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Revision 1.222 by root, Mon Jun 29 10:21:15 2009 UTC

1	=head1 NAME	1	=head1 NAME
2		2
3	AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops	3	AnyEvent - provide framework for multiple event loops
4		4
5	EV, Event, Coro::EV, Coro::Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt, POE - various supported event loops	5	EV, Event, Glib, Tk, Perl, Event::Lib, Qt and POE are various supported
		6	event loops.
6		7
7	=head1 SYNOPSIS	8	=head1 SYNOPSIS
8		9
9	use AnyEvent;	10	use AnyEvent;
10		11
		12	# file descriptor readable
11	my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r|w", cb => sub {	13	my $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh, poll => "r", cb => sub { ... });
		14
		15	# one-shot or repeating timers
		16	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub { ... });
		17	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, interval => $seconds, cb => ...
		18
		19	print AnyEvent->now; # prints current event loop time
		20	print AnyEvent->time; # think Time::HiRes::time or simply CORE::time.
		21
		22	# POSIX signal
		23	my $w = AnyEvent->signal (signal => "TERM", cb => sub { ... });
		24
		25	# child process exit
		26	my $w = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
		27	my ($pid, $status) = @_;
12	...	28	...
13	});	29	});
14		30
15	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $seconds, cb => sub {	31	# called when event loop idle (if applicable)
16	...	32	my $w = AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub { ... });
17	});
18		33
19	my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged	34	my $w = AnyEvent->condvar; # stores whether a condition was flagged
		35	$w->send; # wake up current and all future recv's
20	$w->wait; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->broadcast	36	$w->recv; # enters "main loop" till $condvar gets ->send
21	$w->broadcast; # wake up current and all future wait's	37	# use a condvar in callback mode:
		38	$w->cb (sub { $_[0]->recv });
		39
		40	=head1 INTRODUCTION/TUTORIAL
		41
		42	This manpage is mainly a reference manual. If you are interested
		43	in a tutorial or some gentle introduction, have a look at the
		44	L<AnyEvent::Intro> manpage.
22		45
23	=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)	46	=head1 WHY YOU SHOULD USE THIS MODULE (OR NOT)
24		47
25	Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen	48	Glib, POE, IO::Async, Event... CPAN offers event models by the dozen
26	nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?	49	nowadays. So what is different about AnyEvent?
27		50
28	Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of	51	Executive Summary: AnyEvent is I<compatible>, AnyEvent is I<free of
29	policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>.	52	policy> and AnyEvent is I<small and efficient>.
30		53
31	First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only	54	First and foremost, I<AnyEvent is not an event model> itself, it only
32	interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use in a	55	interfaces to whatever event model the main program happens to use, in a
33	pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike,	56	pragmatic way. For event models and certain classes of immortals alike,
34	the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general,	57	the statement "there can only be one" is a bitter reality: In general,
35	only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent	58	only one event loop can be active at the same time in a process. AnyEvent
36	helps hiding the differences between those event loops.	59	cannot change this, but it can hide the differences between those event
		60	loops.
37		61
38	The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event	62	The goal of AnyEvent is to offer module authors the ability to do event
39	programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a	63	programming (waiting for I/O or timer events) without subscribing to a
40	religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your	64	religion, a way of living, and most importantly: without forcing your
41	module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event	65	module users into the same thing by forcing them to use the same event
42	model you use.	66	model you use.
43		67
44	For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is	68	For modules like POE or IO::Async (which is a total misnomer as it is
45	actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is	69	actually doing all I/O I<synchronously>...), using them in your module is
46	like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you	70	like joining a cult: After you joined, you are dependent on them and you
47	cannot use anything else, as it is simply incompatible to everything that	71	cannot use anything else, as they are simply incompatible to everything
48	isn't itself. What's worse, all the potential users of your module are	72	that isn't them. What's worse, all the potential users of your
49	I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.	73	module are I<also> forced to use the same event loop you use.
50		74
51	AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works	75	AnyEvent is different: AnyEvent + POE works fine. AnyEvent + Glib works
52	fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together	76	fine. AnyEvent + Tk works fine etc. etc. but none of these work together
53	with the rest: POE + IO::Async? no go. Tk + Event? no go. Again: if	77	with the rest: POE + IO::Async? No go. Tk + Event? No go. Again: if
54	your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it,	78	your module uses one of those, every user of your module has to use it,
55	too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all	79	too. But if your module uses AnyEvent, it works transparently with all
56	event models it supports (including stuff like POE and IO::Async, as long	80	event models it supports (including stuff like IO::Async, as long as those
57	as those use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new	81	use one of the supported event loops. It is trivial to add new event loops
58	event loops to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).	82	to AnyEvent, too, so it is future-proof).
59		83
60	In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event	84	In addition to being free of having to use I<the one and only true event
61	model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar	85	model>, AnyEvent also is free of bloat and policy: with POE or similar
62	modules, you get an enourmous amount of code and strict rules you have to	86	modules, you get an enormous amount of code and strict rules you have to
63	follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only	87	follow. AnyEvent, on the other hand, is lean and up to the point, by only
64	offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as	88	offering the functionality that is necessary, in as thin as a wrapper as
65	technically possible.	89	technically possible.
66		90
		91	Of course, AnyEvent comes with a big (and fully optional!) toolbox
		92	of useful functionality, such as an asynchronous DNS resolver, 100%
		93	non-blocking connects (even with TLS/SSL, IPv6 and on broken platforms
		94	such as Windows) and lots of real-world knowledge and workarounds for
		95	platform bugs and differences.
		96
67	Of course, if you want lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat	97	Now, if you I<do want> lots of policy (this can arguably be somewhat
68	useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event	98	useful) and you want to force your users to use the one and only event
69	model, you should I<not> use this module.	99	model, you should I<not> use this module.
70
71	#TODO#
72
73	Net::IRC3
74	AnyEvent::HTTPD
75	AnyEvent::DNS
76	IO::AnyEvent
77	Net::FPing
78	Net::XMPP2
79	Coro
80
81	AnyEvent::IRC
82	AnyEvent::HTTPD
83	AnyEvent::DNS
84	AnyEvent::Handle
85	AnyEvent::Socket
86	AnyEvent::FPing
87	AnyEvent::XMPP
88	AnyEvent::SNMP
89	Coro
90		100
91	=head1 DESCRIPTION	101	=head1 DESCRIPTION
92		102
93	L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This	103	L<AnyEvent> provides an identical interface to multiple event loops. This
94	allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module	104	allows module authors to utilise an event loop without forcing module
…		…
98	The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>	108	The interface itself is vaguely similar, but not identical to the L<Event>
99	module.	109	module.
100		110
101	During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries	111	During the first call of any watcher-creation method, the module tries
102	to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the	112	to detect the currently loaded event loop by probing whether one of the
103	following modules is already loaded: L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>, L<EV>,	113	following modules is already loaded: L<EV>,
104	L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>,	114	L<Event>, L<Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>,
105	L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries	115	L<POE>. The first one found is used. If none are found, the module tries
106	to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl	116	to load these modules (excluding Tk, Event::Lib, Qt and POE as the pure perl
107	adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can	117	adaptor should always succeed) in the order given. The first one that can
108	be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be	118	be successfully loaded will be used. If, after this, still none could be
…		…
122	starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to	132	starts using it, all bets are off. Maybe you should tell their authors to
123	use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly...	133	use AnyEvent so their modules work together with others seamlessly...
124		134
125	The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called	135	The pure-perl implementation of AnyEvent is called
126	C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it	136	C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>. Like other event modules you can load it
127	explicitly.	137	explicitly and enjoy the high availability of that event loop :)
128		138
129	=head1 WATCHERS	139	=head1 WATCHERS
130		140
131	AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that	141	AnyEvent has the central concept of a I<watcher>, which is an object that
132	stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as	142	stores relevant data for each kind of event you are waiting for, such as
133	the callback to call, the filehandle to watch, etc.	143	the callback to call, the file handle to watch, etc.
134		144
135	These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After	145	These watchers are normal Perl objects with normal Perl lifetime. After
136	creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the	146	creating a watcher it will immediately "watch" for events and invoke the
137	callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model	147	callback when the event occurs (of course, only when the event model
138	is in control).	148	is in control).
139		149
		150	Note that B<callbacks must not permanently change global variables>
		151	potentially in use by the event loop (such as C<$_> or C<$[>) and that B<<
		152	callbacks must not C<die> >>. The former is good programming practise in
		153	Perl and the latter stems from the fact that exception handling differs
		154	widely between event loops.
		155
140	To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the	156	To disable the watcher you have to destroy it (e.g. by setting the
141	variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references	157	variable you store it in to C<undef> or otherwise deleting all references
142	to it).	158	to it).
143		159
144	All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.	160	All watchers are created by calling a method on the C<AnyEvent> class.
…		…
146	Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for	162	Many watchers either are used with "recursion" (repeating timers for
147	example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways.	163	example), or need to refer to their watcher object in other ways.
148		164
149	An any way to achieve that is this pattern:	165	An any way to achieve that is this pattern:
150		166
151	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub {	167	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->type (arg => value ..., cb => sub {
152	# you can use $w here, for example to undef it	168	# you can use $w here, for example to undef it
153	undef $w;	169	undef $w;
154	});	170	});
155		171
156	Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl,	172	Note that C<my $w; $w => combination. This is necessary because in Perl,
157	my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are	173	my variables are only visible after the statement in which they are
158	declared.	174	declared.
159		175
160	=head2 I/O WATCHERS	176	=head2 I/O WATCHERS
161		177
162	You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method	178	You can create an I/O watcher by calling the C<< AnyEvent->io >> method
163	with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:	179	with the following mandatory key-value pairs as arguments:
164		180
165	C<fh> the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch	181	C<fh> is the Perl I<file handle> (I<not> file descriptor) to watch
		182	for events (AnyEvent might or might not keep a reference to this file
		183	handle). Note that only file handles pointing to things for which
		184	non-blocking operation makes sense are allowed. This includes sockets,
		185	most character devices, pipes, fifos and so on, but not for example files
		186	or block devices.
		187
166	for events. C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>,	188	C<poll> must be a string that is either C<r> or C<w>, which creates a
167	which creates a watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events,	189	watcher waiting for "r"eadable or "w"ritable events, respectively.
		190
168	respectively. C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle	191	C<cb> is the callback to invoke each time the file handle becomes ready.
169	becomes ready.
170		192
171	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and	193	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
172	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent	194	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
173	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.	195	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to I/O watcher callbacks.
174		196
…		…
178		200
179	Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should	201	Some event loops issue spurious readyness notifications, so you should
180	always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file	202	always use non-blocking calls when reading/writing from/to your file
181	handles.	203	handles.
182		204
183	Example:
184
185	# wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the watcher	205	Example: wait for readability of STDIN, then read a line and disable the
		206	watcher.
		207
186	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {	208	my $w; $w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
187	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>);	209	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>);
188	warn "read: $input\n";	210	warn "read: $input\n";
189	undef $w;	211	undef $w;
190	});	212	});
…		…
200		222
201	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and	223	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
202	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent	224	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
203	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.	225	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to time watcher callbacks.
204		226
205	The timer callback will be invoked at most once: if you want a repeating	227	The callback will normally be invoked once only. If you specify another
206	timer you have to create a new watcher (this is a limitation by both Tk	228	parameter, C<interval>, as a strictly positive number (> 0), then the
207	and Glib).	229	callback will be invoked regularly at that interval (in fractional
		230	seconds) after the first invocation. If C<interval> is specified with a
		231	false value, then it is treated as if it were missing.
208		232
209	Example:	233	The callback will be rescheduled before invoking the callback, but no
		234	attempt is done to avoid timer drift in most backends, so the interval is
		235	only approximate.
210		236
211	# fire an event after 7.7 seconds	237	Example: fire an event after 7.7 seconds.
		238
212	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {	239	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 7.7, cb => sub {
213	warn "timeout\n";	240	warn "timeout\n";
214	});	241	});
215		242
216	# to cancel the timer:	243	# to cancel the timer:
217	undef $w;	244	undef $w;
218		245
219	Example 2:
220
221	# fire an event after 0.5 seconds, then roughly every second	246	Example 2: fire an event after 0.5 seconds, then roughly every second.
222	my $w;
223		247
224	my $cb = sub {
225	# cancel the old timer while creating a new one
226	$w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 1, cb => $cb);	248	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.5, interval => 1, cb => sub {
		249	warn "timeout\n";
227	};	250	};
228
229	# start the "loop" by creating the first watcher
230	$w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.5, cb => $cb);
231		251
232	=head3 TIMING ISSUES	252	=head3 TIMING ISSUES
233		253
234	There are two ways to handle timers: based on real time (relative, "fire	254	There are two ways to handle timers: based on real time (relative, "fire
235	in 10 seconds") and based on wallclock time (absolute, "fire at 12	255	in 10 seconds") and based on wallclock time (absolute, "fire at 12
…		…
247	timers.	267	timers.
248		268
249	AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the	269	AnyEvent always prefers relative timers, if available, matching the
250	AnyEvent API.	270	AnyEvent API.
251		271
		272	AnyEvent has two additional methods that return the "current time":
		273
		274	=over 4
		275
		276	=item AnyEvent->time
		277
		278	This returns the "current wallclock time" as a fractional number of
		279	seconds since the Epoch (the same thing as C<time> or C<Time::HiRes::time>
		280	return, and the result is guaranteed to be compatible with those).
		281
		282	It progresses independently of any event loop processing, i.e. each call
		283	will check the system clock, which usually gets updated frequently.
		284
		285	=item AnyEvent->now
		286
		287	This also returns the "current wallclock time", but unlike C<time>, above,
		288	this value might change only once per event loop iteration, depending on
		289	the event loop (most return the same time as C<time>, above). This is the
		290	time that AnyEvent's timers get scheduled against.
		291
		292	I<In almost all cases (in all cases if you don't care), this is the
		293	function to call when you want to know the current time.>
		294
		295	This function is also often faster then C<< AnyEvent->time >>, and
		296	thus the preferred method if you want some timestamp (for example,
		297	L<AnyEvent::Handle> uses this to update it's activity timeouts).
		298
		299	The rest of this section is only of relevance if you try to be very exact
		300	with your timing, you can skip it without bad conscience.
		301
		302	For a practical example of when these times differ, consider L<Event::Lib>
		303	and L<EV> and the following set-up:
		304
		305	The event loop is running and has just invoked one of your callback at
		306	time=500 (assume no other callbacks delay processing). In your callback,
		307	you wait a second by executing C<sleep 1> (blocking the process for a
		308	second) and then (at time=501) you create a relative timer that fires
		309	after three seconds.
		310
		311	With L<Event::Lib>, C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> will
		312	both return C<501>, because that is the current time, and the timer will
		313	be scheduled to fire at time=504 (C<501> + C<3>).
		314
		315	With L<EV>, C<< AnyEvent->time >> returns C<501> (as that is the current
		316	time), but C<< AnyEvent->now >> returns C<500>, as that is the time the
		317	last event processing phase started. With L<EV>, your timer gets scheduled
		318	to run at time=503 (C<500> + C<3>).
		319
		320	In one sense, L<Event::Lib> is more exact, as it uses the current time
		321	regardless of any delays introduced by event processing. However, most
		322	callbacks do not expect large delays in processing, so this causes a
		323	higher drift (and a lot more system calls to get the current time).
		324
		325	In another sense, L<EV> is more exact, as your timer will be scheduled at
		326	the same time, regardless of how long event processing actually took.
		327
		328	In either case, if you care (and in most cases, you don't), then you
		329	can get whatever behaviour you want with any event loop, by taking the
		330	difference between C<< AnyEvent->time >> and C<< AnyEvent->now >> into
		331	account.
		332
		333	=item AnyEvent->now_update
		334
		335	Some event loops (such as L<EV> or L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) cache
		336	the current time for each loop iteration (see the discussion of L<<
		337	AnyEvent->now >>, above).
		338
		339	When a callback runs for a long time (or when the process sleeps), then
		340	this "current" time will differ substantially from the real time, which
		341	might affect timers and time-outs.
		342
		343	When this is the case, you can call this method, which will update the
		344	event loop's idea of "current time".
		345
		346	Note that updating the time I<might> cause some events to be handled.
		347
		348	=back
		349
252	=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS	350	=head2 SIGNAL WATCHERS
253		351
254	You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal	352	You can watch for signals using a signal watcher, C<signal> is the signal
255	I<name> without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl callback to	353	I<name> in uppercase and without any C<SIG> prefix, C<cb> is the Perl
256	be invoked whenever a signal occurs.	354	callback to be invoked whenever a signal occurs.
257		355
258	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and	356	Although the callback might get passed parameters, their value and
259	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent	357	presence is undefined and you cannot rely on them. Portable AnyEvent
260	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.	358	callbacks cannot use arguments passed to signal watcher callbacks.
261		359
262	Multiple signal occurances can be clumped together into one callback	360	Multiple signal occurrences can be clumped together into one callback
263	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. synchronous means	361	invocation, and callback invocation will be synchronous. Synchronous means
264	that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,	362	that it might take a while until the signal gets handled by the process,
265	but it is guarenteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.	363	but it is guaranteed not to interrupt any other callbacks.
266		364
267	The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal	365	The main advantage of using these watchers is that you can share a signal
268	between multiple watchers.	366	between multiple watchers.
269		367
270	This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals	368	This watcher might use C<%SIG>, so programs overwriting those signals
…		…
277	=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS	375	=head2 CHILD PROCESS WATCHERS
278		376
279	You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.	377	You can also watch on a child process exit and catch its exit status.
280		378
281	The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it	379	The child process is specified by the C<pid> argument (if set to C<0>, it
282	watches for any child process exit). The watcher will trigger as often	380	watches for any child process exit). The watcher will triggered only when
283	as status change for the child are received. This works by installing a	381	the child process has finished and an exit status is available, not on
284	signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>. The callback will be called with the pid	382	any trace events (stopped/continued).
285	and exit status (as returned by waitpid), so unlike other watcher types,	383
286	you I<can> rely on child watcher callback arguments.	384	The callback will be called with the pid and exit status (as returned by
		385	waitpid), so unlike other watcher types, you I<can> rely on child watcher
		386	callback arguments.
		387
		388	This watcher type works by installing a signal handler for C<SIGCHLD>,
		389	and since it cannot be shared, nothing else should use SIGCHLD or reap
		390	random child processes (waiting for specific child processes, e.g. inside
		391	C<system>, is just fine).
287		392
288	There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them	393	There is a slight catch to child watchers, however: you usually start them
289	I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could	394	I<after> the child process was created, and this means the process could
290	have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).	395	have exited already (and no SIGCHLD will be sent anymore).
291		396
292	Not all event models handle this correctly (POE doesn't), but even for	397	Not all event models handle this correctly (neither POE nor IO::Async do,
		398	see their AnyEvent::Impl manpages for details), but even for event models
293	event models that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be	399	that I<do> handle this correctly, they usually need to be loaded before
294	loaded before the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place).	400	the process exits (i.e. before you fork in the first place). AnyEvent's
		401	pure perl event loop handles all cases correctly regardless of when you
		402	start the watcher.
295		403
296	This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first thing in an	404	This means you cannot create a child watcher as the very first
297	AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one watcher before you	405	thing in an AnyEvent program, you I<have> to create at least one
298	C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call C<AnyEvent::detect>).	406	watcher before you C<fork> the child (alternatively, you can call
		407	C<AnyEvent::detect>).
299		408
300	Example: fork a process and wait for it	409	Example: fork a process and wait for it
301		410
302	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;	411	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
303		412
304	AnyEvent::detect; # force event module to be initialised
305
306	my $pid = fork or exit 5;	413	my $pid = fork or exit 5;
307		414
308	my $w = AnyEvent->child (	415	my $w = AnyEvent->child (
309	pid => $pid,	416	pid => $pid,
310	cb => sub {	417	cb => sub {
311	my ($pid, $status) = @_;	418	my ($pid, $status) = @_;
312	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";	419	warn "pid $pid exited with status $status";
313	$done->broadcast;	420	$done->send;
314	},	421	},
315	);	422	);
316		423
317	# do something else, then wait for process exit	424	# do something else, then wait for process exit
318	$done->wait;	425	$done->recv;
		426
		427	=head2 IDLE WATCHERS
		428
		429	Sometimes there is a need to do something, but it is not so important
		430	to do it instantly, but only when there is nothing better to do. This
		431	"nothing better to do" is usually defined to be "no other events need
		432	attention by the event loop".
		433
		434	Idle watchers ideally get invoked when the event loop has nothing
		435	better to do, just before it would block the process to wait for new
		436	events. Instead of blocking, the idle watcher is invoked.
		437
		438	Most event loops unfortunately do not really support idle watchers (only
		439	EV, Event and Glib do it in a usable fashion) - for the rest, AnyEvent
		440	will simply call the callback "from time to time".
		441
		442	Example: read lines from STDIN, but only process them when the
		443	program is otherwise idle:
		444
		445	my @lines; # read data
		446	my $idle_w;
		447	my $io_w = AnyEvent->io (fh => \*STDIN, poll => 'r', cb => sub {
		448	push @lines, scalar <STDIN>;
		449
		450	# start an idle watcher, if not already done
		451	$idle_w ||= AnyEvent->idle (cb => sub {
		452	# handle only one line, when there are lines left
		453	if (my $line = shift @lines) {
		454	print "handled when idle: $line";
		455	} else {
		456	# otherwise disable the idle watcher again
		457	undef $idle_w;
		458	}
		459	});
		460	});
319		461
320	=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES	462	=head2 CONDITION VARIABLES
321		463
		464	If you are familiar with some event loops you will know that all of them
		465	require you to run some blocking "loop", "run" or similar function that
		466	will actively watch for new events and call your callbacks.
		467
		468	AnyEvent is different, it expects somebody else to run the event loop and
		469	will only block when necessary (usually when told by the user).
		470
		471	The instrument to do that is called a "condition variable", so called
		472	because they represent a condition that must become true.
		473
322	Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar >>	474	Condition variables can be created by calling the C<< AnyEvent->condvar
323	method without any arguments.	475	>> method, usually without arguments. The only argument pair allowed is
324		476
325	A condition variable waits for a condition - precisely that the C<<	477	C<cb>, which specifies a callback to be called when the condition variable
326	->broadcast >> method has been called.	478	becomes true, with the condition variable as the first argument (but not
		479	the results).
327		480
328	They are very useful to signal that a condition has been fulfilled, for	481	After creation, the condition variable is "false" until it becomes "true"
		482	by calling the C<send> method (or calling the condition variable as if it
		483	were a callback, read about the caveats in the description for the C<<
		484	->send >> method).
		485
		486	Condition variables are similar to callbacks, except that you can
		487	optionally wait for them. They can also be called merge points - points
		488	in time where multiple outstanding events have been processed. And yet
		489	another way to call them is transactions - each condition variable can be
		490	used to represent a transaction, which finishes at some point and delivers
		491	a result.
		492
		493	Condition variables are very useful to signal that something has finished,
329	example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,	494	for example, if you write a module that does asynchronous http requests,
330	then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the	495	then a condition variable would be the ideal candidate to signal the
331	availability of results.	496	availability of results. The user can either act when the callback is
		497	called or can synchronously C<< ->recv >> for the results.
332		498
333	You can also use condition variables to block your main program until	499	You can also use them to simulate traditional event loops - for example,
334	an event occurs - for example, you could C<< ->wait >> in your main	500	you can block your main program until an event occurs - for example, you
335	program until the user clicks the Quit button in your app, which would C<<	501	could C<< ->recv >> in your main program until the user clicks the Quit
336	->broadcast >> the "quit" event.	502	button of your app, which would C<< ->send >> the "quit" event.
337		503
338	Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have	504	Note that condition variables recurse into the event loop - if you have
339	two pirces of code that call C<< ->wait >> in a round-robbin fashion, you	505	two pieces of code that call C<< ->recv >> in a round-robin fashion, you
340	lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but	506	lose. Therefore, condition variables are good to export to your caller, but
341	you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,	507	you should avoid making a blocking wait yourself, at least in callbacks,
342	as this asks for trouble.	508	as this asks for trouble.
343		509
344	This object has two methods:	510	Condition variables are represented by hash refs in perl, and the keys
		511	used by AnyEvent itself are all named C<_ae_XXX> to make subclassing
		512	easy (it is often useful to build your own transaction class on top of
		513	AnyEvent). To subclass, use C<AnyEvent::CondVar> as base class and call
		514	it's C<new> method in your own C<new> method.
		515
		516	There are two "sides" to a condition variable - the "producer side" which
		517	eventually calls C<< -> send >>, and the "consumer side", which waits
		518	for the send to occur.
		519
		520	Example: wait for a timer.
		521
		522	# wait till the result is ready
		523	my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
		524
		525	# do something such as adding a timer
		526	# or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->send
		527	# when the "result" is ready.
		528	# in this case, we simply use a timer:
		529	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
		530	after => 1,
		531	cb => sub { $result_ready->send },
		532	);
		533
		534	# this "blocks" (while handling events) till the callback
		535	# calls send
		536	$result_ready->recv;
		537
		538	Example: wait for a timer, but take advantage of the fact that
		539	condition variables are also code references.
		540
		541	my $done = AnyEvent->condvar;
		542	my $delay = AnyEvent->timer (after => 5, cb => $done);
		543	$done->recv;
		544
		545	Example: Imagine an API that returns a condvar and doesn't support
		546	callbacks. This is how you make a synchronous call, for example from
		547	the main program:
		548
		549	use AnyEvent::CouchDB;
		550
		551	...
		552
		553	my @info = $couchdb->info->recv;
		554
		555	And this is how you would just ste a callback to be called whenever the
		556	results are available:
		557
		558	$couchdb->info->cb (sub {
		559	my @info = $_[0]->recv;
		560	});
		561
		562	=head3 METHODS FOR PRODUCERS
		563
		564	These methods should only be used by the producing side, i.e. the
		565	code/module that eventually sends the signal. Note that it is also
		566	the producer side which creates the condvar in most cases, but it isn't
		567	uncommon for the consumer to create it as well.
345		568
346	=over 4	569	=over 4
347		570
		571	=item $cv->send (...)
		572
		573	Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->recv >> and all further
		574	calls to C<recv> will (eventually) return after this method has been
		575	called. If nobody is waiting the send will be remembered.
		576
		577	If a callback has been set on the condition variable, it is called
		578	immediately from within send.
		579
		580	Any arguments passed to the C<send> call will be returned by all
		581	future C<< ->recv >> calls.
		582
		583	Condition variables are overloaded so one can call them directly
		584	(as a code reference). Calling them directly is the same as calling
		585	C<send>. Note, however, that many C-based event loops do not handle
		586	overloading, so as tempting as it may be, passing a condition variable
		587	instead of a callback does not work. Both the pure perl and EV loops
		588	support overloading, however, as well as all functions that use perl to
		589	invoke a callback (as in L<AnyEvent::Socket> and L<AnyEvent::DNS> for
		590	example).
		591
		592	=item $cv->croak ($error)
		593
		594	Similar to send, but causes all call's to C<< ->recv >> to invoke
		595	C<Carp::croak> with the given error message/object/scalar.
		596
		597	This can be used to signal any errors to the condition variable
		598	user/consumer.
		599
		600	=item $cv->begin ([group callback])
		601
348	=item $cv->wait	602	=item $cv->end
349		603
350	Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been	604	These two methods can be used to combine many transactions/events into
		605	one. For example, a function that pings many hosts in parallel might want
		606	to use a condition variable for the whole process.
		607
		608	Every call to C<< ->begin >> will increment a counter, and every call to
		609	C<< ->end >> will decrement it. If the counter reaches C<0> in C<< ->end
		610	>>, the (last) callback passed to C<begin> will be executed. That callback
		611	is I<supposed> to call C<< ->send >>, but that is not required. If no
		612	callback was set, C<send> will be called without any arguments.
		613
		614	You can think of C<< $cv->send >> giving you an OR condition (one call
		615	sends), while C<< $cv->begin >> and C<< $cv->end >> giving you an AND
		616	condition (all C<begin> calls must be C<end>'ed before the condvar sends).
		617
		618	Let's start with a simple example: you have two I/O watchers (for example,
		619	STDOUT and STDERR for a program), and you want to wait for both streams to
		620	close before activating a condvar:
		621
		622	my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
		623
		624	$cv->begin; # first watcher
		625	my $w1 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh1, cb => sub {
		626	defined sysread $fh1, my $buf, 4096
		627	or $cv->end;
		628	});
		629
		630	$cv->begin; # second watcher
		631	my $w2 = AnyEvent->io (fh => $fh2, cb => sub {
		632	defined sysread $fh2, my $buf, 4096
		633	or $cv->end;
		634	});
		635
		636	$cv->recv;
		637
		638	This works because for every event source (EOF on file handle), there is
		639	one call to C<begin>, so the condvar waits for all calls to C<end> before
		640	sending.
		641
		642	The ping example mentioned above is slightly more complicated, as the
		643	there are results to be passwd back, and the number of tasks that are
		644	begung can potentially be zero:
		645
		646	my $cv = AnyEvent->condvar;
		647
		648	my %result;
		649	$cv->begin (sub { $cv->send (\%result) });
		650
		651	for my $host (@list_of_hosts) {
		652	$cv->begin;
		653	ping_host_then_call_callback $host, sub {
		654	$result{$host} = ...;
		655	$cv->end;
		656	};
		657	}
		658
		659	$cv->end;
		660
		661	This code fragment supposedly pings a number of hosts and calls
		662	C<send> after results for all then have have been gathered - in any
		663	order. To achieve this, the code issues a call to C<begin> when it starts
		664	each ping request and calls C<end> when it has received some result for
		665	it. Since C<begin> and C<end> only maintain a counter, the order in which
		666	results arrive is not relevant.
		667
		668	There is an additional bracketing call to C<begin> and C<end> outside the
		669	loop, which serves two important purposes: first, it sets the callback
		670	to be called once the counter reaches C<0>, and second, it ensures that
		671	C<send> is called even when C<no> hosts are being pinged (the loop
		672	doesn't execute once).
		673
		674	This is the general pattern when you "fan out" into multiple (but
		675	potentially none) subrequests: use an outer C<begin>/C<end> pair to set
		676	the callback and ensure C<end> is called at least once, and then, for each
		677	subrequest you start, call C<begin> and for each subrequest you finish,
		678	call C<end>.
		679
		680	=back
		681
		682	=head3 METHODS FOR CONSUMERS
		683
		684	These methods should only be used by the consuming side, i.e. the
		685	code awaits the condition.
		686
		687	=over 4
		688
		689	=item $cv->recv
		690
		691	Wait (blocking if necessary) until the C<< ->send >> or C<< ->croak
351	called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers normally.	692	>> methods have been called on c<$cv>, while servicing other watchers
		693	normally.
352		694
353	You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls will return	695	You can only wait once on a condition - additional calls are valid but
354	immediately.	696	will return immediately.
		697
		698	If an error condition has been set by calling C<< ->croak >>, then this
		699	function will call C<croak>.
		700
		701	In list context, all parameters passed to C<send> will be returned,
		702	in scalar context only the first one will be returned.
355		703
356	Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case	704	Not all event models support a blocking wait - some die in that case
357	(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are	705	(programs might want to do that to stay interactive), so I<if you are
358	using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the	706	using this from a module, never require a blocking wait>, but let the
359	caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling	707	caller decide whether the call will block or not (for example, by coupling
360	condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting	708	condition variables with some kind of request results and supporting
361	callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,	709	callbacks so the caller knows that getting the result will not block,
362	while still suppporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).	710	while still supporting blocking waits if the caller so desires).
363		711
364	Another reason I<never> to C<< ->wait >> in a module is that you cannot	712	Another reason I<never> to C<< ->recv >> in a module is that you cannot
365	sensibly have two C<< ->wait >>'s in parallel, as that would require	713	sensibly have two C<< ->recv >>'s in parallel, as that would require
366	multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>	714	multiple interpreters or coroutines/threads, none of which C<AnyEvent>
367	can supply (the coroutine-aware backends L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV> and	715	can supply.
368	L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent> explicitly support concurrent C<< ->wait >>'s
369	from different coroutines, however).
370		716
371	=item $cv->broadcast	717	The L<Coro> module, however, I<can> and I<does> supply coroutines and, in
		718	fact, L<Coro::AnyEvent> replaces AnyEvent's condvars by coroutine-safe
		719	versions and also integrates coroutines into AnyEvent, making blocking
		720	C<< ->recv >> calls perfectly safe as long as they are done from another
		721	coroutine (one that doesn't run the event loop).
372		722
373	Flag the condition as ready - a running C<< ->wait >> and all further	723	You can ensure that C<< -recv >> never blocks by setting a callback and
374	calls to C<wait> will (eventually) return after this method has been	724	only calling C<< ->recv >> from within that callback (or at a later
375	called. If nobody is waiting the broadcast will be remembered..	725	time). This will work even when the event loop does not support blocking
		726	waits otherwise.
		727
		728	=item $bool = $cv->ready
		729
		730	Returns true when the condition is "true", i.e. whether C<send> or
		731	C<croak> have been called.
		732
		733	=item $cb = $cv->cb ($cb->($cv))
		734
		735	This is a mutator function that returns the callback set and optionally
		736	replaces it before doing so.
		737
		738	The callback will be called when the condition becomes "true", i.e. when
		739	C<send> or C<croak> are called, with the only argument being the condition
		740	variable itself. Calling C<recv> inside the callback or at any later time
		741	is guaranteed not to block.
376		742
377	=back	743	=back
378
379	Example:
380
381	# wait till the result is ready
382	my $result_ready = AnyEvent->condvar;
383
384	# do something such as adding a timer
385	# or socket watcher the calls $result_ready->broadcast
386	# when the "result" is ready.
387	# in this case, we simply use a timer:
388	my $w = AnyEvent->timer (
389	after => 1,
390	cb => sub { $result_ready->broadcast },
391	);
392
393	# this "blocks" (while handling events) till the watcher
394	# calls broadcast
395	$result_ready->wait;
396		744
397	=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS	745	=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES AND FUNCTIONS
398		746
399	=over 4	747	=over 4
400		748
…		…
406	C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case	754	C<AnyEvent::Impl:xxx> modules, but can be any other class in the case
407	AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).	755	AnyEvent has been extended at runtime (e.g. in I<rxvt-unicode>).
408		756
409	The known classes so far are:	757	The known classes so far are:
410		758
411	AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV based on Coro::EV, best choice.
412	AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent based on Coro::Event, second best choice.
413	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).	759	AnyEvent::Impl::EV based on EV (an interface to libev, best choice).
414	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.	760	AnyEvent::Impl::Event based on Event, second best choice.
		761	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, fast and portable.
415	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.	762	AnyEvent::Impl::Glib based on Glib, third-best choice.
416	AnyEvent::Impl::Perl pure-perl implementation, inefficient but portable.
417	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.	763	AnyEvent::Impl::Tk based on Tk, very bad choice.
418	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).	764	AnyEvent::Impl::Qt based on Qt, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
419	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.	765	AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib based on Event::Lib, leaks memory and worse.
420	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.	766	AnyEvent::Impl::POE based on POE, not generic enough for full support.
		767
		768	# warning, support for IO::Async is only partial, as it is too broken
		769	# and limited toe ven support the AnyEvent API. See AnyEvent::Impl::Async.
		770	AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync based on IO::Async, cannot be autoprobed (see its docs).
421		771
422	There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for	772	There is no support for WxWidgets, as WxWidgets has no support for
423	watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the	773	watching file handles. However, you can use WxWidgets through the
424	POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per	774	POE Adaptor, as POE has a Wx backend that simply polls 20 times per
425	second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for	775	second, which was considered to be too horrible to even consider for
…		…
434	Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model	784	Returns C<$AnyEvent::MODEL>, forcing autodetection of the event model
435	if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would	785	if necessary. You should only call this function right before you would
436	have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at	786	have created an AnyEvent watcher anyway, that is, as late as possible at
437	runtime.	787	runtime.
438		788
		789	=item $guard = AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }
		790
		791	Arranges for the code block to be executed as soon as the event model is
		792	autodetected (or immediately if this has already happened).
		793
		794	If called in scalar or list context, then it creates and returns an object
		795	that automatically removes the callback again when it is destroyed. See
		796	L<Coro::BDB> for a case where this is useful.
		797
		798	=item @AnyEvent::post_detect
		799
		800	If there are any code references in this array (you can C<push> to it
		801	before or after loading AnyEvent), then they will called directly after
		802	the event loop has been chosen.
		803
		804	You should check C<$AnyEvent::MODEL> before adding to this array, though:
		805	if it contains a true value then the event loop has already been detected,
		806	and the array will be ignored.
		807
		808	Best use C<AnyEvent::post_detect { BLOCK }> instead.
		809
439	=back	810	=back
440		811
441	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE	812	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN A MODULE
442		813
443	As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods	814	As a module author, you should C<use AnyEvent> and call AnyEvent methods
…		…
446	Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will	817	Be careful when you create watchers in the module body - AnyEvent will
447	decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so	818	decide which event module to use as soon as the first method is called, so
448	by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module	819	by calling AnyEvent in your module body you force the user of your module
449	to load the event module first.	820	to load the event module first.
450		821
451	Never call C<< ->wait >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that	822	Never call C<< ->recv >> on a condition variable unless you I<know> that
452	the C<< ->broadcast >> method has been called on it already. This is	823	the C<< ->send >> method has been called on it already. This is
453	because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using	824	because it will stall the whole program, and the whole point of using
454	events is to stay interactive.	825	events is to stay interactive.
455		826
456	It is fine, however, to call C<< ->wait >> when the user of your module	827	It is fine, however, to call C<< ->recv >> when the user of your module
457	requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method	828	requests it (i.e. if you create a http request object ad have a method
458	called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->wait >>	829	called C<results> that returns the results, it should call C<< ->recv >>
459	freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).	830	freely, as the user of your module knows what she is doing. always).
460		831
461	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM	832	=head1 WHAT TO DO IN THE MAIN PROGRAM
462		833
463	There will always be a single main program - the only place that should	834	There will always be a single main program - the only place that should
…		…
465		836
466	If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not	837	If it doesn't care, it can just "use AnyEvent" and use it itself, or not
467	do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent	838	do anything special (it does not need to be event-based) and let AnyEvent
468	decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.	839	decide which implementation to chose if some module relies on it.
469		840
470	If the main program relies on a specific event model. For example, in	841	If the main program relies on a specific event model - for example, in
471	Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module. You should load the	842	Gtk2 programs you have to rely on the Glib module - you should load the
472	event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally	843	event module before loading AnyEvent or any module that uses it: generally
473	speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that	844	speaking, you should load it as early as possible. The reason is that
474	modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will	845	modules might create watchers when they are loaded, and AnyEvent will
475	decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it	846	decide on the event model to use as soon as it creates watchers, and it
476	might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.	847	might chose the wrong one unless you load the correct one yourself.
477		848
478	You can chose to use a rather inefficient pure-perl implementation by	849	You can chose to use a pure-perl implementation by loading the
479	loading the C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar	850	C<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl> module, which gives you similar behaviour
480	behaviour everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose is generally better.	851	everywhere, but letting AnyEvent chose the model is generally better.
		852
		853	=head2 MAINLOOP EMULATION
		854
		855	Sometimes (often for short test scripts, or even standalone programs who
		856	only want to use AnyEvent), you do not want to run a specific event loop.
		857
		858	In that case, you can use a condition variable like this:
		859
		860	AnyEvent->condvar->recv;
		861
		862	This has the effect of entering the event loop and looping forever.
		863
		864	Note that usually your program has some exit condition, in which case
		865	it is better to use the "traditional" approach of storing a condition
		866	variable somewhere, waiting for it, and sending it when the program should
		867	exit cleanly.
		868
		869
		870	=head1 OTHER MODULES
		871
		872	The following is a non-exhaustive list of additional modules that use
		873	AnyEvent and can therefore be mixed easily with other AnyEvent modules
		874	in the same program. Some of the modules come with AnyEvent, some are
		875	available via CPAN.
		876
		877	=over 4
		878
		879	=item L<AnyEvent::Util>
		880
		881	Contains various utility functions that replace often-used but blocking
		882	functions such as C<inet_aton> by event-/callback-based versions.
		883
		884	=item L<AnyEvent::Socket>
		885
		886	Provides various utility functions for (internet protocol) sockets,
		887	addresses and name resolution. Also functions to create non-blocking tcp
		888	connections or tcp servers, with IPv6 and SRV record support and more.
		889
		890	=item L<AnyEvent::Handle>
		891
		892	Provide read and write buffers, manages watchers for reads and writes,
		893	supports raw and formatted I/O, I/O queued and fully transparent and
		894	non-blocking SSL/TLS.
		895
		896	=item L<AnyEvent::DNS>
		897
		898	Provides rich asynchronous DNS resolver capabilities.
		899
		900	=item L<AnyEvent::HTTP>
		901
		902	A simple-to-use HTTP library that is capable of making a lot of concurrent
		903	HTTP requests.
		904
		905	=item L<AnyEvent::HTTPD>
		906
		907	Provides a simple web application server framework.
		908
		909	=item L<AnyEvent::FastPing>
		910
		911	The fastest ping in the west.
		912
		913	=item L<AnyEvent::DBI>
		914
		915	Executes L<DBI> requests asynchronously in a proxy process.
		916
		917	=item L<AnyEvent::AIO>
		918
		919	Truly asynchronous I/O, should be in the toolbox of every event
		920	programmer. AnyEvent::AIO transparently fuses L<IO::AIO> and AnyEvent
		921	together.
		922
		923	=item L<AnyEvent::BDB>
		924
		925	Truly asynchronous Berkeley DB access. AnyEvent::BDB transparently fuses
		926	L<BDB> and AnyEvent together.
		927
		928	=item L<AnyEvent::GPSD>
		929
		930	A non-blocking interface to gpsd, a daemon delivering GPS information.
		931
		932	=item L<AnyEvent::IGS>
		933
		934	A non-blocking interface to the Internet Go Server protocol (used by
		935	L<App::IGS>).
		936
		937	=item L<AnyEvent::IRC>
		938
		939	AnyEvent based IRC client module family (replacing the older Net::IRC3).
		940
		941	=item L<Net::XMPP2>
		942
		943	AnyEvent based XMPP (Jabber protocol) module family.
		944
		945	=item L<Net::FCP>
		946
		947	AnyEvent-based implementation of the Freenet Client Protocol, birthplace
		948	of AnyEvent.
		949
		950	=item L<Event::ExecFlow>
		951
		952	High level API for event-based execution flow control.
		953
		954	=item L<Coro>
		955
		956	Has special support for AnyEvent via L<Coro::AnyEvent>.
		957
		958	=item L<IO::Lambda>
		959
		960	The lambda approach to I/O - don't ask, look there. Can use AnyEvent.
		961
		962	=back
481		963
482	=cut	964	=cut
483		965
484	package AnyEvent;	966	package AnyEvent;
485		967
486	no warnings;	968	no warnings;
487	use strict;	969	use strict qw(vars subs);
488		970
489	use Carp;	971	use Carp;
490		972
491	our $VERSION = '3.3';	973	our $VERSION = 4.42;
492	our $MODEL;	974	our $MODEL;
493		975
494	our $AUTOLOAD;	976	our $AUTOLOAD;
495	our @ISA;	977	our @ISA;
496		978
		979	our @REGISTRY;
		980
		981	our $WIN32;
		982
		983	BEGIN {
		984	eval "sub WIN32(){ " . (($^O =~ /mswin32/i)*1) ." }";
		985	eval "sub TAINT(){ " . (${^TAINT}*1) . " }";
		986
		987	delete @ENV{grep /^PERL_ANYEVENT_/, keys %ENV}
		988	if ${^TAINT};
		989	}
		990
497	our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;	991	our $verbose = $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}*1;
498		992
499	our @REGISTRY;	993	our %PROTOCOL; # (ipv4|ipv6) => (1|2), higher numbers are preferred
		994
		995	{
		996	my $idx;
		997	$PROTOCOL{$_} = ++$idx
		998	for reverse split /\s*,\s*/,
		999	$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS} || "ipv4,ipv6";
		1000	}
500		1001
501	my @models = (	1002	my @models = (
502	[Coro::EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV::],
503	[Coro::Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent::],
504	[EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],	1003	[EV:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EV::],
505	[Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],	1004	[Event:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Event::],
506	[Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::],
507	[Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::],
508	[Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
509	[Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
510	[AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],	1005	[AnyEvent::Impl::Perl:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Perl::],
511	# everything below here will not be autoprobed as the pureperl backend should work everywhere	1006	# everything below here will not be autoprobed
		1007	# as the pureperl backend should work everywhere
		1008	# and is usually faster
		1009	[Tk:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Tk::], # crashes with many handles
		1010	[Glib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Glib::], # becomes extremely slow with many watchers
512	[Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy	1011	[Event::Lib:: => AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib::], # too buggy
513	[Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program	1012	[Qt:: => AnyEvent::Impl::Qt::], # requires special main program
514	[POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza	1013	[POE::Kernel:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::], # lasciate ogni speranza
		1014	[Wx:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
		1015	[Prima:: => AnyEvent::Impl::POE::],
		1016	# IO::Async is just too broken - we would need workaorunds for its
		1017	# byzantine signal and broken child handling, among others.
		1018	# IO::Async is rather hard to detect, as it doesn't have any
		1019	# obvious default class.
		1020	# [IO::Async:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
		1021	# [IO::Async::Loop:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
		1022	# [IO::Async::Notifier:: => AnyEvent::Impl::IOAsync::], # requires special main program
515	);	1023	);
516		1024
517	our %method = map +($_ => 1), qw(io timer signal child condvar broadcast wait one_event DESTROY);	1025	our %method = map +($_ => 1),
		1026	qw(io timer time now now_update signal child idle condvar one_event DESTROY);
		1027
		1028	our @post_detect;
		1029
		1030	sub post_detect(&) {
		1031	my ($cb) = @_;
		1032
		1033	if ($MODEL) {
		1034	$cb->();
		1035
		1036	1
		1037	} else {
		1038	push @post_detect, $cb;
		1039
		1040	defined wantarray
		1041	? bless \$cb, "AnyEvent::Util::postdetect"
		1042	: ()
		1043	}
		1044	}
		1045
		1046	sub AnyEvent::Util::postdetect::DESTROY {
		1047	@post_detect = grep $_ != ${$_[0]}, @post_detect;
		1048	}
518		1049
519	sub detect() {	1050	sub detect() {
520	unless ($MODEL) {	1051	unless ($MODEL) {
521	no strict 'refs';	1052	no strict 'refs';
		1053	local $SIG{__DIE__};
522		1054
523	if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {	1055	if ($ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} =~ /^([a-zA-Z]+)$/) {
524	my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";	1056	my $model = "AnyEvent::Impl::$1";
525	if (eval "require $model") {	1057	if (eval "require $model") {
526	$MODEL = $model;	1058	$MODEL = $model;
…		…
556	last;	1088	last;
557	}	1089	}
558	}	1090	}
559		1091
560	$MODEL	1092	$MODEL
561	or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV (or Coro+EV), Event (or Coro+Event) or Glib.";	1093	or die "No event module selected for AnyEvent and autodetect failed. Install any one of these modules: EV, Event or Glib.\n";
562	}	1094	}
563	}	1095	}
564		1096
		1097	push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";
		1098
565	unshift @ISA, $MODEL;	1099	unshift @ISA, $MODEL;
566	push @{"$MODEL\::ISA"}, "AnyEvent::Base";	1100
		1101	require AnyEvent::Strict if $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT};
		1102
		1103	(shift @post_detect)->() while @post_detect;
567	}	1104	}
568		1105
569	$MODEL	1106	$MODEL
570	}	1107	}
571		1108
…		…
579		1116
580	my $class = shift;	1117	my $class = shift;
581	$class->$func (@_);	1118	$class->$func (@_);
582	}	1119	}
583		1120
		1121	# utility function to dup a filehandle. this is used by many backends
		1122	# to support binding more than one watcher per filehandle (they usually
		1123	# allow only one watcher per fd, so we dup it to get a different one).
		1124	sub _dupfh($$;$$) {
		1125	my ($poll, $fh, $r, $w) = @_;
		1126
		1127	# cygwin requires the fh mode to be matching, unix doesn't
		1128	my ($rw, $mode) = $poll eq "r" ? ($r, "<")
		1129	: $poll eq "w" ? ($w, ">")
		1130	: Carp::croak "AnyEvent->io requires poll set to either 'r' or 'w'";
		1131
		1132	open my $fh2, "$mode&" . fileno $fh
		1133	or die "cannot dup() filehandle: $!,";
		1134
		1135	# we assume CLOEXEC is already set by perl in all important cases
		1136
		1137	($fh2, $rw)
		1138	}
		1139
584	package AnyEvent::Base;	1140	package AnyEvent::Base;
585		1141
		1142	# default implementations for many methods
		1143
		1144	BEGIN {
		1145	if (eval "use Time::HiRes (); Time::HiRes::time (); 1") {
		1146	*_time = \&Time::HiRes::time;
		1147	# if (eval "use POSIX (); (POSIX::times())...
		1148	} else {
		1149	*_time = sub { time }; # epic fail
		1150	}
		1151	}
		1152
		1153	sub time { _time }
		1154	sub now { _time }
		1155	sub now_update { }
		1156
586	# default implementation for ->condvar, ->wait, ->broadcast	1157	# default implementation for ->condvar
587		1158
588	sub condvar {	1159	sub condvar {
589	bless \my $flag, "AnyEvent::Base::CondVar"	1160	bless { @_ == 3 ? (_ae_cb => $_[2]) : () }, "AnyEvent::CondVar"
590	}
591
592	sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::broadcast {
593	${$_[0]}++;
594	}
595
596	sub AnyEvent::Base::CondVar::wait {
597	AnyEvent->one_event while !${$_[0]};
598	}	1161	}
599		1162
600	# default implementation for ->signal	1163	# default implementation for ->signal
601		1164
602	our %SIG_CB;	1165	our ($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W, %SIG_CB, %SIG_EV, $SIG_IO);
		1166
		1167	sub _signal_exec {
		1168	sysread $SIGPIPE_R, my $dummy, 4;
		1169
		1170	while (%SIG_EV) {
		1171	for (keys %SIG_EV) {
		1172	delete $SIG_EV{$_};
		1173	$_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$_} || {} };
		1174	}
		1175	}
		1176	}
603		1177
604	sub signal {	1178	sub signal {
605	my (undef, %arg) = @_;	1179	my (undef, %arg) = @_;
606		1180
		1181	unless ($SIGPIPE_R) {
		1182	require Fcntl;
		1183
		1184	if (AnyEvent::WIN32) {
		1185	require AnyEvent::Util;
		1186
		1187	($SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W) = AnyEvent::Util::portable_pipe ();
		1188	AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_R) if $SIGPIPE_R;
		1189	AnyEvent::Util::fh_nonblocking ($SIGPIPE_W) if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
		1190	} else {
		1191	pipe $SIGPIPE_R, $SIGPIPE_W;
		1192	fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_R;
		1193	fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFL, &Fcntl::O_NONBLOCK if $SIGPIPE_W; # just in case
		1194
		1195	# not strictly required, as $^F is normally 2, but let's make sure...
		1196	fcntl $SIGPIPE_R, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
		1197	fcntl $SIGPIPE_W, &Fcntl::F_SETFD, &Fcntl::FD_CLOEXEC;
		1198	}
		1199
		1200	$SIGPIPE_R
		1201	or Carp::croak "AnyEvent: unable to create a signal reporting pipe: $!\n";
		1202
		1203	$SIG_IO = AnyEvent->io (fh => $SIGPIPE_R, poll => "r", cb => \&_signal_exec);
		1204	}
		1205
607	my $signal = uc $arg{signal}	1206	my $signal = uc $arg{signal}
608	or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";	1207	or Carp::croak "required option 'signal' is missing";
609		1208
610	$SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};	1209	$SIG_CB{$signal}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
611	$SIG{$signal} ||= sub {	1210	$SIG{$signal} ||= sub {
612	$_->() for values %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} || {} };	1211	local $!;
		1212	syswrite $SIGPIPE_W, "\x00", 1 unless %SIG_EV;
		1213	undef $SIG_EV{$signal};
613	};	1214	};
614		1215
615	bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Signal"	1216	bless [$signal, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::signal"
616	}	1217	}
617		1218
618	sub AnyEvent::Base::Signal::DESTROY {	1219	sub AnyEvent::Base::signal::DESTROY {
619	my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};	1220	my ($signal, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
620		1221
621	delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};	1222	delete $SIG_CB{$signal}{$cb};
622		1223
		1224	# delete doesn't work with older perls - they then
		1225	# print weird messages, or just unconditionally exit
		1226	# instead of getting the default action.
623	$SIG{$signal} = 'DEFAULT' unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };	1227	undef $SIG{$signal} unless keys %{ $SIG_CB{$signal} };
624	}	1228	}
625		1229
626	# default implementation for ->child	1230	# default implementation for ->child
627		1231
628	our %PID_CB;	1232	our %PID_CB;
629	our $CHLD_W;	1233	our $CHLD_W;
630	our $CHLD_DELAY_W;	1234	our $CHLD_DELAY_W;
631	our $PID_IDLE;
632	our $WNOHANG;	1235	our $WNOHANG;
633		1236
634	sub _child_wait {	1237	sub _sigchld {
635	while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {	1238	while (0 < (my $pid = waitpid -1, $WNOHANG)) {
636	$_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }),	1239	$_->($pid, $?) for (values %{ $PID_CB{$pid} || {} }),
637	(values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} });	1240	(values %{ $PID_CB{0} || {} });
638	}	1241	}
639
640	undef $PID_IDLE;
641	}
642
643	sub _sigchld {
644	# make sure we deliver these changes "synchronous" with the event loop.
645	$CHLD_DELAY_W ||= AnyEvent->timer (after => 0, cb => sub {
646	undef $CHLD_DELAY_W;
647	&_child_wait;
648	});
649	}	1242	}
650		1243
651	sub child {	1244	sub child {
652	my (undef, %arg) = @_;	1245	my (undef, %arg) = @_;
653		1246
654	defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)	1247	defined (my $pid = $arg{pid} + 0)
655	or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";	1248	or Carp::croak "required option 'pid' is missing";
656		1249
657	$PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};	1250	$PID_CB{$pid}{$arg{cb}} = $arg{cb};
658		1251
659	unless ($WNOHANG) {
660	$WNOHANG = eval { require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;	1252	$WNOHANG ||= eval { local $SIG{__DIE__}; require POSIX; &POSIX::WNOHANG } || 1;
661	}
662		1253
663	unless ($CHLD_W) {	1254	unless ($CHLD_W) {
664	$CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);	1255	$CHLD_W = AnyEvent->signal (signal => 'CHLD', cb => \&_sigchld);
665	# child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round	1256	# child could be a zombie already, so make at least one round
666	&_sigchld;	1257	&_sigchld;
667	}	1258	}
668		1259
669	bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::Child"	1260	bless [$pid, $arg{cb}], "AnyEvent::Base::child"
670	}	1261	}
671		1262
672	sub AnyEvent::Base::Child::DESTROY {	1263	sub AnyEvent::Base::child::DESTROY {
673	my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};	1264	my ($pid, $cb) = @{$_[0]};
674		1265
675	delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};	1266	delete $PID_CB{$pid}{$cb};
676	delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };	1267	delete $PID_CB{$pid} unless keys %{ $PID_CB{$pid} };
677		1268
678	undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;	1269	undef $CHLD_W unless keys %PID_CB;
679	}	1270	}
		1271
		1272	# idle emulation is done by simply using a timer, regardless
		1273	# of whether the process is idle or not, and not letting
		1274	# the callback use more than 50% of the time.
		1275	sub idle {
		1276	my (undef, %arg) = @_;
		1277
		1278	my ($cb, $w, $rcb) = $arg{cb};
		1279
		1280	$rcb = sub {
		1281	if ($cb) {
		1282	$w = _time;
		1283	&$cb;
		1284	$w = _time - $w;
		1285
		1286	# never use more then 50% of the time for the idle watcher,
		1287	# within some limits
		1288	$w = 0.0001 if $w < 0.0001;
		1289	$w = 5 if $w > 5;
		1290
		1291	$w = AnyEvent->timer (after => $w, cb => $rcb);
		1292	} else {
		1293	# clean up...
		1294	undef $w;
		1295	undef $rcb;
		1296	}
		1297	};
		1298
		1299	$w = AnyEvent->timer (after => 0.05, cb => $rcb);
		1300
		1301	bless \\$cb, "AnyEvent::Base::idle"
		1302	}
		1303
		1304	sub AnyEvent::Base::idle::DESTROY {
		1305	undef $${$_[0]};
		1306	}
		1307
		1308	package AnyEvent::CondVar;
		1309
		1310	our @ISA = AnyEvent::CondVar::Base::;
		1311
		1312	package AnyEvent::CondVar::Base;
		1313
		1314	use overload
		1315	'&{}' => sub { my $self = shift; sub { $self->send (@_) } },
		1316	fallback => 1;
		1317
		1318	sub _send {
		1319	# nop
		1320	}
		1321
		1322	sub send {
		1323	my $cv = shift;
		1324	$cv->{_ae_sent} = [@_];
		1325	(delete $cv->{_ae_cb})->($cv) if $cv->{_ae_cb};
		1326	$cv->_send;
		1327	}
		1328
		1329	sub croak {
		1330	$_[0]{_ae_croak} = $_[1];
		1331	$_[0]->send;
		1332	}
		1333
		1334	sub ready {
		1335	$_[0]{_ae_sent}
		1336	}
		1337
		1338	sub _wait {
		1339	AnyEvent->one_event while !$_[0]{_ae_sent};
		1340	}
		1341
		1342	sub recv {
		1343	$_[0]->_wait;
		1344
		1345	Carp::croak $_[0]{_ae_croak} if $_[0]{_ae_croak};
		1346	wantarray ? @{ $_[0]{_ae_sent} } : $_[0]{_ae_sent}[0]
		1347	}
		1348
		1349	sub cb {
		1350	$_[0]{_ae_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
		1351	$_[0]{_ae_cb}
		1352	}
		1353
		1354	sub begin {
		1355	++$_[0]{_ae_counter};
		1356	$_[0]{_ae_end_cb} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
		1357	}
		1358
		1359	sub end {
		1360	return if --$_[0]{_ae_counter};
		1361	&{ $_[0]{_ae_end_cb} || sub { $_[0]->send } };
		1362	}
		1363
		1364	# undocumented/compatibility with pre-3.4
		1365	*broadcast = \&send;
		1366	*wait = \&_wait;
		1367
		1368	=head1 ERROR AND EXCEPTION HANDLING
		1369
		1370	In general, AnyEvent does not do any error handling - it relies on the
		1371	caller to do that if required. The L<AnyEvent::Strict> module (see also
		1372	the C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT> environment variable, below) provides strict
		1373	checking of all AnyEvent methods, however, which is highly useful during
		1374	development.
		1375
		1376	As for exception handling (i.e. runtime errors and exceptions thrown while
		1377	executing a callback), this is not only highly event-loop specific, but
		1378	also not in any way wrapped by this module, as this is the job of the main
		1379	program.
		1380
		1381	The pure perl event loop simply re-throws the exception (usually
		1382	within C<< condvar->recv >>), the L<Event> and L<EV> modules call C<<
		1383	$Event/EV::DIED->() >>, L<Glib> uses C<< install_exception_handler >> and
		1384	so on.
		1385
		1386	=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
		1387
		1388	The following environment variables are used by this module or its
		1389	submodules.
		1390
		1391	Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
		1392	C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
		1393	enabled.
		1394
		1395	=over 4
		1396
		1397	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
		1398
		1399	By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
		1400	conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
		1401	talkative.
		1402
		1403	When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
		1404	conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
		1405	C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
		1406
		1407	When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
		1408	model it chooses.
		1409
		1410	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT>
		1411
		1412	AnyEvent does not do much argument checking by default, as thorough
		1413	argument checking is very costly. Setting this variable to a true value
		1414	will cause AnyEvent to load C<AnyEvent::Strict> and then to thoroughly
		1415	check the arguments passed to most method calls. If it finds any problems,
		1416	it will croak.
		1417
		1418	In other words, enables "strict" mode.
		1419
		1420	Unlike C<use strict>, it is definitely recommended to keep it off in
		1421	production. Keeping C<PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT=1> in your environment while
		1422	developing programs can be very useful, however.
		1423
		1424	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
		1425
		1426	This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
		1427	auto detection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
		1428	entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
		1429	and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
		1430	used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
		1431	auto detection and -probing.
		1432
		1433	This functionality might change in future versions.
		1434
		1435	For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
		1436	could start your program like this:
		1437
		1438	PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
		1439
		1440	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS>
		1441
		1442	Used by both L<AnyEvent::DNS> and L<AnyEvent::Socket> to determine preferences
		1443	for IPv4 or IPv6. The default is unspecified (and might change, or be the result
		1444	of auto probing).
		1445
		1446	Must be set to a comma-separated list of protocols or address families,
		1447	current supported: C<ipv4> and C<ipv6>. Only protocols mentioned will be
		1448	used, and preference will be given to protocols mentioned earlier in the
		1449	list.
		1450
		1451	This variable can effectively be used for denial-of-service attacks
		1452	against local programs (e.g. when setuid), although the impact is likely
		1453	small, as the program has to handle conenction and other failures anyways.
		1454
		1455	Examples: C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4,ipv6> - prefer IPv4 over IPv6,
		1456	but support both and try to use both. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv4>
		1457	- only support IPv4, never try to resolve or contact IPv6
		1458	addresses. C<PERL_ANYEVENT_PROTOCOLS=ipv6,ipv4> support either IPv4 or
		1459	IPv6, but prefer IPv6 over IPv4.
		1460
		1461	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_EDNS0>
		1462
		1463	Used by L<AnyEvent::DNS> to decide whether to use the EDNS0 extension
		1464	for DNS. This extension is generally useful to reduce DNS traffic, but
		1465	some (broken) firewalls drop such DNS packets, which is why it is off by
		1466	default.
		1467
		1468	Setting this variable to C<1> will cause L<AnyEvent::DNS> to announce
		1469	EDNS0 in its DNS requests.
		1470
		1471	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MAX_FORKS>
		1472
		1473	The maximum number of child processes that C<AnyEvent::Util::fork_call>
		1474	will create in parallel.
		1475
		1476	=back
680		1477
681	=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE	1478	=head1 SUPPLYING YOUR OWN EVENT MODEL INTERFACE
682		1479
683	This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in	1480	This is an advanced topic that you do not normally need to use AnyEvent in
684	a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to	1481	a module. This section is only of use to event loop authors who want to
…		…
718		1515
719	I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to	1516	I<rxvt-unicode> also cheats a bit by not providing blocking access to
720	condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will	1517	condition variables: code blocking while waiting for a condition will
721	C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must	1518	C<die>. This still works with most modules/usages, and blocking calls must
722	not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.	1519	not be done in an interactive application, so it makes sense.
723
724	=head1 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
725
726	The following environment variables are used by this module:
727
728	=over 4
729
730	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE>
731
732	By default, AnyEvent will be completely silent except in fatal
733	conditions. You can set this environment variable to make AnyEvent more
734	talkative.
735
736	When set to C<1> or higher, causes AnyEvent to warn about unexpected
737	conditions, such as not being able to load the event model specified by
738	C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>.
739
740	When set to C<2> or higher, cause AnyEvent to report to STDERR which event
741	model it chooses.
742
743	=item C<PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL>
744
745	This can be used to specify the event model to be used by AnyEvent, before
746	autodetection and -probing kicks in. It must be a string consisting
747	entirely of ASCII letters. The string C<AnyEvent::Impl::> gets prepended
748	and the resulting module name is loaded and if the load was successful,
749	used as event model. If it fails to load AnyEvent will proceed with
750	autodetection and -probing.
751
752	This functionality might change in future versions.
753
754	For example, to force the pure perl model (L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>) you
755	could start your program like this:
756
757	PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL=Perl perl ...
758
759	=back
760		1520
761	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM	1521	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
762		1522
763	The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer	1523	The following program uses an I/O watcher to read data from STDIN, a timer
764	to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the	1524	to display a message once per second, and a condition variable to quit the
…		…
773	poll => 'r',	1533	poll => 'r',
774	cb => sub {	1534	cb => sub {
775	warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>	1535	warn "io event <$_[0]>\n"; # will always output <r>
776	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line	1536	chomp (my $input = <STDIN>); # read a line
777	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read	1537	warn "read: $input\n"; # output what has been read
778	$cv->broadcast if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i	1538	$cv->send if $input =~ /^q/i; # quit program if /^q/i
779	},	1539	},
780	);	1540	);
781		1541
782	my $time_watcher; # can only be used once	1542	my $time_watcher; # can only be used once
783		1543
…		…
788	});	1548	});
789	}	1549	}
790		1550
791	new_timer; # create first timer	1551	new_timer; # create first timer
792		1552
793	$cv->wait; # wait until user enters /^q/i	1553	$cv->recv; # wait until user enters /^q/i
794		1554
795	=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE	1555	=head1 REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
796		1556
797	Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following	1557	Consider the L<Net::FCP> module. It features (among others) the following
798	API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:	1558	API calls, which are to freenet what HTTP GET requests are to http:
…		…
848	syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}	1608	syswrite $txn->{fh}, $txn->{request}
849	or die "connection or write error";	1609	or die "connection or write error";
850	$txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });	1610	$txn->{w} = AnyEvent->io (fh => $txn->{fh}, poll => 'r', cb => sub { $txn->fh_ready_r });
851		1611
852	Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the	1612	Again, C<fh_ready_r> waits till all data has arrived, and then stores the
853	result and signals any possible waiters that the request ahs finished:	1613	result and signals any possible waiters that the request has finished:
854		1614
855	sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};	1615	sysread $txn->{fh}, $txn->{buf}, length $txn->{$buf};
856		1616
857	if (end-of-file or data complete) {	1617	if (end-of-file or data complete) {
858	$txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};	1618	$txn->{result} = $txn->{buf};
859	$txn->{finished}->broadcast;	1619	$txn->{finished}->send;
860	$txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback	1620	$txb->{cb}->($txn) of $txn->{cb}; # also call callback
861	}	1621	}
862		1622
863	The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the	1623	The C<result> method, finally, just waits for the finished signal (if the
864	request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the	1624	request was already finished, it doesn't wait, of course, and returns the
865	data:	1625	data:
866		1626
867	$txn->{finished}->wait;	1627	$txn->{finished}->recv;
868	return $txn->{result};	1628	return $txn->{result};
869		1629
870	The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)	1630	The actual code goes further and collects all errors (C<die>s, exceptions)
871	that occured during request processing. The C<result> method detects	1631	that occurred during request processing. The C<result> method detects
872	whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)	1632	whether an exception as thrown (it is stored inside the $txn object)
873	and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other	1633	and just throws the exception, which means connection errors and other
874	problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a	1634	problems get reported tot he code that tries to use the result, not in a
875	random callback.	1635	random callback.
876		1636
…		…
907		1667
908	my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;	1668	my $quit = AnyEvent->condvar;
909		1669
910	$fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {	1670	$fcp->txn_client_get ($url)->cb (sub {
911	...	1671	...
912	$quit->broadcast;	1672	$quit->send;
913	});	1673	});
914		1674
915	$quit->wait;	1675	$quit->recv;
916		1676
917		1677
918	=head1 BENCHMARKS	1678	=head1 BENCHMARKS
919		1679
920	To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds	1680	To give you an idea of the performance and overheads that AnyEvent adds
…		…
922	of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.	1682	of various event loops I prepared some benchmarks.
923		1683
924	=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD	1684	=head2 BENCHMARKING ANYEVENT OVERHEAD
925		1685
926	Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and	1686	Here is a benchmark of various supported event models used natively and
927	through anyevent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero	1687	through AnyEvent. The benchmark creates a lot of timers (with a zero
928	timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,	1688	timeout) and I/O watchers (watching STDOUT, a pty, to become writable,
929	which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.	1689	which it is), lets them fire exactly once and destroys them again.
930		1690
931	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent	1691	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench> in the AnyEvent
932	distribution.	1692	distribution.
…		…
949	all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation	1709	all watchers, to avoid adding memory overhead. That means closure creation
950	and memory usage is not included in the figures.	1710	and memory usage is not included in the figures.
951		1711
952	I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple	1712	I<invoke> is the time, in microseconds, used to invoke a simple
953	callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was	1713	callback. The callback simply counts down a Perl variable and after it was
954	invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->broadcast >> a condvar once to	1714	invoked "watcher" times, it would C<< ->send >> a condvar once to
955	signal the end of this phase.	1715	signal the end of this phase.
956		1716
957	I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single	1717	I<destroy> is the time, in microseconds, that it takes to destroy a single
958	watcher.	1718	watcher.
959		1719
960	=head3 Results	1720	=head3 Results
961		1721
962	name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment	1722	name watchers bytes create invoke destroy comment
963	EV/EV 400000 244 0.56 0.46 0.31 EV native interface	1723	EV/EV 400000 224 0.47 0.35 0.27 EV native interface
964	EV/Any 100000 244 2.50 0.46 0.29 EV + AnyEvent watchers	1724	EV/Any 100000 224 2.88 0.34 0.27 EV + AnyEvent watchers
965	CoroEV/Any 100000 244 2.49 0.44 0.29 coroutines + Coro::Signal	1725	CoroEV/Any 100000 224 2.85 0.35 0.28 coroutines + Coro::Signal
966	Perl/Any 100000 513 4.92 0.87 1.12 pure perl implementation	1726	Perl/Any 100000 452 4.13 0.73 0.95 pure perl implementation
967	Event/Event 16000 516 31.88 31.30 0.85 Event native interface	1727	Event/Event 16000 517 32.20 31.80 0.81 Event native interface
968	Event/Any 16000 590 35.75 31.42 1.08 Event + AnyEvent watchers	1728	Event/Any 16000 590 35.85 31.55 1.06 Event + AnyEvent watchers
		1729	IOAsync/Any 16000 989 38.10 32.77 11.13 via IO::Async::Loop::IO_Poll
		1730	IOAsync/Any 16000 990 37.59 29.50 10.61 via IO::Async::Loop::Epoll
969	Glib/Any 16000 1357 98.22 12.41 54.00 quadratic behaviour	1731	Glib/Any 16000 1357 102.33 12.31 51.00 quadratic behaviour
970	Tk/Any 2000 1860 26.97 67.98 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers	1732	Tk/Any 2000 1860 27.20 66.31 14.00 SEGV with >> 2000 watchers
971	POE/Event 2000 6644 108.64 736.02 14.73 via POE::Loop::Event	1733	POE/Event 2000 6328 109.99 751.67 14.02 via POE::Loop::Event
972	POE/Select 2000 6343 94.13 809.12 565.96 via POE::Loop::Select	1734	POE/Select 2000 6027 94.54 809.13 579.80 via POE::Loop::Select
973		1735
974	=head3 Discussion	1736	=head3 Discussion
975		1737
976	The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very	1738	The benchmark does I<not> measure scalability of the event loop very
977	well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)	1739	well. For example, a select-based event loop (such as the pure perl one)
…		…
1002	performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of	1764	performance becomes really bad with lots of file descriptors (and few of
1003	them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.	1765	them active), of course, but this was not subject of this benchmark.
1004		1766
1005	The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation	1767	The C<Event> module has a relatively high setup and callback invocation
1006	cost, but overall scores in on the third place.	1768	cost, but overall scores in on the third place.
		1769
		1770	C<IO::Async> performs admirably well, about on par with C<Event>, even
		1771	when using its pure perl backend.
1007		1772
1008	C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a	1773	C<Glib>'s memory usage is quite a bit higher, but it features a
1009	faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as	1774	faster callback invocation and overall ends up in the same class as
1010	C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of	1775	C<Event>. However, Glib scales extremely badly, doubling the number of
1011	watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,	1776	watchers increases the processing time by more than a factor of four,
…		…
1019	file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()	1784	file descriptor is dup()ed for each watcher. This shows that the dup()
1020	employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a	1785	employed by some adaptors is not a big performance issue (it does incur a
1021	hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures	1786	hidden memory cost inside the kernel which is not reflected in the figures
1022	above).	1787	above).
1023		1788
1024	C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure	1789	C<POE>, regardless of underlying event loop (whether using its pure perl
1025	perl select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend	1790	select-based backend or the Event module, the POE-EV backend couldn't
1026	couldn't be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance	1791	be tested because it wasn't working) shows abysmal performance and
1027	and memory usage: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory as	1792	memory usage with AnyEvent: Watchers use almost 30 times as much memory
1028	EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory	1793	as EV watchers, and 10 times as much memory as Event (the high memory
1029	requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher	1794	requirements are caused by requiring a session for each watcher). Watcher
1030	invocation speed is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl	1795	invocation speed is almost 900 times slower than with AnyEvent's pure perl
		1796	implementation.
		1797
1031	implementation. The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not	1798	The design of the POE adaptor class in AnyEvent can not really account
1032	really account for this, as session creation overhead is small compared	1799	for the performance issues, though, as session creation overhead is
1033	to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty optimally within	1800	small compared to execution of the state machine, which is coded pretty
1034	L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>. POE simply seems to be abysmally slow.	1801	optimally within L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE> (and while everybody agrees that
		1802	using multiple sessions is not a good approach, especially regarding
		1803	memory usage, even the author of POE could not come up with a faster
		1804	design).
1035		1805
1036	=head3 Summary	1806	=head3 Summary
1037		1807
1038	=over 4	1808	=over 4
1039		1809
…		…
1050		1820
1051	=back	1821	=back
1052		1822
1053	=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE	1823	=head2 BENCHMARKING THE LARGE SERVER CASE
1054		1824
1055	This benchmark atcually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by	1825	This benchmark actually benchmarks the event loop itself. It works by
1056	creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socketpair, a	1826	creating a number of "servers": each server consists of a socket pair, a
1057	timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O	1827	timeout watcher that gets reset on activity (but never fires), and an I/O
1058	watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket	1828	watcher waiting for input on one side of the socket. Each time the socket
1059	watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".	1829	watcher reads a byte it will write that byte to a random other "server".
1060		1830
1061	The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which	1831	The effect is that there will be a lot of I/O watchers, only part of which
1062	are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active	1832	are active at any one point (so there is a constant number of active
1063	fds for each loop iterstaion, but which fds these are is random). The	1833	fds for each loop iteration, but which fds these are is random). The
1064	timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how	1834	timeout is reset each time something is read because that reflects how
1065	most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).	1835	most timeouts work (and puts extra pressure on the event loops).
1066		1836
1067	In this benchmark, we use 10000 socketpairs (20000 sockets), of which 100	1837	In this benchmark, we use 10000 socket pairs (20000 sockets), of which 100
1068	(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many	1838	(1%) are active. This mirrors the activity of large servers with many
1069	connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.	1839	connections, most of which are idle at any one point in time.
1070		1840
1071	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent	1841	Source code for this benchmark is found as F<eg/bench2> in the AnyEvent
1072	distribution.	1842	distribution.
…		…
1074	=head3 Explanation of the columns	1844	=head3 Explanation of the columns
1075		1845
1076	I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as	1846	I<sockets> is the number of sockets, and twice the number of "servers" (as
1077	each server has a read and write socket end).	1847	each server has a read and write socket end).
1078		1848
1079	I<create> is the time it takes to create a socketpair (which is	1849	I<create> is the time it takes to create a socket pair (which is
1080	nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.	1850	nontrivial) and two watchers: an I/O watcher and a timeout watcher.
1081		1851
1082	I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a	1852	I<request>, the most important value, is the time it takes to handle a
1083	single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding	1853	single "request", that is, reading the token from the pipe and forwarding
1084	it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating	1854	it to another server. This includes deleting the old timeout and creating
1085	a new one that moves the timeout into the future.	1855	a new one that moves the timeout into the future.
1086		1856
1087	=head3 Results	1857	=head3 Results
1088		1858
1089	name sockets create request	1859	name sockets create request
1090	EV 20000 69.01 11.16	1860	EV 20000 69.01 11.16
1091	Perl 20000 75.28 112.76	1861	Perl 20000 73.32 35.87
		1862	IOAsync 20000 157.00 98.14 epoll
		1863	IOAsync 20000 159.31 616.06 poll
1092	Event 20000 212.62 257.32	1864	Event 20000 212.62 257.32
1093	Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30	1865	Glib 20000 651.16 1896.30
1094	POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event	1866	POE 20000 349.67 12317.24 uses POE::Loop::Event
1095		1867
1096	=head3 Discussion	1868	=head3 Discussion
1097		1869
1098	This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the	1870	This benchmark I<does> measure scalability and overall performance of the
1099	particular event loop.	1871	particular event loop.
…		…
1101	EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time	1873	EV is again fastest. Since it is using epoll on my system, the setup time
1102	is relatively high, though.	1874	is relatively high, though.
1103		1875
1104	Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event	1876	Perl surprisingly comes second. It is much faster than the C-based event
1105	loops Event and Glib.	1877	loops Event and Glib.
		1878
		1879	IO::Async performs very well when using its epoll backend, and still quite
		1880	good compared to Glib when using its pure perl backend.
1106		1881
1107	Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will	1882	Event suffers from high setup time as well (look at its code and you will
1108	understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to	1883	understand why). Callback invocation also has a high overhead compared to
1109	the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event	1884	the C<< $_->() for .. >>-style loop that the Perl event loop uses. Event
1110	uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.	1885	uses select or poll in basically all documented configurations.
…		…
1118		1893
1119	=head3 Summary	1894	=head3 Summary
1120		1895
1121	=over 4	1896	=over 4
1122		1897
1123	=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well, considering	1898	=item * The pure perl implementation performs extremely well.
1124	that it uses select.
1125		1899
1126	=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.	1900	=item * Avoid Glib or POE in large projects where performance matters.
1127		1901
1128	=back	1902	=back
1129		1903
…		…
1142		1916
1143	=head3 Results	1917	=head3 Results
1144		1918
1145	name sockets create request	1919	name sockets create request
1146	EV 16 20.00 6.54	1920	EV 16 20.00 6.54
		1921	Perl 16 25.75 12.62
1147	Event 16 81.27 35.86	1922	Event 16 81.27 35.86
1148	Glib 16 32.63 15.48	1923	Glib 16 32.63 15.48
1149	Perl 16 24.62 162.37
1150	POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event	1924	POE 16 261.87 276.28 uses POE::Loop::Event
1151		1925
1152	=head3 Discussion	1926	=head3 Discussion
1153		1927
1154	The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small	1928	The benchmark tries to test the performance of a typical small
…		…
1158	speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of	1932	speed most when you have lots of watchers, not when you only have a few of
1159	them).	1933	them).
1160		1934
1161	EV is again fastest.	1935	EV is again fastest.
1162		1936
1163	The C-based event loops Event and Glib come in second this time, as the	1937	Perl again comes second. It is noticeably faster than the C-based event
1164	overhead of running an iteration is much smaller in C than in Perl (little	1938	loops Event and Glib, although the difference is too small to really
1165	code to execute in the inner loop, and perl's function calling overhead is	1939	matter.
1166	high, and updating all the data structures is costly).
1167
1168	The pure perl event loop is much slower, but still competitive.
1169		1940
1170	POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the	1941	POE also performs much better in this case, but is is still far behind the
1171	others.	1942	others.
1172		1943
1173	=head3 Summary	1944	=head3 Summary
…		…
1177	=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of	1948	=item * C-based event loops perform very well with small number of
1178	watchers, as the management overhead dominates.	1949	watchers, as the management overhead dominates.
1179		1950
1180	=back	1951	=back
1181		1952
		1953	=head2 THE IO::Lambda BENCHMARK
		1954
		1955	Recently I was told about the benchmark in the IO::Lambda manpage, which
		1956	could be misinterpreted to make AnyEvent look bad. In fact, the benchmark
		1957	simply compares IO::Lambda with POE, and IO::Lambda looks better (which
		1958	shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody). As such, the benchmark is
		1959	fine, and mostly shows that the AnyEvent backend from IO::Lambda isn't
		1960	very optimal. But how would AnyEvent compare when used without the extra
		1961	baggage? To explore this, I wrote the equivalent benchmark for AnyEvent.
		1962
		1963	The benchmark itself creates an echo-server, and then, for 500 times,
		1964	connects to the echo server, sends a line, waits for the reply, and then
		1965	creates the next connection. This is a rather bad benchmark, as it doesn't
		1966	test the efficiency of the framework or much non-blocking I/O, but it is a
		1967	benchmark nevertheless.
		1968
		1969	name runtime
		1970	Lambda/select 0.330 sec
		1971	+ optimized 0.122 sec
		1972	Lambda/AnyEvent 0.327 sec
		1973	+ optimized 0.138 sec
		1974	Raw sockets/select 0.077 sec
		1975	POE/select, components 0.662 sec
		1976	POE/select, raw sockets 0.226 sec
		1977	POE/select, optimized 0.404 sec
		1978
		1979	AnyEvent/select/nb 0.085 sec
		1980	AnyEvent/EV/nb 0.068 sec
		1981	+state machine 0.134 sec
		1982
		1983	The benchmark is also a bit unfair (my fault): the IO::Lambda/POE
		1984	benchmarks actually make blocking connects and use 100% blocking I/O,
		1985	defeating the purpose of an event-based solution. All of the newly
		1986	written AnyEvent benchmarks use 100% non-blocking connects (using
		1987	AnyEvent::Socket::tcp_connect and the asynchronous pure perl DNS
		1988	resolver), so AnyEvent is at a disadvantage here, as non-blocking connects
		1989	generally require a lot more bookkeeping and event handling than blocking
		1990	connects (which involve a single syscall only).
		1991
		1992	The last AnyEvent benchmark additionally uses L<AnyEvent::Handle>, which
		1993	offers similar expressive power as POE and IO::Lambda, using conventional
		1994	Perl syntax. This means that both the echo server and the client are 100%
		1995	non-blocking, further placing it at a disadvantage.
		1996
		1997	As you can see, the AnyEvent + EV combination even beats the
		1998	hand-optimised "raw sockets benchmark", while AnyEvent + its pure perl
		1999	backend easily beats IO::Lambda and POE.
		2000
		2001	And even the 100% non-blocking version written using the high-level (and
		2002	slow :) L<AnyEvent::Handle> abstraction beats both POE and IO::Lambda by a
		2003	large margin, even though it does all of DNS, tcp-connect and socket I/O
		2004	in a non-blocking way.
		2005
		2006	The two AnyEvent benchmarks programs can be found as F<eg/ae0.pl> and
		2007	F<eg/ae2.pl> in the AnyEvent distribution, the remaining benchmarks are
		2008	part of the IO::lambda distribution and were used without any changes.
		2009
		2010
		2011	=head1 SIGNALS
		2012
		2013	AnyEvent currently installs handlers for these signals:
		2014
		2015	=over 4
		2016
		2017	=item SIGCHLD
		2018
		2019	A handler for C<SIGCHLD> is installed by AnyEvent's child watcher
		2020	emulation for event loops that do not support them natively. Also, some
		2021	event loops install a similar handler.
		2022
		2023	If, when AnyEvent is loaded, SIGCHLD is set to IGNORE, then AnyEvent will
		2024	reset it to default, to avoid losing child exit statuses.
		2025
		2026	=item SIGPIPE
		2027
		2028	A no-op handler is installed for C<SIGPIPE> when C<$SIG{PIPE}> is C<undef>
		2029	when AnyEvent gets loaded.
		2030
		2031	The rationale for this is that AnyEvent users usually do not really depend
		2032	on SIGPIPE delivery (which is purely an optimisation for shell use, or
		2033	badly-written programs), but C<SIGPIPE> can cause spurious and rare
		2034	program exits as a lot of people do not expect C<SIGPIPE> when writing to
		2035	some random socket.
		2036
		2037	The rationale for installing a no-op handler as opposed to ignoring it is
		2038	that this way, the handler will be restored to defaults on exec.
		2039
		2040	Feel free to install your own handler, or reset it to defaults.
		2041
		2042	=back
		2043
		2044	=cut
		2045
		2046	undef $SIG{CHLD}
		2047	if $SIG{CHLD} eq 'IGNORE';
		2048
		2049	$SIG{PIPE} = sub { }
		2050	unless defined $SIG{PIPE};
1182		2051
1183	=head1 FORK	2052	=head1 FORK
1184		2053
1185	Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are	2054	Most event libraries are not fork-safe. The ones who are usually are
1186	because they are so inefficient. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.	2055	because they rely on inefficient but fork-safe C<select> or C<poll>
		2056	calls. Only L<EV> is fully fork-aware.
1187		2057
1188	If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first	2058	If you have to fork, you must either do so I<before> creating your first
1189	watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.	2059	watcher OR you must not use AnyEvent at all in the child.
1190		2060
1191		2061
…		…
1199	specified in the variable.	2069	specified in the variable.
1200		2070
1201	You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it	2071	You can make AnyEvent completely ignore this variable by deleting it
1202	before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a C<BEGIN> block:	2072	before the first watcher gets created, e.g. with a C<BEGIN> block:
1203		2073
1204	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }	2074	BEGIN { delete $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL} }
1205		2075
1206	use AnyEvent;	2076	use AnyEvent;
		2077
		2078	Similar considerations apply to $ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_VERBOSE}, as that can
		2079	be used to probe what backend is used and gain other information (which is
		2080	probably even less useful to an attacker than PERL_ANYEVENT_MODEL), and
		2081	$ENV{PERL_ANYEVENT_STRICT}.
		2082
		2083	Note that AnyEvent will remove I<all> environment variables starting with
		2084	C<PERL_ANYEVENT_> from C<%ENV> when it is loaded while taint mode is
		2085	enabled.
		2086
		2087
		2088	=head1 BUGS
		2089
		2090	Perl 5.8 has numerous memleaks that sometimes hit this module and are hard
		2091	to work around. If you suffer from memleaks, first upgrade to Perl 5.10
		2092	and check wether the leaks still show up. (Perl 5.10.0 has other annoying
		2093	memleaks, such as leaking on C<map> and C<grep> but it is usually not as
		2094	pronounced).
1207		2095
1208		2096
1209	=head1 SEE ALSO	2097	=head1 SEE ALSO
1210		2098
1211	Event modules: L<Coro::EV>, L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>,	2099	Utility functions: L<AnyEvent::Util>.
1212	L<Coro::Event>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>, L<Glib>, L<Coro>, L<Tk>,	2100
		2101	Event modules: L<EV>, L<EV::Glib>, L<Glib::EV>, L<Event>, L<Glib::Event>,
1213	L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.	2102	L<Glib>, L<Tk>, L<Event::Lib>, L<Qt>, L<POE>.
1214		2103
1215	Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>,	2104	Implementations: L<AnyEvent::Impl::EV>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>,
1216	L<AnyEvent::Impl::CoroEvent>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Event>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>,	2105	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Glib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>,
1217	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Tk>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Perl>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>,	2106	L<AnyEvent::Impl::EventLib>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>,
1218	L<AnyEvent::Impl::Qt>, L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.	2107	L<AnyEvent::Impl::POE>.
1219		2108
		2109	Non-blocking file handles, sockets, TCP clients and
		2110	servers: L<AnyEvent::Handle>, L<AnyEvent::Socket>.
		2111
		2112	Asynchronous DNS: L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
		2113
		2114	Coroutine support: L<Coro>, L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>,
		2115
1220	Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>.	2116	Nontrivial usage examples: L<Net::FCP>, L<Net::XMPP2>, L<AnyEvent::DNS>.
1221		2117
1222		2118
1223	=head1 AUTHOR	2119	=head1 AUTHOR
1224		2120
1225	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>	2121	Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
1226	http://home.schmorp.de/	2122	http://home.schmorp.de/
1227		2123
1228	=cut	2124	=cut
1229		2125
1230	1	2126	1
1231		2127

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