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1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops 3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops
4 4
5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops 5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt and POE are various supported
6event loops.
6 7
7=head1 SYNOPSIS 8=head1 SYNOPSIS
8 9
9 use AnyEvent; 10 use AnyEvent;
10 11
12 # file descriptor readable
11 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r|w", cb => sub { 13 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
14
15 # one-shot or repeating timers
16 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
17 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...
18
19 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
20 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
21
22 # POSIX signal
23 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
24
25 # child process exit
26 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
27 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
12 ... 28 ...
13 }); 29 });
14 30
15 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { 31 # called when event loop idle (if applicable)
16 ... 32 my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
17 });
18 33
19 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged 34 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
20 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's 35 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
21 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send 36 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
37 # use a condvar in callback mode:
38 $w->cb (sub { $_[0]->recv });
22 39
23=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL 40=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
24 41
25This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested 42This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested
26in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the 43in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the
33 50
34Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of 51Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of
35policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>. 52policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>.
36 53
37First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only 54First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only
38interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use in a 55interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use, in a
39pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike, 56pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike,
40the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general, 57the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general,
41only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent 58only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent
42helps hiding the differences between those event loops. 59cannot change this, but it can hide the differences between those event
60loops.
43 61
44The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event 62The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event
45programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a 63programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a
46religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your 64religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your
47module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event 65module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event
48model you use. 66model you use.
49 67
50For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is 68For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is
51actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is 69actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is
52like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you 70like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you
53cannot use anything else, as it is simply incompatible to everything that 71cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything
54isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are 72that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your
55I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use. 73module are I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.
56 74
57AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works 75AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
58fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together 76fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together
59with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if 77with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if
60your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, 78your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it,
61too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all 79too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all
62event models it supports (including stuff like POE and IO::Async, as long 80event models it supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those
63as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new 81use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new event loops
64event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof). 82to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
65 83
66In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event 84In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event
67model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar 85model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
68modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to 86modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
69follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only 87follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only
127These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 145These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
128creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 146creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
129callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 147callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
130is in control). 148is in control).
131 149
150Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
151potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> or C<$[>) and that B<<
152callbacks must not C<die> >>. The former is good programming practise in
153Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
154widely between event loops.
155
132To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the 156To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
133variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references 157variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references
134to it). 158to it).
135 159
136All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class. 160All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.
152=head2 I/O WATCHERS 176=head2 I/O WATCHERS
153 177
154You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 178You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
155with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 179with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
156 180
157C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch 181C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (or a naked file descriptor) to watch
182for events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
183handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
184non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
185most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example files
186or block devices.
187
158for events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, 188C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
159which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, 189watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
190
160respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle 191C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
161becomes ready.
162 192
163Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
164presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
165callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
166 196
170 200
171Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should 201Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should
172always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file 202always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
173handles. 203handles.
174 204
175Example:
176
177 # wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the watcher 205Example: wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the
206watcher.
207
178 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub { 208 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
179 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); 209 chomp (my $input = <STDIN>);
180 warn "read: $input\n"; 210 warn "read: $input\n";
181 undef $w; 211 undef $w;
182 }); 212 });
192 222
193Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 223Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
194presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 224presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
195callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks. 225callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
196 226
197The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating 227The callback will normally be invoked once only. If you specify another
198timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk 228parameter, C<interval>, as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the
199and Glib). 229callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional
230seconds) after the first invocation. If C<interval> is specified with a
231false value, then it is treated as if it were missing.
200 232
201Example: 233The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no
234attempt is done to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval is
235only approximate.
202 236
203 # fire an event after 7.7 seconds 237Example: fire an event after 7.7 seconds.
238
204 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub { 239 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {
205 warn "timeout\n"; 240 warn "timeout\n";
206 }); 241 });
207 242
208 # to cancel the timer: 243 # to cancel the timer:
209 undef $w; 244 undef $w;
210 245
211Example 2:
212
213 # fire an event after 0.5 seconds, then roughly every second 246Example 2: fire an event after 0.5 seconds, then roughly every second.
214 my $w;
215 247
216 my $cb = sub {
217 # cancel the old timer while creating a new one
218 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, cb => $cb); 248 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.5, interval => 1, cb => sub {
249 warn "timeout\n";
219 }; 250 };
220
221 # start the "loop" by creating the first watcher
222 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.5, cb => $cb);
223 251
224=head3 TIMING ISSUES 252=head3 TIMING ISSUES
225 253
226There are two ways to handle timers: based on real time (relative, "fire 254There are two ways to handle timers: based on real time (relative, "fire
227in 10 seconds") and based on wallclock time (absolute, "fire at 12 255in 10 seconds") and based on wallclock time (absolute, "fire at 12
300In 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
301can 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
302difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into 330difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
303account. 331account.
304 332
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
305=back 348=back
306 349
307=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 350=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
308 351
309You 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
310I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to 353I<name> in uppercase and without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl
311be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 354callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
312 355
313Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 356Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
314presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 357presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
315callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks. 358callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
316 359
332=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 375=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
333 376
334You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 377You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
335 378
336The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 379The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
337watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 380watches for any child process exit). The watcher will triggered only when
338as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 381the child process has finished and an exit status is available, not on
339signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 382any trace events (stopped/continued).
340and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, 383
341you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments. 384The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
385waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
386callback arguments.
387
388This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
389and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
390random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
391C<system>, is just fine).
342 392
343There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them 393There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
344I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could 394I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
345have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 395have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
346 396
347Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for 397Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
398see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
348event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be 399that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
349loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). 400the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
401pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
402start the watcher.
350 403
351This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an 404This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
352AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you 405thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
353C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 406watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
407C<AnyEvent::detect>).
354 408
355Example: fork a process and wait for it 409Example: fork a process and wait for it
356 410
357 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 411 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
358 412
368 ); 422 );
369 423
370 # do something else, then wait for process exit 424 # do something else, then wait for process exit
371 $done->recv; 425 $done->recv;
372 426
427=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
428
429Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important
430to do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
431"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
432attention by the event loop".
433
434Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing
435better to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new
436events. Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
437
438Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
439EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
440will simply call the callback "from time to time".
441
442Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
443program is otherwise idle:
444
445 my @lines; # read data
446 my $idle_w;
447 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
448 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
449
450 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
451 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
452 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
453 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
454 print "handled when idle: $line";
455 } else {
456 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
457 undef $idle_w;
458 }
459 });
460 });
461
373=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 462=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
374 463
375If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them 464If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
376require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that 465require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
377will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 466will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
382The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 471The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
383because they represent a condition that must become true. 472because they represent a condition that must become true.
384 473
385Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar 474Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
386>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 475>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
476
387C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable 477C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
388becomes true. 478becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
479the results).
389 480
390After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true" 481After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
391by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it 482by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
392were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<< 483were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
393->send >> method). 484->send >> method).
449 540
450 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 541 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
451 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 542 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
452 $done->recv; 543 $done->recv;
453 544
545Example: Imagine an API that returns a condvar and doesn't support
546callbacks. This is how you make a synchronous call, for example from
547the main program:
548
549 use AnyEvent::CouchDB;
550
551 ...
552
553 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
554
555And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the
556results are available:
557
558 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
559 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
560 });
561
454=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS 562=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
455 563
456These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the 564These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
457code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also 565code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
458the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't 566the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
491 599
492=item $cv->begin ([group callback]) 600=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
493 601
494=item $cv->end 602=item $cv->end
495 603
496These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
497
498These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into 604These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
499one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want 605one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
500to use a condition variable for the whole process. 606to use a condition variable for the whole process.
501 607
502Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to 608Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
503C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end 609C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
504>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback 610>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
505is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no 611is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
506callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments. 612callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
507 613
508Let's clarify this with the ping example: 614You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
615sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
616condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
617
618Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
619STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
620close before activating a condvar:
621
622 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
623
624 $cv->begin; # first watcher
625 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
626 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
627 or $cv->end;
628 });
629
630 $cv->begin; # second watcher
631 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
632 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
633 or $cv->end;
634 });
635
636 $cv->recv;
637
638This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
639one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
640sending.
641
642The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
643there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
644begung can potentially be zero:
509 645
510 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 646 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
511 647
512 my %result; 648 my %result;
513 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 649 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
533loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback 669loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
534to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that 670to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
535C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop 671C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
536doesn't execute once). 672doesn't execute once).
537 673
538This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests: 674This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
539use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end> 675potentially none) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
540is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call 676the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
541C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>. 677subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
678call C<end>.
542 679
543=back 680=back
544 681
545=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 682=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
546 683
591=item $bool = $cv->ready 728=item $bool = $cv->ready
592 729
593Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or 730Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
594C<croak> have been called. 731C<croak> have been called.
595 732
596=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback]) 733=item $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
597 734
598This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally 735This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
599replaces it before doing so. 736replaces it before doing so.
600 737
601The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when 738The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
626 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice. 763 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
627 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs). 764 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
628 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse. 765 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
629 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support. 766 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
630 767
768 # warning, support for IO::Async is only partial, as it is too broken
769 # and limited toe ven support the AnyEvent API. See AnyEvent::Impl::Async.
770 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
771
631There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for 772There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
632watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the 773watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
633POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per 774POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
634second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for 775second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
635AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using 776AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
727 868
728 869
729=head1 OTHER MODULES 870=head1 OTHER MODULES
730 871
731The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 872The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
732AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 873AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent
733in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are 874modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the modules
734available via CPAN. 875come with AnyEvent, most are available via CPAN.
735 876
736=over 4 877=over 4
737 878
738=item L<AnyEvent::Util> 879=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
739 880
740Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking 881Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
741functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions. 882functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
742
743=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
744
745Provide read and write buffers and manages watchers for reads and writes.
746 883
747=item L<AnyEvent::Socket> 884=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
748 885
749Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets, 886Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
750addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp 887addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
751connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more. 888connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more.
752 889
890=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
891
892Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
893supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
894non-blocking SSL/TLS (via L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
895
753=item L<AnyEvent::DNS> 896=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
754 897
755Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 898Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
756 899
757=item L<AnyEvent::HTTP> 900=item L<AnyEvent::HTTP>
767 910
768The fastest ping in the west. 911The fastest ping in the west.
769 912
770=item L<AnyEvent::DBI> 913=item L<AnyEvent::DBI>
771 914
772Executes DBI requests asynchronously in a proxy process. 915Executes L<DBI> requests asynchronously in a proxy process.
773 916
917=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>
918
919Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
920programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses L<IO::AIO> and AnyEvent
921together.
922
923=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>
924
925Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::BDB transparently fuses
926L<BDB> and AnyEvent together.
927
928=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
929
930A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
931
774=item L<Net::IRC3> 932=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
775 933
776AnyEvent based IRC client module family. 934AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
777 935
778=item L<Net::XMPP2> 936=item L<AnyEvent::XMPP>
779 937
780AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family. 938AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family (replacing the older
939Net::XMPP2>.
940
941=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
942
943A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
944L<App::IGS>).
781 945
782=item L<Net::FCP> 946=item L<Net::FCP>
783 947
784AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace 948AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
785of AnyEvent. 949of AnyEvent.
790 954
791=item L<Coro> 955=item L<Coro>
792 956
793Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>. 957Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
794 958
795=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>, L<IO::AIO>
796
797Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
798programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses IO::AIO and AnyEvent
799together.
800
801=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>, L<BDB>
802
803Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses
804IO::AIO and AnyEvent together.
805
806=item L<IO::Lambda>
807
808The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
809
810=back 959=back
811 960
812=cut 961=cut
813 962
814package AnyEvent; 963package AnyEvent;
815 964
816no warnings; 965no warnings;
817use strict; 966use strict qw(vars subs);
818 967
819use Carp; 968use Carp;
820 969
821our $VERSION = 4.151; 970our $VERSION = 4.8;
822our $MODEL; 971our $MODEL;
823 972
824our $AUTOLOAD; 973our $AUTOLOAD;
825our @ISA; 974our @ISA;
826 975
827our @REGISTRY; 976our @REGISTRY;
828 977
829our $WIN32; 978our $WIN32;
830 979
831BEGIN { 980BEGIN {
832 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 981 eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
833 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }"; 982 eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
983
984 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
985 if ${^TAINT};
834} 986}
835 987
836our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 988our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
837 989
838our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 990our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
856 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy 1008 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
857 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1009 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
858 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1010 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
859 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1011 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
860 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1012 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1013 # IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workaorunds for its
1014 # byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
1015 # IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
1016 # obvious default class.
1017# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1018# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
1019# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
861); 1020);
862 1021
863our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY); 1022our %method = map +($_ => 1),
1023 qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
864 1024
865our @post_detect; 1025our @post_detect;
866 1026
867sub post_detect(&) { 1027sub post_detect(&) {
868 my ($cb) = @_; 1028 my ($cb) = @_;
873 1 1033 1
874 } else { 1034 } else {
875 push @post_detect, $cb; 1035 push @post_detect, $cb;
876 1036
877 defined wantarray 1037 defined wantarray
878 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect" 1038 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
879 : () 1039 : ()
880 } 1040 }
881} 1041}
882 1042
883sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY { 1043sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
884 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect; 1044 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
885} 1045}
886 1046
887sub detect() { 1047sub detect() {
888 unless ($MODEL) { 1048 unless ($MODEL) {
925 last; 1085 last;
926 } 1086 }
927 } 1087 }
928 1088
929 $MODEL 1089 $MODEL
930 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib."; 1090 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
931 } 1091 }
932 } 1092 }
933 1093
1094 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
1095
934 unshift @ISA, $MODEL; 1096 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
935 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base"; 1097
1098 require AnyEvent::Strict if $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT};
936 1099
937 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect; 1100 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
938 } 1101 }
939 1102
940 $MODEL 1103 $MODEL
950 1113
951 my $class = shift; 1114 my $class = shift;
952 $class->$func (@_); 1115 $class->$func (@_);
953} 1116}
954 1117
1118# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
1119# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
1120# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
1121sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
1122 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
1123
1124 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
1125 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<") : ($w, ">");
1126
1127 open my $fh2, "$mode&", $fh
1128 or die "AnyEvent->io: cannot dup() filehandle in mode '$poll': $!,";
1129
1130 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
1131
1132 ($fh2, $rw)
1133}
1134
955package AnyEvent::Base; 1135package AnyEvent::Base;
956 1136
957# default implementation for now and time 1137# default implementations for many methods
958 1138
959use Time::HiRes (); 1139BEGIN {
1140 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1141 *_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
1142 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1143 } else {
1144 *_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
1145 }
1146}
960 1147
961sub time { Time::HiRes::time } 1148sub time { _time }
962sub now { Time::HiRes::time } 1149sub now { _time }
1150sub now_update { }
963 1151
964# default implementation for ->condvar 1152# default implementation for ->condvar
965 1153
966sub condvar { 1154sub condvar {
967 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar:: 1155 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
968} 1156}
969 1157
970# default implementation for ->signal 1158# default implementation for ->signal
971 1159
972our %SIG_CB; 1160our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1161
1162sub _signal_exec {
1163 sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 4;
1164
1165 while (%SIG_EV) {
1166 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1167 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1168 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1169 }
1170 }
1171}
973 1172
974sub signal { 1173sub signal {
975 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1174 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
976 1175
1176 unless ($SIGPIPE_R) {
1177 require Fcntl;
1178
1179 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1180 require AnyEvent::Util;
1181
1182 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1183 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1184 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1185 } else {
1186 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1187 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1188 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1189
1190 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1191 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1192 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
1193 }
1194
1195 $SIGPIPE_R
1196 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1197
1198 $SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
1199 }
1200
977 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1201 my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
978 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing"; 1202 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
979 1203
980 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1204 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
981 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1205 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
982 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1206 local $!;
1207 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1208 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
983 }; 1209 };
984 1210
985 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1211 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
986} 1212}
987 1213
988sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY { 1214sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
989 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1215 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
990 1216
991 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb}; 1217 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
992 1218
1219 # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1220 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1221 # instead of getting the default action.
993 $SIG{$signal} = 'DEFAULT' unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} }; 1222 undef $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
994} 1223}
995 1224
996# default implementation for ->child 1225# default implementation for ->child
997 1226
998our %PID_CB; 1227our %PID_CB;
999our $CHLD_W; 1228our $CHLD_W;
1000our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1229our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1001our $PID_IDLE;
1002our $WNOHANG; 1230our $WNOHANG;
1003 1231
1004sub _child_wait { 1232sub _sigchld {
1005 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1233 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
1006 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1234 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }),
1007 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1235 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} });
1008 } 1236 }
1009
1010 undef $PID_IDLE;
1011}
1012
1013sub _sigchld {
1014 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
1015 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
1016 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1017 &_child_wait;
1018 });
1019} 1237}
1020 1238
1021sub child { 1239sub child {
1022 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1240 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1023 1241
1024 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1242 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
1025 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1243 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
1026 1244
1027 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1245 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1028 1246
1029 unless ($WNOHANG) {
1030 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1; 1247 $WNOHANG ||= eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1031 }
1032 1248
1033 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1249 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1034 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1250 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
1035 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1251 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
1036 &_sigchld; 1252 &_sigchld;
1037 } 1253 }
1038 1254
1039 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1255 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
1040} 1256}
1041 1257
1042sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1258sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
1043 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1259 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1044 1260
1045 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1261 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
1046 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1262 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
1047 1263
1048 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1264 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1265}
1266
1267# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1268# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1269# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1270sub idle {
1271 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1272
1273 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1274
1275 $rcb = sub {
1276 if ($cb) {
1277 $w = _time;
1278 &$cb;
1279 $w = _time - $w;
1280
1281 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1282 # within some limits
1283 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1284 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1285
1286 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
1287 } else {
1288 # clean up...
1289 undef $w;
1290 undef $rcb;
1291 }
1292 };
1293
1294 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
1295
1296 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1297}
1298
1299sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
1300 undef $${$_[0]};
1049} 1301}
1050 1302
1051package AnyEvent::CondVar; 1303package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1052 1304
1053our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::; 1305our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1105} 1357}
1106 1358
1107# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4 1359# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1108*broadcast = \&send; 1360*broadcast = \&send;
1109*wait = \&_wait; 1361*wait = \&_wait;
1362
1363=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1364
1365In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1366caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1367the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1368checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1369development.
1370
1371As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1372executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1373also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1374program.
1375
1376The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1377within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1378$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1379so on.
1380
1381=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1382
1383The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1384submodules.
1385
1386Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1387C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1388enabled.
1389
1390=over 4
1391
1392=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1393
1394By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1395conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1396talkative.
1397
1398When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1399conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1400C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1401
1402When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1403model it chooses.
1404
1405=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1406
1407AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1408argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1409will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1410check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
1411it will croak.
1412
1413In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1414
1415Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in
1416production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while
1417developing programs can be very useful, however.
1418
1419=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1420
1421This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1422auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1423entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1424and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1425used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1426auto detection and -probing.
1427
1428This functionality might change in future versions.
1429
1430For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1431could start your program like this:
1432
1433 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1434
1435=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1436
1437Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1438for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1439of auto probing).
1440
1441Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1442current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1443used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1444list.
1445
1446This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1447against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1448small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
1449
1450Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1451but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1452- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1453addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1454IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1455
1456=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1457
1458Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1459for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1460some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1461default.
1462
1463Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1464EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1465
1466=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1467
1468The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1469will create in parallel.
1470
1471=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
1472
1473The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
1474resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
1475sent to the DNS server.
1476
1477=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
1478
1479The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
1480configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
1481default config will be used.
1482
1483=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE>, C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH>.
1484
1485When neither C<ca_file> nor C<ca_path> was specified during
1486L<AnyEvent::TLS> context creation, and either of these environment
1487variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate locations
1488instead of a system-dependent default.
1489
1490=back
1110 1491
1111=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 1492=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1112 1493
1113This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 1494This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
1114a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 1495a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
1148 1529
1149I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 1530I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
1150condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 1531condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
1151C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 1532C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
1152not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 1533not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
1153
1154=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1155
1156The following environment variables are used by this module:
1157
1158=over 4
1159
1160=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1161
1162By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1163conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1164talkative.
1165
1166When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1167conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1168C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1169
1170When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1171model it chooses.
1172
1173=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1174
1175This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1176auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1177entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1178and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1179used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1180auto detection and -probing.
1181
1182This functionality might change in future versions.
1183
1184For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1185could start your program like this:
1186
1187 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1188
1189=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1190
1191Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1192for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1193of auto probing).
1194
1195Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1196current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1197used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1198list.
1199
1200This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1201against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1202small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1203
1204Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1205but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1206- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1207addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1208IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1209
1210=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1211
1212Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1213for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1214some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1215default.
1216
1217Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1218EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1219
1220=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1221
1222The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1223will create in parallel.
1224
1225=back
1226 1534
1227=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 1535=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
1228 1536
1229The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 1537The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
1230to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 1538to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
1424watcher. 1732watcher.
1425 1733
1426=head3 Results 1734=head3 Results
1427 1735
1428 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 1736 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1429 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 1737 EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface
1430 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 1738 EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1431 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 1739 CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1432 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 1740 Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
1433 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 1741 Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
1434 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 1742 Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
1743 IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
1744 IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1435 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 1745 Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
1436 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 1746 Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1437 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 1747 POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
1438 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 1748 POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
1439 1749
1440=head3 Discussion 1750=head3 Discussion
1441 1751
1442The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 1752The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
1443well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 1753well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1468performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 1778performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1469them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 1779them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1470 1780
1471The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 1781The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1472cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 1782cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
1783
1784C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
1785when using its pure perl backend.
1473 1786
1474C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 1787C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1475faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 1788faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1476C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 1789C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1477watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 1790watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1555it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 1868it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1556a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 1869a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1557 1870
1558=head3 Results 1871=head3 Results
1559 1872
1560 name sockets create request 1873 name sockets create request
1561 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 1874 EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1562 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 1875 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
1876 IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
1877 IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1563 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 1878 Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1564 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 1879 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1565 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 1880 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1566 1881
1567=head3 Discussion 1882=head3 Discussion
1568 1883
1569This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 1884This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1570particular event loop. 1885particular event loop.
1572EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 1887EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1573is relatively high, though. 1888is relatively high, though.
1574 1889
1575Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 1890Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1576loops Event and Glib. 1891loops Event and Glib.
1892
1893IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
1894good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1577 1895
1578Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 1896Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1579understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 1897understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1580the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 1898the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1581uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 1899uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1644=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 1962=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1645watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 1963watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1646 1964
1647=back 1965=back
1648 1966
1967=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
1968
1969Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
1970could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
1971simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
1972shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
1973fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
1974very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
1975baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
1976
1977The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
1978connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
1979creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
1980test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
1981benchmark nevertheless.
1982
1983 name runtime
1984 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
1985 + optimized 0.122 sec
1986 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
1987 + optimized 0.138 sec
1988 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
1989 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
1990 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
1991 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
1992
1993 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
1994 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
1995 +state machine 0.134 sec
1996
1997The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
1998benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
1999defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
2000written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
2001AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2002resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2003generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2004connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2005
2006The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2007offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2008Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2009non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2010
2011As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2012hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2013backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2014
2015And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2016slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
2017large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
2018in a non-blocking way.
2019
2020The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2021F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2022part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2023
2024
2025=head1 SIGNALS
2026
2027AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2028
2029=over 4
2030
2031=item SIGCHLD
2032
2033A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2034emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2035event loops install a similar handler.
2036
2037If, when AnyEvent is loaded, SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then AnyEvent will
2038reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2039
2040=item SIGPIPE
2041
2042A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2043when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2044
2045The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2046on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2047badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2048program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2049some random socket.
2050
2051The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2052that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2053
2054Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2055
2056=back
2057
2058=cut
2059
2060undef $SIG{CHLD}
2061 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2062
2063$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2064 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
1649 2065
1650=head1 FORK 2066=head1 FORK
1651 2067
1652Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2068Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1653because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> 2069because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
1673 2089
1674 use AnyEvent; 2090 use AnyEvent;
1675 2091
1676Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2092Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1677be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2093be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1678probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL). 2094probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
2095$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2096
2097Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2098C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2099enabled.
1679 2100
1680 2101
1681=head1 BUGS 2102=head1 BUGS
1682 2103
1683Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2104Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
1684to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10 2105to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
1685and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying 2106and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
1686mamleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as 2107memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
1687pronounced). 2108pronounced).
1688 2109
1689 2110
1690=head1 SEE ALSO 2111=head1 SEE ALSO
1691 2112
1695L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 2116L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1696 2117
1697Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, 2118Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1698L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, 2119L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1699L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, 2120L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1700L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 2121L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync>.
1701 2122
1702Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and 2123Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
1703servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>. 2124servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>, L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
1704 2125
1705Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2126Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1706 2127
1707Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, 2128Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>,
2129L<Coro::Event>,
1708 2130
1709Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2131Nontrivial usage examples: L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::XMPP>,
2132L<AnyEvent::HTTP>.
1710 2133
1711 2134
1712=head1 AUTHOR 2135=head1 AUTHOR
1713 2136
1714 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 2137 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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