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1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops 3AnyEvent - the DBI of event loop programming
4 4
5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops 5EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Irssi, rxvt-unicode, IO::Async, Qt
6and POE are various supported event loops/environments.
6 7
7=head1 SYNOPSIS 8=head1 SYNOPSIS
8 9
9 use AnyEvent; 10 use AnyEvent;
10 11
12 # if you prefer function calls, look at the AE manpage for
13 # an alternative API.
14
15 # file handle or descriptor readable
11 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r|w", cb => sub { 16 my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
17
18 # one-shot or repeating timers
19 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
20 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...);
21
22 print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
23 print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
24
25 # POSIX signal
26 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
27
28 # child process exit
29 my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
30 my ($pid, $status) = @_;
12 ... 31 ...
13 }); 32 });
14 33
15 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { 34 # called when event loop idle (if applicable)
16 ... 35 my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
17 });
18 36
19 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged 37 my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
20 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's 38 $w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
21 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send 39 $w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
40 # use a condvar in callback mode:
41 $w->cb (sub { $_[0]->recv });
22 42
23=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL 43=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
24 44
25This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested 45This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested
26in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the 46in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the
27L<AnyEvent::Intro> manpage. 47L<AnyEvent::Intro> manpage.
48
49=head1 SUPPORT
50
51An FAQ document is available as L<AnyEvent::FAQ>.
52
53There also is a mailinglist for discussing all things AnyEvent, and an IRC
54channel, too.
55
56See the AnyEvent project page at the B<Schmorpforge Ta-Sa Software
57Repository>, at L<http://anyevent.schmorp.de>, for more info.
28 58
29=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT) 59=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)
30 60
31Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen 61Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
32nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent? 62nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
48module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event 78module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event
49model you use. 79model you use.
50 80
51For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is 81For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is
52actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is 82actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is
53like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you 83like joining a cult: After you join, you are dependent on them and you
54cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything 84cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything
55that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your 85that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your
56module are I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use. 86module are I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.
57 87
58AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works 88AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
59fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together 89fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together
60with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if 90with the rest: POE + EV? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if your module
61your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, 91uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it, too. But if
62too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all 92your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all event models it
63event models it supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those 93supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those use one of the
64use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new event loops 94supported event loops. It is easy to add new event loops to AnyEvent, too,
65to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof). 95so it is future-proof).
66 96
67In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event 97In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event
68model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar 98model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
69modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to 99modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
70follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only 100follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and to the point, by only
71offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as 101offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as
72technically possible. 102technically possible.
73 103
74Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox 104Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox
75of useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100% 105of useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100%
81useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event 111useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
82model, you should I<not> use this module. 112model, you should I<not> use this module.
83 113
84=head1 DESCRIPTION 114=head1 DESCRIPTION
85 115
86L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This 116L<AnyEvent> provides a uniform interface to various event loops. This
87allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module 117allows module authors to use event loop functionality without forcing
88users to use the same event loop (as only a single event loop can coexist 118module users to use a specific event loop implementation (since more
89peacefully at any one time). 119than one event loop cannot coexist peacefully).
90 120
91The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event> 121The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>
92module. 122module.
93 123
94During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries 124During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
95to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the 125to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the
96following modules is already loaded: L<EV>, 126following modules is already loaded: L<EV>, L<AnyEvent::Loop>,
97L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, 127L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. The first one
98L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries 128found is used. If none are detected, the module tries to load the first
99to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl 129four modules in the order given; but note that if L<EV> is not
100adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can 130available, the pure-perl L<AnyEvent::Loop> should always work, so
101be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be 131the other two are not normally tried.
102found, AnyEvent will fall back to a pure-perl event loop, which is not
103very efficient, but should work everywhere.
104 132
105Because AnyEvent first checks for modules that are already loaded, loading 133Because AnyEvent first checks for modules that are already loaded, loading
106an event model explicitly before first using AnyEvent will likely make 134an event model explicitly before first using AnyEvent will likely make
107that model the default. For example: 135that model the default. For example:
108 136
110 use AnyEvent; 138 use AnyEvent;
111 139
112 # .. AnyEvent will likely default to Tk 140 # .. AnyEvent will likely default to Tk
113 141
114The I<likely> means that, if any module loads another event model and 142The I<likely> means that, if any module loads another event model and
115starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to 143starts using it, all bets are off - this case should be very rare though,
116use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly... 144as very few modules hardcode event loops without announcing this very
145loudly.
117 146
118The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called 147The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called C<AnyEvent::Loop>. Like
119C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it 148other event modules you can load it explicitly and enjoy the high
120explicitly and enjoy the high availability of that event loop :) 149availability of that event loop :)
121 150
122=head1 WATCHERS 151=head1 WATCHERS
123 152
124AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that 153AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that
125stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as 154stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
128These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After 157These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
129creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the 158creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
130callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model 159callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
131is in control). 160is in control).
132 161
162Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
163potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> or C<$[>) and that B<<
164callbacks must not C<die> >>. The former is good programming practice in
165Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
166widely between event loops.
167
133To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the 168To disable a watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
134variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references 169variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references
135to it). 170to it).
136 171
137All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class. 172All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.
138 173
139Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for 174Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for
140example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways. 175example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways.
141 176
142An any way to achieve that is this pattern: 177One way to achieve that is this pattern:
143 178
144 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub { 179 my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub {
145 # you can use $w here, for example to undef it 180 # you can use $w here, for example to undef it
146 undef $w; 181 undef $w;
147 }); 182 });
150my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are 185my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
151declared. 186declared.
152 187
153=head2 I/O WATCHERS 188=head2 I/O WATCHERS
154 189
190 $w = AnyEvent->io (
191 fh => <filehandle_or_fileno>,
192 poll => <"r" or "w">,
193 cb => <callback>,
194 );
195
155You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method 196You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
156with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments: 197with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
157 198
158C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch for events 199C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (or a naked file descriptor) to watch
159(AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file handle). C<poll> 200for events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
201handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
202non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
203most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example files
204or block devices.
205
160must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a watcher 206C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
161waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively. C<cb> is the 207watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
208
162callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready. 209C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
163 210
164Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 211Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
165presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 212presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
166callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks. 213callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
167 214
168The I/O watcher might use the underlying file descriptor or a copy of it. 215The I/O watcher might use the underlying file descriptor or a copy of it.
169You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on the 216You must not close a file handle as long as any watcher is active on the
170underlying file descriptor. 217underlying file descriptor.
171 218
172Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should 219Some event loops issue spurious readiness notifications, so you should
173always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file 220always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
174handles. 221handles.
175 222
176Example: wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the 223Example: wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the
177watcher. 224watcher.
182 undef $w; 229 undef $w;
183 }); 230 });
184 231
185=head2 TIME WATCHERS 232=head2 TIME WATCHERS
186 233
234 $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => <seconds>, cb => <callback>);
235
236 $w = AnyEvent->timer (
237 after => <fractional_seconds>,
238 interval => <fractional_seconds>,
239 cb => <callback>,
240 );
241
187You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >> 242You can create a time watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->timer >>
188method with the following mandatory arguments: 243method with the following mandatory arguments:
189 244
190C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are 245C<after> specifies after how many seconds (fractional values are
191supported) the callback should be invoked. C<cb> is the callback to invoke 246supported) the callback should be invoked. C<cb> is the callback to invoke
193 248
194Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and 249Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
195presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent 250presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
196callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks. 251callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
197 252
198The callback will normally be invoked once only. If you specify another 253The callback will normally be invoked only once. If you specify another
199parameter, C<interval>, as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the 254parameter, C<interval>, as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the
200callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional 255callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional
201seconds) after the first invocation. If C<interval> is specified with a 256seconds) after the first invocation. If C<interval> is specified with a
202false value, then it is treated as if it were missing. 257false value, then it is treated as if it were not specified at all.
203 258
204The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no 259The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no
205attempt is done to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval is 260attempt is made to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval is
206only approximate. 261only approximate.
207 262
208Example: fire an event after 7.7 seconds. 263Example: fire an event after 7.7 seconds.
209 264
210 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub { 265 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {
228 283
229While most event loops expect timers to specified in a relative way, they 284While most event loops expect timers to specified in a relative way, they
230use absolute time internally. This makes a difference when your clock 285use absolute time internally. This makes a difference when your clock
231"jumps", for example, when ntp decides to set your clock backwards from 286"jumps", for example, when ntp decides to set your clock backwards from
232the wrong date of 2014-01-01 to 2008-01-01, a watcher that is supposed to 287the wrong date of 2014-01-01 to 2008-01-01, a watcher that is supposed to
233fire "after" a second might actually take six years to finally fire. 288fire "after a second" might actually take six years to finally fire.
234 289
235AnyEvent cannot compensate for this. The only event loop that is conscious 290AnyEvent cannot compensate for this. The only event loop that is conscious
236about these issues is L<EV>, which offers both relative (ev_timer, based 291of these issues is L<EV>, which offers both relative (ev_timer, based
237on true relative time) and absolute (ev_periodic, based on wallclock time) 292on true relative time) and absolute (ev_periodic, based on wallclock time)
238timers. 293timers.
239 294
240AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the 295AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the
241AnyEvent API. 296AnyEvent API.
263I<In almost all cases (in all cases if you don't care), this is the 318I<In almost all cases (in all cases if you don't care), this is the
264function to call when you want to know the current time.> 319function to call when you want to know the current time.>
265 320
266This function is also often faster then C<< AnyEvent->time >>, and 321This function is also often faster then C<< AnyEvent->time >>, and
267thus the preferred method if you want some timestamp (for example, 322thus the preferred method if you want some timestamp (for example,
268L<AnyEvent::Handle> uses this to update it's activity timeouts). 323L<AnyEvent::Handle> uses this to update its activity timeouts).
269 324
270The rest of this section is only of relevance if you try to be very exact 325The rest of this section is only of relevance if you try to be very exact
271with your timing, you can skip it without bad conscience. 326with your timing; you can skip it without a bad conscience.
272 327
273For a practical example of when these times differ, consider L<Event::Lib> 328For a practical example of when these times differ, consider L<Event::Lib>
274and L<EV> and the following set-up: 329and L<EV> and the following set-up:
275 330
276The event loop is running and has just invoked one of your callback at 331The event loop is running and has just invoked one of your callbacks at
277time=500 (assume no other callbacks delay processing). In your callback, 332time=500 (assume no other callbacks delay processing). In your callback,
278you wait a second by executing C<sleep 1> (blocking the process for a 333you wait a second by executing C<sleep 1> (blocking the process for a
279second) and then (at time=501) you create a relative timer that fires 334second) and then (at time=501) you create a relative timer that fires
280after three seconds. 335after three seconds.
281 336
299In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you 354In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
300can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the 355can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the
301difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into 356difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
302account. 357account.
303 358
359=item AnyEvent->now_update
360
361Some event loops (such as L<EV> or L<AnyEvent::Loop>) cache the current
362time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of L<< AnyEvent->now >>,
363above).
364
365When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps), then
366this "current" time will differ substantially from the real time, which
367might affect timers and time-outs.
368
369When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update the
370event loop's idea of "current time".
371
372A typical example would be a script in a web server (e.g. C<mod_perl>) -
373when mod_perl executes the script, then the event loop will have the wrong
374idea about the "current time" (being potentially far in the past, when the
375script ran the last time). In that case you should arrange a call to C<<
376AnyEvent->now_update >> each time the web server process wakes up again
377(e.g. at the start of your script, or in a handler).
378
379Note that updating the time I<might> cause some events to be handled.
380
304=back 381=back
305 382
306=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS 383=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
384
385 $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => <uppercase_signal_name>, cb => <callback>);
307 386
308You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal 387You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
309I<name> in uppercase and without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl 388I<name> in uppercase and without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl
310callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs. 389callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
311 390
317invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means 396invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
318that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process, 397that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
319but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks. 398but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
320 399
321The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal 400The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
322between multiple watchers. 401between multiple watchers, and AnyEvent will ensure that signals will not
402interrupt your program at bad times.
323 403
324This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals 404This watcher might use C<%SIG> (depending on the event loop used),
325directly will likely not work correctly. 405so programs overwriting those signals directly will likely not work
406correctly.
326 407
327Example: exit on SIGINT 408Example: exit on SIGINT
328 409
329 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 }); 410 my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "INT", cb => sub { exit 1 });
330 411
412=head3 Restart Behaviour
413
414While restart behaviour is up to the event loop implementation, most will
415not restart syscalls (that includes L<Async::Interrupt> and AnyEvent's
416pure perl implementation).
417
418=head3 Safe/Unsafe Signals
419
420Perl signals can be either "safe" (synchronous to opcode handling) or
421"unsafe" (asynchronous) - the former might get delayed indefinitely, the
422latter might corrupt your memory.
423
424AnyEvent signal handlers are, in addition, synchronous to the event loop,
425i.e. they will not interrupt your running perl program but will only be
426called as part of the normal event handling (just like timer, I/O etc.
427callbacks, too).
428
429=head3 Signal Races, Delays and Workarounds
430
431Many event loops (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt, IO::Async) do not support attaching
432callbacks to signals in a generic way, which is a pity, as you cannot
433do race-free signal handling in perl, requiring C libraries for
434this. AnyEvent will try to do its best, which means in some cases,
435signals will be delayed. The maximum time a signal might be delayed is
436specified in C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY> (default: 10 seconds). This
437variable can be changed only before the first signal watcher is created,
438and should be left alone otherwise. This variable determines how often
439AnyEvent polls for signals (in case a wake-up was missed). Higher values
440will cause fewer spurious wake-ups, which is better for power and CPU
441saving.
442
443All these problems can be avoided by installing the optional
444L<Async::Interrupt> module, which works with most event loops. It will not
445work with inherently broken event loops such as L<Event> or L<Event::Lib>
446(and not with L<POE> currently, as POE does its own workaround with
447one-second latency). For those, you just have to suffer the delays.
448
331=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS 449=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
332 450
451 $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => <process id>, cb => <callback>);
452
333You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status. 453You can also watch for a child process exit and catch its exit status.
334 454
335The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it 455The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (on some backends,
336watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often 456using C<0> watches for any child process exit, on others this will
337as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a 457croak). The watcher will be triggered only when the child process has
338signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid 458finished and an exit status is available, not on any trace events
339and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, 459(stopped/continued).
340you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments. 460
461The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
462waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
463callback arguments.
464
465This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
466and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
467random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
468C<system>, is just fine).
341 469
342There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them 470There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
343I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could 471I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
344have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore). 472have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
345 473
346Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for 474Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
475see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
347event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be 476that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
348loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). 477the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
478pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
479start the watcher.
349 480
350This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an 481This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
351AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you 482thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
352C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>). 483watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
484C<AnyEvent::detect>).
485
486As most event loops do not support waiting for child events, they will be
487emulated by AnyEvent in most cases, in which case the latency and race
488problems mentioned in the description of signal watchers apply.
353 489
354Example: fork a process and wait for it 490Example: fork a process and wait for it
355 491
356 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 492 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
357 493
367 ); 503 );
368 504
369 # do something else, then wait for process exit 505 # do something else, then wait for process exit
370 $done->recv; 506 $done->recv;
371 507
508=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
509
510 $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => <callback>);
511
512This will repeatedly invoke the callback after the process becomes idle,
513until either the watcher is destroyed or new events have been detected.
514
515Idle watchers are useful when there is a need to do something, but it
516is not so important (or wise) to do it instantly. The callback will be
517invoked only when there is "nothing better to do", which is usually
518defined as "all outstanding events have been handled and no new events
519have been detected". That means that idle watchers ideally get invoked
520when the event loop has just polled for new events but none have been
521detected. Instead of blocking to wait for more events, the idle watchers
522will be invoked.
523
524Unfortunately, most event loops do not really support idle watchers (only
525EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
526will simply call the callback "from time to time".
527
528Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
529program is otherwise idle:
530
531 my @lines; # read data
532 my $idle_w;
533 my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
534 push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
535
536 # start an idle watcher, if not already done
537 $idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
538 # handle only one line, when there are lines left
539 if (my $line = shift @lines) {
540 print "handled when idle: $line";
541 } else {
542 # otherwise disable the idle watcher again
543 undef $idle_w;
544 }
545 });
546 });
547
372=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES 548=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
549
550 $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
551
552 $cv->send (<list>);
553 my @res = $cv->recv;
373 554
374If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them 555If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
375require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that 556require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
376will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks. 557will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
377 558
378AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and 559AnyEvent is slightly different: it expects somebody else to run the event
379will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user). 560loop and will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
380 561
381The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called 562The tool to do that is called a "condition variable", so called because
382because they represent a condition that must become true. 563they represent a condition that must become true.
564
565Now is probably a good time to look at the examples further below.
383 566
384Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar 567Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
385>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is 568>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
386C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable 569C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
387becomes true. 570becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
571the results).
388 572
389After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true" 573After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
390by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it 574by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
391were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<< 575were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
392->send >> method). 576->send >> method).
393 577
394Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can 578Since condition variables are the most complex part of the AnyEvent API, here are
395optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points 579some different mental models of what they are - pick the ones you can connect to:
396in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet 580
397another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can be 581=over 4
398used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and delivers 582
399a result. 583=item * Condition variables are like callbacks - you can call them (and pass them instead
584of callbacks). Unlike callbacks however, you can also wait for them to be called.
585
586=item * Condition variables are signals - one side can emit or send them,
587the other side can wait for them, or install a handler that is called when
588the signal fires.
589
590=item * Condition variables are like "Merge Points" - points in your program
591where you merge multiple independent results/control flows into one.
592
593=item * Condition variables represent a transaction - functions that start
594some kind of transaction can return them, leaving the caller the choice
595between waiting in a blocking fashion, or setting a callback.
596
597=item * Condition variables represent future values, or promises to deliver
598some result, long before the result is available.
599
600=back
400 601
401Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished, 602Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished,
402for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests, 603for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
403then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the 604then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the
404availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is 605availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is
417 618
418Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys 619Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
419used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing 620used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing
420easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of 621easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
421AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call 622AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call
422it's C<new> method in your own C<new> method. 623its C<new> method in your own C<new> method.
423 624
424There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which 625There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which
425eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits 626eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits
426for the send to occur. 627for the send to occur.
427 628
428Example: wait for a timer. 629Example: wait for a timer.
429 630
430 # wait till the result is ready 631 # condition: "wait till the timer is fired"
431 my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar; 632 my $timer_fired = AnyEvent->condvar;
432 633
433 # do something such as adding a timer 634 # create the timer - we could wait for, say
434 # or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send 635 # a handle becomign ready, or even an
435 # when the "result" is ready. 636 # AnyEvent::HTTP request to finish, but
436 # in this case, we simply use a timer: 637 # in this case, we simply use a timer:
437 my $w = AnyEvent->timer ( 638 my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
438 after => 1, 639 after => 1,
439 cb => sub { $result_ready->send }, 640 cb => sub { $timer_fired->send },
440 ); 641 );
441 642
442 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback 643 # this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
443 # calls send 644 # calls ->send
444 $result_ready->recv; 645 $timer_fired->recv;
445 646
446Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that 647Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that condition
447condition variables are also code references. 648variables are also callable directly.
448 649
449 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar; 650 my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
450 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done); 651 my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
451 $done->recv; 652 $done->recv;
653
654Example: Imagine an API that returns a condvar and doesn't support
655callbacks. This is how you make a synchronous call, for example from
656the main program:
657
658 use AnyEvent::CouchDB;
659
660 ...
661
662 my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
663
664And this is how you would just set a callback to be called whenever the
665results are available:
666
667 $couchdb->info->cb (sub {
668 my @info = $_[0]->recv;
669 });
452 670
453=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS 671=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
454 672
455These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the 673These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
456code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also 674code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
469immediately from within send. 687immediately from within send.
470 688
471Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all 689Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
472future C<< ->recv >> calls. 690future C<< ->recv >> calls.
473 691
474Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly 692Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly (as if
475(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling 693they were a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
476C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle 694C<send>.
477overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
478instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
479support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
480invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
481example).
482 695
483=item $cv->croak ($error) 696=item $cv->croak ($error)
484 697
485Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke 698Similar to send, but causes all calls to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
486C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar. 699C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
487 700
488This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable 701This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
489user/consumer. 702user/consumer. Doing it this way instead of calling C<croak> directly
703delays the error detection, but has the overwhelming advantage that it
704diagnoses the error at the place where the result is expected, and not
705deep in some event callback with no connection to the actual code causing
706the problem.
490 707
491=item $cv->begin ([group callback]) 708=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
492 709
493=item $cv->end 710=item $cv->end
494
495These two methods are EXPERIMENTAL and MIGHT CHANGE.
496 711
497These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into 712These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
498one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want 713one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
499to use a condition variable for the whole process. 714to use a condition variable for the whole process.
500 715
501Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to 716Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
502C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end 717C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
503>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback 718>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed, passing the
504is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no 719condvar as first argument. That callback is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send
505callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments. 720>>, but that is not required. If no group callback was set, C<send> will
721be called without any arguments.
506 722
507Let's clarify this with the ping example: 723You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
724sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
725condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
726
727Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
728STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
729close before activating a condvar:
508 730
509 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar; 731 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
510 732
733 $cv->begin; # first watcher
734 my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
735 defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
736 or $cv->end;
737 });
738
739 $cv->begin; # second watcher
740 my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
741 defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
742 or $cv->end;
743 });
744
745 $cv->recv;
746
747This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
748one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
749sending.
750
751The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
752there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
753begun can potentially be zero:
754
755 my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
756
511 my %result; 757 my %result;
512 $cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) }); 758 $cv->begin (sub { shift->send (\%result) });
513 759
514 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) { 760 for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
515 $cv->begin; 761 $cv->begin;
516 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub { 762 ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
517 $result{$host} = ...; 763 $result{$host} = ...;
532loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback 778loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
533to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that 779to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
534C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop 780C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
535doesn't execute once). 781doesn't execute once).
536 782
537This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple subrequests: 783This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
538use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set the callback and ensure C<end> 784potentially zero) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
539is called at least once, and then, for each subrequest you start, call 785the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
540C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish, call C<end>. 786subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
787call C<end>.
541 788
542=back 789=back
543 790
544=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS 791=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
545 792
549=over 4 796=over 4
550 797
551=item $cv->recv 798=item $cv->recv
552 799
553Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak 800Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
554>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers 801>> methods have been called on C<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
555normally. 802normally.
556 803
557You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but 804You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
558will return immediately. 805will return immediately.
559 806
561function will call C<croak>. 808function will call C<croak>.
562 809
563In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned, 810In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
564in scalar context only the first one will be returned. 811in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
565 812
813Note that doing a blocking wait in a callback is not supported by any
814event loop, that is, recursive invocation of a blocking C<< ->recv
815>> is not allowed, and the C<recv> call will C<croak> if such a
816condition is detected. This condition can be slightly loosened by using
817L<Coro::AnyEvent>, which allows you to do a blocking C<< ->recv >> from
818any thread that doesn't run the event loop itself.
819
566Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case 820Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
567(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are 821(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
568using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the 822using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>. Instead, let the
569caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling 823caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
570condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting 824condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
571callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block, 825callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
572while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires). 826while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
573 827
574Another reason I<never> to C<< ->recv >> in a module is that you cannot
575sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
576multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
577can supply.
578
579The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
580fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
581versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
582C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
583coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
584
585You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and 828You can ensure that C<< ->recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
586only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later 829only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
587time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking 830time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
588waits otherwise. 831waits otherwise.
589 832
590=item $bool = $cv->ready 833=item $bool = $cv->ready
591 834
592Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or 835Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
593C<croak> have been called. 836C<croak> have been called.
594 837
595=item $cb = $cv->cb ([new callback]) 838=item $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
596 839
597This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally 840This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
598replaces it before doing so. 841replaces it before doing so.
599 842
600The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when 843The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
601C<send> or C<croak> are called, with the only argument being the condition 844C<send> or C<croak> are called, with the only argument being the
602variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time 845condition variable itself. If the condition is already true, the
603is guaranteed not to block. 846callback is called immediately when it is set. Calling C<recv> inside
847the callback or at any later time is guaranteed not to block.
604 848
605=back 849=back
606 850
851=head1 SUPPORTED EVENT LOOPS/BACKENDS
852
853The available backend classes are (every class has its own manpage):
854
855=over 4
856
857=item Backends that are autoprobed when no other event loop can be found.
858
859EV is the preferred backend when no other event loop seems to be in
860use. If EV is not installed, then AnyEvent will fall back to its own
861pure-perl implementation, which is available everywhere as it comes with
862AnyEvent itself.
863
864 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (interface to libev, best choice).
865 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl AnyEvent::Loop, fast and portable.
866
867=item Backends that are transparently being picked up when they are used.
868
869These will be used if they are already loaded when the first watcher
870is created, in which case it is assumed that the application is using
871them. This means that AnyEvent will automatically pick the right backend
872when the main program loads an event module before anything starts to
873create watchers. Nothing special needs to be done by the main program.
874
875 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, very stable, few glitches.
876 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, slow but very stable.
877 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very broken.
878 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
879 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, very slow, some limitations.
880 AnyEvent::Impl::Irssi used when running within irssi.
881 AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async.
882 AnyEvent::Impl::Cocoa based on Cocoa::EventLoop.
883 AnyEvent::Impl::FLTK2 based on FLTK (fltk 2 binding).
884
885=item Backends with special needs.
886
887Qt requires the Qt::Application to be instantiated first, but will
888otherwise be picked up automatically. As long as the main program
889instantiates the application before any AnyEvent watchers are created,
890everything should just work.
891
892 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt.
893
894=item Event loops that are indirectly supported via other backends.
895
896Some event loops can be supported via other modules:
897
898There is no direct support for WxWidgets (L<Wx>) or L<Prima>.
899
900B<WxWidgets> has no support for watching file handles. However, you can
901use WxWidgets through the POE adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply
902polls 20 times per second, which was considered to be too horrible to even
903consider for AnyEvent.
904
905B<Prima> is not supported as nobody seems to be using it, but it has a POE
906backend, so it can be supported through POE.
907
908AnyEvent knows about both L<Prima> and L<Wx>, however, and will try to
909load L<POE> when detecting them, in the hope that POE will pick them up,
910in which case everything will be automatic.
911
912=back
913
607=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS 914=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
608 915
916These are not normally required to use AnyEvent, but can be useful to
917write AnyEvent extension modules.
918
609=over 4 919=over 4
610 920
611=item $AnyEvent::MODEL 921=item $AnyEvent::MODEL
612 922
613Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created. Then it 923Contains C<undef> until the first watcher is being created, before the
924backend has been autodetected.
925
614contains the event model that is being used, which is the name of the 926Afterwards it contains the event model that is being used, which is the
615Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one of the 927name of the Perl class implementing the model. This class is usually one
616C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case 928of the C<AnyEvent::Impl::xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the
617AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>). 929case AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode> it
618 930will be C<urxvt::anyevent>).
619The known classes so far are:
620
621 AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
622 AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
623 AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
624 AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
625 AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
626 AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
627 AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
628 AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
629
630There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
631watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
632POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
633second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
634AnyEvent. Likewise, other POE backends can be used by AnyEvent by using
635it's adaptor.
636
637AnyEvent knows about L<Prima> and L<Wx> and will try to use L<POE> when
638autodetecting them.
639 931
640=item AnyEvent::detect 932=item AnyEvent::detect
641 933
642Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model 934Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
643if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would 935if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
644have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at 936have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
645runtime. 937runtime, and not e.g. during initialisation of your module.
938
939The effect of calling this function is as if a watcher had been created
940(specifically, actions that happen "when the first watcher is created"
941happen when calling detetc as well).
942
943If you need to do some initialisation before AnyEvent watchers are
944created, use C<post_detect>.
646 945
647=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK } 946=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
648 947
649Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is 948Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
650autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened). 949autodetected (or immediately if that has already happened).
950
951The block will be executed I<after> the actual backend has been detected
952(C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> is set), but I<before> any watchers have been
953created, so it is possible to e.g. patch C<@AnyEvent::ISA> or do
954other initialisations - see the sources of L<AnyEvent::Strict> or
955L<AnyEvent::AIO> to see how this is used.
956
957The most common usage is to create some global watchers, without forcing
958event module detection too early, for example, L<AnyEvent::AIO> creates
959and installs the global L<IO::AIO> watcher in a C<post_detect> block to
960avoid autodetecting the event module at load time.
651 961
652If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object 962If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
653that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See 963that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed (or
964C<undef> when the hook was immediately executed). See L<AnyEvent::AIO> for
654L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful. 965a case where this is useful.
966
967Example: Create a watcher for the IO::AIO module and store it in
968C<$WATCHER>, but do so only do so after the event loop is initialised.
969
970 our WATCHER;
971
972 my $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect {
973 $WATCHER = AnyEvent->io (fh => IO::AIO::poll_fileno, poll => 'r', cb => \&IO::AIO::poll_cb);
974 };
975
976 # the ||= is important in case post_detect immediately runs the block,
977 # as to not clobber the newly-created watcher. assigning both watcher and
978 # post_detect guard to the same variable has the advantage of users being
979 # able to just C<undef $WATCHER> if the watcher causes them grief.
980
981 $WATCHER ||= $guard;
655 982
656=item @AnyEvent::post_detect 983=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
657 984
658If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it 985If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
659before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after 986before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will be called directly
660the event loop has been chosen. 987after the event loop has been chosen.
661 988
662You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though: 989You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
663if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected, 990if it is defined then the event loop has already been detected, and the
664and the array will be ignored. 991array will be ignored.
665 992
666Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead. 993Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> when your application allows
994it, as it takes care of these details.
995
996This variable is mainly useful for modules that can do something useful
997when AnyEvent is used and thus want to know when it is initialised, but do
998not need to even load it by default. This array provides the means to hook
999into AnyEvent passively, without loading it.
1000
1001Example: To load Coro::AnyEvent whenever Coro and AnyEvent are used
1002together, you could put this into Coro (this is the actual code used by
1003Coro to accomplish this):
1004
1005 if (defined $AnyEvent::MODEL) {
1006 # AnyEvent already initialised, so load Coro::AnyEvent
1007 require Coro::AnyEvent;
1008 } else {
1009 # AnyEvent not yet initialised, so make sure to load Coro::AnyEvent
1010 # as soon as it is
1011 push @AnyEvent::post_detect, sub { require Coro::AnyEvent };
1012 }
1013
1014=item AnyEvent::postpone { BLOCK }
1015
1016Arranges for the block to be executed as soon as possible, but not before
1017the call itself returns. In practise, the block will be executed just
1018before the event loop polls for new events, or shortly afterwards.
1019
1020This function never returns anything (to make the C<return postpone { ...
1021}> idiom more useful.
1022
1023To understand the usefulness of this function, consider a function that
1024asynchronously does something for you and returns some transaction
1025object or guard to let you cancel the operation. For example,
1026C<AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect>:
1027
1028 # start a conenction attempt unless one is active
1029 $self->{connect_guard} ||= AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect "www.example.net", 80, sub {
1030 delete $self->{connect_guard};
1031 ...
1032 };
1033
1034Imagine that this function could instantly call the callback, for
1035example, because it detects an obvious error such as a negative port
1036number. Invoking the callback before the function returns causes problems
1037however: the callback will be called and will try to delete the guard
1038object. But since the function hasn't returned yet, there is nothing to
1039delete. When the function eventually returns it will assign the guard
1040object to C<< $self->{connect_guard} >>, where it will likely never be
1041deleted, so the program thinks it is still trying to connect.
1042
1043This is where C<AnyEvent::postpone> should be used. Instead of calling the
1044callback directly on error:
1045
1046 $cb->(undef), return # signal error to callback, BAD!
1047 if $some_error_condition;
1048
1049It should use C<postpone>:
1050
1051 AnyEvent::postpone { $cb->(undef) }, return # signal error to callback, later
1052 if $some_error_condition;
1053
1054=item AnyEvent::log $level, $msg[, @args]
1055
1056Log the given C<$msg> at the given C<$level>.
1057
1058Loads AnyEvent::Log on first use and calls C<AnyEvent::Log::log> -
1059consequently, look at the L<AnyEvent::Log> documentation for details.
1060
1061If you want to sprinkle loads of logging calls around your code, consider
1062creating a logger callback with the C<AnyEvent::Log::logger< function.
667 1063
668=back 1064=back
669 1065
670=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE 1066=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
671 1067
682because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using 1078because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
683events is to stay interactive. 1079events is to stay interactive.
684 1080
685It is fine, however, to call C<< ->recv >> when the user of your module 1081It is fine, however, to call C<< ->recv >> when the user of your module
686requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method 1082requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method
687called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->recv >> 1083called C<results> that returns the results, it may call C<< ->recv >>
688freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always). 1084freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. Always).
689 1085
690=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM 1086=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
691 1087
692There will always be a single main program - the only place that should 1088There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
693dictate which event model to use. 1089dictate which event model to use.
694 1090
695If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not 1091If the program is not event-based, it need not do anything special, even
696do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent 1092when it depends on a module that uses an AnyEvent. If the program itself
697decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it. 1093uses AnyEvent, but does not care which event loop is used, all it needs
1094to do is C<use AnyEvent>. In either case, AnyEvent will choose the best
1095available loop implementation.
698 1096
699If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in 1097If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in
700Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the 1098Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the
701event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally 1099event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally
702speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that 1100speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that
703modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will 1101modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will
704decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it 1102decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it
705might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself. 1103might choose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.
706 1104
707You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the 1105You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
708C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour 1106C<AnyEvent::Loop> module, which gives you similar behaviour
709everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better. 1107everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
710 1108
711=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION 1109=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION
712 1110
713Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who 1111Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
726 1124
727 1125
728=head1 OTHER MODULES 1126=head1 OTHER MODULES
729 1127
730The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use 1128The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
731AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules 1129AnyEvent as a client and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent
732in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are 1130modules and other event loops in the same program. Some of the modules
733available via CPAN. 1131come as part of AnyEvent, the others are available via CPAN.
734 1132
735=over 4 1133=over 4
736 1134
737=item L<AnyEvent::Util> 1135=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
738 1136
739Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking 1137Contains various utility functions that replace often-used blocking
740functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions. 1138functions such as C<inet_aton> with event/callback-based versions.
741 1139
742=item L<AnyEvent::Socket> 1140=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
743 1141
744Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets, 1142Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
745addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp 1143addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
747 1145
748=item L<AnyEvent::Handle> 1146=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
749 1147
750Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes, 1148Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
751supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and 1149supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
752non-blocking SSL/TLS. 1150non-blocking SSL/TLS (via L<AnyEvent::TLS>).
753 1151
754=item L<AnyEvent::DNS> 1152=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
755 1153
756Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities. 1154Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
757 1155
1156=item L<AnyEvent::HTTP>, L<AnyEvent::IRC>, L<AnyEvent::XMPP>, L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::IGS>, L<AnyEvent::FCP>
1157
1158Implement event-based interfaces to the protocols of the same name (for
1159the curious, IGS is the International Go Server and FCP is the Freenet
1160Client Protocol).
1161
1162=item L<AnyEvent::Handle::UDP>
1163
1164Here be danger!
1165
1166As Pauli would put it, "Not only is it not right, it's not even wrong!" -
1167there are so many things wrong with AnyEvent::Handle::UDP, most notably
1168its use of a stream-based API with a protocol that isn't streamable, that
1169the only way to improve it is to delete it.
1170
1171It features data corruption (but typically only under load) and general
1172confusion. On top, the author is not only clueless about UDP but also
1173fact-resistant - some gems of his understanding: "connect doesn't work
1174with UDP", "UDP packets are not IP packets", "UDP only has datagrams, not
1175packets", "I don't need to implement proper error checking as UDP doesn't
1176support error checking" and so on - he doesn't even understand what's
1177wrong with his module when it is explained to him.
1178
758=item L<AnyEvent::HTTP> 1179=item L<AnyEvent::DBI>
759 1180
760A simple-to-use HTTP library that is capable of making a lot of concurrent 1181Executes L<DBI> requests asynchronously in a proxy process for you,
761HTTP requests. 1182notifying you in an event-based way when the operation is finished.
1183
1184=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>
1185
1186Truly asynchronous (as opposed to non-blocking) I/O, should be in the
1187toolbox of every event programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses
1188L<IO::AIO> and AnyEvent together, giving AnyEvent access to event-based
1189file I/O, and much more.
762 1190
763=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD> 1191=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
764 1192
765Provides a simple web application server framework. 1193A simple embedded webserver.
766 1194
767=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing> 1195=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
768 1196
769The fastest ping in the west. 1197The fastest ping in the west.
770 1198
771=item L<AnyEvent::DBI>
772
773Executes L<DBI> requests asynchronously in a proxy process.
774
775=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>
776
777Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
778programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses L<IO::AIO> and AnyEvent
779together.
780
781=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>
782
783Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::BDB transparently fuses
784L<BDB> and AnyEvent together.
785
786=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
787
788A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
789
790=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
791
792A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
793L<App::IGS>).
794
795=item L<Net::IRC3>
796
797AnyEvent based IRC client module family.
798
799=item L<Net::XMPP2>
800
801AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
802
803=item L<Net::FCP>
804
805AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
806of AnyEvent.
807
808=item L<Event::ExecFlow>
809
810High level API for event-based execution flow control.
811
812=item L<Coro> 1199=item L<Coro>
813 1200
814Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>. 1201Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
815 1202
816=item L<IO::Lambda>
817
818The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
819
820=back 1203=back
821 1204
822=cut 1205=cut
823 1206
824package AnyEvent; 1207package AnyEvent;
825 1208
826no warnings; 1209# basically a tuned-down version of common::sense
827use strict; 1210sub common_sense {
1211 # from common:.sense 3.4
1212 ${^WARNING_BITS} ^= ${^WARNING_BITS} ^ "\x3c\x3f\x33\x00\x0f\xf0\x0f\xc0\xf0\xfc\x33\x00";
1213 # use strict vars subs - NO UTF-8, as Util.pm doesn't like this atm. (uts46data.pl)
1214 $^H |= 0x00000600;
1215}
828 1216
1217BEGIN { AnyEvent::common_sense }
1218
829use Carp; 1219use Carp ();
830 1220
831our $VERSION = 4.2; 1221our $VERSION = '6.01';
832our $MODEL; 1222our $MODEL;
833 1223
834our $AUTOLOAD;
835our @ISA; 1224our @ISA;
836 1225
837our @REGISTRY; 1226our @REGISTRY;
838 1227
839our $WIN32; 1228our $VERBOSE;
840 1229
841BEGIN { 1230BEGIN {
842 my $win32 = ! ! ($^O =~ /mswin32/i); 1231 require "AnyEvent/constants.pl";
843 eval "sub WIN32(){ $win32 }";
844}
845 1232
1233 eval "sub TAINT (){" . (${^TAINT}*1) . "}";
1234
1235 delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
1236 if ${^TAINT};
1237
846our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1; 1238 $VERBOSE = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
1239}
1240
1241our $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY = 10;
847 1242
848our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred 1243our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
849 1244
850{ 1245{
851 my $idx; 1246 my $idx;
852 $PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx 1247 $PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx
853 for reverse split /\s*,\s*/, 1248 for reverse split /\s*,\s*/,
854 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} || "ipv4,ipv6"; 1249 $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} || "ipv4,ipv6";
855} 1250}
856 1251
1252our @post_detect;
1253
1254sub post_detect(&) {
1255 my ($cb) = @_;
1256
1257 push @post_detect, $cb;
1258
1259 defined wantarray
1260 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
1261 : ()
1262}
1263
1264sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
1265 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
1266}
1267
1268our $POSTPONE_W;
1269our @POSTPONE;
1270
1271sub _postpone_exec {
1272 undef $POSTPONE_W;
1273
1274 &{ shift @POSTPONE }
1275 while @POSTPONE;
1276}
1277
1278sub postpone(&) {
1279 push @POSTPONE, shift;
1280
1281 $POSTPONE_W ||= AE::timer (0, 0, \&_postpone_exec);
1282
1283 ()
1284}
1285
1286sub log($$;@) {
1287 require AnyEvent::Log;
1288 # AnyEvent::Log overwrites this function
1289 goto &log;
1290}
1291
857my @models = ( 1292our @models = (
858 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::], 1293 [EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV:: , 1],
859 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::], 1294 [AnyEvent::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: , 1],
860 [AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
861 # everything below here will not be autoprobed 1295 # everything below here will not (normally) be autoprobed
862 # as the pureperl backend should work everywhere 1296 # as the pure perl backend should work everywhere
863 # and is usually faster 1297 # and is usually faster
1298 [Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::, 1],
1299 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib:: , 1], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
1300 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
1301 [Irssi:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Irssi::], # Irssi has a bogus "Event" package
864 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles 1302 [Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
865 [Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
866 [Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
867 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program 1303 [Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
868 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza 1304 [POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
869 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1305 [Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
870 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], 1306 [Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
1307 [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # a bitch to autodetect
1308 [Cocoa::EventLoop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Cocoa::],
1309 [FLTK:: => AnyEvent::Impl::FLTK2::],
871); 1310);
872 1311
873our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer time now signal child condvar one_event DESTROY); 1312our @isa_hook;
874 1313
875our @post_detect; 1314sub _isa_set {
1315 my @pkg = ("AnyEvent", (map $_->[0], grep defined, @isa_hook), $MODEL);
876 1316
1317 @{"$pkg[$_-1]::ISA"} = $pkg[$_]
1318 for 1 .. $#pkg;
1319
1320 grep $_ && $_->[1], @isa_hook
1321 and AE::_reset ();
1322}
1323
1324# used for hooking AnyEvent::Strict and AnyEvent::Debug::Wrap into the class hierarchy
1325sub _isa_hook($$;$) {
1326 my ($i, $pkg, $reset_ae) = @_;
1327
1328 $isa_hook[$i] = $pkg ? [$pkg, $reset_ae] : undef;
1329
1330 _isa_set;
1331}
1332
1333# all autoloaded methods reserve the complete glob, not just the method slot.
1334# due to bugs in perls method cache implementation.
1335our @methods = qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar);
1336
877sub post_detect(&) { 1337sub detect() {
878 my ($cb) = @_; 1338 return $MODEL if $MODEL; # some programs keep references to detect
879 1339
880 if ($MODEL) { 1340 local $!; # for good measure
881 $cb->(); 1341 local $SIG{__DIE__}; # we use eval
882 1342
883 1 1343 # free some memory
1344 *detect = sub () { $MODEL };
1345 # undef &func doesn't correctly update the method cache. grmbl.
1346 # so we delete the whole glob. grmbl.
1347 # otoh, perl doesn't let me undef an active usb, but it lets me free
1348 # a glob with an active sub. hrm. i hope it works, but perl is
1349 # usually buggy in this department. sigh.
1350 delete @{"AnyEvent::"}{@methods};
1351 undef @methods;
1352
1353 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z0-9:]+)$/) {
1354 my $model = $1;
1355 $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$model" unless $model =~ s/::$//;
1356 if (eval "require $model") {
1357 $MODEL = $model;
1358 AnyEvent::log 7 => "loaded model '$model' (forced by \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}), using it."
1359 if $VERBOSE >= 7;
884 } else { 1360 } else {
885 push @post_detect, $cb; 1361 AnyEvent::log warn => "unable to load model '$model' (from \$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL}):\n$@";
886 1362 }
887 defined wantarray
888 ? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect"
889 : ()
890 } 1363 }
891}
892 1364
893sub AnyEvent::Util::PostDetect::DESTROY { 1365 # check for already loaded models
894 @post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
895}
896
897sub detect() {
898 unless ($MODEL) { 1366 unless ($MODEL) {
899 no strict 'refs'; 1367 for (@REGISTRY, @models) {
900 local $SIG{__DIE__}; 1368 my ($package, $model) = @$_;
901 1369 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) {
902 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
903 my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
904 if (eval "require $model") { 1370 if (eval "require $model") {
905 $MODEL = $model; 1371 $MODEL = $model;
906 warn "AnyEvent: loaded model '$model' (forced by \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1372 AnyEvent::log 7 => "autodetected model '$model', using it."
907 } else { 1373 if $VERBOSE >= 7;
908 warn "AnyEvent: unable to load model '$model' (from \$PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL):\n$@" if $verbose; 1374 last;
1375 }
909 } 1376 }
910 } 1377 }
911 1378
912 # check for already loaded models
913 unless ($MODEL) { 1379 unless ($MODEL) {
1380 # try to autoload a model
914 for (@REGISTRY, @models) { 1381 for (@REGISTRY, @models) {
915 my ($package, $model) = @$_; 1382 my ($package, $model, $autoload) = @$_;
1383 if (
1384 $autoload
1385 and eval "require $package"
916 if (${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0) { 1386 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0
917 if (eval "require $model") { 1387 and eval "require $model"
1388 ) {
918 $MODEL = $model; 1389 $MODEL = $model;
919 warn "AnyEvent: autodetected model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1; 1390 AnyEvent::log 7 => "autoloaded model '$model', using it."
1391 if $VERBOSE >= 7;
920 last; 1392 last;
921 }
922 } 1393 }
923 } 1394 }
924 1395
925 unless ($MODEL) {
926 # try to load a model
927
928 for (@REGISTRY, @models) {
929 my ($package, $model) = @$_;
930 if (eval "require $package"
931 and ${"$package\::VERSION"} > 0
932 and eval "require $model") {
933 $MODEL = $model;
934 warn "AnyEvent: autoprobed model '$model', using it.\n" if $verbose > 1;
935 last;
936 }
937 }
938
939 $MODEL 1396 $MODEL
940 or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib."; 1397 or die "AnyEvent: backend autodetection failed - did you properly install AnyEvent?";
941 }
942 } 1398 }
943
944 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
945
946 unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
947
948 require AnyEvent::Strict if $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT};
949
950 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
951 } 1399 }
952 1400
1401 # free memory only needed for probing
1402 undef @models;
1403 undef @REGISTRY;
1404
1405 push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
1406
1407 # now nuke some methods that are overridden by the backend.
1408 # SUPER usage is not allowed in these.
1409 for (qw(time signal child idle)) {
1410 undef &{"AnyEvent::Base::$_"}
1411 if defined &{"$MODEL\::$_"};
1412 }
1413
1414 _isa_set;
1415
1416 # we're officially open!
1417
1418 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}) {
1419 require AnyEvent::Strict;
1420 }
1421
1422 if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_WRAP}) {
1423 require AnyEvent::Debug;
1424 AnyEvent::Debug::wrap ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_WRAP});
1425 }
1426
1427 if (length $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_SHELL}) {
1428 require AnyEvent::Socket;
1429 require AnyEvent::Debug;
1430
1431 my $shell = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_SHELL};
1432 $shell =~ s/\$\$/$$/g;
1433
1434 my ($host, $service) = AnyEvent::Socket::parse_hostport ($shell);
1435 $AnyEvent::Debug::SHELL = AnyEvent::Debug::shell ($host, $service);
1436 }
1437
1438 # now the anyevent environment is set up as the user told us to, so
1439 # call the actual user code - post detects
1440
1441 (shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
1442 undef @post_detect;
1443
1444 *post_detect = sub(&) {
1445 shift->();
1446
1447 undef
1448 };
1449
953 $MODEL 1450 $MODEL
954} 1451}
955 1452
956sub AUTOLOAD { 1453for my $name (@methods) {
957 (my $func = $AUTOLOAD) =~ s/.*://; 1454 *$name = sub {
958 1455 detect;
959 $method{$func} 1456 # we use goto because
960 or croak "$func: not a valid method for AnyEvent objects"; 1457 # a) it makes the thunk more transparent
961 1458 # b) it allows us to delete the thunk later
962 detect unless $MODEL; 1459 goto &{ UNIVERSAL::can AnyEvent => "SUPER::$name" }
963 1460 };
964 my $class = shift;
965 $class->$func (@_);
966} 1461}
967 1462
968# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends 1463# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
969# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually 1464# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
970# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one). 1465# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
971sub _dupfh($$$$) { 1466sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
972 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_; 1467 my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
973 1468
974 require Fcntl;
975
976 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't 1469 # cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
977 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<") 1470 my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<&") : ($w, ">&");
978 : $poll eq "w" ? ($w, ">")
979 : Carp::croak "AnyEvent->io requires poll set to either 'r' or 'w'";
980 1471
981 open my $fh2, "$mode&" . fileno $fh 1472 open my $fh2, $mode, $fh
982 or die "cannot dup() filehandle: $!"; 1473 or die "AnyEvent->io: cannot dup() filehandle in mode '$poll': $!,";
983 1474
984 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases 1475 # we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
985 1476
986 ($fh2, $rw) 1477 ($fh2, $rw)
987} 1478}
988 1479
1480=head1 SIMPLIFIED AE API
1481
1482Starting with version 5.0, AnyEvent officially supports a second, much
1483simpler, API that is designed to reduce the calling, typing and memory
1484overhead by using function call syntax and a fixed number of parameters.
1485
1486See the L<AE> manpage for details.
1487
1488=cut
1489
1490package AE;
1491
1492our $VERSION = $AnyEvent::VERSION;
1493
1494sub _reset() {
1495 eval q{
1496 # fall back to the main API by default - backends and AnyEvent::Base
1497 # implementations can overwrite these.
1498
1499 sub io($$$) {
1500 AnyEvent->io (fh => $_[0], poll => $_[1] ? "w" : "r", cb => $_[2])
1501 }
1502
1503 sub timer($$$) {
1504 AnyEvent->timer (after => $_[0], interval => $_[1], cb => $_[2])
1505 }
1506
1507 sub signal($$) {
1508 AnyEvent->signal (signal => $_[0], cb => $_[1])
1509 }
1510
1511 sub child($$) {
1512 AnyEvent->child (pid => $_[0], cb => $_[1])
1513 }
1514
1515 sub idle($) {
1516 AnyEvent->idle (cb => $_[0]);
1517 }
1518
1519 sub cv(;&) {
1520 AnyEvent->condvar (@_ ? (cb => $_[0]) : ())
1521 }
1522
1523 sub now() {
1524 AnyEvent->now
1525 }
1526
1527 sub now_update() {
1528 AnyEvent->now_update
1529 }
1530
1531 sub time() {
1532 AnyEvent->time
1533 }
1534
1535 *postpone = \&AnyEvent::postpone;
1536 *log = \&AnyEvent::log;
1537 };
1538 die if $@;
1539}
1540
1541BEGIN { _reset }
1542
989package AnyEvent::Base; 1543package AnyEvent::Base;
990 1544
991# default implementation for now and time 1545# default implementations for many methods
992 1546
993use Time::HiRes (); 1547sub time {
1548 eval q{ # poor man's autoloading {}
1549 # probe for availability of Time::HiRes
1550 if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
1551 AnyEvent::log 8 => "AnyEvent: using Time::HiRes for sub-second timing accuracy."
1552 if $AnyEvent::VERBOSE >= 8;
1553 *time = sub { Time::HiRes::time () };
1554 *AE::time = \& Time::HiRes::time ;
1555 # if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
1556 } else {
1557 AnyEvent::log critical => "using built-in time(), WARNING, no sub-second resolution!";
1558 *time = sub { CORE::time };
1559 *AE::time = sub (){ CORE::time };
1560 }
994 1561
995sub time { Time::HiRes::time } 1562 *now = \&time;
996sub now { Time::HiRes::time } 1563 };
1564 die if $@;
1565
1566 &time
1567}
1568
1569*now = \&time;
1570sub now_update { }
1571
1572sub _poll {
1573 Carp::croak "$AnyEvent::MODEL does not support blocking waits. Caught";
1574}
997 1575
998# default implementation for ->condvar 1576# default implementation for ->condvar
1577# in fact, the default should not be overwritten
999 1578
1000sub condvar { 1579sub condvar {
1580 eval q{ # poor man's autoloading {}
1581 *condvar = sub {
1001 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, AnyEvent::CondVar:: 1582 bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
1583 };
1584
1585 *AE::cv = sub (;&) {
1586 bless { @_ ? (_ae_cb => shift) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
1587 };
1588 };
1589 die if $@;
1590
1591 &condvar
1002} 1592}
1003 1593
1004# default implementation for ->signal 1594# default implementation for ->signal
1005 1595
1006our %SIG_CB; 1596our $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT;
1597
1598sub _have_async_interrupt() {
1599 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT = 1*(!$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT}
1600 && eval "use Async::Interrupt 1.02 (); 1")
1601 unless defined $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT;
1602
1603 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1604}
1605
1606our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
1607our (%SIG_ASY, %SIG_ASY_W);
1608our ($SIG_COUNT, $SIG_TW);
1609
1610# install a dummy wakeup watcher to reduce signal catching latency
1611# used by Impls
1612sub _sig_add() {
1613 unless ($SIG_COUNT++) {
1614 # try to align timer on a full-second boundary, if possible
1615 my $NOW = AE::now;
1616
1617 $SIG_TW = AE::timer
1618 $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY - ($NOW - int $NOW),
1619 $MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY,
1620 sub { } # just for the PERL_ASYNC_CHECK
1621 ;
1622 }
1623}
1624
1625sub _sig_del {
1626 undef $SIG_TW
1627 unless --$SIG_COUNT;
1628}
1629
1630our $_sig_name_init; $_sig_name_init = sub {
1631 eval q{ # poor man's autoloading {}
1632 undef $_sig_name_init;
1633
1634 if (_have_async_interrupt) {
1635 *sig2num = \&Async::Interrupt::sig2num;
1636 *sig2name = \&Async::Interrupt::sig2name;
1637 } else {
1638 require Config;
1639
1640 my %signame2num;
1641 @signame2num{ split ' ', $Config::Config{sig_name} }
1642 = split ' ', $Config::Config{sig_num};
1643
1644 my @signum2name;
1645 @signum2name[values %signame2num] = keys %signame2num;
1646
1647 *sig2num = sub($) {
1648 $_[0] > 0 ? shift : $signame2num{+shift}
1649 };
1650 *sig2name = sub ($) {
1651 $_[0] > 0 ? $signum2name[+shift] : shift
1652 };
1653 }
1654 };
1655 die if $@;
1656};
1657
1658sub sig2num ($) { &$_sig_name_init; &sig2num }
1659sub sig2name($) { &$_sig_name_init; &sig2name }
1007 1660
1008sub signal { 1661sub signal {
1662 eval q{ # poor man's autoloading {}
1663 # probe for availability of Async::Interrupt
1664 if (_have_async_interrupt) {
1665 AnyEvent::log 8 => "using Async::Interrupt for race-free signal handling."
1666 if $AnyEvent::VERBOSE >= 8;
1667
1668 $SIGPIPE_R = new Async::Interrupt::EventPipe;
1669 $SIG_IO = AE::io $SIGPIPE_R->fileno, 0, \&_signal_exec;
1670
1671 } else {
1672 AnyEvent::log 8 => "using emulated perl signal handling with latency timer."
1673 if $AnyEvent::VERBOSE >= 8;
1674
1675 if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
1676 require AnyEvent::Util;
1677
1678 ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
1679 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R, 1) if $SIGPIPE_R;
1680 AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W, 1) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1681 } else {
1682 pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
1683 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, AnyEvent::F_SETFL, AnyEvent::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
1684 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, AnyEvent::F_SETFL, AnyEvent::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
1685
1686 # not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
1687 fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, AnyEvent::F_SETFD, AnyEvent::FD_CLOEXEC;
1688 fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, AnyEvent::F_SETFD, AnyEvent::FD_CLOEXEC;
1689 }
1690
1691 $SIGPIPE_R
1692 or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
1693
1694 $SIG_IO = AE::io $SIGPIPE_R, 0, \&_signal_exec;
1695 }
1696
1697 *signal = $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1698 ? sub {
1009 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1699 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1010 1700
1701 # async::interrupt
1011 my $signal = uc $arg{signal} 1702 my $signal = sig2num $arg{signal};
1012 or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
1013
1014 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1703 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1704
1705 $SIG_ASY{$signal} ||= new Async::Interrupt
1706 cb => sub { undef $SIG_EV{$signal} },
1707 signal => $signal,
1708 pipe => [$SIGPIPE_R->filenos],
1709 pipe_autodrain => 0,
1710 ;
1711
1712 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
1713 }
1714 : sub {
1715 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1716
1717 # pure perl
1718 my $signal = sig2name $arg{signal};
1719 $SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
1720
1015 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub { 1721 $SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
1722 local $!;
1723 syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
1724 undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
1725 };
1726
1727 # can't do signal processing without introducing races in pure perl,
1728 # so limit the signal latency.
1729 _sig_add;
1730
1731 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
1732 }
1733 ;
1734
1735 *AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY = sub {
1736 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1737
1738 _sig_del;
1739
1740 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1741
1742 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1743 ? delete $SIG_ASY{$signal}
1744 : # delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
1745 # print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
1746 # instead of getting the default action.
1747 undef $SIG{$signal}
1748 unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1749 };
1750
1751 *_signal_exec = sub {
1752 $HAVE_ASYNC_INTERRUPT
1753 ? $SIGPIPE_R->drain
1754 : sysread $SIGPIPE_R, (my $dummy), 9;
1755
1756 while (%SIG_EV) {
1757 for (keys %SIG_EV) {
1758 delete $SIG_EV{$_};
1016 $_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} }; 1759 &$_ for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
1760 }
1761 }
1762 };
1017 }; 1763 };
1764 die if $@;
1018 1765
1019 bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal" 1766 &signal
1020}
1021
1022sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY {
1023 my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
1024
1025 delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
1026
1027 delete $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
1028} 1767}
1029 1768
1030# default implementation for ->child 1769# default implementation for ->child
1031 1770
1032our %PID_CB; 1771our %PID_CB;
1033our $CHLD_W; 1772our $CHLD_W;
1034our $CHLD_DELAY_W; 1773our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1035our $PID_IDLE;
1036our $WNOHANG;
1037 1774
1038sub _child_wait { 1775# used by many Impl's
1039 while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) { 1776sub _emit_childstatus($$) {
1777 my (undef, $rpid, $rstatus) = @_;
1778
1779 $_->($rpid, $rstatus)
1040 $_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }), 1780 for values %{ $PID_CB{$rpid} || {} },
1041 (values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} }); 1781 values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} };
1042 }
1043
1044 undef $PID_IDLE;
1045}
1046
1047sub _sigchld {
1048 # make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
1049 $CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
1050 undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
1051 &_child_wait;
1052 });
1053} 1782}
1054 1783
1055sub child { 1784sub child {
1785 eval q{ # poor man's autoloading {}
1786 *_sigchld = sub {
1787 my $pid;
1788
1789 AnyEvent->_emit_childstatus ($pid, $?)
1790 while ($pid = waitpid -1, WNOHANG) > 0;
1791 };
1792
1793 *child = sub {
1056 my (undef, %arg) = @_; 1794 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1057 1795
1058 defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0) 1796 my $pid = $arg{pid};
1059 or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing"; 1797 my $cb = $arg{cb};
1060 1798
1061 $PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb}; 1799 $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb+0} = $cb;
1062 1800
1063 unless ($WNOHANG) {
1064 $WNOHANG = eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
1065 }
1066
1067 unless ($CHLD_W) { 1801 unless ($CHLD_W) {
1068 $CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld); 1802 $CHLD_W = AE::signal CHLD => \&_sigchld;
1069 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round 1803 # child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
1070 &_sigchld; 1804 &_sigchld;
1071 } 1805 }
1072 1806
1073 bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child" 1807 bless [$pid, $cb+0], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
1074} 1808 };
1075 1809
1076sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY { 1810 *AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY = sub {
1077 my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]}; 1811 my ($pid, $icb) = @{$_[0]};
1078 1812
1079 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb}; 1813 delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$icb};
1080 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} }; 1814 delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
1081 1815
1082 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB; 1816 undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
1817 };
1818 };
1819 die if $@;
1820
1821 &child
1822}
1823
1824# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
1825# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
1826# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
1827sub idle {
1828 eval q{ # poor man's autoloading {}
1829 *idle = sub {
1830 my (undef, %arg) = @_;
1831
1832 my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
1833
1834 $rcb = sub {
1835 if ($cb) {
1836 $w = AE::time;
1837 &$cb;
1838 $w = AE::time - $w;
1839
1840 # never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
1841 # within some limits
1842 $w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
1843 $w = 5 if $w > 5;
1844
1845 $w = AE::timer $w, 0, $rcb;
1846 } else {
1847 # clean up...
1848 undef $w;
1849 undef $rcb;
1850 }
1851 };
1852
1853 $w = AE::timer 0.05, 0, $rcb;
1854
1855 bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
1856 };
1857
1858 *AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY = sub {
1859 undef $${$_[0]};
1860 };
1861 };
1862 die if $@;
1863
1864 &idle
1083} 1865}
1084 1866
1085package AnyEvent::CondVar; 1867package AnyEvent::CondVar;
1086 1868
1087our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::; 1869our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
1088 1870
1871# only to be used for subclassing
1872sub new {
1873 my $class = shift;
1874 bless AnyEvent->condvar (@_), $class
1875}
1876
1089package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base; 1877package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
1090 1878
1091use overload 1879#use overload
1092 '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } }, 1880# '&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
1093 fallback => 1; 1881# fallback => 1;
1882
1883# save 300+ kilobytes by dirtily hardcoding overloading
1884${"AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::OVERLOAD"}{dummy}++; # Register with magic by touching.
1885*{'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::()'} = sub { }; # "Make it findable via fetchmethod."
1886*{'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::(&{}'} = sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } }; # &{}
1887${'AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::()'} = 1; # fallback
1888
1889our $WAITING;
1094 1890
1095sub _send { 1891sub _send {
1096 # nop 1892 # nop
1893}
1894
1895sub _wait {
1896 AnyEvent->_poll until $_[0]{_ae_sent};
1097} 1897}
1098 1898
1099sub send { 1899sub send {
1100 my $cv = shift; 1900 my $cv = shift;
1101 $cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_]; 1901 $cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_];
1110 1910
1111sub ready { 1911sub ready {
1112 $_[0]{_ae_sent} 1912 $_[0]{_ae_sent}
1113} 1913}
1114 1914
1115sub _wait {
1116 AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
1117}
1118
1119sub recv { 1915sub recv {
1916 unless ($_[0]{_ae_sent}) {
1917 $WAITING
1918 and Carp::croak "AnyEvent::CondVar: recursive blocking wait attempted";
1919
1920 local $WAITING = 1;
1120 $_[0]->_wait; 1921 $_[0]->_wait;
1922 }
1121 1923
1122 Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak} if $_[0]{_ae_croak}; 1924 $_[0]{_ae_croak}
1123 wantarray ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} } : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0] 1925 and Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak};
1926
1927 wantarray
1928 ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} }
1929 : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0]
1124} 1930}
1125 1931
1126sub cb { 1932sub cb {
1127 $_[0]{_ae_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1; 1933 my $cv = shift;
1934
1935 @_
1936 and $cv->{_ae_cb} = shift
1937 and $cv->{_ae_sent}
1938 and (delete $cv->{_ae_cb})->($cv);
1939
1128 $_[0]{_ae_cb} 1940 $cv->{_ae_cb}
1129} 1941}
1130 1942
1131sub begin { 1943sub begin {
1132 ++$_[0]{_ae_counter}; 1944 ++$_[0]{_ae_counter};
1133 $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1; 1945 $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
1138 &{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} || sub { $_[0]->send } }; 1950 &{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} || sub { $_[0]->send } };
1139} 1951}
1140 1952
1141# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4 1953# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
1142*broadcast = \&send; 1954*broadcast = \&send;
1143*wait = \&_wait; 1955*wait = \&recv;
1956
1957=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
1958
1959In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
1960caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
1961the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
1962checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
1963development.
1964
1965As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
1966executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
1967also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
1968program.
1969
1970The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
1971within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
1972$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
1973so on.
1974
1975=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1976
1977The following environment variables are used by this module or its
1978submodules.
1979
1980Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
1981C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
1982enabled.
1983
1984=over 4
1985
1986=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1987
1988By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1989conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1990talkative.
1991
1992When set to C<5> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1993conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1994C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1995
1996When set to C<7> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1997model it chooses.
1998
1999When set to C<8> or higher, then AnyEvent will report extra information on
2000which optional modules it loads and how it implements certain features.
2001
2002=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
2003
2004AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
2005argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
2006will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
2007check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
2008it will croak.
2009
2010In other words, enables "strict" mode.
2011
2012Unlike C<use strict> (or its modern cousin, C<< use L<common::sense>
2013>>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in production. Keeping
2014C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while developing programs
2015can be very useful, however.
2016
2017=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_SHELL>
2018
2019If this env variable is set, then its contents will be interpreted by
2020C<AnyEvent::Socket::parse_hostport> (after replacing every occurance of
2021C<$$> by the process pid) and an C<AnyEvent::Debug::shell> is bound on
2022that port. The shell object is saved in C<$AnyEvent::Debug::SHELL>.
2023
2024This takes place when the first watcher is created.
2025
2026For example, to bind a debug shell on a unix domain socket in
2027F<< /tmp/debug<pid>.sock >>, you could use this:
2028
2029 PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_SHELL=/tmp/debug\$\$.sock perlprog
2030
2031Note that creating sockets in F</tmp> is very unsafe on multiuser
2032systems.
2033
2034=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_DEBUG_WRAP>
2035
2036Can be set to C<0>, C<1> or C<2> and enables wrapping of all watchers for
2037debugging purposes. See C<AnyEvent::Debug::wrap> for details.
2038
2039=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
2040
2041This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
2042auto detection and -probing kicks in.
2043
2044It normally is a string consisting entirely of ASCII letters (e.g. C<EV>
2045or C<IOAsync>). The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended and the
2046resulting module name is loaded and - if the load was successful - used as
2047event model backend. If it fails to load then AnyEvent will proceed with
2048auto detection and -probing.
2049
2050If the string ends with C<::> instead (e.g. C<AnyEvent::Impl::EV::>) then
2051nothing gets prepended and the module name is used as-is (hint: C<::> at
2052the end of a string designates a module name and quotes it appropriately).
2053
2054For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Loop::Perl>) you
2055could start your program like this:
2056
2057 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
2058
2059=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
2060
2061Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
2062for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
2063of auto probing).
2064
2065Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
2066current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
2067used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
2068list.
2069
2070This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
2071against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
2072small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
2073
2074Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
2075but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
2076- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
2077addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
2078IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
2079
2080=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
2081
2082Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
2083for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
2084some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
2085default.
2086
2087Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
2088EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
2089
2090=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
2091
2092The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
2093will create in parallel.
2094
2095=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_OUTSTANDING_DNS>
2096
2097The default value for the C<max_outstanding> parameter for the default DNS
2098resolver - this is the maximum number of parallel DNS requests that are
2099sent to the DNS server.
2100
2101=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_RESOLV_CONF>
2102
2103The file to use instead of F</etc/resolv.conf> (or OS-specific
2104configuration) in the default resolver. When set to the empty string, no
2105default config will be used.
2106
2107=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_FILE>, C<PERL_ANYEVENT_CA_PATH>.
2108
2109When neither C<ca_file> nor C<ca_path> was specified during
2110L<AnyEvent::TLS> context creation, and either of these environment
2111variables exist, they will be used to specify CA certificate locations
2112instead of a system-dependent default.
2113
2114=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_GUARD> and C<PERL_ANYEVENT_AVOID_ASYNC_INTERRUPT>
2115
2116When these are set to C<1>, then the respective modules are not
2117loaded. Mostly good for testing AnyEvent itself.
2118
2119=back
1144 2120
1145=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE 2121=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
1146 2122
1147This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in 2123This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
1148a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to 2124a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
1182 2158
1183I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to 2159I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
1184condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will 2160condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
1185C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must 2161C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
1186not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense. 2162not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
1187
1188=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
1189
1190The following environment variables are used by this module:
1191
1192=over 4
1193
1194=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
1195
1196By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
1197conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
1198talkative.
1199
1200When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
1201conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
1202C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
1203
1204When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
1205model it chooses.
1206
1207=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
1208
1209AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
1210argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
1211will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
1212check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems
1213it will croak.
1214
1215In other words, enables "strict" mode.
1216
1217Unlike C<use strict> it is definitely recommended ot keep it off in
1218production.
1219
1220=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
1221
1222This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
1223auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
1224entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
1225and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
1226used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
1227auto detection and -probing.
1228
1229This functionality might change in future versions.
1230
1231For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
1232could start your program like this:
1233
1234 PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
1235
1236=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
1237
1238Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
1239for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
1240of auto probing).
1241
1242Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
1243current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
1244used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
1245list.
1246
1247This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
1248against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
1249small, as the program has to handle connection errors already-
1250
1251Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
1252but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
1253- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
1254addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
1255IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
1256
1257=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
1258
1259Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
1260for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
1261some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
1262default.
1263
1264Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
1265EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
1266
1267=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
1268
1269The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
1270will create in parallel.
1271
1272=back
1273 2163
1274=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM 2164=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
1275 2165
1276The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer 2166The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
1277to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the 2167to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
1290 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read 2180 warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
1291 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i 2181 $cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
1292 }, 2182 },
1293 ); 2183 );
1294 2184
1295 my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
1296
1297 sub new_timer {
1298 $timer = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, cb => sub { 2185 my $time_watcher = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, interval => 1, cb => sub {
1299 warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' about every second 2186 warn "timeout\n"; # print 'timeout' at most every second
1300 &new_timer; # and restart the time
1301 }); 2187 });
1302 }
1303
1304 new_timer; # create first timer
1305 2188
1306 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i 2189 $cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
1307 2190
1308=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE 2191=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
1309 2192
1382 2265
1383The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions) 2266The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)
1384that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects 2267that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
1385whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object) 2268whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)
1386and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other 2269and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other
1387problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a 2270problems get reported to the code that tries to use the result, not in a
1388random callback. 2271random callback.
1389 2272
1390All of this enables the following usage styles: 2273All of this enables the following usage styles:
1391 2274
13921. Blocking: 22751. Blocking:
1440through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero 2323through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
1441timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable, 2324timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
1442which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again. 2325which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
1443 2326
1444Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent 2327Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
1445distribution. 2328distribution. It uses the L<AE> interface, which makes a real difference
2329for the EV and Perl backends only.
1446 2330
1447=head3 Explanation of the columns 2331=head3 Explanation of the columns
1448 2332
1449I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since 2333I<watcher> is the number of event watchers created/destroyed. Since
1450different event models feature vastly different performances, each event 2334different event models feature vastly different performances, each event
1471watcher. 2355watcher.
1472 2356
1473=head3 Results 2357=head3 Results
1474 2358
1475 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment 2359 name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
1476 EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface 2360 EV/EV 100000 223 0.47 0.43 0.27 EV native interface
1477 EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers 2361 EV/Any 100000 223 0.48 0.42 0.26 EV + AnyEvent watchers
1478 CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal 2362 Coro::EV/Any 100000 223 0.47 0.42 0.26 coroutines + Coro::Signal
1479 Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation 2363 Perl/Any 100000 431 2.70 0.74 0.92 pure perl implementation
1480 Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface 2364 Event/Event 16000 516 31.16 31.84 0.82 Event native interface
1481 Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers 2365 Event/Any 16000 1203 42.61 34.79 1.80 Event + AnyEvent watchers
2366 IOAsync/Any 16000 1911 41.92 27.45 16.81 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
2367 IOAsync/Any 16000 1726 40.69 26.37 15.25 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
1482 Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour 2368 Glib/Any 16000 1118 89.00 12.57 51.17 quadratic behaviour
1483 Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers 2369 Tk/Any 2000 1346 20.96 10.75 8.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
1484 POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event 2370 POE/Any 2000 6951 108.97 795.32 14.24 via POE::Loop::Event
1485 POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select 2371 POE/Any 2000 6648 94.79 774.40 575.51 via POE::Loop::Select
1486 2372
1487=head3 Discussion 2373=head3 Discussion
1488 2374
1489The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very 2375The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
1490well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one) 2376well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
1502benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with 2388benchmark machine, handling an event takes roughly 1600 CPU cycles with
1503EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 CPU 2389EV, 3100 CPU cycles with AnyEvent's pure perl loop and almost 3000000 CPU
1504cycles with POE. 2390cycles with POE.
1505 2391
1506C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both 2392C<EV> is the sole leader regarding speed and memory use, which are both
1507maximal/minimal, respectively. Even when going through AnyEvent, it uses 2393maximal/minimal, respectively. When using the L<AE> API there is zero
2394overhead (when going through the AnyEvent API create is about 5-6 times
2395slower, with other times being equal, so still uses far less memory than
1508far less memory than any other event loop and is still faster than Event 2396any other event loop and is still faster than Event natively).
1509natively.
1510 2397
1511The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the 2398The pure perl implementation is hit in a few sweet spots (both the
1512constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl 2399constant timeout and the use of a single fd hit optimisations in the perl
1513interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that it 2400interpreter and the backend itself). Nevertheless this shows that it
1514adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its 2401adds very little overhead in itself. Like any select-based backend its
1515performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of 2402performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1516them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark. 2403them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1517 2404
1518The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation 2405The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1519cost, but overall scores in on the third place. 2406cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
2407
2408C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
2409when using its pure perl backend.
1520 2410
1521C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a 2411C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1522faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as 2412faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1523C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of 2413C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1524watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four, 2414watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
1559(even when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable 2449(even when used without AnyEvent), but most event loops have acceptable
1560performance with or without AnyEvent. 2450performance with or without AnyEvent.
1561 2451
1562=item * The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of 2452=item * The overhead AnyEvent adds is usually much smaller than the overhead of
1563the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as EV 2453the actual event loop, only with extremely fast event loops such as EV
1564adds AnyEvent significant overhead. 2454does AnyEvent add significant overhead.
1565 2455
1566=item * You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or 2456=item * You should avoid POE like the plague if you want performance or
1567reasonable memory usage. 2457reasonable memory usage.
1568 2458
1569=back 2459=back
1585In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100 2475In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1586(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many 2476(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1587connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time. 2477connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1588 2478
1589Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent 2479Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1590distribution. 2480distribution. It uses the L<AE> interface, which makes a real difference
2481for the EV and Perl backends only.
1591 2482
1592=head3 Explanation of the columns 2483=head3 Explanation of the columns
1593 2484
1594I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as 2485I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1595each server has a read and write socket end). 2486each server has a read and write socket end).
1602it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating 2493it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1603a new one that moves the timeout into the future. 2494a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1604 2495
1605=head3 Results 2496=head3 Results
1606 2497
1607 name sockets create request 2498 name sockets create request
1608 EV 20000 69.01 11.16 2499 EV 20000 62.66 7.99
1609 Perl 20000 73.32 35.87 2500 Perl 20000 68.32 32.64
1610 Event 20000 212.62 257.32 2501 IOAsync 20000 174.06 101.15 epoll
1611 Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30 2502 IOAsync 20000 174.67 610.84 poll
2503 Event 20000 202.69 242.91
2504 Glib 20000 557.01 1689.52
1612 POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event 2505 POE 20000 341.54 12086.32 uses POE::Loop::Event
1613 2506
1614=head3 Discussion 2507=head3 Discussion
1615 2508
1616This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the 2509This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1617particular event loop. 2510particular event loop.
1619EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time 2512EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1620is relatively high, though. 2513is relatively high, though.
1621 2514
1622Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event 2515Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1623loops Event and Glib. 2516loops Event and Glib.
2517
2518IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
2519good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1624 2520
1625Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will 2521Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1626understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to 2522understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1627the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event 2523the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1628uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations. 2524uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
1691=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of 2587=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1692watchers, as the management overhead dominates. 2588watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1693 2589
1694=back 2590=back
1695 2591
2592=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
2593
2594Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
2595could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
2596simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
2597shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
2598fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
2599very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
2600baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
2601
2602The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
2603connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
2604creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
2605test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
2606benchmark nevertheless.
2607
2608 name runtime
2609 Lambda/select 0.330 sec
2610 + optimized 0.122 sec
2611 Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
2612 + optimized 0.138 sec
2613 Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
2614 POE/select, components 0.662 sec
2615 POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
2616 POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
2617
2618 AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
2619 AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
2620 +state machine 0.134 sec
2621
2622The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
2623benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
2624defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
2625written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
2626AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
2627resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
2628generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
2629connects (which involve a single syscall only).
2630
2631The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
2632offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
2633Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
2634non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
2635
2636As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
2637hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
2638backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
2639
2640And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
2641slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda
2642higher level ("unoptimised") abstractions by a large margin, even though
2643it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O in a non-blocking way.
2644
2645The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
2646F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
2647part of the IO::Lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
2648
2649
2650=head1 SIGNALS
2651
2652AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
2653
2654=over 4
2655
2656=item SIGCHLD
2657
2658A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
2659emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
2660event loops install a similar handler.
2661
2662Additionally, when AnyEvent is loaded and SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then
2663AnyEvent will reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
2664
2665=item SIGPIPE
2666
2667A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
2668when AnyEvent gets loaded.
2669
2670The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
2671on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
2672badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
2673program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
2674some random socket.
2675
2676The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
2677that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
2678
2679Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
2680
2681=back
2682
2683=cut
2684
2685undef $SIG{CHLD}
2686 if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
2687
2688$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
2689 unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
2690
2691=head1 RECOMMENDED/OPTIONAL MODULES
2692
2693One of AnyEvent's main goals is to be 100% Pure-Perl(tm): only perl (and
2694its built-in modules) are required to use it.
2695
2696That does not mean that AnyEvent won't take advantage of some additional
2697modules if they are installed.
2698
2699This section explains which additional modules will be used, and how they
2700affect AnyEvent's operation.
2701
2702=over 4
2703
2704=item L<Async::Interrupt>
2705
2706This slightly arcane module is used to implement fast signal handling: To
2707my knowledge, there is no way to do completely race-free and quick
2708signal handling in pure perl. To ensure that signals still get
2709delivered, AnyEvent will start an interval timer to wake up perl (and
2710catch the signals) with some delay (default is 10 seconds, look for
2711C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY>).
2712
2713If this module is available, then it will be used to implement signal
2714catching, which means that signals will not be delayed, and the event loop
2715will not be interrupted regularly, which is more efficient (and good for
2716battery life on laptops).
2717
2718This affects not just the pure-perl event loop, but also other event loops
2719that have no signal handling on their own (e.g. Glib, Tk, Qt).
2720
2721Some event loops (POE, Event, Event::Lib) offer signal watchers natively,
2722and either employ their own workarounds (POE) or use AnyEvent's workaround
2723(using C<$AnyEvent::MAX_SIGNAL_LATENCY>). Installing L<Async::Interrupt>
2724does nothing for those backends.
2725
2726=item L<EV>
2727
2728This module isn't really "optional", as it is simply one of the backend
2729event loops that AnyEvent can use. However, it is simply the best event
2730loop available in terms of features, speed and stability: It supports
2731the AnyEvent API optimally, implements all the watcher types in XS, does
2732automatic timer adjustments even when no monotonic clock is available,
2733can take avdantage of advanced kernel interfaces such as C<epoll> and
2734C<kqueue>, and is the fastest backend I<by far>. You can even embed
2735L<Glib>/L<Gtk2> in it (or vice versa, see L<EV::Glib> and L<Glib::EV>).
2736
2737If you only use backends that rely on another event loop (e.g. C<Tk>),
2738then this module will do nothing for you.
2739
2740=item L<Guard>
2741
2742The guard module, when used, will be used to implement
2743C<AnyEvent::Util::guard>. This speeds up guards considerably (and uses a
2744lot less memory), but otherwise doesn't affect guard operation much. It is
2745purely used for performance.
2746
2747=item L<JSON> and L<JSON::XS>
2748
2749One of these modules is required when you want to read or write JSON data
2750via L<AnyEvent::Handle>. L<JSON> is also written in pure-perl, but can take
2751advantage of the ultra-high-speed L<JSON::XS> module when it is installed.
2752
2753=item L<Net::SSLeay>
2754
2755Implementing TLS/SSL in Perl is certainly interesting, but not very
2756worthwhile: If this module is installed, then L<AnyEvent::Handle> (with
2757the help of L<AnyEvent::TLS>), gains the ability to do TLS/SSL.
2758
2759=item L<Time::HiRes>
2760
2761This module is part of perl since release 5.008. It will be used when the
2762chosen event library does not come with a timing source of its own. The
2763pure-perl event loop (L<AnyEvent::Loop>) will additionally load it to
2764try to use a monotonic clock for timing stability.
2765
2766=back
2767
1696 2768
1697=head1 FORK 2769=head1 FORK
1698 2770
1699Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are 2771Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1700because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> 2772because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll> calls
1701calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware. 2773- higher performance APIs such as BSD's kqueue or the dreaded Linux epoll
2774are usually badly thought-out hacks that are incompatible with fork in
2775one way or another. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware and ensures that you
2776continue event-processing in both parent and child (or both, if you know
2777what you are doing).
2778
2779This means that, in general, you cannot fork and do event processing in
2780the child if the event library was initialised before the fork (which
2781usually happens when the first AnyEvent watcher is created, or the library
2782is loaded).
1702 2783
1703If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first 2784If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
1704watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child. 2785watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child OR you must do
2786something completely out of the scope of AnyEvent.
2787
2788The problem of doing event processing in the parent I<and> the child
2789is much more complicated: even for backends that I<are> fork-aware or
2790fork-safe, their behaviour is not usually what you want: fork clones all
2791watchers, that means all timers, I/O watchers etc. are active in both
2792parent and child, which is almost never what you want. USing C<exec>
2793to start worker children from some kind of manage rprocess is usually
2794preferred, because it is much easier and cleaner, at the expense of having
2795to have another binary.
1705 2796
1706 2797
1707=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS 2798=head1 SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
1708 2799
1709AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via 2800AnyEvent can be forced to load any event model via
1721 use AnyEvent; 2812 use AnyEvent;
1722 2813
1723Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can 2814Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
1724be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is 2815be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
1725probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and 2816probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
1726$ENV{PERL_ANYEGENT_STRICT}. 2817$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
2818
2819Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
2820C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
2821enabled.
1727 2822
1728 2823
1729=head1 BUGS 2824=head1 BUGS
1730 2825
1731Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard 2826Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
1732to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10 2827to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
1733and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying 2828and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
1734mamleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as 2829memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
1735pronounced). 2830pronounced).
1736 2831
1737 2832
1738=head1 SEE ALSO 2833=head1 SEE ALSO
1739 2834
1740Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>. 2835Tutorial/Introduction: L<AnyEvent::Intro>.
1741 2836
1742Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, 2837FAQ: L<AnyEvent::FAQ>.
1743L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>. 2838
2839Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util> (misc. grab-bag), L<AnyEvent::Log>
2840(simply logging).
2841
2842Development/Debugging: L<AnyEvent::Strict> (stricter checking),
2843L<AnyEvent::Debug> (interactive shell, watcher tracing).
2844
2845Supported event modules: L<AnyEvent::Loop>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>,
2846L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>,
2847L<Qt>, L<POE>, L<FLTK>.
1744 2848
1745Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, 2849Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1746L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, 2850L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1747L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, 2851L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
2852L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync>, L<Anyevent::Impl::Irssi>,
1748L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. 2853L<AnyEvent::Impl::FLTK>.
1749 2854
1750Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and 2855Non-blocking handles, pipes, stream sockets, TCP clients and
1751servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>. 2856servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>, L<AnyEvent::TLS>.
1752 2857
1753Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2858Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1754 2859
1755Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, 2860Thread support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>.
1756 2861
1757Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>. 2862Nontrivial usage examples: L<AnyEvent::GPSD>, L<AnyEvent::IRC>,
2863L<AnyEvent::HTTP>.
1758 2864
1759 2865
1760=head1 AUTHOR 2866=head1 AUTHOR
1761 2867
1762 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 2868 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>

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