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
538 664
539 my %result; 665 my %result;
540 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 666 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
560loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback 686loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
561to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that 687to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
562C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop 688C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
563doesn't execute once). 689doesn't execute once).
564 690
565This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests: 691This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
566use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end> 692potentially none) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
567is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call 693the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
568C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>. 694subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
695call C<end>.
569 696
570=back 697=back
571 698
572=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 699=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
573 700
589function will call C<croak>. 716function will call C<croak>.
590 717
591In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned, 718In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
592in scalar context only the first one will be returned. 719in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
593 720
721Note that doing a blocking wait in a callback is not supported by any
722event loop, that is, recursive invocation of a blocking C<< ->recv
723>> is not allowed, and the C<recv> call will C<croak> if such a
724condition is detected. This condition can be slightly loosened by using
725L<Coro::AnyEvent>, which allows you to do a blocking C<< ->recv >> from
726any thread that doesn't run the event loop itself.
727
594Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 728Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
595(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are 729(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
596using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the 730using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>. Instead, let the
597caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling 731caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
598condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting 732condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
599callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block, 733callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
600while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires). 734while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
601 735
602Another reason I<never> to C<< ->recv >> in a module is that you cannot
603sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
604multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
605can supply.
606
607The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
608fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
609versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
610C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
611coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
612
613You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and 736You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
614only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later 737only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
615time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking 738time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
616waits otherwise. 739waits otherwise.
617 740
630variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time 753variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time
631is guaranteed not to block. 754is guaranteed not to block.
632 755
633=back 756=back
634 757
758=head1 SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
759
760The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
761
762=over 4
763
764=item Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
765
766EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
767use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will try Event, and, failing
768that, will fall back to its own pure-perl implementation, which is
769available everywhere as it comes with AnyEvent itself.
770
771 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
772 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
773 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
774
775=item Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
776
777These will be used when they are currently loaded when the first watcher
778is created, in which case it is assumed that the application is using
779them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the right backend
780when the main program loads an event module before anything starts to
781create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done by the main program.
782
783 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
784 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
785 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
786 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
787
788=item Backends with special needs.
789
790Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
791otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
792instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are created,
793everything should just work.
794
795 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
796
797Support for IO::Async can only be partial, as it is too broken and
798architecturally limited to even support the AnyEvent API. It also
799is the only event loop that needs the loop to be set explicitly, so
800it can only be used by a main program knowing about AnyEvent. See
801L<AnyEvent::Impl::Async> for the gory details.
802
803 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed.
804
805=item Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
806
807Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
808
809There is no direct support for WxWidgets (L<Wx>) or L<Prima>.
810
811B<WxWidgets> has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
812use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply
813polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too horrible to even
814consider for AnyEvent.
815
816B<Prima> is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a POE
817backend, so it can be supported through POE.
818
819AnyEvent knows about both L<Prima> and L<Wx>, however, and will try to
820load L<POE> when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them up,
821in which case everything will be automatic.
822
823=back
824
635=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 825=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
636 826
827These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
828write AnyEvent extension modules.
829
637=over 4 830=over 4
638 831
639=item $AnyEvent::MODEL 832=item $AnyEvent::MODEL
640 833
641Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created. Then it 834Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created, before the
835backend has been autodetected.
836
642contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of the 837Afterwards it contains the event model that is being used, which is the
643Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of the 838name of the Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one
644C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 839of the C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the
645AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 840case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode> it
646 841will be C<urxvt::anyevent>).
647The known classes so far are:
648
649 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
650 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
651 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
652 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
653 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
654 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
655 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
656 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
657
658There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
659watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
660POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
661second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
662AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
663it's adaptor.
664
665AnyEvent knows about L<Prima> and L<Wx> and will try to use L<POE> when
666autodetecting them.
667 842
668=item AnyEvent::detect 843=item AnyEvent::detect
669 844
670Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 845Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
671if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 846if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
672have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 847have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
673runtime. 848runtime, and not e.g. while initialising of your module.
849
850If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
851created, use C<post_detect>.
674 852
675=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK } 853=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
676 854
677Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is 855Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
678autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened). 856autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
857
858The block will be executed I<after> the actual backend has been detected
859(C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> is set), but I<before> any watchers have been
860created, so it is possible to e.g. patch C<@AnyEvent::ISA> or do
861other initialisations - see the sources of L<AnyEvent::Strict> or
862L<AnyEvent::AIO> to see how this is used.
863
864The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without forcing
865event module detection too early, for example, L<AnyEvent::AIO> creates
866and installs the global L<IO::AIO> watcher in a C<post_detect> block to
867avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
679 868
680If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object 869If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
681that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See 870that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
682L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful. 871L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
683 872
686If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it 875If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
687before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after 876before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
688the event loop has been chosen. 877the event loop has been chosen.
689 878
690You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though: 879You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
691if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected, 880if it is defined then the event loop has already been detected, and the
692and the array will be ignored. 881array will be ignored.
693 882
694Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead. 883Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> when your application allows
884it,as it takes care of these details.
885
886This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something useful
887when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is initialised, but do
888not need to even load it by default. This array provides the means to hook
889into AnyEvent passively, without loading it.
695 890
696=back 891=back
697 892
698=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 893=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
699 894
754 949
755 950
756=head1 OTHER MODULES 951=head1 OTHER MODULES
757 952
758The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 953The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
759AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 954AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent
760in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are 955modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the modules
761available via CPAN. 956come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
762 957
763=over 4 958=over 4
764 959
765=item L<AnyEvent::Util> 960=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
766 961
775 970
776=item L<AnyEvent::Handle> 971=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
777 972
778Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes, 973Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
779supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and 974supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
780non-blocking SSL/TLS. 975non-blocking SSL/TLS (via L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
781 976
782=item L<AnyEvent::DNS> 977=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
783 978
784Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 979Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
785 980
813 1008
814=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD> 1009=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
815 1010
816A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information. 1011A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
817 1012
1013=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
1014
1015AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
1016
1017=item L<AnyEvent::XMPP>
1018
1019AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the older
1020Net::XMPP2>.
1021
818=item L<AnyEvent::IGS> 1022=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
819 1023
820A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by 1024A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
821L<App::IGS>). 1025L<App::IGS>).
822 1026
823=item L<Net::IRC3>
824
825AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
826
827=item L<Net::XMPP2>
828
829AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
830
831=item L<Net::FCP> 1027=item L<Net::FCP>
832 1028
833AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace 1029AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
834of AnyEvent. 1030of AnyEvent.
835 1031
839 1035
840=item L<Coro> 1036=item L<Coro>
841 1037
842Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>. 1038Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
843 1039
844=item L<IO::Lambda>
845
846The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
847
848=back 1040=back
849 1041
850=cut 1042=cut
851 1043
852package AnyEvent; 1044package AnyEvent;
853 1045
1046# basically a tuned-down version of common::sense
1047sub common_sense {
854no warnings; 1048 # no warnings
855use strict; 1049 ${^WARNING_BITS} ^= ${^WARNING_BITS};
1050 # use strict vars subs
1051 $^H |= 0x00000600;
1052}
856 1053
1054BEGIN { AnyEvent::common_sense }
1055
857use Carp; 1056use Carp ();
858 1057
859our $VERSION = 4.23; 1058our $VERSION = 4.85;
860our $MODEL; 1059our $MODEL;
861 1060
862our $AUTOLOAD; 1061our $AUTOLOAD;
863our @ISA; 1062our @ISA;
864 1063
865our @REGISTRY; 1064our @REGISTRY;
866 1065
867our $WIN32; 1066our $WIN32;
868 1067
1068our $VERBOSE;
1069
869BEGIN { 1070BEGIN {
870 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 1071 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
871 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }"; 1072 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
872}
873 1073
1074 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
1075 if ${^TAINT};
1076
874our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 1077 $VERBOSE = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
1078
1079}
1080
1081our $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY = 10;
875 1082
876our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 1083our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
877 1084
878{ 1085{
879 my $idx; 1086 my $idx;
887 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 1094 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
888 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 1095 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
889 # everything below here will not be autoprobed 1096 # everything below here will not be autoprobed
890 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 1097 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
891 # and is usually faster 1098 # and is usually faster
892 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
893 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers 1099 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
894 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1100 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
1101 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
895 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1102 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
896 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1103 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
897 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1104 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
898 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1105 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1106 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workarounds for its
1107 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
1108 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1109 # obvious default class.
1110# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1111# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1112# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
899); 1113);
900 1114
901our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY); 1115our %method = map +($_ => 1),
1116 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
902 1117
903our @post_detect; 1118our @post_detect;
904 1119
905sub post_detect(&) { 1120sub post_detect(&) {
906 my ($cb) = @_; 1121 my ($cb) = @_;
911 1 1126 1
912 } else { 1127 } else {
913 push @post_detect, $cb; 1128 push @post_detect, $cb;
914 1129
915 defined wantarray 1130 defined wantarray
916 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect" 1131 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
917 : () 1132 : ()
918 } 1133 }
919} 1134}
920 1135
921sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY { 1136sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
922 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect; 1137 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
923} 1138}
924 1139
925sub detect() { 1140sub detect() {
926 unless ($MODEL) { 1141 unless ($MODEL) {
927 no strict 'refs';
928 local $SIG{__DIE__}; 1142 local $SIG{__DIE__};
929 1143
930 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) { 1144 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
931 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1"; 1145 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
932 if (eval "require $model") { 1146 if (eval "require $model") {
933 $MODEL = $model; 1147 $MODEL = $model;
934 warn "AnyEvent: loaded model '$model' (forced by \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1148 warn "AnyEvent: loaded model '$model' (forced by \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}), using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
935 } else { 1149 } else {
936 warn "AnyEvent: unable to load model '$model' (from \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL):\n$@" if $verbose; 1150 warn "AnyEvent: unable to load model '$model' (from \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}):\n$@" if $VERBOSE;
937 } 1151 }
938 } 1152 }
939 1153
940 # check for already loaded models 1154 # check for already loaded models
941 unless ($MODEL) { 1155 unless ($MODEL) {
942 for (@REGISTRY, @models) { 1156 for (@REGISTRY, @models) {
943 my ($package, $model) = @$_; 1157 my ($package, $model) = @$_;
944 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) { 1158 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) {
945 if (eval "require $model") { 1159 if (eval "require $model") {
946 $MODEL = $model; 1160 $MODEL = $model;
947 warn "AnyEvent: autodetected model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1161 warn "AnyEvent: autodetected model '$model', using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
948 last; 1162 last;
949 } 1163 }
950 } 1164 }
951 } 1165 }
952 1166
957 my ($package, $model) = @$_; 1171 my ($package, $model) = @$_;
958 if (eval "require $package" 1172 if (eval "require $package"
959 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0 1173 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0
960 and eval "require $model") { 1174 and eval "require $model") {
961 $MODEL = $model; 1175 $MODEL = $model;
962 warn "AnyEvent: autoprobed model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1176 warn "AnyEvent: autoprobed model '$model', using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
963 last; 1177 last;
964 } 1178 }
965 } 1179 }
966 1180
967 $MODEL 1181 $MODEL
968 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib."; 1182 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
969 } 1183 }
970 } 1184 }
971 1185
972 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 1186 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
973 1187
983 1197
984sub AUTOLOAD { 1198sub AUTOLOAD {
985 (my $func = $AUTOLOAD) =~ s/.*://; 1199 (my $func = $AUTOLOAD) =~ s/.*://;
986 1200
987 $method{$func} 1201 $method{$func}
988 or croak "$func: not a valid method for AnyEvent objects"; 1202 or Carp::croak "$func: not a valid method for AnyEvent objects";
989 1203
990 detect unless $MODEL; 1204 detect unless $MODEL;
991 1205
992 my $class = shift; 1206 my $class = shift;
993 $class->$func (@_); 1207 $class->$func (@_);
994} 1208}
995 1209
996# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends 1210# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
997# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually 1211# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
998# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one). 1212# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
999sub _dupfh($$$$) { 1213sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1000 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_; 1214 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1001 1215
1002 require Fcntl;
1003
1004 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't 1216 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1005 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<") 1217 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<&") : ($w, ">&");
1006 : $poll eq "w" ? ($w, ">")
1007 : Carp::croak "AnyEvent->io requires poll set to either 'r' or 'w'";
1008 1218
1009 open my $fh2, "$mode&" . fileno $fh 1219 open my $fh2, $mode, $fh
1010 or die "cannot dup() filehandle: $!"; 1220 or die "AnyEvent->io: cannot dup() filehandle in mode '$poll': $!,";
1011 1221
1012 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases 1222 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
1013 1223
1014 ($fh2, $rw) 1224 ($fh2, $rw)
1015} 1225}
1016 1226
1017package AnyEvent::Base; 1227package AnyEvent::Base;
1018 1228
1019# default implementation for now and time 1229# default implementations for many methods
1020 1230
1021use Time::HiRes (); 1231sub _time {
1232 # probe for availability of Time::HiRes
1233 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1234 warn "AnyEvent: using Time::HiRes for sub-second timing accuracy.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1235 *_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
1236 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1237 } else {
1238 warn "AnyEvent: using built-in time(), WARNING, no sub-second resolution!\n" if $VERBOSE;
1239 *_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
1240 }
1022 1241
1023sub time { Time::HiRes::time } 1242 &_time
1024sub now { Time::HiRes::time } 1243}
1244
1245sub time { _time }
1246sub now { _time }
1247sub now_update { }
1025 1248
1026# default implementation for ->condvar 1249# default implementation for ->condvar
1027 1250
1028sub condvar { 1251sub condvar {
1029 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar:: 1252 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
1030} 1253}
1031 1254
1032# default implementation for ->signal 1255# default implementation for ->signal
1033 1256
1034our %SIG_CB; 1257our $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT;
1258our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1259our (%SIG_ASY, %SIG_ASY_W);
1260our ($SIG_COUNT, $SIG_TW);
1035 1261
1262sub _signal_exec {
1263 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1264 ? $SIGPIPE_R->drain
1265 : sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 9;
1266
1267 while (%SIG_EV) {
1268 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1269 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1270 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1271 }
1272 }
1273}
1274
1275# install a dumym wakeupw atcher to reduce signal catching latency
1276sub _sig_add() {
1277 unless ($SIG_COUNT++) {
1278 # try to align timer on a full-second boundary, if possible
1279 my $NOW = AnyEvent->now;
1280
1281 $SIG_TW = AnyEvent->timer (
1282 after => $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY - ($NOW - int $NOW),
1283 interval => $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY,
1284 cb => sub { }, # just for the PERL_ASYNC_CHECK
1285 );
1286 }
1287}
1288
1289sub _sig_del {
1290 undef $SIG_TW
1291 unless --$SIG_COUNT;
1292}
1293
1036sub signal { 1294sub _signal {
1037 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1295 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1038 1296
1039 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1297 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
1040 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing"; 1298 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
1041 1299
1042 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1300 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1301
1302 if ($HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT) {
1303 # async::interrupt
1304
1305 $SIG_ASY{$signal} ||= do {
1306 my $asy = new Async::Interrupt
1307 cb => sub { undef $SIG_EV{$signal} },
1308 signal => $signal,
1309 pipe => [$SIGPIPE_R->filenos],
1310 ;
1311 $asy->pipe_autodrain (0);
1312
1313 $asy
1314 };
1315
1316 } else {
1317 # pure perl
1318
1043 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1319 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
1044 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1320 local $!;
1321 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1322 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
1323 };
1324
1325 # can't do signal processing without introducing races in pure perl,
1326 # so limit the signal latency.
1327 _sig_add;
1045 }; 1328 }
1046 1329
1047 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1330 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
1048} 1331}
1049 1332
1333sub signal {
1334 # probe for availability of Async::Interrupt
1335 if (!$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT} && eval "use Async::Interrupt 0.6 (); 1") {
1336 warn "AnyEvent: using Async::Interrupt for race-free signal handling.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1337
1338 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT = 1;
1339 $SIGPIPE_R = new Async::Interrupt::EventPipe;
1340 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R->fileno, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1341
1342 } else {
1343 warn "AnyEvent: using emulated perl signal handling with latency timer.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1344
1345 require Fcntl;
1346
1347 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1348 require AnyEvent::Util;
1349
1350 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1351 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1352 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1353 } else {
1354 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1355 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1356 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1357
1358 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1359 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1360 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1361 }
1362
1363 $SIGPIPE_R
1364 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1365
1366 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1367 }
1368
1369 *signal = \&_signal;
1370 &signal
1371}
1372
1050sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY { 1373sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
1051 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1374 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1052 1375
1376 _sig_del;
1377
1053 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1378 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1054 1379
1380 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1381 ? delete $SIG_ASY{$signal}
1382 : # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1383 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1384 # instead of getting the default action.
1385 undef $SIG{$signal}
1055 delete $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1386 unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1056} 1387}
1057 1388
1058# default implementation for ->child 1389# default implementation for ->child
1059 1390
1060our %PID_CB; 1391our %PID_CB;
1061our $CHLD_W; 1392our $CHLD_W;
1062our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1393our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1063our $PID_IDLE;
1064our $WNOHANG; 1394our $WNOHANG;
1065 1395
1066sub _child_wait { 1396sub _sigchld {
1067 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1397 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
1398 $_->($pid, $?)
1068 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1399 for values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} },
1069 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1400 values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} };
1070 } 1401 }
1071
1072 undef $PID_IDLE;
1073}
1074
1075sub _sigchld {
1076 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
1077 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
1078 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1079 &_child_wait;
1080 });
1081} 1402}
1082 1403
1083sub child { 1404sub child {
1084 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1405 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1085 1406
1086 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1407 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
1087 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1408 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
1088 1409
1089 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1410 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1090 1411
1091 unless ($WNOHANG) { 1412 # WNOHANG is almost cetrainly 1 everywhere
1413 $WNOHANG ||= $^O =~ /^(?:openbsd|netbsd|linux|freebsd|cygwin|MSWin32)$/
1414 ? 1
1092 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1415 : eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1093 }
1094 1416
1095 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1417 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1096 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1418 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
1097 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1419 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
1098 &_sigchld; 1420 &_sigchld;
1099 } 1421 }
1100 1422
1101 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1423 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
1102} 1424}
1103 1425
1104sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1426sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
1105 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1427 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1106 1428
1107 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1429 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
1108 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1430 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
1109 1431
1110 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1432 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1111} 1433}
1112 1434
1435# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1436# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1437# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1438sub idle {
1439 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1440
1441 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1442
1443 $rcb = sub {
1444 if ($cb) {
1445 $w = _time;
1446 &$cb;
1447 $w = _time - $w;
1448
1449 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1450 # within some limits
1451 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1452 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1453
1454 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
1455 } else {
1456 # clean up...
1457 undef $w;
1458 undef $rcb;
1459 }
1460 };
1461
1462 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
1463
1464 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1465}
1466
1467sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
1468 undef $${$_[0]};
1469}
1470
1113package AnyEvent::CondVar; 1471package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1114 1472
1115our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::; 1473our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1116 1474
1117package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base; 1475package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
1118 1476
1119use overload 1477#use overload
1120 '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } }, 1478# '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
1121 fallback => 1; 1479# fallback => 1;
1480
1481# save 300+ kilobytes by dirtily hardcoding overloading
1482${"AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::OVERLOAD"}{dummy}++; # Register with magic by touching.
1483*{'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::()'} = sub { }; # "Make it findable via fetchmethod."
1484*{'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::(&{}'} = sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } }; # &{}
1485${'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::()'} = 1; # fallback
1486
1487our $WAITING;
1122 1488
1123sub _send { 1489sub _send {
1124 # nop 1490 # nop
1125} 1491}
1126 1492
1139sub ready { 1505sub ready {
1140 $_[0]{_ae_sent} 1506 $_[0]{_ae_sent}
1141} 1507}
1142 1508
1143sub _wait { 1509sub _wait {
1510 $WAITING
1511 and !$_[0]{_ae_sent}
1512 and Carp::croak "AnyEvent::CondVar: recursive blocking wait detected";
1513
1514 local $WAITING = 1;
1144 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent}; 1515 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
1145} 1516}
1146 1517
1147sub recv { 1518sub recv {
1148 $_[0]->_wait; 1519 $_[0]->_wait;
1167} 1538}
1168 1539
1169# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4 1540# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1170*broadcast = \&send; 1541*broadcast = \&send;
1171*wait = \&_wait; 1542*wait = \&_wait;
1543
1544=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1545
1546In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1547caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1548the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1549checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1550development.
1551
1552As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1553executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1554also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1555program.
1556
1557The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1558within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1559$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1560so on.
1561
1562=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1563
1564The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1565submodules.
1566
1567Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1568C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1569enabled.
1570
1571=over 4
1572
1573=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1574
1575By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1576conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1577talkative.
1578
1579When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1580conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1581C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1582
1583When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1584model it chooses.
1585
1586When set to C<8> or higher, then AnyEvent will report extra information on
1587which optional modules it loads and how it implements certain features.
1588
1589=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1590
1591AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1592argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1593will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1594check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1595it will croak.
1596
1597In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1598
1599Unlike C<use strict> (or it's modern cousin, C<< use L<common::sense>
1600>>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in production. Keeping
1601C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while developing programs
1602can be very useful, however.
1603
1604=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1605
1606This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1607auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1608entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1609and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1610used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1611auto detection and -probing.
1612
1613This functionality might change in future versions.
1614
1615For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1616could start your program like this:
1617
1618 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1619
1620=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1621
1622Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1623for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1624of auto probing).
1625
1626Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1627current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1628used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1629list.
1630
1631This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1632against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1633small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
1634
1635Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1636but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1637- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1638addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1639IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1640
1641=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1642
1643Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1644for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1645some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1646default.
1647
1648Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1649EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1650
1651=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1652
1653The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1654will create in parallel.
1655
1656=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
1657
1658The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
1659resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
1660sent to the DNS server.
1661
1662=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
1663
1664The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
1665configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
1666default config will be used.
1667
1668=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE>, C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH>.
1669
1670When neither C<ca_file> nor C<ca_path> was specified during
1671L<AnyEvent::TLS> context creation, and either of these environment
1672variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate locations
1673instead of a system-dependent default.
1674
1675=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_GUARD> and C<PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT>
1676
1677When these are set to C<1>, then the respective modules are not
1678loaded. Mostly good for testing AnyEvent itself.
1679
1680=back
1172 1681
1173=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1682=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1174 1683
1175This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1684This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
1176a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 1685a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
1210 1719
1211I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 1720I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
1212condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 1721condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
1213C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 1722C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
1214not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 1723not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
1215
1216=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1217
1218The following environment variables are used by this module:
1219
1220=over 4
1221
1222=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1223
1224By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1225conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1226talkative.
1227
1228When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1229conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1230C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1231
1232When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1233model it chooses.
1234
1235=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1236
1237AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1238argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1239will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1240check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems
1241it will croak.
1242
1243In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1244
1245Unlike C<use strict> it is definitely recommended ot keep it off in
1246production.
1247
1248=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1249
1250This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1251auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1252entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1253and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1254used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1255auto detection and -probing.
1256
1257This functionality might change in future versions.
1258
1259For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1260could start your program like this:
1261
1262 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1263
1264=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1265
1266Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1267for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1268of auto probing).
1269
1270Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1271current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1272used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1273list.
1274
1275This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1276against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1277small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1278
1279Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1280but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1281- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1282addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1283IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1284
1285=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1286
1287Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1288for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1289some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1290default.
1291
1292Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1293EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1294
1295=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1296
1297The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1298will create in parallel.
1299
1300=back
1301 1724
1302=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1725=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
1303 1726
1304The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1727The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
1305to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 1728to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
1499watcher. 1922watcher.
1500 1923
1501=head3 Results 1924=head3 Results
1502 1925
1503 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1926 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1504 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1927 EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface
1505 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1928 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1506 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1929 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1507 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 1930 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
1508 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 1931 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
1509 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1932 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1933 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1934 IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1510 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 1935 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
1511 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1936 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1512 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 1937 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
1513 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 1938 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1514 1939
1515=head3 Discussion 1940=head3 Discussion
1516 1941
1517The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1942The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
1518well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1943well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1543performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 1968performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1544them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 1969them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1545 1970
1546The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1971The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1547cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1972cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1973
1974C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
1975when using its pure perl backend.
1548 1976
1549C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 1977C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1550faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1978faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1551C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1979C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1552watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1980watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1630it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 2058it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1631a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 2059a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1632 2060
1633=head3 Results 2061=head3 Results
1634 2062
1635 name sockets create request 2063 name sockets create request
1636 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 2064 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1637 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 2065 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
2066 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
2067 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1638 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 2068 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1639 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 2069 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1640 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 2070 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1641 2071
1642=head3 Discussion 2072=head3 Discussion
1643 2073
1644This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 2074This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1645particular event loop. 2075particular event loop.
1647EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 2077EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1648is relatively high, though. 2078is relatively high, though.
1649 2079
1650Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 2080Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1651loops Event and Glib. 2081loops Event and Glib.
2082
2083IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
2084good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1652 2085
1653Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 2086Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1654understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 2087understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1655the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 2088the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1656uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 2089uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1719=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 2152=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1720watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 2153watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1721 2154
1722=back 2155=back
1723 2156
2157=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
2158
2159Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
2160could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
2161simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
2162shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
2163fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
2164very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
2165baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
2166
2167The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
2168connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
2169creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
2170test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
2171benchmark nevertheless.
2172
2173 name runtime
2174 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
2175 + optimized 0.122 sec
2176 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
2177 + optimized 0.138 sec
2178 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
2179 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
2180 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
2181 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
2182
2183 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
2184 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
2185 +state machine 0.134 sec
2186
2187The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
2188benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
2189defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
2190written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
2191AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2192resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2193generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2194connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2195
2196The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2197offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2198Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2199non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2200
2201As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2202hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2203backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2204
2205And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2206slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2207large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2208in a non-blocking way.
2209
2210The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2211F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2212part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2213
2214
2215=head1 SIGNALS
2216
2217AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2218
2219=over 4
2220
2221=item SIGCHLD
2222
2223A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2224emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2225event loops install a similar handler.
2226
2227Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then
2228AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2229
2230=item SIGPIPE
2231
2232A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2233when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2234
2235The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2236on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2237badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2238program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2239some random socket.
2240
2241The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2242that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2243
2244Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2245
2246=back
2247
2248=cut
2249
2250undef $SIG{CHLD}
2251 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2252
2253$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2254 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
2255
2256=head1 RECOMMENDED/OPTIONAL MODULES
2257
2258One of AnyEvent's main goals is to be 100% Pure-Perl(tm): only perl (and
2259it's built-in modules) are required to use it.
2260
2261That does not mean that AnyEvent won't take advantage of some additional
2262modules if they are installed.
2263
2264This section epxlains which additional modules will be used, and how they
2265affect AnyEvent's operetion.
2266
2267=over 4
2268
2269=item L<Async::Interrupt>
2270
2271This slightly arcane module is used to implement fast signal handling: To
2272my knowledge, there is no way to do completely race-free and quick
2273signal handling in pure perl. To ensure that signals still get
2274delivered, AnyEvent will start an interval timer to wake up perl (and
2275catch the signals) with soemd elay (default is 10 seconds, look for
2276C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY>).
2277
2278If this module is available, then it will be used to implement signal
2279catching, which means that signals will not be delayed, and the event loop
2280will not be interrupted regularly, which is more efficient (And good for
2281battery life on laptops).
2282
2283This affects not just the pure-perl event loop, but also other event loops
2284that have no signal handling on their own (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt).
2285
2286=item L<EV>
2287
2288This module isn't really "optional", as it is simply one of the backend
2289event loops that AnyEvent can use. However, it is simply the best event
2290loop available in terms of features, speed and stability: It supports
2291the AnyEvent API optimally, implements all the watcher types in XS, does
2292automatic timer adjustments even when no monotonic clock is available,
2293can take avdantage of advanced kernel interfaces such as C<epoll> and
2294C<kqueue>, and is the fastest backend I<by far>. You can even embed
2295L<Glib>/L<Gtk2> in it (or vice versa, see L<EV::Glib> and L<Glib::EV>).
2296
2297=item L<Guard>
2298
2299The guard module, when used, will be used to implement
2300C<AnyEvent::Util::guard>. This speeds up guards considerably (and uses a
2301lot less memory), but otherwise doesn't affect guard operation much. It is
2302purely used for performance.
2303
2304=item L<JSON> and L<JSON::XS>
2305
2306This module is required when you want to read or write JSON data via
2307L<AnyEvent::Handle>. It is also written in pure-perl, but can take
2308advantage of the ulta-high-speed L<JSON::XS> module when it is installed.
2309
2310In fact, L<AnyEvent::Handle> will use L<JSON::XS> by default if it is
2311installed.
2312
2313=item L<Net::SSLeay>
2314
2315Implementing TLS/SSL in Perl is certainly interesting, but not very
2316worthwhile: If this module is installed, then L<AnyEvent::Handle> (with
2317the help of L<AnyEvent::TLS>), gains the ability to do TLS/SSL.
2318
2319=item L<Time::HiRes>
2320
2321This module is part of perl since release 5.008. It will be used when the
2322chosen event library does not come with a timing source on it's own. The
2323pure-perl event loop (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) will additionally use it to
2324try to use a monotonic clock for timing stability.
2325
2326=back
2327
1724 2328
1725=head1 FORK 2329=head1 FORK
1726 2330
1727Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2331Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1728because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> 2332because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1729calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 2333calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
1730 2334
1731If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 2335If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
1732watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 2336watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child OR you must do
2337something completely out of the scope of AnyEvent.
1733 2338
1734 2339
1735=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 2340=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
1736 2341
1737AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via 2342AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via
1749 use AnyEvent; 2354 use AnyEvent;
1750 2355
1751Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2356Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1752be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2357be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1753probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and 2358probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
1754$ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}. 2359$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2360
2361Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2362C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2363enabled.
1755 2364
1756 2365
1757=head1 BUGS 2366=head1 BUGS
1758 2367
1759Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2368Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
1760to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10 2369to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
1761and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying 2370and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
1762mamleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as 2371memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
1763pronounced). 2372pronounced).
1764 2373
1765 2374
1766=head1 SEE ALSO 2375=head1 SEE ALSO
1767 2376
1771L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 2380L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1772 2381
1773Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, 2382Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1774L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, 2383L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1775L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, 2384L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1776L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 2385L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync>.
1777 2386
1778Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and 2387Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1779servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>. 2388servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>, L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
1780 2389
1781Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2390Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1782 2391
1783Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, 2392Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>,
2393L<Coro::Event>,
1784 2394
1785Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2395Nontrivial usage examples: L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::XMPP>,
2396L<AnyEvent::HTTP>.
1786 2397
1787 2398
1788=head1 AUTHOR 2399=head1 AUTHOR
1789 2400
1790 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 2401 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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