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Revision 1.242 by root, Fri Jul 17 22:05:12 2009 UTC

1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops 3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops
4 4
5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops 5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt and POE are various supported
6event loops.
6 7
7=head1 SYNOPSIS 8=head1 SYNOPSIS
8 9
9 use AnyEvent; 10 use AnyEvent;
10 11
12 # file descriptor readable
11 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r|w", cb => sub { ... }); 13 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
12 14
15 # one-shot or repeating timers
13 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... }); 16 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
14 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ... 17 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...
15 18
16 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time 19 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
17 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time. 20 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
18 21
22 # POSIX signal
19 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... }); 23 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
20 24
25 # child process exit
21 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { 26 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
22 my ($pid, $status) = @_; 27 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
23 ... 28 ...
24 }); 29 });
30
31 # called when event loop idle (if applicable)
32 my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
25 33
26 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged 34 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
27 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's 35 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
28 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send 36 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
29 # use a condvar in callback mode: 37 # use a condvar in callback mode:
137These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 145These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
138creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 146creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
139callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 147callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
140is in control). 148is in control).
141 149
150Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
151potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> or C<$[>) and that B<<
152callbacks must not C<die> >>. The former is good programming practise in
153Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
154widely between event loops.
155
142To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the 156To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
143variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references 157variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references
144to it). 158to it).
145 159
146All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class. 160All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.
162=head2 I/O WATCHERS 176=head2 I/O WATCHERS
163 177
164You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 178You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
165with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 179with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
166 180
167C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for events 181C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (or a naked file descriptor) to watch
168(AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file handle). C<poll> 182for events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
183handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
184non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
185most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example files
186or block devices.
187
169must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a watcher 188C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
170waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively. C<cb> is the 189watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
190
171callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready. 191C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
172 192
173Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
174presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
175callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
176 196
308In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you 328In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
309can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the 329can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the
310difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into 330difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
311account. 331account.
312 332
333=item AnyEvent->now_update
334
335Some event loops (such as L<EV> or L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) cache
336the current time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of L<<
337AnyEvent->now >>, above).
338
339When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps), then
340this "current" time will differ substantially from the real time, which
341might affect timers and time-outs.
342
343When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update the
344event loop's idea of "current time".
345
346Note that updating the time I<might> cause some events to be handled.
347
313=back 348=back
314 349
315=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 350=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
316 351
317You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 352You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
326invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means 361invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
327that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process, 362that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
328but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 363but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
329 364
330The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal 365The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
331between multiple watchers. 366between multiple watchers, and AnyEvent will ensure that signals will not
367interrupt your program at bad times.
332 368
333This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals 369This watcher might use C<%SIG> (depending on the event loop used),
334directly will likely not work correctly. 370so programs overwriting those signals directly will likely not work
371correctly.
372
373Also note that many event loops (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt, IO::Async) do not
374support attaching callbacks to signals, which is a pity, as you cannot do
375race-free signal handling in perl. AnyEvent will try to do it's best, but
376in some cases, signals will be delayed. The maximum time a signal might
377be delayed is specified in C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY> (default: 10
378seconds). This variable can be changed only before the first signal
379watcher is created, and should be left alone otherwise. Higher values
380will cause fewer spurious wake-ups, which is better for power and CPU
381saving. All these problems can be avoided by installing the optional
382L<Async::Interrupt> module.
335 383
336Example: exit on SIGINT 384Example: exit on SIGINT
337 385
338 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 }); 386 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 });
339 387
340=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 388=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
341 389
342You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 390You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
343 391
344The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 392The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
345watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 393watches for any child process exit). The watcher will triggered only when
346as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 394the child process has finished and an exit status is available, not on
347signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 395any trace events (stopped/continued).
348and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, 396
349you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments. 397The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
398waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
399callback arguments.
400
401This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
402and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
403random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
404C<system>, is just fine).
350 405
351There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them 406There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
352I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could 407I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
353have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 408have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
354 409
355Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for 410Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
411see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
356event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be 412that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
357loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). 413the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
414pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
415start the watcher.
358 416
359This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an 417This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
360AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you 418thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
361C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 419watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
420C<AnyEvent::detect>).
421
422As most event loops do not support waiting for child events, they will be
423emulated by AnyEvent in most cases, in which the latency and race problems
424mentioned in the description of signal watchers apply.
362 425
363Example: fork a process and wait for it 426Example: fork a process and wait for it
364 427
365 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 428 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
366 429
376 ); 439 );
377 440
378 # do something else, then wait for process exit 441 # do something else, then wait for process exit
379 $done->recv; 442 $done->recv;
380 443
444=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
445
446Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important
447to do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
448"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
449attention by the event loop".
450
451Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing
452better to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new
453events. Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
454
455Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
456EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
457will simply call the callback "from time to time".
458
459Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
460program is otherwise idle:
461
462 my @lines; # read data
463 my $idle_w;
464 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
465 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
466
467 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
468 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
469 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
470 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
471 print "handled when idle: $line";
472 } else {
473 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
474 undef $idle_w;
475 }
476 });
477 });
478
381=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 479=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
382 480
383If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them 481If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
384require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that 482require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
385will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 483will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
386 484
387AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and 485AnyEvent is slightly different: it expects somebody else to run the event
388will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user). 486loop and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
389 487
390The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 488The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
391because they represent a condition that must become true. 489because they represent a condition that must become true.
392 490
491Now is probably a good time to look at the examples further below.
492
393Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar 493Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
394>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 494>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
395
396C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable 495C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
397becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not 496becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
398the results). 497the results).
399 498
400After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true" 499After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
449 after => 1, 548 after => 1,
450 cb => sub { $result_ready->send }, 549 cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
451 ); 550 );
452 551
453 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback 552 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
454 # calls send 553 # calls -<send
455 $result_ready->recv; 554 $result_ready->recv;
456 555
457Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that 556Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition
458condition variables are also code references. 557variables are also callable directly.
459 558
460 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 559 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
461 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 560 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
462 $done->recv; 561 $done->recv;
463 562
469 568
470 ... 569 ...
471 570
472 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv; 571 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
473 572
474And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the 573And this is how you would just set a callback to be called whenever the
475results are available: 574results are available:
476 575
477 $couchdb->info->cb (sub { 576 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
478 my @info = $_[0]->recv; 577 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
479 }); 578 });
497immediately from within send. 596immediately from within send.
498 597
499Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all 598Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
500future C<< ->recv >> calls. 599future C<< ->recv >> calls.
501 600
502Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly 601Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as if
503(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling 602they were a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
504C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle 603C<send>.
505overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
506instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
507support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
508invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
509example).
510 604
511=item $cv->croak ($error) 605=item $cv->croak ($error)
512 606
513Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke 607Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
514C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar. 608C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
515 609
516This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable 610This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
517user/consumer. 611user/consumer. Doing it this way instead of calling C<croak> directly
612delays the error detetcion, but has the overwhelmign advantage that it
613diagnoses the error at the place where the result is expected, and not
614deep in some event clalback without connection to the actual code causing
615the problem.
518 616
519=item $cv->begin ([group callback]) 617=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
520 618
521=item $cv->end 619=item $cv->end
522
523These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
524 620
525These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into 621These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
526one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want 622one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
527to use a condition variable for the whole process. 623to use a condition variable for the whole process.
528 624
530C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end 626C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
531>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback 627>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
532is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no 628is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
533callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments. 629callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
534 630
535Let's clarify this with the ping example: 631You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
632sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
633condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
634
635Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
636STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
637close before activating a condvar:
638
639 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
640
641 $cv->begin; # first watcher
642 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
643 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
644 or $cv->end;
645 });
646
647 $cv->begin; # second watcher
648 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
649 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
650 or $cv->end;
651 });
652
653 $cv->recv;
654
655This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
656one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
657sending.
658
659The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
660there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
661begung can potentially be zero:
536 662
537 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 663 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
538 664
539 my %result; 665 my %result;
540 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 666 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
560loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback 686loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
561to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that 687to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
562C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop 688C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
563doesn't execute once). 689doesn't execute once).
564 690
565This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests: 691This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
566use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end> 692potentially none) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
567is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call 693the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
568C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>. 694subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
695call C<end>.
569 696
570=back 697=back
571 698
572=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 699=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
573 700
589function will call C<croak>. 716function will call C<croak>.
590 717
591In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned, 718In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
592in scalar context only the first one will be returned. 719in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
593 720
721Note that doing a blocking wait in a callback is not supported by any
722event loop, that is, recursive invocation of a blocking C<< ->recv
723>> is not allowed, and the C<recv> call will C<croak> if such a
724condition is detected. This condition can be slightly loosened by using
725L<Coro::AnyEvent>, which allows you to do a blocking C<< ->recv >> from
726any thread that doesn't run the event loop itself.
727
594Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 728Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
595(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are 729(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
596using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the 730using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>. Instead, let the
597caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling 731caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
598condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting 732condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
599callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block, 733callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
600while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires). 734while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
601 735
602Another reason I<never> to C<< ->recv >> in a module is that you cannot
603sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
604multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
605can supply.
606
607The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
608fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
609versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
610C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
611coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
612
613You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and 736You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
614only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later 737only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
615time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking 738time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
616waits otherwise. 739waits otherwise.
617 740
630variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time 753variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time
631is guaranteed not to block. 754is guaranteed not to block.
632 755
633=back 756=back
634 757
758=head1 SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
759
760The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
761
762=over 4
763
764=item Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
765
766EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
767use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will try Event, and, failing
768that, will fall back to its own pure-perl implementation, which is
769available everywhere as it comes with AnyEvent itself.
770
771 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
772 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
773 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
774
775=item Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
776
777These will be used when they are currently loaded when the first watcher
778is created, in which case it is assumed that the application is using
779them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the right backend
780when the main program loads an event module before anything starts to
781create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done by the main program.
782
783 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
784 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
785 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
786 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
787
788=item Backends with special needs.
789
790Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
791otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
792instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are created,
793everything should just work.
794
795 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
796
797Support for IO::Async can only be partial, as it is too broken and
798architecturally limited to even support the AnyEvent API. It also
799is the only event loop that needs the loop to be set explicitly, so
800it can only be used by a main program knowing about AnyEvent. See
801L<AnyEvent::Impl::Async> for the gory details.
802
803 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed.
804
805=item Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
806
807Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
808
809There is no direct support for WxWidgets (L<Wx>) or L<Prima>.
810
811B<WxWidgets> has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
812use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply
813polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too horrible to even
814consider for AnyEvent.
815
816B<Prima> is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a POE
817backend, so it can be supported through POE.
818
819AnyEvent knows about both L<Prima> and L<Wx>, however, and will try to
820load L<POE> when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them up,
821in which case everything will be automatic.
822
823=back
824
635=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 825=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
636 826
827These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
828write AnyEvent extension modules.
829
637=over 4 830=over 4
638 831
639=item $AnyEvent::MODEL 832=item $AnyEvent::MODEL
640 833
641Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created. Then it 834Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created, before the
835backend has been autodetected.
836
642contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of the 837Afterwards it contains the event model that is being used, which is the
643Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of the 838name of the Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one
644C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 839of the C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the
645AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 840case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode> it
646 841will be C<urxvt::anyevent>).
647The known classes so far are:
648
649 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
650 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
651 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
652 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
653 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
654 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
655 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
656 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
657
658There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
659watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
660POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
661second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
662AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
663it's adaptor.
664
665AnyEvent knows about L<Prima> and L<Wx> and will try to use L<POE> when
666autodetecting them.
667 842
668=item AnyEvent::detect 843=item AnyEvent::detect
669 844
670Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 845Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
671if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 846if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
672have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 847have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
673runtime. 848runtime, and not e.g. while initialising of your module.
849
850If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
851created, use C<post_detect>.
674 852
675=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK } 853=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
676 854
677Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is 855Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
678autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened). 856autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
857
858The block will be executed I<after> the actual backend has been detected
859(C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> is set), but I<before> any watchers have been
860created, so it is possible to e.g. patch C<@AnyEvent::ISA> or do
861other initialisations - see the sources of L<AnyEvent::Strict> or
862L<AnyEvent::AIO> to see how this is used.
863
864The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without forcing
865event module detection too early, for example, L<AnyEvent::AIO> creates
866and installs the global L<IO::AIO> watcher in a C<post_detect> block to
867avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
679 868
680If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object 869If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
681that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See 870that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
682L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful. 871L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
683 872
686If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it 875If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
687before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after 876before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
688the event loop has been chosen. 877the event loop has been chosen.
689 878
690You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though: 879You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
691if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected, 880if it is defined then the event loop has already been detected, and the
692and the array will be ignored. 881array will be ignored.
693 882
694Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead. 883Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> when your application allows
884it,as it takes care of these details.
885
886This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something useful
887when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is initialised, but do
888not need to even load it by default. This array provides the means to hook
889into AnyEvent passively, without loading it.
695 890
696=back 891=back
697 892
698=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 893=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
699 894
754 949
755 950
756=head1 OTHER MODULES 951=head1 OTHER MODULES
757 952
758The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 953The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
759AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 954AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent
760in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are 955modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the modules
761available via CPAN. 956come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
762 957
763=over 4 958=over 4
764 959
765=item L<AnyEvent::Util> 960=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
766 961
775 970
776=item L<AnyEvent::Handle> 971=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
777 972
778Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes, 973Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
779supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and 974supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
780non-blocking SSL/TLS. 975non-blocking SSL/TLS (via L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
781 976
782=item L<AnyEvent::DNS> 977=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
783 978
784Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 979Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
785 980
813 1008
814=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD> 1009=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
815 1010
816A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information. 1011A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
817 1012
1013=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
1014
1015AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
1016
1017=item L<AnyEvent::XMPP>
1018
1019AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the older
1020Net::XMPP2>.
1021
818=item L<AnyEvent::IGS> 1022=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
819 1023
820A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by 1024A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
821L<App::IGS>). 1025L<App::IGS>).
822 1026
823=item L<Net::IRC3>
824
825AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
826
827=item L<Net::XMPP2>
828
829AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
830
831=item L<Net::FCP> 1027=item L<Net::FCP>
832 1028
833AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace 1029AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
834of AnyEvent. 1030of AnyEvent.
835 1031
839 1035
840=item L<Coro> 1036=item L<Coro>
841 1037
842Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>. 1038Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
843 1039
844=item L<IO::Lambda>
845
846The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
847
848=back 1040=back
849 1041
850=cut 1042=cut
851 1043
852package AnyEvent; 1044package AnyEvent;
853 1045
854no warnings; 1046no warnings;
855use strict; 1047use strict qw(vars subs);
856 1048
857use Carp; 1049use Carp ();
858 1050
859our $VERSION = 4.231; 1051our $VERSION = 4.83;
860our $MODEL; 1052our $MODEL;
861 1053
862our $AUTOLOAD; 1054our $AUTOLOAD;
863our @ISA; 1055our @ISA;
864 1056
865our @REGISTRY; 1057our @REGISTRY;
866 1058
867our $WIN32; 1059our $WIN32;
868 1060
1061our $VERBOSE;
1062
869BEGIN { 1063BEGIN {
870 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 1064 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
871 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }"; 1065 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
872}
873 1066
1067 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
1068 if ${^TAINT};
1069
874our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 1070 $VERBOSE = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
1071
1072}
1073
1074our $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY = 10;
875 1075
876our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 1076our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
877 1077
878{ 1078{
879 my $idx; 1079 my $idx;
887 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 1087 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
888 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::], 1088 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
889 # everything below here will not be autoprobed 1089 # everything below here will not be autoprobed
890 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 1090 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
891 # and is usually faster 1091 # and is usually faster
892 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
893 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers 1092 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
894 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1093 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
1094 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
895 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1095 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
896 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1096 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
897 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1097 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
898 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1098 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1099 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workarounds for its
1100 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
1101 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1102 # obvious default class.
1103# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1104# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1105# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
899); 1106);
900 1107
901our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY); 1108our %method = map +($_ => 1),
1109 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
902 1110
903our @post_detect; 1111our @post_detect;
904 1112
905sub post_detect(&) { 1113sub post_detect(&) {
906 my ($cb) = @_; 1114 my ($cb) = @_;
911 1 1119 1
912 } else { 1120 } else {
913 push @post_detect, $cb; 1121 push @post_detect, $cb;
914 1122
915 defined wantarray 1123 defined wantarray
916 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect" 1124 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
917 : () 1125 : ()
918 } 1126 }
919} 1127}
920 1128
921sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY { 1129sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
922 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect; 1130 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
923} 1131}
924 1132
925sub detect() { 1133sub detect() {
926 unless ($MODEL) { 1134 unless ($MODEL) {
929 1137
930 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) { 1138 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
931 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1"; 1139 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
932 if (eval "require $model") { 1140 if (eval "require $model") {
933 $MODEL = $model; 1141 $MODEL = $model;
934 warn "AnyEvent: loaded model '$model' (forced by \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1142 warn "AnyEvent: loaded model '$model' (forced by \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}), using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
935 } else { 1143 } else {
936 warn "AnyEvent: unable to load model '$model' (from \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL):\n$@" if $verbose; 1144 warn "AnyEvent: unable to load model '$model' (from \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}):\n$@" if $VERBOSE;
937 } 1145 }
938 } 1146 }
939 1147
940 # check for already loaded models 1148 # check for already loaded models
941 unless ($MODEL) { 1149 unless ($MODEL) {
942 for (@REGISTRY, @models) { 1150 for (@REGISTRY, @models) {
943 my ($package, $model) = @$_; 1151 my ($package, $model) = @$_;
944 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) { 1152 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) {
945 if (eval "require $model") { 1153 if (eval "require $model") {
946 $MODEL = $model; 1154 $MODEL = $model;
947 warn "AnyEvent: autodetected model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1155 warn "AnyEvent: autodetected model '$model', using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
948 last; 1156 last;
949 } 1157 }
950 } 1158 }
951 } 1159 }
952 1160
957 my ($package, $model) = @$_; 1165 my ($package, $model) = @$_;
958 if (eval "require $package" 1166 if (eval "require $package"
959 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0 1167 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0
960 and eval "require $model") { 1168 and eval "require $model") {
961 $MODEL = $model; 1169 $MODEL = $model;
962 warn "AnyEvent: autoprobed model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1170 warn "AnyEvent: autoprobed model '$model', using it.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 2;
963 last; 1171 last;
964 } 1172 }
965 } 1173 }
966 1174
967 $MODEL 1175 $MODEL
968 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib."; 1176 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
969 } 1177 }
970 } 1178 }
971 1179
972 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 1180 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
973 1181
983 1191
984sub AUTOLOAD { 1192sub AUTOLOAD {
985 (my $func = $AUTOLOAD) =~ s/.*://; 1193 (my $func = $AUTOLOAD) =~ s/.*://;
986 1194
987 $method{$func} 1195 $method{$func}
988 or croak "$func: not a valid method for AnyEvent objects"; 1196 or Carp::croak "$func: not a valid method for AnyEvent objects";
989 1197
990 detect unless $MODEL; 1198 detect unless $MODEL;
991 1199
992 my $class = shift; 1200 my $class = shift;
993 $class->$func (@_); 1201 $class->$func (@_);
994} 1202}
995 1203
996# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends 1204# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
997# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually 1205# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
998# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one). 1206# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
999sub _dupfh($$$$) { 1207sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1000 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_; 1208 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1001 1209
1002 require Fcntl;
1003
1004 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't 1210 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1005 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<") 1211 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<&") : ($w, ">&");
1006 : $poll eq "w" ? ($w, ">")
1007 : Carp::croak "AnyEvent->io requires poll set to either 'r' or 'w'";
1008 1212
1009 open my $fh2, "$mode&" . fileno $fh 1213 open my $fh2, $mode, $fh
1010 or die "cannot dup() filehandle: $!"; 1214 or die "AnyEvent->io: cannot dup() filehandle in mode '$poll': $!,";
1011 1215
1012 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases 1216 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
1013 1217
1014 ($fh2, $rw) 1218 ($fh2, $rw)
1015} 1219}
1016 1220
1017package AnyEvent::Base; 1221package AnyEvent::Base;
1018 1222
1019# default implementation for now and time 1223# default implementations for many methods
1020 1224
1021use Time::HiRes (); 1225sub _time {
1226 # probe for availability of Time::HiRes
1227 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1228 warn "AnyEvent: using Time::HiRes for sub-second timing accuracy.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1229 *_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
1230 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1231 } else {
1232 warn "AnyEvent: using built-in time(), WARNING, no sub-second resolution!\n" if $VERBOSE;
1233 *_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
1234 }
1022 1235
1023sub time { Time::HiRes::time } 1236 &_time
1024sub now { Time::HiRes::time } 1237}
1238
1239sub time { _time }
1240sub now { _time }
1241sub now_update { }
1025 1242
1026# default implementation for ->condvar 1243# default implementation for ->condvar
1027 1244
1028sub condvar { 1245sub condvar {
1029 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar:: 1246 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
1030} 1247}
1031 1248
1032# default implementation for ->signal 1249# default implementation for ->signal
1033 1250
1034our %SIG_CB; 1251our $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT;
1252our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1253our (%SIG_ASY, %SIG_ASY_W);
1254our ($SIG_COUNT, $SIG_TW);
1035 1255
1256sub _signal_exec {
1257 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1258 ? $SIGPIPE_R->drain
1259 : sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 9;
1260
1261 while (%SIG_EV) {
1262 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1263 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1264 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1265 }
1266 }
1267}
1268
1036sub signal { 1269sub _signal {
1037 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1270 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1038 1271
1039 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1272 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
1040 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing"; 1273 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
1041 1274
1042 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1275 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1276
1277 if ($HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT) {
1278 # async::interrupt
1279
1280 $SIG_ASY{$signal} ||= do {
1281 my $asy = new Async::Interrupt
1282 cb => sub { undef $SIG_EV{$signal} },
1283 signal => $signal,
1284 pipe => [$SIGPIPE_R->filenos],
1285 ;
1286 $asy->pipe_autodrain (0);
1287
1288 $asy
1289 };
1290
1291 } else {
1292 # pure perl
1293
1043 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1294 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
1044 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1295 local $!;
1296 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1297 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
1298 };
1299
1300 # can't do signal processing without introducing races in pure perl,
1301 # so limit the signal latency.
1302 ++$SIG_COUNT;
1303 $SIG_TW ||= AnyEvent->timer (
1304 after => $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY,
1305 interval => $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY,
1306 cb => sub { }, # just for the PERL_ASYNC_CHECK
1307 );
1045 }; 1308 }
1046 1309
1047 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1310 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
1048} 1311}
1049 1312
1313sub signal {
1314 # probe for availability of Async::Interrupt
1315 if (!$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT} && eval "use Async::Interrupt 0.6 (); 1") {
1316 warn "AnyEvent: using Async::Interrupt for race-free signal handling.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1317
1318 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT = 1;
1319 $SIGPIPE_R = new Async::Interrupt::EventPipe;
1320 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R->fileno, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1321
1322 } else {
1323 warn "AnyEvent: using emulated perl signal handling with latency timer.\n" if $VERBOSE >= 8;
1324
1325 require Fcntl;
1326
1327 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1328 require AnyEvent::Util;
1329
1330 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1331 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1332 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1333 } else {
1334 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1335 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1336 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1337
1338 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1339 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1340 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1341 }
1342
1343 $SIGPIPE_R
1344 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1345
1346 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1347 }
1348
1349 *signal = \&_signal;
1350 &signal
1351}
1352
1050sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY { 1353sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
1051 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1354 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1052 1355
1356 undef $SIG_TW
1357 unless --$SIG_COUNT;
1358
1053 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1359 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1054 1360
1361 # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1362 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1363 # instead of getting the default action.
1364 undef $SIG{$signal}
1055 delete $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1365 unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1056} 1366}
1057 1367
1058# default implementation for ->child 1368# default implementation for ->child
1059 1369
1060our %PID_CB; 1370our %PID_CB;
1061our $CHLD_W; 1371our $CHLD_W;
1062our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1372our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1063our $PID_IDLE;
1064our $WNOHANG; 1373our $WNOHANG;
1065 1374
1066sub _child_wait { 1375sub _sigchld {
1067 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1376 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
1377 $_->($pid, $?)
1068 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1378 for values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} },
1069 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1379 values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} };
1070 } 1380 }
1071
1072 undef $PID_IDLE;
1073}
1074
1075sub _sigchld {
1076 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
1077 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
1078 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1079 &_child_wait;
1080 });
1081} 1381}
1082 1382
1083sub child { 1383sub child {
1084 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1384 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1085 1385
1086 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1386 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
1087 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1387 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
1088 1388
1089 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1389 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1090 1390
1091 unless ($WNOHANG) {
1092 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1391 $WNOHANG ||= eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1093 }
1094 1392
1095 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1393 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1096 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1394 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
1097 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1395 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
1098 &_sigchld; 1396 &_sigchld;
1099 } 1397 }
1100 1398
1101 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1399 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
1102} 1400}
1103 1401
1104sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1402sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
1105 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1403 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1106 1404
1107 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1405 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
1108 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1406 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
1109 1407
1110 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1408 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1409}
1410
1411# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1412# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1413# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1414sub idle {
1415 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1416
1417 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1418
1419 $rcb = sub {
1420 if ($cb) {
1421 $w = _time;
1422 &$cb;
1423 $w = _time - $w;
1424
1425 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1426 # within some limits
1427 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1428 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1429
1430 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
1431 } else {
1432 # clean up...
1433 undef $w;
1434 undef $rcb;
1435 }
1436 };
1437
1438 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
1439
1440 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1441}
1442
1443sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
1444 undef $${$_[0]};
1111} 1445}
1112 1446
1113package AnyEvent::CondVar; 1447package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1114 1448
1115our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::; 1449our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1117package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base; 1451package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
1118 1452
1119use overload 1453use overload
1120 '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } }, 1454 '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
1121 fallback => 1; 1455 fallback => 1;
1456
1457our $WAITING;
1122 1458
1123sub _send { 1459sub _send {
1124 # nop 1460 # nop
1125} 1461}
1126 1462
1139sub ready { 1475sub ready {
1140 $_[0]{_ae_sent} 1476 $_[0]{_ae_sent}
1141} 1477}
1142 1478
1143sub _wait { 1479sub _wait {
1480 $WAITING
1481 and !$_[0]{_ae_sent}
1482 and Carp::croak "AnyEvent::CondVar: recursive blocking wait detected";
1483
1484 local $WAITING = 1;
1144 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent}; 1485 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
1145} 1486}
1146 1487
1147sub recv { 1488sub recv {
1148 $_[0]->_wait; 1489 $_[0]->_wait;
1167} 1508}
1168 1509
1169# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4 1510# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1170*broadcast = \&send; 1511*broadcast = \&send;
1171*wait = \&_wait; 1512*wait = \&_wait;
1513
1514=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1515
1516In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1517caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1518the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1519checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1520development.
1521
1522As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1523executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1524also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1525program.
1526
1527The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1528within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1529$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1530so on.
1531
1532=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1533
1534The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1535submodules.
1536
1537Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1538C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1539enabled.
1540
1541=over 4
1542
1543=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1544
1545By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1546conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1547talkative.
1548
1549When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1550conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1551C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1552
1553When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1554model it chooses.
1555
1556=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1557
1558AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1559argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1560will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1561check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1562it will croak.
1563
1564In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1565
1566Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in
1567production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while
1568developing programs can be very useful, however.
1569
1570=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1571
1572This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1573auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1574entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1575and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1576used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1577auto detection and -probing.
1578
1579This functionality might change in future versions.
1580
1581For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1582could start your program like this:
1583
1584 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1585
1586=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1587
1588Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1589for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1590of auto probing).
1591
1592Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1593current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1594used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1595list.
1596
1597This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1598against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1599small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
1600
1601Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1602but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1603- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1604addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1605IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1606
1607=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1608
1609Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1610for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1611some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1612default.
1613
1614Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1615EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1616
1617=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1618
1619The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1620will create in parallel.
1621
1622=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
1623
1624The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
1625resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
1626sent to the DNS server.
1627
1628=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
1629
1630The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
1631configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
1632default config will be used.
1633
1634=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE>, C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH>.
1635
1636When neither C<ca_file> nor C<ca_path> was specified during
1637L<AnyEvent::TLS> context creation, and either of these environment
1638variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate locations
1639instead of a system-dependent default.
1640
1641=back
1172 1642
1173=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1643=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1174 1644
1175This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1645This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
1176a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 1646a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
1210 1680
1211I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 1681I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
1212condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 1682condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
1213C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 1683C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
1214not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 1684not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
1215
1216=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1217
1218The following environment variables are used by this module:
1219
1220=over 4
1221
1222=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1223
1224By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1225conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1226talkative.
1227
1228When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1229conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1230C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1231
1232When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1233model it chooses.
1234
1235=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1236
1237AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1238argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1239will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1240check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems
1241it will croak.
1242
1243In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1244
1245Unlike C<use strict> it is definitely recommended ot keep it off in
1246production.
1247
1248=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1249
1250This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1251auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1252entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1253and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1254used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1255auto detection and -probing.
1256
1257This functionality might change in future versions.
1258
1259For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1260could start your program like this:
1261
1262 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1263
1264=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1265
1266Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1267for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1268of auto probing).
1269
1270Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1271current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1272used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1273list.
1274
1275This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1276against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1277small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1278
1279Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1280but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1281- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1282addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1283IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1284
1285=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1286
1287Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1288for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1289some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1290default.
1291
1292Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1293EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1294
1295=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1296
1297The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1298will create in parallel.
1299
1300=back
1301 1685
1302=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1686=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
1303 1687
1304The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1688The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
1305to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 1689to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
1499watcher. 1883watcher.
1500 1884
1501=head3 Results 1885=head3 Results
1502 1886
1503 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1887 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1504 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1888 EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface
1505 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1889 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1506 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1890 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1507 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 1891 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
1508 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 1892 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
1509 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1893 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1894 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1895 IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1510 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 1896 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
1511 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1897 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1512 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 1898 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
1513 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 1899 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1514 1900
1515=head3 Discussion 1901=head3 Discussion
1516 1902
1517The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1903The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
1518well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1904well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1543performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 1929performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1544them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 1930them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1545 1931
1546The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1932The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1547cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1933cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1934
1935C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
1936when using its pure perl backend.
1548 1937
1549C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 1938C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1550faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1939faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1551C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1940C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1552watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1941watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1630it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 2019it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1631a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 2020a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1632 2021
1633=head3 Results 2022=head3 Results
1634 2023
1635 name sockets create request 2024 name sockets create request
1636 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 2025 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1637 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 2026 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
2027 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
2028 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1638 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 2029 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1639 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 2030 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1640 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 2031 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1641 2032
1642=head3 Discussion 2033=head3 Discussion
1643 2034
1644This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 2035This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1645particular event loop. 2036particular event loop.
1647EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 2038EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1648is relatively high, though. 2039is relatively high, though.
1649 2040
1650Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 2041Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1651loops Event and Glib. 2042loops Event and Glib.
2043
2044IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
2045good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1652 2046
1653Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 2047Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1654understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 2048understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1655the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 2049the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1656uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 2050uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1719=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 2113=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1720watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 2114watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1721 2115
1722=back 2116=back
1723 2117
2118=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
2119
2120Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
2121could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
2122simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
2123shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
2124fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
2125very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
2126baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
2127
2128The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
2129connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
2130creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
2131test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
2132benchmark nevertheless.
2133
2134 name runtime
2135 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
2136 + optimized 0.122 sec
2137 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
2138 + optimized 0.138 sec
2139 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
2140 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
2141 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
2142 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
2143
2144 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
2145 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
2146 +state machine 0.134 sec
2147
2148The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
2149benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
2150defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
2151written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
2152AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2153resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2154generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2155connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2156
2157The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2158offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2159Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2160non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2161
2162As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2163hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2164backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2165
2166And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2167slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2168large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2169in a non-blocking way.
2170
2171The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2172F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2173part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2174
2175
2176=head1 SIGNALS
2177
2178AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2179
2180=over 4
2181
2182=item SIGCHLD
2183
2184A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2185emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2186event loops install a similar handler.
2187
2188Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then
2189AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2190
2191=item SIGPIPE
2192
2193A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2194when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2195
2196The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2197on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2198badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2199program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2200some random socket.
2201
2202The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2203that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2204
2205Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2206
2207=back
2208
2209=cut
2210
2211undef $SIG{CHLD}
2212 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2213
2214$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2215 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
2216
2217=head1 RECOMMENDED/OPTIONAL MODULES
2218
2219One of AnyEvent's main goals is to be 100% Pure-Perl(tm): only perl (and
2220it's built-in modules) are required to use it.
2221
2222That does not mean that AnyEvent won't take advantage of some additional
2223modules if they are installed.
2224
2225This section epxlains which additional modules will be used, and how they
2226affect AnyEvent's operetion.
2227
2228=over 4
2229
2230=item L<Async::Interrupt>
2231
2232This slightly arcane module is used to implement fast signal handling: To
2233my knowledge, there is no way to do completely race-free and quick
2234signal handling in pure perl. To ensure that signals still get
2235delivered, AnyEvent will start an interval timer to wake up perl (and
2236catch the signals) with soemd elay (default is 10 seconds, look for
2237C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY>).
2238
2239If this module is available, then it will be used to implement signal
2240catching, which means that signals will not be delayed, and the event loop
2241will not be interrupted regularly, which is more efficient (And good for
2242battery life on laptops).
2243
2244This affects not just the pure-perl event loop, but also other event loops
2245that have no signal handling on their own (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt).
2246
2247=item L<EV>
2248
2249This module isn't really "optional", as it is simply one of the backend
2250event loops that AnyEvent can use. However, it is simply the best event
2251loop available in terms of features, speed and stability: It supports
2252the AnyEvent API optimally, implements all the watcher types in XS, does
2253automatic timer adjustments even when no monotonic clock is available,
2254can take avdantage of advanced kernel interfaces such as C<epoll> and
2255C<kqueue>, and is the fastest backend I<by far>. You can even embed
2256L<Glib>/L<Gtk2> in it (or vice versa, see L<EV::Glib> and L<Glib::EV>).
2257
2258=item L<Guard>
2259
2260The guard module, when used, will be used to implement
2261C<AnyEvent::Util::guard>. This speeds up guards considerably (and uses a
2262lot less memory), but otherwise doesn't affect guard operation much. It is
2263purely used for performance.
2264
2265=item L<JSON> and L<JSON::XS>
2266
2267This module is required when you want to read or write JSON data via
2268L<AnyEvent::Handle>. It is also written in pure-perl, but can take
2269advantage of the ulta-high-speed L<JSON::XS> module when it is installed.
2270
2271In fact, L<AnyEvent::Handle> will use L<JSON::XS> by default if it is
2272installed.
2273
2274=item L<Net::SSLeay>
2275
2276Implementing TLS/SSL in Perl is certainly interesting, but not very
2277worthwhile: If this module is installed, then L<AnyEvent::Handle> (with
2278the help of L<AnyEvent::TLS>), gains the ability to do TLS/SSL.
2279
2280=item L<Time::HiRes>
2281
2282This module is part of perl since release 5.008. It will be used when the
2283chosen event library does not come with a timing source on it's own. The
2284pure-perl event loop (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) will additionally use it to
2285try to use a monotonic clock for timing stability.
2286
2287=back
2288
1724 2289
1725=head1 FORK 2290=head1 FORK
1726 2291
1727Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2292Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1728because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> 2293because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1729calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 2294calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
1730 2295
1731If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 2296If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
1732watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 2297watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child OR you must do
2298something completely out of the scope of AnyEvent.
1733 2299
1734 2300
1735=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 2301=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
1736 2302
1737AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via 2303AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via
1749 use AnyEvent; 2315 use AnyEvent;
1750 2316
1751Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2317Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1752be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2318be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1753probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and 2319probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
1754$ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}. 2320$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2321
2322Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2323C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2324enabled.
1755 2325
1756 2326
1757=head1 BUGS 2327=head1 BUGS
1758 2328
1759Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2329Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
1760to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10 2330to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
1761and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying 2331and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
1762mamleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as 2332memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
1763pronounced). 2333pronounced).
1764 2334
1765 2335
1766=head1 SEE ALSO 2336=head1 SEE ALSO
1767 2337
1771L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 2341L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1772 2342
1773Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, 2343Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1774L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, 2344L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1775L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, 2345L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1776L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 2346L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync>.
1777 2347
1778Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and 2348Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1779servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>. 2349servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>, L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
1780 2350
1781Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2351Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1782 2352
1783Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, 2353Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>,
2354L<Coro::Event>,
1784 2355
1785Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2356Nontrivial usage examples: L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::XMPP>,
2357L<AnyEvent::HTTP>.
1786 2358
1787 2359
1788=head1 AUTHOR 2360=head1 AUTHOR
1789 2361
1790 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 2362 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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