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1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops 3AnyEvent - the DBI of event loop programming
4 4
5EV, Event, Coro::EV, Coro::Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops 5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Irssi, rxvt-unicode, IO::Async, Qt
6and POE are various supported event loops/environments.
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
35 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
20 $w->wait; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->broadcast 36 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
21 $w->broadcast; # wake up current and all future wait's 37 # use a condvar in callback mode:
38 $w->cb (sub { $_[0]->recv });
39
40=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
41
42This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested
43in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the
44L<AnyEvent::Intro> manpage.
45
46=head1 SUPPORT
47
48There is a mailinglist for discussing all things AnyEvent, and an IRC
49channel, too.
50
51See the AnyEvent project page at the B<Schmorpforge Ta-Sa Software
52Repository>, at L<http://anyevent.schmorp.de>, for more info.
22 53
23=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT) 54=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)
24 55
25Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen 56Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
26nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent? 57nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
27 58
28Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of 59Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of
29policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>. 60policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>.
30 61
31First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only 62First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only
32interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use in a 63interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use, in a
33pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike, 64pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike,
34the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general, 65the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general,
35only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent 66only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent
36helps hiding the differences between those event loops. 67cannot change this, but it can hide the differences between those event
68loops.
37 69
38The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event 70The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event
39programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a 71programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a
40religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your 72religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your
41module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event 73module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event
42model you use. 74model you use.
43 75
44For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is 76For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is
45actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is 77actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is
46like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you 78like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you
47cannot use anything else, as it is simply incompatible to everything that 79cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything
48isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are 80that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your
49I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use. 81module are I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.
50 82
51AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works 83AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
52fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together 84fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together
53with the rest: POE + IO::Async? no go. Tk + Event? no go. Again: if 85with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if
54your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, 86your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it,
55too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all 87too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all
56event models it supports (including stuff like POE and IO::Async, as long 88event models it supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those
57as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new 89use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new event loops
58event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof). 90to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
59 91
60In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event 92In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event
61model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar 93model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
62modules, you get an enourmous amount of code and strict rules you have to 94modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
63follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only 95follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only
64offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as 96offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as
65technically possible. 97technically possible.
66 98
99Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox
100of useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100%
101non-blocking connects (even with TLS/SSL, IPv6 and on broken platforms
102such as Windows) and lots of real-world knowledge and workarounds for
103platform bugs and differences.
104
67Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat 105Now, if you I<do want> lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat
68useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event 106useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
69model, you should I<not> use this module. 107model, you should I<not> use this module.
70 108
71=head1 DESCRIPTION 109=head1 DESCRIPTION
72 110
78The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event> 116The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>
79module. 117module.
80 118
81During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries 119During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
82to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the 120to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the
83following modules is already loaded: L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, L<EV>, 121following modules is already loaded: L<EV>,
84L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, 122L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>,
85L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries 123L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries
86to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl 124to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl
87adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can 125adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can
88be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be 126be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be
102starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to 140starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to
103use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly... 141use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly...
104 142
105The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called 143The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called
106C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it 144C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it
107explicitly. 145explicitly and enjoy the high availability of that event loop :)
108 146
109=head1 WATCHERS 147=head1 WATCHERS
110 148
111AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that 149AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that
112stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as 150stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
113the callback to call, the filehandle to watch, etc. 151the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
114 152
115These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 153These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
116creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 154creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
117callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 155callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
118is in control). 156is in control).
119 157
158Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
159potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> or C<$[>) and that B<<
160callbacks must not C<die> >>. The former is good programming practise in
161Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
162widely between event loops.
163
120To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the 164To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
121variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references 165variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references
122to it). 166to it).
123 167
124All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class. 168All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.
126Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for 170Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for
127example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways. 171example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways.
128 172
129An any way to achieve that is this pattern: 173An any way to achieve that is this pattern:
130 174
131 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub { 175 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub {
132 # you can use $w here, for example to undef it 176 # you can use $w here, for example to undef it
133 undef $w; 177 undef $w;
134 }); 178 });
135 179
136Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl, 180Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl,
137my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are 181my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
138declared. 182declared.
139 183
140=head2 I/O WATCHERS 184=head2 I/O WATCHERS
141 185
142You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 186You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
143with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 187with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
144 188
145C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch 189C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (or a naked file descriptor) to watch
190for events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
191handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
192non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
193most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example files
194or block devices.
195
146for events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, 196C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
147which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, 197watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
198
148respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle 199C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
149becomes ready.
150 200
151Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 201Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
152presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 202presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
153callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 203callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
154 204
158 208
159Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should 209Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should
160always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file 210always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
161handles. 211handles.
162 212
163Example:
164
165 # wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the watcher 213Example: wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the
214watcher.
215
166 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub { 216 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
167 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); 217 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>);
168 warn "read: $input\n"; 218 warn "read: $input\n";
169 undef $w; 219 undef $w;
170 }); 220 });
180 230
181Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 231Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
182presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 232presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
183callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks. 233callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
184 234
185The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating 235The callback will normally be invoked once only. If you specify another
186timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk 236parameter, C<interval>, as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the
187and Glib). 237callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional
238seconds) after the first invocation. If C<interval> is specified with a
239false value, then it is treated as if it were missing.
188 240
189Example: 241The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no
242attempt is done to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval is
243only approximate.
190 244
191 # fire an event after 7.7 seconds 245Example: fire an event after 7.7 seconds.
246
192 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub { 247 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {
193 warn "timeout\n"; 248 warn "timeout\n";
194 }); 249 });
195 250
196 # to cancel the timer: 251 # to cancel the timer:
197 undef $w; 252 undef $w;
198 253
199Example 2:
200
201 # fire an event after 0.5 seconds, then roughly every second 254Example 2: fire an event after 0.5 seconds, then roughly every second.
202 my $w;
203 255
204 my $cb = sub {
205 # cancel the old timer while creating a new one
206 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, cb => $cb); 256 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.5, interval => 1, cb => sub {
257 warn "timeout\n";
207 }; 258 };
208
209 # start the "loop" by creating the first watcher
210 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.5, cb => $cb);
211 259
212=head3 TIMING ISSUES 260=head3 TIMING ISSUES
213 261
214There are two ways to handle timers: based on real time (relative, "fire 262There are two ways to handle timers: based on real time (relative, "fire
215in 10 seconds") and based on wallclock time (absolute, "fire at 12 263in 10 seconds") and based on wallclock time (absolute, "fire at 12
227timers. 275timers.
228 276
229AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the 277AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the
230AnyEvent API. 278AnyEvent API.
231 279
280AnyEvent has two additional methods that return the "current time":
281
282=over 4
283
284=item AnyEvent->time
285
286This returns the "current wallclock time" as a fractional number of
287seconds since the Epoch (the same thing as C<time> or C<Time::HiRes::time>
288return, and the result is guaranteed to be compatible with those).
289
290It progresses independently of any event loop processing, i.e. each call
291will check the system clock, which usually gets updated frequently.
292
293=item AnyEvent->now
294
295This also returns the "current wallclock time", but unlike C<time>, above,
296this value might change only once per event loop iteration, depending on
297the event loop (most return the same time as C<time>, above). This is the
298time that AnyEvent's timers get scheduled against.
299
300I<In almost all cases (in all cases if you don't care), this is the
301function to call when you want to know the current time.>
302
303This function is also often faster then C<< AnyEvent->time >>, and
304thus the preferred method if you want some timestamp (for example,
305L<AnyEvent::Handle> uses this to update it's activity timeouts).
306
307The rest of this section is only of relevance if you try to be very exact
308with your timing, you can skip it without bad conscience.
309
310For a practical example of when these times differ, consider L<Event::Lib>
311and L<EV> and the following set-up:
312
313The event loop is running and has just invoked one of your callback at
314time=500 (assume no other callbacks delay processing). In your callback,
315you wait a second by executing C<sleep 1> (blocking the process for a
316second) and then (at time=501) you create a relative timer that fires
317after three seconds.
318
319With L<Event::Lib>, C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> will
320both return C<501>, because that is the current time, and the timer will
321be scheduled to fire at time=504 (C<501> + C<3>).
322
323With L<EV>, C<< AnyEvent->time >> returns C<501> (as that is the current
324time), but C<< AnyEvent->now >> returns C<500>, as that is the time the
325last event processing phase started. With L<EV>, your timer gets scheduled
326to run at time=503 (C<500> + C<3>).
327
328In one sense, L<Event::Lib> is more exact, as it uses the current time
329regardless of any delays introduced by event processing. However, most
330callbacks do not expect large delays in processing, so this causes a
331higher drift (and a lot more system calls to get the current time).
332
333In another sense, L<EV> is more exact, as your timer will be scheduled at
334the same time, regardless of how long event processing actually took.
335
336In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
337can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the
338difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
339account.
340
341=item AnyEvent->now_update
342
343Some event loops (such as L<EV> or L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) cache
344the current time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of L<<
345AnyEvent->now >>, above).
346
347When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps), then
348this "current" time will differ substantially from the real time, which
349might affect timers and time-outs.
350
351When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update the
352event loop's idea of "current time".
353
354Note that updating the time I<might> cause some events to be handled.
355
356=back
357
232=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 358=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
233 359
234You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 360You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
235I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to 361I<name> in uppercase and without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl
236be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 362callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
237 363
238Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 364Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
239presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 365presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
240callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks. 366callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
241 367
242Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback 368Multiple signal occurrences can be clumped together into one callback
243invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means 369invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
244that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process, 370that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
245but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 371but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
246 372
247The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal 373The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
248between multiple watchers. 374between multiple watchers, and AnyEvent will ensure that signals will not
375interrupt your program at bad times.
249 376
250This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals 377This watcher might use C<%SIG> (depending on the event loop used),
251directly will likely not work correctly. 378so programs overwriting those signals directly will likely not work
379correctly.
252 380
253Example: exit on SIGINT 381Example: exit on SIGINT
254 382
255 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 }); 383 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 });
256 384
385=head3 Signal Races, Delays and Workarounds
386
387Many event loops (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt, IO::Async) do not support attaching
388callbacks to signals in a generic way, which is a pity, as you cannot do
389race-free signal handling in perl. AnyEvent will try to do it's best, but
390in some cases, signals will be delayed. The maximum time a signal might
391be delayed is specified in C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY> (default: 10
392seconds). This variable can be changed only before the first signal
393watcher is created, and should be left alone otherwise. Higher values
394will cause fewer spurious wake-ups, which is better for power and CPU
395saving. All these problems can be avoided by installing the optional
396L<Async::Interrupt> module. This will not work with inherently broken
397event loops such as L<Event> or L<Event::Lib> (and not with L<POE>
398currently, as POE does it's own workaround with one-second latency). With
399those, you just have to suffer the delays.
400
257=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 401=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
258 402
259You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 403You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
260 404
261The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 405The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (one some backends,
262watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 406using C<0> watches for any child process exit, on others this will
263as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 407croak). The watcher will be triggered only when the child process has
264signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 408finished and an exit status is available, not on any trace events
265and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, 409(stopped/continued).
266you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments. 410
411The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
412waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
413callback arguments.
414
415This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
416and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
417random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
418C<system>, is just fine).
267 419
268There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them 420There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
269I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could 421I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
270have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 422have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
271 423
272Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for 424Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
425see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
273event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be 426that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
274loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). 427the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
428pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
429start the watcher.
275 430
276This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an 431This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
277AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you 432thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
278C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 433watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
434C<AnyEvent::detect>).
435
436As most event loops do not support waiting for child events, they will be
437emulated by AnyEvent in most cases, in which the latency and race problems
438mentioned in the description of signal watchers apply.
279 439
280Example: fork a process and wait for it 440Example: fork a process and wait for it
281 441
282 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 442 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
283 443
284 AnyEvent::detect; # force event module to be initialised
285
286 my $pid = fork or exit 5; 444 my $pid = fork or exit 5;
287 445
288 my $w = AnyEvent->child ( 446 my $w = AnyEvent->child (
289 pid => $pid, 447 pid => $pid,
290 cb => sub { 448 cb => sub {
291 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 449 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
292 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status"; 450 warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
293 $done->broadcast; 451 $done->send;
294 }, 452 },
295 ); 453 );
296 454
297 # do something else, then wait for process exit 455 # do something else, then wait for process exit
298 $done->wait; 456 $done->recv;
457
458=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
459
460Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important
461to do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
462"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
463attention by the event loop".
464
465Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing
466better to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new
467events. Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
468
469Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
470EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
471will simply call the callback "from time to time".
472
473Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
474program is otherwise idle:
475
476 my @lines; # read data
477 my $idle_w;
478 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
479 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
480
481 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
482 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
483 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
484 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
485 print "handled when idle: $line";
486 } else {
487 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
488 undef $idle_w;
489 }
490 });
491 });
299 492
300=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 493=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
301 494
495If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
496require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
497will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
498
499AnyEvent is slightly different: it expects somebody else to run the event
500loop and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
501
502The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
503because they represent a condition that must become true.
504
505Now is probably a good time to look at the examples further below.
506
302Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >> 507Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
303method without any arguments. 508>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
509C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
510becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
511the results).
304 512
305A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<< 513After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
306->broadcast >> method has been called. 514by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
515were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
516->send >> method).
307 517
308They are very useful to signal that a condition has been fulfilled, for 518Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
519optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
520in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet
521another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can be
522used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and delivers
523a result. And yet some people know them as "futures" - a promise to
524compute/deliver something that you can wait for.
525
526Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished,
309example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests, 527for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
310then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the 528then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the
311availability of results. 529availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is
530called or can synchronously C<< ->recv >> for the results.
312 531
313You can also use condition variables to block your main program until 532You can also use them to simulate traditional event loops - for example,
314an event occurs - for example, you could C<< ->wait >> in your main 533you can block your main program until an event occurs - for example, you
315program until the user clicks the Quit button in your app, which would C<< 534could C<< ->recv >> in your main program until the user clicks the Quit
316->broadcast >> the "quit" event. 535button of your app, which would C<< ->send >> the "quit" event.
317 536
318Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have 537Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have
319two pirces of code that call C<< ->wait >> in a round-robbin fashion, you 538two pieces of code that call C<< ->recv >> in a round-robin fashion, you
320lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but 539lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but
321you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks, 540you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,
322as this asks for trouble. 541as this asks for trouble.
323 542
324This object has two methods: 543Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
544used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing
545easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
546AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call
547it's C<new> method in your own C<new> method.
325 548
326=over 4 549There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which
550eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits
551for the send to occur.
327 552
328=item $cv->wait 553Example: wait for a timer.
329
330Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been
331called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally.
332
333You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls will return
334immediately.
335
336Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
337(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
338using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the
339caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
340condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
341callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
342while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
343
344Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot
345sensibly have two C<< ->wait >>'s in parallel, as that would require
346multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
347can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and
348L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
349from different coroutines, however).
350
351=item $cv->broadcast
352
353Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further
354calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been
355called. If nobody is waiting the broadcast will be remembered..
356
357=back
358
359Example:
360 554
361 # wait till the result is ready 555 # wait till the result is ready
362 my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar; 556 my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
363 557
364 # do something such as adding a timer 558 # do something such as adding a timer
365 # or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->broadcast 559 # or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send
366 # when the "result" is ready. 560 # when the "result" is ready.
367 # in this case, we simply use a timer: 561 # in this case, we simply use a timer:
368 my $w = AnyEvent->timer ( 562 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
369 after => 1, 563 after => 1,
370 cb => sub { $result_ready->broadcast }, 564 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
371 ); 565 );
372 566
373 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the watcher 567 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
374 # calls broadcast 568 # calls -<send
375 $result_ready->wait; 569 $result_ready->recv;
570
571Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition
572variables are also callable directly.
573
574 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
575 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
576 $done->recv;
577
578Example: Imagine an API that returns a condvar and doesn't support
579callbacks. This is how you make a synchronous call, for example from
580the main program:
581
582 use AnyEvent::CouchDB;
583
584 ...
585
586 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
587
588And this is how you would just set a callback to be called whenever the
589results are available:
590
591 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
592 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
593 });
594
595=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
596
597These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
598code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
599the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
600uncommon for the consumer to create it as well.
601
602=over 4
603
604=item $cv->send (...)
605
606Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->recv >> and all further
607calls to C<recv> will (eventually) return after this method has been
608called. If nobody is waiting the send will be remembered.
609
610If a callback has been set on the condition variable, it is called
611immediately from within send.
612
613Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
614future C<< ->recv >> calls.
615
616Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as if
617they were a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
618C<send>.
619
620=item $cv->croak ($error)
621
622Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
623C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
624
625This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
626user/consumer. Doing it this way instead of calling C<croak> directly
627delays the error detetcion, but has the overwhelmign advantage that it
628diagnoses the error at the place where the result is expected, and not
629deep in some event clalback without connection to the actual code causing
630the problem.
631
632=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
633
634=item $cv->end
635
636These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
637one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
638to use a condition variable for the whole process.
639
640Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
641C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
642>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
643is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
644callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
645
646You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
647sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
648condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
649
650Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
651STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
652close before activating a condvar:
653
654 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
655
656 $cv->begin; # first watcher
657 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
658 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
659 or $cv->end;
660 });
661
662 $cv->begin; # second watcher
663 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
664 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
665 or $cv->end;
666 });
667
668 $cv->recv;
669
670This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
671one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
672sending.
673
674The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
675there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
676begung can potentially be zero:
677
678 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
679
680 my %result;
681 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
682
683 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
684 $cv->begin;
685 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
686 $result{$host} = ...;
687 $cv->end;
688 };
689 }
690
691 $cv->end;
692
693This code fragment supposedly pings a number of hosts and calls
694C<send> after results for all then have have been gathered - in any
695order. To achieve this, the code issues a call to C<begin> when it starts
696each ping request and calls C<end> when it has received some result for
697it. Since C<begin> and C<end> only maintain a counter, the order in which
698results arrive is not relevant.
699
700There is an additional bracketing call to C<begin> and C<end> outside the
701loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
702to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
703C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
704doesn't execute once).
705
706This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
707potentially none) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
708the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
709subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
710call C<end>.
711
712=back
713
714=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
715
716These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the
717code awaits the condition.
718
719=over 4
720
721=item $cv->recv
722
723Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
724>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
725normally.
726
727You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
728will return immediately.
729
730If an error condition has been set by calling C<< ->croak >>, then this
731function will call C<croak>.
732
733In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
734in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
735
736Note that doing a blocking wait in a callback is not supported by any
737event loop, that is, recursive invocation of a blocking C<< ->recv
738>> is not allowed, and the C<recv> call will C<croak> if such a
739condition is detected. This condition can be slightly loosened by using
740L<Coro::AnyEvent>, which allows you to do a blocking C<< ->recv >> from
741any thread that doesn't run the event loop itself.
742
743Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
744(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
745using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>. Instead, let the
746caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
747condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
748callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
749while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
750
751You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
752only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
753time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
754waits otherwise.
755
756=item $bool = $cv->ready
757
758Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
759C<croak> have been called.
760
761=item $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
762
763This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
764replaces it before doing so.
765
766The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
767C<send> or C<croak> are called, with the only argument being the condition
768variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time
769is guaranteed not to block.
770
771=back
772
773=head1 SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
774
775The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
776
777=over 4
778
779=item Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
780
781EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
782use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will try Event, and, failing
783that, will fall back to its own pure-perl implementation, which is
784available everywhere as it comes with AnyEvent itself.
785
786 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
787 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
788 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
789
790=item Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
791
792These will be used when they are currently loaded when the first watcher
793is created, in which case it is assumed that the application is using
794them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the right backend
795when the main program loads an event module before anything starts to
796create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done by the main program.
797
798 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
799 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
800 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
801 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
802 AnyEvent::Impl::Irssi used when running within irssi.
803
804=item Backends with special needs.
805
806Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
807otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
808instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are created,
809everything should just work.
810
811 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
812
813Support for IO::Async can only be partial, as it is too broken and
814architecturally limited to even support the AnyEvent API. It also
815is the only event loop that needs the loop to be set explicitly, so
816it can only be used by a main program knowing about AnyEvent. See
817L<AnyEvent::Impl::Async> for the gory details.
818
819 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed.
820
821=item Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
822
823Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
824
825There is no direct support for WxWidgets (L<Wx>) or L<Prima>.
826
827B<WxWidgets> has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
828use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply
829polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too horrible to even
830consider for AnyEvent.
831
832B<Prima> is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a POE
833backend, so it can be supported through POE.
834
835AnyEvent knows about both L<Prima> and L<Wx>, however, and will try to
836load L<POE> when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them up,
837in which case everything will be automatic.
838
839=back
376 840
377=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 841=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
378 842
843These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
844write AnyEvent extension modules.
845
379=over 4 846=over 4
380 847
381=item $AnyEvent::MODEL 848=item $AnyEvent::MODEL
382 849
383Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created. Then it 850Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created, before the
851backend has been autodetected.
852
384contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of the 853Afterwards it contains the event model that is being used, which is the
385Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of the 854name of the Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one
386C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 855of the C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the
387AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 856case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode> it
388 857will be C<urxvt::anyevent>).
389The known classes so far are:
390
391 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
392 AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
393 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
394 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
395 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
396 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
397 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
398 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
399 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
400 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
401
402There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
403watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
404POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
405second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
406AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
407it's adaptor.
408
409AnyEvent knows about L<Prima> and L<Wx> and will try to use L<POE> when
410autodetecting them.
411 858
412=item AnyEvent::detect 859=item AnyEvent::detect
413 860
414Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 861Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
415if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 862if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
416have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 863have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
417runtime. 864runtime, and not e.g. while initialising of your module.
865
866If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
867created, use C<post_detect>.
868
869=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
870
871Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
872autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
873
874The block will be executed I<after> the actual backend has been detected
875(C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> is set), but I<before> any watchers have been
876created, so it is possible to e.g. patch C<@AnyEvent::ISA> or do
877other initialisations - see the sources of L<AnyEvent::Strict> or
878L<AnyEvent::AIO> to see how this is used.
879
880The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without forcing
881event module detection too early, for example, L<AnyEvent::AIO> creates
882and installs the global L<IO::AIO> watcher in a C<post_detect> block to
883avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
884
885If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
886that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed (or
887C<undef> when the hook was immediately executed). See L<AnyEvent::AIO> for
888a case where this is useful.
889
890Example: Create a watcher for the IO::AIO module and store it in
891C<$WATCHER>. Only do so after the event loop is initialised, though.
892
893 our WATCHER;
894
895 my $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect {
896 $WATCHER = AnyEvent->io (fh => IO::AIO::poll_fileno, poll => 'r', cb => \&IO::AIO::poll_cb);
897 };
898
899 # the ||= is important in case post_detect immediately runs the block,
900 # as to not clobber the newly-created watcher. assigning both watcher and
901 # post_detect guard to the same variable has the advantage of users being
902 # able to just C<undef $WATCHER> if the watcher causes them grief.
903
904 $WATCHER ||= $guard;
905
906=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
907
908If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
909before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
910the event loop has been chosen.
911
912You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
913if it is defined then the event loop has already been detected, and the
914array will be ignored.
915
916Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> when your application allows
917it,as it takes care of these details.
918
919This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something useful
920when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is initialised, but do
921not need to even load it by default. This array provides the means to hook
922into AnyEvent passively, without loading it.
418 923
419=back 924=back
420 925
421=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 926=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
422 927
426Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will 931Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will
427decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so 932decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so
428by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module 933by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module
429to load the event module first. 934to load the event module first.
430 935
431Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that 936Never call C<< ->recv >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that
432the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been called on it already. This is 937the C<< ->send >> method has been called on it already. This is
433because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using 938because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
434events is to stay interactive. 939events is to stay interactive.
435 940
436It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module 941It is fine, however, to call C<< ->recv >> when the user of your module
437requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method 942requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method
438called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->wait >> 943called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->recv >>
439freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always). 944freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).
440 945
441=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM 946=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
442 947
443There will always be a single main program - the only place that should 948There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
445 950
446If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not 951If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not
447do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent 952do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent
448decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it. 953decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.
449 954
450If the main program relies on a specific event model. For example, in 955If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in
451Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module. You should load the 956Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the
452event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally 957event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally
453speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that 958speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that
454modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will 959modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will
455decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it 960decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it
456might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself. 961might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.
457 962
458You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by 963You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
459loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar 964C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour
460behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better. 965everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
966
967=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION
968
969Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
970only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event loop.
971
972In that case, you can use a condition variable like this:
973
974 AnyEvent->condvar->recv;
975
976This has the effect of entering the event loop and looping forever.
977
978Note that usually your program has some exit condition, in which case
979it is better to use the "traditional" approach of storing a condition
980variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program should
981exit cleanly.
982
461 983
462=head1 OTHER MODULES 984=head1 OTHER MODULES
463 985
464The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 986The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
465AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 987AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent
466in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are 988modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the modules
467available via CPAN. 989come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
468 990
469=over 4 991=over 4
470 992
471=item L<AnyEvent::Util> 993=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
472 994
473Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking 995Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
474functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions. 996functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
475 997
998=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
999
1000Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
1001addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
1002connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more.
1003
476=item L<AnyEvent::Handle> 1004=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
477 1005
478Provide read and write buffers and manages watchers for reads and writes. 1006Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
1007supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
1008non-blocking SSL/TLS (via L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
479 1009
480=item L<AnyEvent::Socket> 1010=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
481 1011
482Provides a means to do non-blocking connects, accepts etc. 1012Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
1013
1014=item L<AnyEvent::HTTP>
1015
1016A simple-to-use HTTP library that is capable of making a lot of concurrent
1017HTTP requests.
483 1018
484=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> 1019=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
485 1020
486Provides a simple web application server framework. 1021Provides a simple web application server framework.
487 1022
488=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
489
490Provides asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities, beyond what
491L<AnyEvent::Util> offers.
492
493=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing> 1023=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
494 1024
495The fastest ping in the west. 1025The fastest ping in the west.
496 1026
1027=item L<AnyEvent::DBI>
1028
1029Executes L<DBI> requests asynchronously in a proxy process.
1030
1031=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>
1032
1033Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
1034programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses L<IO::AIO> and AnyEvent
1035together.
1036
1037=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>
1038
1039Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::BDB transparently fuses
1040L<BDB> and AnyEvent together.
1041
1042=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
1043
1044A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
1045
497=item L<Net::IRC3> 1046=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
498 1047
499AnyEvent based IRC client module family. 1048AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
500 1049
501=item L<Net::XMPP2> 1050=item L<AnyEvent::XMPP>
502 1051
503AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family. 1052AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the older
1053Net::XMPP2>.
1054
1055=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
1056
1057A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
1058L<App::IGS>).
504 1059
505=item L<Net::FCP> 1060=item L<Net::FCP>
506 1061
507AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace 1062AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
508of AnyEvent. 1063of AnyEvent.
511 1066
512High level API for event-based execution flow control. 1067High level API for event-based execution flow control.
513 1068
514=item L<Coro> 1069=item L<Coro>
515 1070
516Has special support for AnyEvent. 1071Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
517
518=item L<IO::Lambda>
519
520The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
521
522=item L<IO::AIO>
523
524Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
525programmer. Can be trivially made to use AnyEvent.
526
527=item L<BDB>
528
529Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. Can be trivially made to use
530AnyEvent.
531 1072
532=back 1073=back
533 1074
534=cut 1075=cut
535 1076
536package AnyEvent; 1077package AnyEvent;
537 1078
1079# basically a tuned-down version of common::sense
1080sub common_sense {
538no warnings; 1081 # no warnings
539use strict; 1082 ${^WARNING_BITS} ^= ${^WARNING_BITS};
1083 # use strict vars subs
1084 $^H |= 0x00000600;
1085}
540 1086
1087BEGIN { AnyEvent::common_sense }
1088
541use Carp; 1089use Carp ();
542 1090
543our $VERSION = '3.3'; 1091our $VERSION = 4.881;
544our $MODEL; 1092our $MODEL;
545 1093
546our $AUTOLOAD; 1094our $AUTOLOAD;
547our @ISA; 1095our @ISA;
548 1096
549our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
550
551our @REGISTRY; 1097our @REGISTRY;
552 1098
1099our $WIN32;
1100
1101our $VERBOSE;
1102
1103BEGIN {
1104 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
1105 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
1106
1107 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
1108 if ${^TAINT};
1109
1110 $VERBOSE = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
1111
1112}
1113
1114our $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY = 10;
1115
1116our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
1117
1118{
1119 my $idx;
1120 $PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx
1121 for reverse split /\s*,\s*/,
1122 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} || "ipv4,ipv6";
1123}
1124
553my @models = ( 1125my @models = (
554 [Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
555 [Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
556 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::], 1126 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV:: , 1],
557 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 1127 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::, 1],
558 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], 1128 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: , 1],
1129 # everything below here will not (normally) be autoprobed
1130 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
1131 # and is usually faster
1132 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib:: , 1], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
1133 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
1134 [Irssi:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Irssi::], # Irssi has a bogus "Event" package
559 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], 1135 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
1136 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
1137 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
560 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1138 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
561 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1139 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
562 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 1140 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workarounds for its
563 # everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 1141 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
564 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1142 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1143 # obvious default class.
565 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1144# [0, IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
566 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1145# [0, IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1146# [0, IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
567); 1147);
568 1148
569our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar broadcast wait one_event DESTROY); 1149our %method = map +($_ => 1),
1150 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
1151
1152our @post_detect;
1153
1154sub post_detect(&) {
1155 my ($cb) = @_;
1156
1157 if ($MODEL) {
1158 $cb->();
1159
1160 undef
1161 } else {
1162 push @post_detect, $cb;
1163
1164 defined wantarray
1165 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
1166 : ()
1167 }
1168}
1169
1170sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
1171 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
1172}
570 1173
571sub detect() { 1174sub detect() {
572 unless ($MODEL) { 1175 unless ($MODEL) {
573 no strict 'refs'; 1176 local $SIG{__DIE__};
574 1177
575 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) { 1178 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
576 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1"; 1179 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
577 if (eval "require $model") { 1180 if (eval "require $model") {
578 $MODEL = $model; 1181 $MODEL = $model;
579 warn "AnyEvent: loaded model '$model' (forced by \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1182 warn "AnyEvent: loaded model '$model' (forced by \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}), using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
580 } else { 1183 } else {
581 warn "AnyEvent: unable to load model '$model' (from \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL):\n$@" if $verbose; 1184 warn "AnyEvent: unable to load model '$model' (from \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}):\n$@" if $VERBOSE;
582 } 1185 }
583 } 1186 }
584 1187
585 # check for already loaded models 1188 # check for already loaded models
586 unless ($MODEL) { 1189 unless ($MODEL) {
587 for (@REGISTRY, @models) { 1190 for (@REGISTRY, @models) {
588 my ($package, $model) = @$_; 1191 my ($package, $model) = @$_;
589 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) { 1192 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) {
590 if (eval "require $model") { 1193 if (eval "require $model") {
591 $MODEL = $model; 1194 $MODEL = $model;
592 warn "AnyEvent: autodetected model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1195 warn "AnyEvent: autodetected model '$model', using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
593 last; 1196 last;
594 } 1197 }
595 } 1198 }
596 } 1199 }
597 1200
598 unless ($MODEL) { 1201 unless ($MODEL) {
599 # try to load a model 1202 # try to autoload a model
600
601 for (@REGISTRY, @models) { 1203 for (@REGISTRY, @models) {
602 my ($package, $model) = @$_; 1204 my ($package, $model, $autoload) = @$_;
1205 if (
1206 $autoload
603 if (eval "require $package" 1207 and eval "require $package"
604 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0 1208 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0
605 and eval "require $model") { 1209 and eval "require $model"
1210 ) {
606 $MODEL = $model; 1211 $MODEL = $model;
607 warn "AnyEvent: autoprobed model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1212 warn "AnyEvent: autoloaded model '$model', using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
608 last; 1213 last;
609 } 1214 }
610 } 1215 }
611 1216
612 $MODEL 1217 $MODEL
613 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV (or Coro+EV), Event (or Coro+Event) or Glib."; 1218 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
614 } 1219 }
615 } 1220 }
616 1221
1222 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
1223
617 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 1224 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
618 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 1225
1226 require AnyEvent::Strict if $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT};
1227
1228 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
619 } 1229 }
620 1230
621 $MODEL 1231 $MODEL
622} 1232}
623 1233
624sub AUTOLOAD { 1234sub AUTOLOAD {
625 (my $func = $AUTOLOAD) =~ s/.*://; 1235 (my $func = $AUTOLOAD) =~ s/.*://;
626 1236
627 $method{$func} 1237 $method{$func}
628 or croak "$func: not a valid method for AnyEvent objects"; 1238 or Carp::croak "$func: not a valid method for AnyEvent objects";
629 1239
630 detect unless $MODEL; 1240 detect unless $MODEL;
631 1241
632 my $class = shift; 1242 my $class = shift;
633 $class->$func (@_); 1243 $class->$func (@_);
634} 1244}
635 1245
1246# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
1247# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
1248# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
1249sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1250 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1251
1252 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1253 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<&") : ($w, ">&");
1254
1255 open my $fh2, $mode, $fh
1256 or die "AnyEvent->io: cannot dup() filehandle in mode '$poll': $!,";
1257
1258 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
1259
1260 ($fh2, $rw)
1261}
1262
636package AnyEvent::Base; 1263package AnyEvent::Base;
637 1264
1265# default implementations for many methods
1266
1267sub _time {
1268 # probe for availability of Time::HiRes
1269 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1270 warn "AnyEvent: using Time::HiRes for sub-second timing accuracy.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1271 *_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
1272 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1273 } else {
1274 warn "AnyEvent: using built-in time(), WARNING, no sub-second resolution!\n" if $VERBOSE;
1275 *_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
1276 }
1277
1278 &_time
1279}
1280
1281sub time { _time }
1282sub now { _time }
1283sub now_update { }
1284
638# default implementation for ->condvar, ->wait, ->broadcast 1285# default implementation for ->condvar
639 1286
640sub condvar { 1287sub condvar {
641 bless \my $flag, "AnyEvent::Base::CondVar" 1288 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
642}
643
644sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::broadcast {
645 ${$_[0]}++;
646}
647
648sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::wait {
649 AnyEvent->one_event while !${$_[0]};
650} 1289}
651 1290
652# default implementation for ->signal 1291# default implementation for ->signal
653 1292
654our %SIG_CB; 1293our $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT;
655 1294
1295sub _have_async_interrupt() {
1296 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT = 1*(!$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT}
1297 && eval "use Async::Interrupt 1.0 (); 1")
1298 unless defined $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT;
1299
1300 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1301}
1302
1303our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1304our (%SIG_ASY, %SIG_ASY_W);
1305our ($SIG_COUNT, $SIG_TW);
1306
1307sub _signal_exec {
1308 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1309 ? $SIGPIPE_R->drain
1310 : sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 9;
1311
1312 while (%SIG_EV) {
1313 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1314 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1315 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1316 }
1317 }
1318}
1319
1320# install a dummy wakeup watcher to reduce signal catching latency
1321sub _sig_add() {
1322 unless ($SIG_COUNT++) {
1323 # try to align timer on a full-second boundary, if possible
1324 my $NOW = AnyEvent->now;
1325
1326 $SIG_TW = AnyEvent->timer (
1327 after => $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY - ($NOW - int $NOW),
1328 interval => $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY,
1329 cb => sub { }, # just for the PERL_ASYNC_CHECK
1330 );
1331 }
1332}
1333
1334sub _sig_del {
1335 undef $SIG_TW
1336 unless --$SIG_COUNT;
1337}
1338
1339our $_sig_name_init; $_sig_name_init = sub {
1340 undef $_sig_name_init;
1341
1342 if (_have_async_interrupt) {
1343 *sig2num = \&Async::Interrupt::sig2num;
1344 *sig2name = \&Async::Interrupt::sig2name;
1345 } else {
1346 require Config;
1347
1348 my %signame2num;
1349 @signame2num{ split ' ', $Config::Config{sig_name} }
1350 = split ' ', $Config::Config{sig_num};
1351
1352 my @signum2name;
1353 @signum2name[values %signame2num] = keys %signame2num;
1354
1355 *sig2num = sub($) {
1356 $_[0] > 0 ? shift : $signame2num{+shift}
1357 };
1358 *sig2name = sub ($) {
1359 $_[0] > 0 ? $signum2name[+shift] : shift
1360 };
1361 }
1362};
1363
1364sub sig2num ($) { &$_sig_name_init; &sig2num }
1365sub sig2name($) { &$_sig_name_init; &sig2name }
1366
656sub signal { 1367sub _signal {
657 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1368 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
658 1369
659 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1370 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
660 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing"; 1371 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
661 1372
1373 if ($HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT) {
1374 # async::interrupt
1375
1376 $signal = sig2num $signal;
662 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1377 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1378
1379 $SIG_ASY{$signal} ||= new Async::Interrupt
1380 cb => sub { undef $SIG_EV{$signal} },
1381 signal => $signal,
1382 pipe => [$SIGPIPE_R->filenos],
1383 pipe_autodrain => 0,
1384 ;
1385
1386 } else {
1387 # pure perl
1388
1389 # AE::Util has been loaded in signal
1390 $signal = sig2name $signal;
1391 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1392
663 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1393 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
664 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1394 local $!;
1395 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1396 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
1397 };
1398
1399 # can't do signal processing without introducing races in pure perl,
1400 # so limit the signal latency.
1401 _sig_add;
665 }; 1402 }
666 1403
667 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1404 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
668} 1405}
669 1406
1407sub signal {
1408 # probe for availability of Async::Interrupt
1409 if (_have_async_interrupt) {
1410 warn "AnyEvent: using Async::Interrupt for race-free signal handling.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1411
1412 $SIGPIPE_R = new Async::Interrupt::EventPipe;
1413 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R->fileno, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1414
1415 } else {
1416 warn "AnyEvent: using emulated perl signal handling with latency timer.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1417
1418 require Fcntl;
1419
1420 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1421 require AnyEvent::Util;
1422
1423 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1424 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1425 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1426 } else {
1427 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1428 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1429 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1430
1431 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1432 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1433 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1434 }
1435
1436 $SIGPIPE_R
1437 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1438
1439 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1440 }
1441
1442 *signal = \&_signal;
1443 &signal
1444}
1445
670sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY { 1446sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
671 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1447 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
672 1448
1449 _sig_del;
1450
673 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1451 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
674 1452
675 $SIG{$signal} = 'DEFAULT' unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1453 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1454 ? delete $SIG_ASY{$signal}
1455 : # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1456 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1457 # instead of getting the default action.
1458 undef $SIG{$signal}
1459 unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
676} 1460}
677 1461
678# default implementation for ->child 1462# default implementation for ->child
679 1463
680our %PID_CB; 1464our %PID_CB;
681our $CHLD_W; 1465our $CHLD_W;
682our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1466our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
683our $PID_IDLE;
684our $WNOHANG; 1467our $WNOHANG;
685 1468
686sub _child_wait { 1469sub _emit_childstatus($$) {
687 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1470 my (undef, $rpid, $rstatus) = @_;
1471
1472 $_->($rpid, $rstatus)
688 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1473 for values %{ $PID_CB{$rpid} || {} },
689 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1474 values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} };
690 }
691
692 undef $PID_IDLE;
693} 1475}
694 1476
695sub _sigchld { 1477sub _sigchld {
696 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop. 1478 my $pid;
697 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub { 1479
698 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1480 AnyEvent->_emit_childstatus ($pid, $?)
699 &_child_wait; 1481 while ($pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG) > 0;
700 });
701} 1482}
702 1483
703sub child { 1484sub child {
704 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1485 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
705 1486
706 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1487 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
707 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1488 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
708 1489
709 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1490 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
710 1491
711 unless ($WNOHANG) { 1492 # WNOHANG is almost cetrainly 1 everywhere
712 $WNOHANG = eval { require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1493 $WNOHANG ||= $^O =~ /^(?:openbsd|netbsd|linux|freebsd|cygwin|MSWin32)$/
713 } 1494 ? 1
1495 : eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
714 1496
715 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1497 unless ($CHLD_W) {
716 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1498 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
717 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1499 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
718 &_sigchld; 1500 &_sigchld;
719 } 1501 }
720 1502
721 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1503 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
722} 1504}
723 1505
724sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1506sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
725 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1507 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
726 1508
727 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1509 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
728 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1510 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
729 1511
730 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1512 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
731} 1513}
1514
1515# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1516# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1517# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1518sub idle {
1519 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1520
1521 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1522
1523 $rcb = sub {
1524 if ($cb) {
1525 $w = _time;
1526 &$cb;
1527 $w = _time - $w;
1528
1529 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1530 # within some limits
1531 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1532 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1533
1534 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
1535 } else {
1536 # clean up...
1537 undef $w;
1538 undef $rcb;
1539 }
1540 };
1541
1542 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
1543
1544 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1545}
1546
1547sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
1548 undef $${$_[0]};
1549}
1550
1551package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1552
1553our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1554
1555package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
1556
1557#use overload
1558# '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
1559# fallback => 1;
1560
1561# save 300+ kilobytes by dirtily hardcoding overloading
1562${"AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::OVERLOAD"}{dummy}++; # Register with magic by touching.
1563*{'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::()'} = sub { }; # "Make it findable via fetchmethod."
1564*{'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::(&{}'} = sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } }; # &{}
1565${'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::()'} = 1; # fallback
1566
1567our $WAITING;
1568
1569sub _send {
1570 # nop
1571}
1572
1573sub send {
1574 my $cv = shift;
1575 $cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_];
1576 (delete $cv->{_ae_cb})->($cv) if $cv->{_ae_cb};
1577 $cv->_send;
1578}
1579
1580sub croak {
1581 $_[0]{_ae_croak} = $_[1];
1582 $_[0]->send;
1583}
1584
1585sub ready {
1586 $_[0]{_ae_sent}
1587}
1588
1589sub _wait {
1590 $WAITING
1591 and !$_[0]{_ae_sent}
1592 and Carp::croak "AnyEvent::CondVar: recursive blocking wait detected";
1593
1594 local $WAITING = 1;
1595 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
1596}
1597
1598sub recv {
1599 $_[0]->_wait;
1600
1601 Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak} if $_[0]{_ae_croak};
1602 wantarray ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} } : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0]
1603}
1604
1605sub cb {
1606 $_[0]{_ae_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1607 $_[0]{_ae_cb}
1608}
1609
1610sub begin {
1611 ++$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1612 $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1613}
1614
1615sub end {
1616 return if --$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1617 &{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} || sub { $_[0]->send } };
1618}
1619
1620# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1621*broadcast = \&send;
1622*wait = \&_wait;
1623
1624=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1625
1626In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1627caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1628the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1629checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1630development.
1631
1632As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1633executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1634also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1635program.
1636
1637The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1638within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1639$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1640so on.
1641
1642=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1643
1644The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1645submodules.
1646
1647Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1648C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1649enabled.
1650
1651=over 4
1652
1653=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1654
1655By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1656conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1657talkative.
1658
1659When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1660conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1661C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1662
1663When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1664model it chooses.
1665
1666When set to C<8> or higher, then AnyEvent will report extra information on
1667which optional modules it loads and how it implements certain features.
1668
1669=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1670
1671AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1672argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1673will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1674check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1675it will croak.
1676
1677In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1678
1679Unlike C<use strict> (or it's modern cousin, C<< use L<common::sense>
1680>>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in production. Keeping
1681C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while developing programs
1682can be very useful, however.
1683
1684=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1685
1686This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1687auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1688entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1689and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1690used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1691auto detection and -probing.
1692
1693This functionality might change in future versions.
1694
1695For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1696could start your program like this:
1697
1698 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1699
1700=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1701
1702Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1703for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1704of auto probing).
1705
1706Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1707current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1708used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1709list.
1710
1711This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1712against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1713small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
1714
1715Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1716but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1717- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1718addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1719IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1720
1721=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1722
1723Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1724for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1725some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1726default.
1727
1728Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1729EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1730
1731=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1732
1733The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1734will create in parallel.
1735
1736=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
1737
1738The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
1739resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
1740sent to the DNS server.
1741
1742=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
1743
1744The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
1745configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
1746default config will be used.
1747
1748=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE>, C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH>.
1749
1750When neither C<ca_file> nor C<ca_path> was specified during
1751L<AnyEvent::TLS> context creation, and either of these environment
1752variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate locations
1753instead of a system-dependent default.
1754
1755=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_GUARD> and C<PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT>
1756
1757When these are set to C<1>, then the respective modules are not
1758loaded. Mostly good for testing AnyEvent itself.
1759
1760=back
732 1761
733=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1762=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
734 1763
735This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1764This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
736a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 1765a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
770 1799
771I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 1800I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
772condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 1801condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
773C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 1802C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
774not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 1803not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
775
776=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
777
778The following environment variables are used by this module:
779
780=over 4
781
782=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
783
784By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
785conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
786talkative.
787
788When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
789conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
790C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
791
792When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
793model it chooses.
794
795=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
796
797This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
798autodetection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
799entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
800and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
801used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
802autodetection and -probing.
803
804This functionality might change in future versions.
805
806For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
807could start your program like this:
808
809 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
810
811=back
812 1804
813=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1805=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
814 1806
815The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1807The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
816to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 1808to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
825 poll => 'r', 1817 poll => 'r',
826 cb => sub { 1818 cb => sub {
827 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r> 1819 warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>
828 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line 1820 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line
829 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read 1821 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
830 $cv->broadcast if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i 1822 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
831 }, 1823 },
832 ); 1824 );
833 1825
834 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once 1826 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
835 1827
840 }); 1832 });
841 } 1833 }
842 1834
843 new_timer; # create first timer 1835 new_timer; # create first timer
844 1836
845 $cv->wait; # wait until user enters /^q/i 1837 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
846 1838
847=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE 1839=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
848 1840
849Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following 1841Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following
850API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http: 1842API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:
900 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request} 1892 syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}
901 or die "connection or write error"; 1893 or die "connection or write error";
902 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r }); 1894 $txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });
903 1895
904Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the 1896Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the
905result and signals any possible waiters that the request ahs finished: 1897result and signals any possible waiters that the request has finished:
906 1898
907 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf}; 1899 sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};
908 1900
909 if (end-of-file or data complete) { 1901 if (end-of-file or data complete) {
910 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf}; 1902 $txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};
911 $txn->{finished}->broadcast; 1903 $txn->{finished}->send;
912 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback 1904 $txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback
913 } 1905 }
914 1906
915The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the 1907The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the
916request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the 1908request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the
917data: 1909data:
918 1910
919 $txn->{finished}->wait; 1911 $txn->{finished}->recv;
920 return $txn->{result}; 1912 return $txn->{result};
921 1913
922The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions) 1914The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)
923that occured during request processing. The C<result> method detects 1915that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
924whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object) 1916whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)
925and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other 1917and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other
926problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a 1918problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a
927random callback. 1919random callback.
928 1920
959 1951
960 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar; 1952 my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;
961 1953
962 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub { 1954 $fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {
963 ... 1955 ...
964 $quit->broadcast; 1956 $quit->send;
965 }); 1957 });
966 1958
967 $quit->wait; 1959 $quit->recv;
968 1960
969 1961
970=head1 BENCHMARKS 1962=head1 BENCHMARKS
971 1963
972To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds 1964To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds
974of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks. 1966of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
975 1967
976=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD 1968=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
977 1969
978Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and 1970Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
979through anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero 1971through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
980timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable, 1972timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
981which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again. 1973which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
982 1974
983Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent 1975Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
984distribution. 1976distribution.
1001all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation 1993all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation
1002and memory usage is not included in the figures. 1994and memory usage is not included in the figures.
1003 1995
1004I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple 1996I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple
1005callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was 1997callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was
1006invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to 1998invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->send >> a condvar once to
1007signal the end of this phase. 1999signal the end of this phase.
1008 2000
1009I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single 2001I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single
1010watcher. 2002watcher.
1011 2003
1012=head3 Results 2004=head3 Results
1013 2005
1014 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 2006 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1015 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 2007 EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface
1016 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 2008 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1017 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 2009 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1018 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 2010 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
1019 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 2011 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
1020 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 2012 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
2013 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
2014 IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1021 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 2015 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
1022 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 2016 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1023 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 2017 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
1024 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 2018 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1025 2019
1026=head3 Discussion 2020=head3 Discussion
1027 2021
1028The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 2022The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
1029well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 2023well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1054performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 2048performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1055them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 2049them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1056 2050
1057The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 2051The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1058cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 2052cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
2053
2054C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
2055when using its pure perl backend.
1059 2056
1060C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 2057C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1061faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 2058faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1062C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 2059C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1063watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 2060watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1107 2104
1108=back 2105=back
1109 2106
1110=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE 2107=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
1111 2108
1112This benchmark atcually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by 2109This benchmark actually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
1113creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socketpair, a 2110creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socket pair, a
1114timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O 2111timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
1115watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket 2112watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
1116watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server". 2113watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
1117 2114
1118The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which 2115The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
1119are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active 2116are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
1120fds for each loop iterstaion, but which fds these are is random). The 2117fds for each loop iteration, but which fds these are is random). The
1121timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how 2118timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
1122most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops). 2119most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
1123 2120
1124In this benchmark, we use 10000 socketpairs (20000 sockets), of which 100 2121In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1125(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many 2122(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1126connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time. 2123connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1127 2124
1128Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent 2125Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1129distribution. 2126distribution.
1131=head3 Explanation of the columns 2128=head3 Explanation of the columns
1132 2129
1133I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as 2130I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1134each server has a read and write socket end). 2131each server has a read and write socket end).
1135 2132
1136I<create> is the time it takes to create a socketpair (which is 2133I<create> is the time it takes to create a socket pair (which is
1137nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher. 2134nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
1138 2135
1139I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a 2136I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
1140single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding 2137single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
1141it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 2138it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1142a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 2139a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1143 2140
1144=head3 Results 2141=head3 Results
1145 2142
1146 name sockets create request 2143 name sockets create request
1147 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 2144 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1148 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 2145 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
2146 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
2147 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1149 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 2148 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1150 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 2149 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1151 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 2150 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1152 2151
1153=head3 Discussion 2152=head3 Discussion
1154 2153
1155This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 2154This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1156particular event loop. 2155particular event loop.
1158EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 2157EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1159is relatively high, though. 2158is relatively high, though.
1160 2159
1161Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 2160Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1162loops Event and Glib. 2161loops Event and Glib.
2162
2163IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
2164good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1163 2165
1164Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 2166Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1165understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 2167understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1166the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 2168the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1167uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 2169uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1214speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of 2216speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
1215them). 2217them).
1216 2218
1217EV is again fastest. 2219EV is again fastest.
1218 2220
1219Perl again comes second. It is noticably faster than the C-based event 2221Perl again comes second. It is noticeably faster than the C-based event
1220loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really 2222loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
1221matter. 2223matter.
1222 2224
1223POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the 2225POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
1224others. 2226others.
1230=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 2232=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1231watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 2233watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1232 2234
1233=back 2235=back
1234 2236
2237=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
2238
2239Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
2240could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
2241simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
2242shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
2243fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
2244very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
2245baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
2246
2247The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
2248connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
2249creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
2250test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
2251benchmark nevertheless.
2252
2253 name runtime
2254 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
2255 + optimized 0.122 sec
2256 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
2257 + optimized 0.138 sec
2258 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
2259 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
2260 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
2261 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
2262
2263 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
2264 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
2265 +state machine 0.134 sec
2266
2267The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
2268benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
2269defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
2270written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
2271AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2272resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2273generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2274connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2275
2276The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2277offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2278Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2279non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2280
2281As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2282hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2283backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2284
2285And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2286slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2287large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2288in a non-blocking way.
2289
2290The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2291F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2292part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2293
2294
2295=head1 SIGNALS
2296
2297AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2298
2299=over 4
2300
2301=item SIGCHLD
2302
2303A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2304emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2305event loops install a similar handler.
2306
2307Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then
2308AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2309
2310=item SIGPIPE
2311
2312A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2313when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2314
2315The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2316on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2317badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2318program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2319some random socket.
2320
2321The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2322that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2323
2324Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2325
2326=back
2327
2328=cut
2329
2330undef $SIG{CHLD}
2331 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2332
2333$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2334 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
2335
2336=head1 RECOMMENDED/OPTIONAL MODULES
2337
2338One of AnyEvent's main goals is to be 100% Pure-Perl(tm): only perl (and
2339it's built-in modules) are required to use it.
2340
2341That does not mean that AnyEvent won't take advantage of some additional
2342modules if they are installed.
2343
2344This section epxlains which additional modules will be used, and how they
2345affect AnyEvent's operetion.
2346
2347=over 4
2348
2349=item L<Async::Interrupt>
2350
2351This slightly arcane module is used to implement fast signal handling: To
2352my knowledge, there is no way to do completely race-free and quick
2353signal handling in pure perl. To ensure that signals still get
2354delivered, AnyEvent will start an interval timer to wake up perl (and
2355catch the signals) with some delay (default is 10 seconds, look for
2356C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY>).
2357
2358If this module is available, then it will be used to implement signal
2359catching, which means that signals will not be delayed, and the event loop
2360will not be interrupted regularly, which is more efficient (And good for
2361battery life on laptops).
2362
2363This affects not just the pure-perl event loop, but also other event loops
2364that have no signal handling on their own (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt).
2365
2366Some event loops (POE, Event, Event::Lib) offer signal watchers natively,
2367and either employ their own workarounds (POE) or use AnyEvent's workaround
2368(using C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY>). Installing L<Async::Interrupt>
2369does nothing for those backends.
2370
2371=item L<EV>
2372
2373This module isn't really "optional", as it is simply one of the backend
2374event loops that AnyEvent can use. However, it is simply the best event
2375loop available in terms of features, speed and stability: It supports
2376the AnyEvent API optimally, implements all the watcher types in XS, does
2377automatic timer adjustments even when no monotonic clock is available,
2378can take avdantage of advanced kernel interfaces such as C<epoll> and
2379C<kqueue>, and is the fastest backend I<by far>. You can even embed
2380L<Glib>/L<Gtk2> in it (or vice versa, see L<EV::Glib> and L<Glib::EV>).
2381
2382=item L<Guard>
2383
2384The guard module, when used, will be used to implement
2385C<AnyEvent::Util::guard>. This speeds up guards considerably (and uses a
2386lot less memory), but otherwise doesn't affect guard operation much. It is
2387purely used for performance.
2388
2389=item L<JSON> and L<JSON::XS>
2390
2391This module is required when you want to read or write JSON data via
2392L<AnyEvent::Handle>. It is also written in pure-perl, but can take
2393advantage of the ultra-high-speed L<JSON::XS> module when it is installed.
2394
2395In fact, L<AnyEvent::Handle> will use L<JSON::XS> by default if it is
2396installed.
2397
2398=item L<Net::SSLeay>
2399
2400Implementing TLS/SSL in Perl is certainly interesting, but not very
2401worthwhile: If this module is installed, then L<AnyEvent::Handle> (with
2402the help of L<AnyEvent::TLS>), gains the ability to do TLS/SSL.
2403
2404=item L<Time::HiRes>
2405
2406This module is part of perl since release 5.008. It will be used when the
2407chosen event library does not come with a timing source on it's own. The
2408pure-perl event loop (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) will additionally use it to
2409try to use a monotonic clock for timing stability.
2410
2411=back
2412
1235 2413
1236=head1 FORK 2414=head1 FORK
1237 2415
1238Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2416Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1239because they are so inefficient. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 2417because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
2418calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
1240 2419
1241If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 2420If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
1242watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 2421watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child OR you must do
2422something completely out of the scope of AnyEvent.
1243 2423
1244 2424
1245=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 2425=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
1246 2426
1247AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via 2427AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via
1252specified in the variable. 2432specified in the variable.
1253 2433
1254You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it 2434You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it
1255before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a C<BEGIN> block: 2435before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a C<BEGIN> block:
1256 2436
1257 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} } 2437 BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1258 2438
1259 use AnyEvent; 2439 use AnyEvent;
2440
2441Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
2442be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
2443probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
2444$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2445
2446Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2447C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2448enabled.
2449
2450
2451=head1 BUGS
2452
2453Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
2454to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
2455and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
2456memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
2457pronounced).
1260 2458
1261 2459
1262=head1 SEE ALSO 2460=head1 SEE ALSO
1263 2461
1264Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, 2462Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>.
1265L<Coro::Event>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Coro>, L<Tk>, 2463
2464Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>,
1266L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 2465L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1267 2466
1268Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, 2467Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
2468L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
2469L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1269L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, 2470L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync>, L<Anyevent::Impl::Irssi>.
1270L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>,
1271L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
1272 2471
2472Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
2473servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>, L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
2474
2475Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
2476
2477Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>,
2478L<Coro::Event>,
2479
1273Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>. 2480Nontrivial usage examples: L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::XMPP>,
2481L<AnyEvent::HTTP>.
1274 2482
1275 2483
1276=head1 AUTHOR 2484=head1 AUTHOR
1277 2485
1278 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 2486 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1279 http://home.schmorp.de/ 2487 http://home.schmorp.de/
1280 2488
1281=cut 2489=cut
1282 2490
12831 24911
1284 2492

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