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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
599C<send> or C<croak> are called, with the only argument being the condition 739C<send> or C<croak> are called, with the only argument being the condition
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.
742
743=back
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.
602 809
603=back 810=back
604 811
605=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 812=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
606 813
611Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created. Then it 818Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created. Then it
612contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of the 819contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of the
613Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of the 820Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of the
614C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 821C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
615AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 822AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
616
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.
637 823
638=item AnyEvent::detect 824=item AnyEvent::detect
639 825
640Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 826Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
641if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 827if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
724 910
725 911
726=head1 OTHER MODULES 912=head1 OTHER MODULES
727 913
728The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 914The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
729AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 915AnyEvent 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 916modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the modules
731available via CPAN. 917come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
732 918
733=over 4 919=over 4
734 920
735=item L<AnyEvent::Util> 921=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
736 922
745 931
746=item L<AnyEvent::Handle> 932=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
747 933
748Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes, 934Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
749supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and 935supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
750non-blocking SSL/TLS. 936non-blocking SSL/TLS (via L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
751 937
752=item L<AnyEvent::DNS> 938=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
753 939
754Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 940Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
755 941
783 969
784=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD> 970=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
785 971
786A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information. 972A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
787 973
974=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
975
976AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
977
978=item L<AnyEvent::XMPP>
979
980AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the older
981Net::XMPP2>.
982
788=item L<AnyEvent::IGS> 983=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
789 984
790A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by 985A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
791L<App::IGS>). 986L<App::IGS>).
792 987
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> 988=item L<Net::FCP>
802 989
803AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace 990AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
804of AnyEvent. 991of AnyEvent.
805 992
809 996
810=item L<Coro> 997=item L<Coro>
811 998
812Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>. 999Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
813 1000
814=item L<IO::Lambda>
815
816The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
817
818=back 1001=back
819 1002
820=cut 1003=cut
821 1004
822package AnyEvent; 1005package AnyEvent;
823 1006
824no warnings; 1007no warnings;
825use strict; 1008use strict qw(vars subs);
826 1009
827use Carp; 1010use Carp;
828 1011
829our $VERSION = 4.2; 1012our $VERSION = 4.801;
830our $MODEL; 1013our $MODEL;
831 1014
832our $AUTOLOAD; 1015our $AUTOLOAD;
833our @ISA; 1016our @ISA;
834 1017
835our @REGISTRY; 1018our @REGISTRY;
836 1019
837our $WIN32; 1020our $WIN32;
838 1021
839BEGIN { 1022BEGIN {
840 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 1023 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
841 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }"; 1024 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
1025
1026 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
1027 if ${^TAINT};
842} 1028}
843 1029
844our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 1030our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
845 1031
846our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 1032our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
857 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 1043 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
858 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 1044 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
859 # everything below here will not be autoprobed 1045 # everything below here will not be autoprobed
860 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 1046 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
861 # and is usually faster 1047 # and is usually faster
862 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
863 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers 1048 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
864 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1049 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
1050 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
1051 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
865 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1052 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
866 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
867 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1053 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
868 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1054 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1055 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workarounds for its
1056 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
1057 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1058 # obvious default class.
1059# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1060# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1061# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
869); 1062);
870 1063
871our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY); 1064our %method = map +($_ => 1),
1065 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
872 1066
873our @post_detect; 1067our @post_detect;
874 1068
875sub post_detect(&) { 1069sub post_detect(&) {
876 my ($cb) = @_; 1070 my ($cb) = @_;
881 1 1075 1
882 } else { 1076 } else {
883 push @post_detect, $cb; 1077 push @post_detect, $cb;
884 1078
885 defined wantarray 1079 defined wantarray
886 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect" 1080 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
887 : () 1081 : ()
888 } 1082 }
889} 1083}
890 1084
891sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY { 1085sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
892 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect; 1086 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
893} 1087}
894 1088
895sub detect() { 1089sub detect() {
896 unless ($MODEL) { 1090 unless ($MODEL) {
933 last; 1127 last;
934 } 1128 }
935 } 1129 }
936 1130
937 $MODEL 1131 $MODEL
938 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib."; 1132 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
939 } 1133 }
940 } 1134 }
941 1135
1136 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
1137
942 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 1138 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
943 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 1139
1140 require AnyEvent::Strict if $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT};
944 1141
945 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect; 1142 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
946 } 1143 }
947 1144
948 $MODEL 1145 $MODEL
958 1155
959 my $class = shift; 1156 my $class = shift;
960 $class->$func (@_); 1157 $class->$func (@_);
961} 1158}
962 1159
1160# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
1161# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
1162# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
1163sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1164 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1165
1166 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1167 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<") : ($w, ">");
1168
1169 open my $fh2, "$mode&", $fh
1170 or die "AnyEvent->io: cannot dup() filehandle in mode '$poll': $!,";
1171
1172 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
1173
1174 ($fh2, $rw)
1175}
1176
963package AnyEvent::Base; 1177package AnyEvent::Base;
964 1178
965# default implementation for now and time 1179# default implementations for many methods
966 1180
967use Time::HiRes (); 1181BEGIN {
1182 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1183 *_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
1184 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1185 } else {
1186 *_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
1187 }
1188}
968 1189
969sub time { Time::HiRes::time } 1190sub time { _time }
970sub now { Time::HiRes::time } 1191sub now { _time }
1192sub now_update { }
971 1193
972# default implementation for ->condvar 1194# default implementation for ->condvar
973 1195
974sub condvar { 1196sub condvar {
975 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar:: 1197 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
976} 1198}
977 1199
978# default implementation for ->signal 1200# default implementation for ->signal
979 1201
980our %SIG_CB; 1202our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1203
1204sub _signal_exec {
1205 sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 4;
1206
1207 while (%SIG_EV) {
1208 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1209 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1210 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1211 }
1212 }
1213}
981 1214
982sub signal { 1215sub signal {
983 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1216 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
984 1217
1218 unless ($SIGPIPE_R) {
1219 require Fcntl;
1220
1221 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1222 require AnyEvent::Util;
1223
1224 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1225 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1226 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1227 } else {
1228 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1229 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1230 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1231
1232 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1233 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1234 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1235 }
1236
1237 $SIGPIPE_R
1238 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1239
1240 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1241 }
1242
985 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1243 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
986 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing"; 1244 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
987 1245
988 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1246 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
989 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1247 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
990 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1248 local $!;
1249 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1250 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
991 }; 1251 };
992 1252
993 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1253 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
994} 1254}
995 1255
996sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY { 1256sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
997 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1257 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
998 1258
999 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1259 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1000 1260
1261 # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1262 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1263 # instead of getting the default action.
1001 delete $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1264 undef $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1002} 1265}
1003 1266
1004# default implementation for ->child 1267# default implementation for ->child
1005 1268
1006our %PID_CB; 1269our %PID_CB;
1007our $CHLD_W; 1270our $CHLD_W;
1008our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1271our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1009our $PID_IDLE;
1010our $WNOHANG; 1272our $WNOHANG;
1011 1273
1012sub _child_wait { 1274sub _sigchld {
1013 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1275 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
1014 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1276 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }),
1015 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1277 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} });
1016 } 1278 }
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} 1279}
1028 1280
1029sub child { 1281sub child {
1030 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1282 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1031 1283
1032 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1284 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
1033 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1285 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
1034 1286
1035 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1287 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1036 1288
1037 unless ($WNOHANG) {
1038 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1289 $WNOHANG ||= eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1039 }
1040 1290
1041 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1291 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1042 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1292 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
1043 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1293 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
1044 &_sigchld; 1294 &_sigchld;
1045 } 1295 }
1046 1296
1047 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1297 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
1048} 1298}
1049 1299
1050sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1300sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
1051 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1301 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1052 1302
1053 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1303 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
1054 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1304 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
1055 1305
1056 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1306 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1307}
1308
1309# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1310# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1311# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1312sub idle {
1313 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1314
1315 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1316
1317 $rcb = sub {
1318 if ($cb) {
1319 $w = _time;
1320 &$cb;
1321 $w = _time - $w;
1322
1323 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1324 # within some limits
1325 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1326 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1327
1328 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
1329 } else {
1330 # clean up...
1331 undef $w;
1332 undef $rcb;
1333 }
1334 };
1335
1336 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
1337
1338 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1339}
1340
1341sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
1342 undef $${$_[0]};
1057} 1343}
1058 1344
1059package AnyEvent::CondVar; 1345package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1060 1346
1061our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::; 1347our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1113} 1399}
1114 1400
1115# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4 1401# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1116*broadcast = \&send; 1402*broadcast = \&send;
1117*wait = \&_wait; 1403*wait = \&_wait;
1404
1405=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1406
1407In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1408caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1409the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1410checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1411development.
1412
1413As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1414executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1415also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1416program.
1417
1418The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1419within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1420$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1421so on.
1422
1423=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1424
1425The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1426submodules.
1427
1428Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1429C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1430enabled.
1431
1432=over 4
1433
1434=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1435
1436By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1437conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1438talkative.
1439
1440When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1441conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1442C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1443
1444When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1445model it chooses.
1446
1447=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1448
1449AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1450argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1451will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1452check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1453it will croak.
1454
1455In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1456
1457Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in
1458production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while
1459developing programs can be very useful, however.
1460
1461=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1462
1463This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1464auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1465entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1466and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1467used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1468auto detection and -probing.
1469
1470This functionality might change in future versions.
1471
1472For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1473could start your program like this:
1474
1475 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1476
1477=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1478
1479Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1480for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1481of auto probing).
1482
1483Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1484current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1485used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1486list.
1487
1488This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1489against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1490small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
1491
1492Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1493but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1494- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1495addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1496IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1497
1498=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1499
1500Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1501for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1502some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1503default.
1504
1505Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1506EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1507
1508=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1509
1510The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1511will create in parallel.
1512
1513=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
1514
1515The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
1516resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
1517sent to the DNS server.
1518
1519=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
1520
1521The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
1522configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
1523default config will be used.
1524
1525=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE>, C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH>.
1526
1527When neither C<ca_file> nor C<ca_path> was specified during
1528L<AnyEvent::TLS> context creation, and either of these environment
1529variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate locations
1530instead of a system-dependent default.
1531
1532=back
1118 1533
1119=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1534=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1120 1535
1121This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1536This 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 1537a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
1156 1571
1157I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 1572I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
1158condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 1573condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
1159C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 1574C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
1160not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 1575not 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 1576
1235=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1577=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
1236 1578
1237The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1579The 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 1580to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
1432watcher. 1774watcher.
1433 1775
1434=head3 Results 1776=head3 Results
1435 1777
1436 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1778 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1437 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1779 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 1780 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 1781 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 1782 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 1783 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 1784 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1785 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1786 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 1787 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 1788 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 1789 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 1790 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1447 1791
1448=head3 Discussion 1792=head3 Discussion
1449 1793
1450The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1794The 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) 1795well. 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 1820performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1477them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 1821them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1478 1822
1479The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1823The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1480cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1824cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1825
1826C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
1827when using its pure perl backend.
1481 1828
1482C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 1829C<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 1830faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1484C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1831C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1485watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1832watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1563it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 1910it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1564a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 1911a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1565 1912
1566=head3 Results 1913=head3 Results
1567 1914
1568 name sockets create request 1915 name sockets create request
1569 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 1916 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1570 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 1917 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1918 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
1919 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1571 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 1920 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1572 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 1921 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1573 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 1922 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1574 1923
1575=head3 Discussion 1924=head3 Discussion
1576 1925
1577This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 1926This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1578particular event loop. 1927particular event loop.
1580EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 1929EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1581is relatively high, though. 1930is relatively high, though.
1582 1931
1583Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 1932Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1584loops Event and Glib. 1933loops Event and Glib.
1934
1935IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
1936good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1585 1937
1586Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 1938Event 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 1939understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1588the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 1940the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1589uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 1941uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1652=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 2004=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1653watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 2005watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1654 2006
1655=back 2007=back
1656 2008
2009=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
2010
2011Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
2012could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
2013simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
2014shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
2015fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
2016very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
2017baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
2018
2019The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
2020connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
2021creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
2022test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
2023benchmark nevertheless.
2024
2025 name runtime
2026 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
2027 + optimized 0.122 sec
2028 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
2029 + optimized 0.138 sec
2030 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
2031 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
2032 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
2033 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
2034
2035 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
2036 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
2037 +state machine 0.134 sec
2038
2039The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
2040benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
2041defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
2042written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
2043AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2044resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2045generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2046connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2047
2048The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2049offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2050Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2051non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2052
2053As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2054hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2055backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2056
2057And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2058slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2059large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2060in a non-blocking way.
2061
2062The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2063F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2064part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2065
2066
2067=head1 SIGNALS
2068
2069AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2070
2071=over 4
2072
2073=item SIGCHLD
2074
2075A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2076emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2077event loops install a similar handler.
2078
2079If, when AnyEvent is loaded, SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then AnyEvent will
2080reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2081
2082=item SIGPIPE
2083
2084A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2085when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2086
2087The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2088on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2089badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2090program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2091some random socket.
2092
2093The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2094that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2095
2096Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2097
2098=back
2099
2100=cut
2101
2102undef $SIG{CHLD}
2103 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2104
2105$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2106 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
1657 2107
1658=head1 FORK 2108=head1 FORK
1659 2109
1660Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2110Most 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> 2111because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1681 2131
1682 use AnyEvent; 2132 use AnyEvent;
1683 2133
1684Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2134Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1685be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2135be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1686probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL). 2136probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
2137$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2138
2139Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2140C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2141enabled.
1687 2142
1688 2143
1689=head1 BUGS 2144=head1 BUGS
1690 2145
1691Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2146Perl 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 2147to 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 2148and 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 2149memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
1695pronounced). 2150pronounced).
1696 2151
1697 2152
1698=head1 SEE ALSO 2153=head1 SEE ALSO
1699 2154
1703L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 2158L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1704 2159
1705Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, 2160Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1706L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, 2161L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1707L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, 2162L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1708L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 2163L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync>.
1709 2164
1710Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and 2165Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1711servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>. 2166servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>, L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
1712 2167
1713Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2168Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1714 2169
1715Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, 2170Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>,
2171L<Coro::Event>,
1716 2172
1717Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2173Nontrivial usage examples: L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::XMPP>,
2174L<AnyEvent::HTTP>.
1718 2175
1719 2176
1720=head1 AUTHOR 2177=head1 AUTHOR
1721 2178
1722 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 2179 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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