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Revision 1.52 by root, Tue May 27 00:26:34 2003 UTC vs.
Revision 1.226 by root, Wed Nov 19 16:01:32 2008 UTC

2 2
3Coro - coroutine process abstraction 3Coro - coroutine process abstraction
4 4
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 5=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 6
7 use Coro; 7 use Coro;
8 8
9 async { 9 async {
10 # some asynchronous thread of execution 10 # some asynchronous thread of execution
11 print "2\n";
12 cede; # yield back to main
13 print "4\n";
11 }; 14 };
12 15 print "1\n";
13 # alternatively create an async process like this: 16 cede; # yield to coroutine
14 17 print "3\n";
15 sub some_func : Coro { 18 cede; # and again
16 # some more async code 19
17 } 20 # use locking
18 21 use Coro::Semaphore;
19 cede; 22 my $lock = new Coro::Semaphore;
23 my $locked;
24
25 $lock->down;
26 $locked = 1;
27 $lock->up;
20 28
21=head1 DESCRIPTION 29=head1 DESCRIPTION
22 30
23This module collection manages coroutines. Coroutines are similar to 31This module collection manages coroutines. Coroutines are similar to
24threads but don't run in parallel. 32threads but don't (in general) run in parallel at the same time even
33on SMP machines. The specific flavor of coroutine used in this module
34also guarantees you that it will not switch between coroutines unless
35necessary, at easily-identified points in your program, so locking and
36parallel access are rarely an issue, making coroutine programming much
37safer and easier than threads programming.
25 38
39Unlike a normal perl program, however, coroutines allow you to have
40multiple running interpreters that share data, which is especially useful
41to code pseudo-parallel processes and for event-based programming, such as
42multiple HTTP-GET requests running concurrently. See L<Coro::AnyEvent> to
43learn more.
44
45Coroutines are also useful because Perl has no support for threads (the so
46called "threads" that perl offers are nothing more than the (bad) process
47emulation coming from the Windows platform: On standard operating systems
48they serve no purpose whatsoever, except by making your programs slow and
49making them use a lot of memory. Best disable them when building perl, or
50aks your software vendor/distributor to do it for you).
51
26In this module, coroutines are defined as "callchain + lexical variables 52In this module, coroutines are defined as "callchain + lexical variables +
27+ @_ + $_ + $@ + $^W + C stack), that is, a coroutine has it's own 53@_ + $_ + $@ + $/ + C stack), that is, a coroutine has its own callchain,
28callchain, it's own set of lexicals and it's own set of perl's most 54its own set of lexicals and its own set of perls most important global
29important global variables. 55variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration).
30 56
31=cut 57=cut
32 58
33package Coro; 59package Coro;
34 60
61use strict qw(vars subs);
35no warnings qw(uninitialized); 62no warnings "uninitialized";
36 63
37use Coro::State; 64use Coro::State;
38 65
39use base Exporter; 66use base qw(Coro::State Exporter);
40 67
41$VERSION = 0.652; 68our $idle; # idle handler
69our $main; # main coroutine
70our $current; # current coroutine
42 71
72our $VERSION = 5.0;
73
43@EXPORT = qw(async cede schedule terminate current); 74our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub);
44%EXPORT_TAGS = ( 75our %EXPORT_TAGS = (
45 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)], 76 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)],
46); 77);
47@EXPORT_OK = @{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}; 78our @EXPORT_OK = (@{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}, qw(nready));
48
49{
50 my @async;
51 my $init;
52
53 # this way of handling attributes simply is NOT scalable ;()
54 sub import {
55 Coro->export_to_level(1, @_);
56 my $old = *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"}{CODE};
57 *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"} = sub {
58 my ($package, $ref) = (shift, shift);
59 my @attrs;
60 for (@_) {
61 if ($_ eq "Coro") {
62 push @async, $ref;
63 unless ($init++) {
64 eval q{
65 sub INIT {
66 &async(pop @async) while @async;
67 }
68 };
69 }
70 } else {
71 push @attrs, $_;
72 }
73 }
74 return $old ? $old->($package, $ref, @attrs) : @attrs;
75 };
76 }
77
78}
79 79
80=over 4 80=over 4
81 81
82=item $main 82=item $Coro::main
83 83
84This coroutine represents the main program. 84This variable stores the coroutine object that represents the main
85program. While you cna C<ready> it and do most other things you can do to
86coroutines, it is mainly useful to compare again C<$Coro::current>, to see
87whether you are running in the main program or not.
85 88
86=cut 89=cut
87 90
88our $main = new Coro; 91# $main is now being initialised by Coro::State
89 92
90=item $current (or as function: current) 93=item $Coro::current
91 94
92The current coroutine (the last coroutine switched to). The initial value is C<$main> (of course). 95The coroutine object representing the current coroutine (the last
96coroutine that the Coro scheduler switched to). The initial value is
97C<$Coro::main> (of course).
93 98
94=cut 99This variable is B<strictly> I<read-only>. You can take copies of the
100value stored in it and use it as any other coroutine object, but you must
101not otherwise modify the variable itself.
95 102
96# maybe some other module used Coro::Specific before... 103=cut
97if ($current) {
98 $main->{specific} = $current->{specific};
99}
100 104
101our $current = $main;
102
103sub current() { $current } 105sub current() { $current } # [DEPRECATED]
104 106
105=item $idle 107=item $Coro::idle
106 108
107The coroutine to switch to when no other coroutine is running. The default 109This variable is mainly useful to integrate Coro into event loops. It is
108implementation prints "FATAL: deadlock detected" and exits. 110usually better to rely on L<Coro::AnyEvent> or LC<Coro::EV>, as this is
111pretty low-level functionality.
109 112
110=cut 113This variable stores a callback that is called whenever the scheduler
114finds no ready coroutines to run. The default implementation prints
115"FATAL: deadlock detected" and exits, because the program has no other way
116to continue.
111 117
112# should be done using priorities :( 118This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::Timer> and
113our $idle = new Coro sub { 119C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wake up a
114 print STDERR "FATAL: deadlock detected\n"; 120coroutine so the scheduler can run it.
115 exit(51); 121
122Note that the callback I<must not>, under any circumstances, block
123the current coroutine. Normally, this is achieved by having an "idle
124coroutine" that calls the event loop and then blocks again, and then
125readying that coroutine in the idle handler.
126
127See L<Coro::Event> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this
128technique.
129
130Please note that if your callback recursively invokes perl (e.g. for event
131handlers), then it must be prepared to be called recursively itself.
132
133=cut
134
135$idle = sub {
136 require Carp;
137 Carp::croak ("FATAL: deadlock detected");
116}; 138};
139
140sub _cancel {
141 my ($self) = @_;
142
143 # free coroutine data and mark as destructed
144 $self->_destroy
145 or return;
146
147 # call all destruction callbacks
148 $_->(@{$self->{_status}})
149 for @{ delete $self->{_on_destroy} || [] };
150}
117 151
118# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine 152# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine
119# cannot destroy itself. 153# cannot destroy itself.
120my @destroy; 154our @destroy;
121my $manager; 155our $manager;
156
122$manager = new Coro sub { 157$manager = new Coro sub {
123 while() { 158 while () {
124 # by overwriting the state object with the manager we destroy it 159 (shift @destroy)->_cancel
125 # while still being able to schedule this coroutine (in case it has
126 # been readied multiple times. this is harmless since the manager
127 # can be called as many times as neccessary and will always
128 # remove itself from the runqueue
129 while (@destroy) { 160 while @destroy;
130 my $coro = pop @destroy; 161
131 $coro->{status} ||= [];
132 $_->ready for @{delete $coro->{join} || []};
133 $coro->{_coro_state} = $manager->{_coro_state};
134 }
135 &schedule; 162 &schedule;
136 } 163 }
137}; 164};
138 165$manager->{desc} = "[coro manager]";
139# static methods. not really. 166$manager->prio (PRIO_MAX);
140 167
141=back 168=back
142 169
143=head2 STATIC METHODS 170=head2 SIMPLE COROUTINE CREATION
144
145Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current process only.
146 171
147=over 4 172=over 4
148 173
149=item async { ... } [@args...] 174=item async { ... } [@args...]
150 175
151Create a new asynchronous process and return it's process object 176Create a new coroutine and return it's coroutine object (usually
152(usually unused). When the sub returns the new process is automatically 177unused). The coroutine will be put into the ready queue, so
178it will start running automatically on the next scheduler run.
179
180The first argument is a codeblock/closure that should be executed in the
181coroutine. When it returns argument returns the coroutine is automatically
153terminated. 182terminated.
154 183
184The remaining arguments are passed as arguments to the closure.
185
186See the C<Coro::State::new> constructor for info about the coroutine
187environment in which coroutines are executed.
188
189Calling C<exit> in a coroutine will do the same as calling exit outside
190the coroutine. Likewise, when the coroutine dies, the program will exit,
191just as it would in the main program.
192
193If you do not want that, you can provide a default C<die> handler, or
194simply avoid dieing (by use of C<eval>).
195
155 # create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments 196Example: Create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments.
197
156 async { 198 async {
157 print "@_\n"; 199 print "@_\n";
158 } 1,2,3,4; 200 } 1,2,3,4;
159 201
160The coderef you submit MUST NOT be a closure that refers to variables
161in an outer scope. This does NOT work. Pass arguments into it instead.
162
163=cut 202=cut
164 203
165sub async(&@) { 204sub async(&@) {
166 my $pid = new Coro @_; 205 my $coro = new Coro @_;
167 $manager->ready; # this ensures that the stack is cloned from the manager
168 $pid->ready; 206 $coro->ready;
169 $pid; 207 $coro
170} 208}
209
210=item async_pool { ... } [@args...]
211
212Similar to C<async>, but uses a coroutine pool, so you should not call
213terminate or join on it (although you are allowed to), and you get a
214coroutine that might have executed other code already (which can be good
215or bad :).
216
217On the plus side, this function is faster than creating (and destroying)
218a completly new coroutine, so if you need a lot of generic coroutines in
219quick successsion, use C<async_pool>, not C<async>.
220
221The code block is executed in an C<eval> context and a warning will be
222issued in case of an exception instead of terminating the program, as
223C<async> does. As the coroutine is being reused, stuff like C<on_destroy>
224will not work in the expected way, unless you call terminate or cancel,
225which somehow defeats the purpose of pooling (but is fine in the
226exceptional case).
227
228The priority will be reset to C<0> after each run, tracing will be
229disabled, the description will be reset and the default output filehandle
230gets restored, so you can change all these. Otherwise the coroutine will
231be re-used "as-is": most notably if you change other per-coroutine global
232stuff such as C<$/> you I<must needs> revert that change, which is most
233simply done by using local as in: C<< local $/ >>.
234
235The idle pool size is limited to C<8> idle coroutines (this can be
236adjusted by changing $Coro::POOL_SIZE), but there can be as many non-idle
237coros as required.
238
239If you are concerned about pooled coroutines growing a lot because a
240single C<async_pool> used a lot of stackspace you can e.g. C<async_pool
241{ terminate }> once per second or so to slowly replenish the pool. In
242addition to that, when the stacks used by a handler grows larger than 16kb
243(adjustable via $Coro::POOL_RSS) it will also be destroyed.
244
245=cut
246
247our $POOL_SIZE = 8;
248our $POOL_RSS = 16 * 1024;
249our @async_pool;
250
251sub pool_handler {
252 my $cb;
253
254 while () {
255 eval {
256 while () {
257 _pool_1 $cb;
258 &$cb;
259 _pool_2 $cb;
260 &schedule;
261 }
262 };
263
264 if ($@) {
265 last if $@ eq "\3async_pool terminate\2\n";
266 warn $@;
267 }
268 }
269}
270
271sub async_pool(&@) {
272 # this is also inlined into the unblock_scheduler
273 my $coro = (pop @async_pool) || new Coro \&pool_handler;
274
275 $coro->{_invoke} = [@_];
276 $coro->ready;
277
278 $coro
279}
280
281=back
282
283=head2 STATIC METHODS
284
285Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current coroutine.
286
287=over 4
171 288
172=item schedule 289=item schedule
173 290
174Calls the scheduler. Please note that the current process will not be put 291Calls the scheduler. The scheduler will find the next coroutine that is
292to be run from the ready queue and switches to it. The next coroutine
293to be run is simply the one with the highest priority that is longest
294in its ready queue. If there is no coroutine ready, it will clal the
295C<$Coro::idle> hook.
296
297Please note that the current coroutine will I<not> be put into the ready
175into the ready queue, so calling this function usually means you will 298queue, so calling this function usually means you will never be called
176never be called again. 299again unless something else (e.g. an event handler) calls C<< ->ready >>,
300thus waking you up.
177 301
178=cut 302This makes C<schedule> I<the> generic method to use to block the current
303coroutine and wait for events: first you remember the current coroutine in
304a variable, then arrange for some callback of yours to call C<< ->ready
305>> on that once some event happens, and last you call C<schedule> to put
306yourself to sleep. Note that a lot of things can wake your coroutine up,
307so you need to check whether the event indeed happened, e.g. by storing the
308status in a variable.
309
310See B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK>, below, for some ways to wait for callbacks.
179 311
180=item cede 312=item cede
181 313
182"Cede" to other processes. This function puts the current process into the 314"Cede" to other coroutines. This function puts the current coroutine into
183ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving up the 315the ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving
184current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher priority. 316up the current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher
317priority. Once your coroutine gets its turn again it will automatically be
318resumed.
185 319
186=cut 320This function is often called C<yield> in other languages.
321
322=item Coro::cede_notself
323
324Works like cede, but is not exported by default and will cede to I<any>
325coroutine, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure
326progress is made.
187 327
188=item terminate [arg...] 328=item terminate [arg...]
189 329
190Terminates the current process. 330Terminates the current coroutine with the given status values (see L<cancel>).
191 331
192Future versions of this function will allow result arguments. 332=item killall
333
334Kills/terminates/cancels all coroutines except the currently running
335one. This is useful after a fork, either in the child or the parent, as
336usually only one of them should inherit the running coroutines.
337
338Note that while this will try to free some of the main programs resources,
339you cannot free all of them, so if a coroutine that is not the main
340program calls this function, there will be some one-time resource leak.
193 341
194=cut 342=cut
195 343
196sub terminate { 344sub terminate {
197 $current->{status} = [@_]; 345 $current->{_status} = [@_];
198 $current->cancel; 346 push @destroy, $current;
199 &schedule; 347 $manager->ready;
200 die; # NORETURN 348 do { &schedule } while 1;
349}
350
351sub killall {
352 for (Coro::State::list) {
353 $_->cancel
354 if $_ != $current && UNIVERSAL::isa $_, "Coro";
355 }
201} 356}
202 357
203=back 358=back
204 359
205# dynamic methods
206
207=head2 PROCESS METHODS 360=head2 COROUTINE METHODS
208 361
209These are the methods you can call on process objects. 362These are the methods you can call on coroutine objects (or to create
363them).
210 364
211=over 4 365=over 4
212 366
213=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...] 367=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...]
214 368
215Create a new process and return it. When the sub returns the process 369Create a new coroutine and return it. When the sub returns, the coroutine
216automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were 370automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were
217called. To make the process run you must first put it into the ready queue 371called. To make the coroutine run you must first put it into the ready
218by calling the ready method. 372queue by calling the ready method.
219 373
220=cut 374See C<async> and C<Coro::State::new> for additional info about the
375coroutine environment.
221 376
222sub _newcoro { 377=cut
378
379sub _terminate {
223 terminate &{+shift}; 380 terminate &{+shift};
224} 381}
225 382
226sub new { 383=item $success = $coroutine->ready
227 my $class = shift;
228 bless {
229 _coro_state => (new Coro::State $_[0] && \&_newcoro, @_),
230 }, $class;
231}
232 384
233=item $process->ready 385Put the given coroutine into the end of its ready queue (there is one
386queue for each priority) and return true. If the coroutine is already in
387the ready queue, do nothing and return false.
234 388
235Put the given process into the ready queue. 389This ensures that the scheduler will resume this coroutine automatically
390once all the coroutines of higher priority and all coroutines of the same
391priority that were put into the ready queue earlier have been resumed.
236 392
237=cut 393=item $is_ready = $coroutine->is_ready
238 394
239=item $process->cancel 395Return whether the coroutine is currently the ready queue or not,
240 396
241Like C<terminate>, but terminates the specified process instead. 397=item $coroutine->cancel (arg...)
398
399Terminates the given coroutine and makes it return the given arguments as
400status (default: the empty list). Never returns if the coroutine is the
401current coroutine.
242 402
243=cut 403=cut
244 404
245sub cancel { 405sub cancel {
246 push @destroy, $_[0]; 406 my $self = shift;
247 $manager->ready;
248 &schedule if $current == $_[0];
249}
250 407
408 if ($current == $self) {
409 terminate @_;
410 } else {
411 $self->{_status} = [@_];
412 $self->_cancel;
413 }
414}
415
416=item $coroutine->throw ([$scalar])
417
418If C<$throw> is specified and defined, it will be thrown as an exception
419inside the coroutine at the next convenient point in time. Otherwise
420clears the exception object.
421
422Coro will check for the exception each time a schedule-like-function
423returns, i.e. after each C<schedule>, C<cede>, C<< Coro::Semaphore->down
424>>, C<< Coro::Handle->readable >> and so on. Most of these functions
425detect this case and return early in case an exception is pending.
426
427The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in
428C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended
429(unlike with C<die>).
430
431This can be used as a softer means than C<cancel> to ask a coroutine to
432end itself, although there is no guarantee that the exception will lead to
433termination, and if the exception isn't caught it might well end the whole
434program.
435
436You might also think of C<throw> as being the moral equivalent of
437C<kill>ing a coroutine with a signal (in this case, a scalar).
438
251=item $process->join 439=item $coroutine->join
252 440
253Wait until the coroutine terminates and return any values given to the 441Wait until the coroutine terminates and return any values given to the
254C<terminate> function. C<join> can be called multiple times from multiple 442C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently
255processes. 443from multiple coroutines, and all will be resumed and given the status
444return once the C<$coroutine> terminates.
256 445
257=cut 446=cut
258 447
259sub join { 448sub join {
260 my $self = shift; 449 my $self = shift;
450
261 unless ($self->{status}) { 451 unless ($self->{_status}) {
262 push @{$self->{join}}, $current; 452 my $current = $current;
263 &schedule; 453
454 push @{$self->{_on_destroy}}, sub {
455 $current->ready;
456 undef $current;
457 };
458
459 &schedule while $current;
264 } 460 }
461
265 wantarray ? @{$self->{status}} : $self->{status}[0]; 462 wantarray ? @{$self->{_status}} : $self->{_status}[0];
266} 463}
267 464
465=item $coroutine->on_destroy (\&cb)
466
467Registers a callback that is called when this coroutine gets destroyed,
468but before it is joined. The callback gets passed the terminate arguments,
469if any, and I<must not> die, under any circumstances.
470
471=cut
472
473sub on_destroy {
474 my ($self, $cb) = @_;
475
476 push @{ $self->{_on_destroy} }, $cb;
477}
478
268=item $oldprio = $process->prio($newprio) 479=item $oldprio = $coroutine->prio ($newprio)
269 480
270Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the 481Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the
271process. Higher priority processes get run before lower priority 482coroutine. Higher priority coroutines get run before lower priority
272processes. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3), 483coroutines. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3),
273that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio 484that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio
274to get then): 485to get then):
275 486
276 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN 487 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN
277 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4 488 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4
280 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH); 491 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH);
281 492
282The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any 493The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any
283existing coroutine. 494existing coroutine.
284 495
285Changing the priority of the current process will take effect immediately, 496Changing the priority of the current coroutine will take effect immediately,
286but changing the priority of processes in the ready queue (but not 497but changing the priority of coroutines in the ready queue (but not
287running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that 498running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that
288process). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version. 499coroutine). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version.
289 500
290=cut
291
292sub prio {
293 my $old = $_[0]{prio};
294 $_[0]{prio} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
295 $old;
296}
297
298=item $newprio = $process->nice($change) 501=item $newprio = $coroutine->nice ($change)
299 502
300Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e. 503Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e.
301higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix). 504higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix).
302 505
303=cut
304
305sub nice {
306 $_[0]{prio} -= $_[1];
307}
308
309=item $olddesc = $process->desc($newdesc) 506=item $olddesc = $coroutine->desc ($newdesc)
310 507
311Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this 508Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this
312process. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a process. 509coroutine. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a
510coroutine.
511
512This method simply sets the C<< $coroutine->{desc} >> member to the given
513string. You can modify this member directly if you wish.
313 514
314=cut 515=cut
315 516
316sub desc { 517sub desc {
317 my $old = $_[0]{desc}; 518 my $old = $_[0]{desc};
319 $old; 520 $old;
320} 521}
321 522
322=back 523=back
323 524
525=head2 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
526
527=over 4
528
529=item Coro::nready
530
531Returns the number of coroutines that are currently in the ready state,
532i.e. that can be switched to by calling C<schedule> directory or
533indirectly. The value C<0> means that the only runnable coroutine is the
534currently running one, so C<cede> would have no effect, and C<schedule>
535would cause a deadlock unless there is an idle handler that wakes up some
536coroutines.
537
538=item my $guard = Coro::guard { ... }
539
540This creates and returns a guard object. Nothing happens until the object
541gets destroyed, in which case the codeblock given as argument will be
542executed. This is useful to free locks or other resources in case of a
543runtime error or when the coroutine gets canceled, as in both cases the
544guard block will be executed. The guard object supports only one method,
545C<< ->cancel >>, which will keep the codeblock from being executed.
546
547Example: set some flag and clear it again when the coroutine gets canceled
548or the function returns:
549
550 sub do_something {
551 my $guard = Coro::guard { $busy = 0 };
552 $busy = 1;
553
554 # do something that requires $busy to be true
555 }
556
557=cut
558
559sub guard(&) {
560 bless \(my $cb = $_[0]), "Coro::guard"
561}
562
563sub Coro::guard::cancel {
564 ${$_[0]} = sub { };
565}
566
567sub Coro::guard::DESTROY {
568 ${$_[0]}->();
569}
570
571
572=item unblock_sub { ... }
573
574This utility function takes a BLOCK or code reference and "unblocks" it,
575returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef
576will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the
577original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another
578coroutine.
579
580The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as the
581venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not coroutine-safe (a weaker form
582of thread-safety). This means you must not block within event callbacks,
583otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library
584currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV>.
585
586This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another
587coroutine where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy
588is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to
589disk, for example.
590
591In short: simply use C<unblock_sub { ... }> instead of C<sub { ... }> when
592creating event callbacks that want to block.
593
594If your handler does not plan to block (e.g. simply sends a message to
595another coroutine, or puts some other coroutine into the ready queue),
596there is no reason to use C<unblock_sub>.
597
598Note that you also need to use C<unblock_sub> for any other callbacks that
599are indirectly executed by any C-based event loop. For example, when you
600use a module that uses L<AnyEvent> (and you use L<Coro::AnyEvent>) and it
601provides callbacks that are the result of some event callback, then you
602must not block either, or use C<unblock_sub>.
603
604=cut
605
606our @unblock_queue;
607
608# we create a special coro because we want to cede,
609# to reduce pressure on the coro pool (because most callbacks
610# return immediately and can be reused) and because we cannot cede
611# inside an event callback.
612our $unblock_scheduler = new Coro sub {
613 while () {
614 while (my $cb = pop @unblock_queue) {
615 # this is an inlined copy of async_pool
616 my $coro = (pop @async_pool) || new Coro \&pool_handler;
617
618 $coro->{_invoke} = $cb;
619 $coro->ready;
620 cede; # for short-lived callbacks, this reduces pressure on the coro pool
621 }
622 schedule; # sleep well
623 }
624};
625$unblock_scheduler->{desc} = "[unblock_sub scheduler]";
626
627sub unblock_sub(&) {
628 my $cb = shift;
629
630 sub {
631 unshift @unblock_queue, [$cb, @_];
632 $unblock_scheduler->ready;
633 }
634}
635
636=item $cb = Coro::rouse_cb
637
638Create and return a "rouse callback". That's a code reference that, when
639called, will save its arguments and notify the owner coroutine of the
640callback.
641
642See the next function.
643
644=item @args = Coro::rouse_wait [$cb]
645
646Wait for the specified rouse callback (or the last one tht was created in
647this coroutine).
648
649As soon as the callback is invoked (or when the calback was invoked before
650C<rouse_wait>), it will return a copy of the arguments originally passed
651to the rouse callback.
652
653See the section B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK> for an actual usage example.
654
655=back
656
324=cut 657=cut
325 658
3261; 6591;
327 660
661=head1 HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK
662
663It is very common for a coroutine to wait for some callback to be
664called. This occurs naturally when you use coroutines in an otherwise
665event-based program, or when you use event-based libraries.
666
667These typically register a callback for some event, and call that callback
668when the event occured. In a coroutine, however, you typically want to
669just wait for the event, simplyifying things.
670
671For example C<< AnyEvent->child >> registers a callback to be called when
672a specific child has exited:
673
674 my $child_watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { ... });
675
676But from withina coroutine, you often just want to write this:
677
678 my $status = wait_for_child $pid;
679
680Coro offers two functions specifically designed to make this easy,
681C<Coro::rouse_cb> and C<Coro::rouse_wait>.
682
683The first function, C<rouse_cb>, generates and returns a callback that,
684when invoked, will save it's arguments and notify the coroutine that
685created the callback.
686
687The second function, C<rouse_wait>, waits for the callback to be called
688(by calling C<schedule> to go to sleep) and returns the arguments
689originally passed to the callback.
690
691Using these functions, it becomes easy to write the C<wait_for_child>
692function mentioned above:
693
694 sub wait_for_child($) {
695 my ($pid) = @_;
696
697 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => Coro::rouse_cb);
698
699 my ($rpid, $rstatus) = Coro::rouse_wait;
700 $rstatus
701 }
702
703In the case where C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait> are not flexible enough,
704you can roll your own, using C<schedule>:
705
706 sub wait_for_child($) {
707 my ($pid) = @_;
708
709 # store the current coroutine in $current,
710 # and provide result variables for the closure passed to ->child
711 my $current = $Coro::current;
712 my ($done, $rstatus);
713
714 # pass a closure to ->child
715 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
716 $rstatus = $_[1]; # remember rstatus
717 $done = 1; # mark $rstatus as valud
718 });
719
720 # wait until the closure has been called
721 schedule while !$done;
722
723 $rstatus
724 }
725
726
328=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS 727=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS
329 728
330 - you must make very sure that no coro is still active on global 729=over 4
331 destruction. very bad things might happen otherwise (usually segfaults
332 or "panic: top_env").
333 730
731=item fork with pthread backend
732
733When Coro is compiled using the pthread backend (which isn't recommended
734but required on many BSDs as their libcs are completely broken), then
735coroutines will not survive a fork. There is no known workaround except to
736fix your libc and use a saner backend.
737
738=item perl process emulation ("threads")
739
334 - this module is not thread-safe. You should only ever use this module 740This module is not perl-pseudo-thread-safe. You should only ever use this
335 from the same thread (this requirement might be losened in the future 741module from the same thread (this requirement might be removed in the
336 to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow 742future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow
337 this). 743this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as having
744the windows process emulation enabled under unix roughly halves perl
745performance, even when not used.
746
747=item coroutine switching not signal safe
748
749You must not switch to another coroutine from within a signal handler
750(only relevant with %SIG - most event libraries provide safe signals).
751
752That means you I<MUST NOT> call any function that might "block" the
753current coroutine - C<cede>, C<schedule> C<< Coro::Semaphore->down >> or
754anything that calls those. Everything else, including calling C<ready>,
755works.
756
757=back
758
338 759
339=head1 SEE ALSO 760=head1 SEE ALSO
340 761
341L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Cont>, L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, 762Event-Loop integration: L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>.
342L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::State>, L<Coro::Event>, L<Coro::RWLock>, 763
343L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>. 764Debugging: L<Coro::Debug>.
765
766Support/Utility: L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Util>.
767
768Locking/IPC: L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, L<Coro::SemaphoreSet>, L<Coro::RWLock>.
769
770IO/Timers: L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>, L<Coro::AIO>.
771
772Compatibility: L<Coro::LWP>, L<Coro::BDB>, L<Coro::Storable>, L<Coro::Select>.
773
774XS API: L<Coro::MakeMaker>.
775
776Low level Configuration, Coroutine Environment: L<Coro::State>.
344 777
345=head1 AUTHOR 778=head1 AUTHOR
346 779
347 Marc Lehmann <pcg@goof.com> 780 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
348 http://www.goof.com/pcg/marc/ 781 http://home.schmorp.de/
349 782
350=cut 783=cut
351 784

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