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1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3Coro - coroutine process abstraction 3Coro - the only real threads in perl
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 yield; 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 31For a tutorial-style introduction, please read the L<Coro::Intro>
24Threads but don't run in parallel. 32manpage. This manpage mainly contains reference information.
25 33
26This module is still experimental, see the BUGS section below. 34This module collection manages continuations in general, most often
35in the form of cooperative threads (also called coroutines in the
36documentation). They are similar to kernel threads but don't (in general)
37run in parallel at the same time even on SMP machines. The specific flavor
38of thread offered by this module also guarantees you that it will not
39switch between threads unless necessary, at easily-identified points in
40your program, so locking and parallel access are rarely an issue, making
41thread programming much safer and easier than using other thread models.
42
43Unlike the so-called "Perl threads" (which are not actually real threads
44but only the windows process emulation ported to unix), Coro provides a
45full shared address space, which makes communication between threads
46very easy. And threads are fast, too: disabling the Windows process
47emulation code in your perl and using Coro can easily result in a two to
48four times speed increase for your programs.
49
50Coro achieves that by supporting multiple running interpreters that share
51data, which is especially useful to code pseudo-parallel processes and
52for event-based programming, such as multiple HTTP-GET requests running
53concurrently. See L<Coro::AnyEvent> to learn more on how to integrate Coro
54into an event-based environment.
55
56In this module, a thread is defined as "callchain + lexical variables +
57@_ + $_ + $@ + $/ + C stack), that is, a thread has its own callchain,
58its own set of lexicals and its own set of perls most important global
59variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration and background info).
60
61See also the C<SEE ALSO> section at the end of this document - the Coro
62module family is quite large.
27 63
28=cut 64=cut
29 65
30package Coro; 66package Coro;
31 67
68use strict qw(vars subs);
69no warnings "uninitialized";
70
71use Guard ();
72
32use Coro::State; 73use Coro::State;
33 74
34use base Exporter; 75use base qw(Coro::State Exporter);
35 76
36$VERSION = 0.05; 77our $idle; # idle handler
78our $main; # main coroutine
79our $current; # current coroutine
37 80
38@EXPORT = qw(async yield schedule terminate); 81our $VERSION = 5.13;
39@EXPORT_OK = qw($current);
40 82
41{ 83our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub);
42 use subs 'async'; 84our %EXPORT_TAGS = (
85 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)],
86);
87our @EXPORT_OK = (@{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}, qw(nready));
43 88
44 my @async; 89=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES
45 90
46 # this way of handling attributes simply is NOT scalable ;() 91=over 4
47 sub import { 92
48 Coro->export_to_level(1, @_); 93=item $Coro::main
49 my $old = *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"}{CODE}; 94
50 *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"} = sub { 95This variable stores the coroutine object that represents the main
51 my ($package, $ref) = (shift, shift); 96program. While you cna C<ready> it and do most other things you can do to
52 my @attrs; 97coroutines, it is mainly useful to compare again C<$Coro::current>, to see
53 for (@_) { 98whether you are running in the main program or not.
54 if ($_ eq "Coro") { 99
55 push @async, $ref; 100=cut
56 } else { 101
57 push @attrs, @_; 102# $main is now being initialised by Coro::State
58 } 103
59 } 104=item $Coro::current
60 return $old ? $old->($package, $name, @attrs) : @attrs; 105
61 }; 106The coroutine object representing the current coroutine (the last
107coroutine that the Coro scheduler switched to). The initial value is
108C<$Coro::main> (of course).
109
110This variable is B<strictly> I<read-only>. You can take copies of the
111value stored in it and use it as any other coroutine object, but you must
112not otherwise modify the variable itself.
113
114=cut
115
116sub current() { $current } # [DEPRECATED]
117
118=item $Coro::idle
119
120This variable is mainly useful to integrate Coro into event loops. It is
121usually better to rely on L<Coro::AnyEvent> or L<Coro::EV>, as this is
122pretty low-level functionality.
123
124This variable stores either a coroutine or a callback.
125
126If it is a callback, the it is called whenever the scheduler finds no
127ready coroutines to run. The default implementation prints "FATAL:
128deadlock detected" and exits, because the program has no other way to
129continue.
130
131If it is a coroutine object, then this object will be readied (without
132invoking any ready hooks, however) when the scheduler finds no other ready
133coroutines to run.
134
135This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::EV> and
136C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wake up a
137coroutine so the scheduler can run it.
138
139Note that the callback I<must not>, under any circumstances, block
140the current coroutine. Normally, this is achieved by having an "idle
141coroutine" that calls the event loop and then blocks again, and then
142readying that coroutine in the idle handler, or by simply placing the idle
143coroutine in this variable.
144
145See L<Coro::Event> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this
146technique.
147
148Please note that if your callback recursively invokes perl (e.g. for event
149handlers), then it must be prepared to be called recursively itself.
150
151=cut
152
153$idle = sub {
154 require Carp;
155 Carp::croak ("FATAL: deadlock detected");
156};
157
158# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine
159# cannot destroy itself.
160our @destroy;
161our $manager;
162
163$manager = new Coro sub {
164 while () {
165 Coro::_cancel shift @destroy
166 while @destroy;
167
168 &schedule;
62 } 169 }
63
64 sub INIT {
65 async pop @async while @async;
66 }
67}
68
69=item $main
70
71This coroutine represents the main program.
72
73=cut
74
75our $main = new Coro;
76
77=item $current
78
79The current coroutine (the last coroutine switched to). The initial value is C<$main> (of course).
80
81=cut
82
83# maybe some other module used Coro::Specific before...
84if ($current) {
85 $main->{specific} = $current->{specific};
86}
87
88our $current = $main;
89
90=item $idle
91
92The coroutine to switch to when no other coroutine is running. The default
93implementation prints "FATAL: deadlock detected" and exits.
94
95=cut
96
97# should be done using priorities :(
98our $idle = new Coro sub {
99 print STDERR "FATAL: deadlock detected\n";
100 exit(51);
101}; 170};
171$manager->{desc} = "[coro manager]";
172$manager->prio (PRIO_MAX);
102 173
103# we really need priorities... 174=back
104## my @ready; #d#
105our @ready = (); # the ready queue. hehe, rather broken ;)
106 175
107# static methods. not really. 176=head1 SIMPLE COROUTINE CREATION
108
109=head2 STATIC METHODS
110
111Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current process only.
112 177
113=over 4 178=over 4
114 179
115=item async { ... } [@args...] 180=item async { ... } [@args...]
116 181
117Create a new asynchronous process and return it's process object 182Create a new coroutine and return its coroutine object (usually
118(usually unused). When the sub returns the new process is automatically 183unused). The coroutine will be put into the ready queue, so
184it will start running automatically on the next scheduler run.
185
186The first argument is a codeblock/closure that should be executed in the
187coroutine. When it returns argument returns the coroutine is automatically
119terminated. 188terminated.
120 189
190The remaining arguments are passed as arguments to the closure.
191
192See the C<Coro::State::new> constructor for info about the coroutine
193environment in which coroutines are executed.
194
195Calling C<exit> in a coroutine will do the same as calling exit outside
196the coroutine. Likewise, when the coroutine dies, the program will exit,
197just as it would in the main program.
198
199If you do not want that, you can provide a default C<die> handler, or
200simply avoid dieing (by use of C<eval>).
201
121 # create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments 202Example: Create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments.
203
122 async { 204 async {
123 print "@_\n"; 205 print "@_\n";
124 } 1,2,3,4; 206 } 1,2,3,4;
125 207
126The coderef you submit MUST NOT be a closure that refers to variables
127in an outer scope. This does NOT work. Pass arguments into it instead.
128
129=cut 208=cut
130 209
131sub async(&@) { 210sub async(&@) {
132 my $pid = new Coro @_; 211 my $coro = new Coro @_;
133 $pid->ready; 212 $coro->ready;
134 $pid; 213 $coro
135} 214}
215
216=item async_pool { ... } [@args...]
217
218Similar to C<async>, but uses a coroutine pool, so you should not call
219terminate or join on it (although you are allowed to), and you get a
220coroutine that might have executed other code already (which can be good
221or bad :).
222
223On the plus side, this function is about twice as fast as creating (and
224destroying) a completely new coroutine, so if you need a lot of generic
225coroutines in quick successsion, use C<async_pool>, not C<async>.
226
227The code block is executed in an C<eval> context and a warning will be
228issued in case of an exception instead of terminating the program, as
229C<async> does. As the coroutine is being reused, stuff like C<on_destroy>
230will not work in the expected way, unless you call terminate or cancel,
231which somehow defeats the purpose of pooling (but is fine in the
232exceptional case).
233
234The priority will be reset to C<0> after each run, tracing will be
235disabled, the description will be reset and the default output filehandle
236gets restored, so you can change all these. Otherwise the coroutine will
237be re-used "as-is": most notably if you change other per-coroutine global
238stuff such as C<$/> you I<must needs> revert that change, which is most
239simply done by using local as in: C<< local $/ >>.
240
241The idle pool size is limited to C<8> idle coroutines (this can be
242adjusted by changing $Coro::POOL_SIZE), but there can be as many non-idle
243coros as required.
244
245If you are concerned about pooled coroutines growing a lot because a
246single C<async_pool> used a lot of stackspace you can e.g. C<async_pool
247{ terminate }> once per second or so to slowly replenish the pool. In
248addition to that, when the stacks used by a handler grows larger than 32kb
249(adjustable via $Coro::POOL_RSS) it will also be destroyed.
250
251=cut
252
253our $POOL_SIZE = 8;
254our $POOL_RSS = 32 * 1024;
255our @async_pool;
256
257sub pool_handler {
258 while () {
259 eval {
260 &{&_pool_handler} while 1;
261 };
262
263 warn $@ if $@;
264 }
265}
266
267=back
268
269=head1 STATIC METHODS
270
271Static methods are actually functions that implicitly operate on the
272current coroutine.
273
274=over 4
136 275
137=item schedule 276=item schedule
138 277
139Calls the scheduler. Please note that the current process will not be put 278Calls the scheduler. The scheduler will find the next coroutine that is
279to be run from the ready queue and switches to it. The next coroutine
280to be run is simply the one with the highest priority that is longest
281in its ready queue. If there is no coroutine ready, it will clal the
282C<$Coro::idle> hook.
283
284Please note that the current coroutine will I<not> be put into the ready
140into the ready queue, so calling this function usually means you will 285queue, so calling this function usually means you will never be called
141never be called again. 286again unless something else (e.g. an event handler) calls C<< ->ready >>,
287thus waking you up.
142 288
143=cut 289This makes C<schedule> I<the> generic method to use to block the current
290coroutine and wait for events: first you remember the current coroutine in
291a variable, then arrange for some callback of yours to call C<< ->ready
292>> on that once some event happens, and last you call C<schedule> to put
293yourself to sleep. Note that a lot of things can wake your coroutine up,
294so you need to check whether the event indeed happened, e.g. by storing the
295status in a variable.
144 296
145my $prev; 297See B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK>, below, for some ways to wait for callbacks.
146 298
147sub schedule {
148 # should be done using priorities :(
149 ($prev, $current) = ($current, shift @ready || $idle);
150 Coro::State::transfer($prev, $current);
151}
152
153=item yield 299=item cede
154 300
155Yield to other processes. This function puts the current process into the 301"Cede" to other coroutines. This function puts the current coroutine into
156ready queue and calls C<schedule>. 302the ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving
303up the current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher
304priority. Once your coroutine gets its turn again it will automatically be
305resumed.
157 306
158=cut 307This function is often called C<yield> in other languages.
159 308
160sub yield { 309=item Coro::cede_notself
161 $current->ready;
162 &schedule;
163}
164 310
311Works like cede, but is not exported by default and will cede to I<any>
312coroutine, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure
313progress is made.
314
165=item terminate 315=item terminate [arg...]
166 316
167Terminates the current process. 317Terminates the current coroutine with the given status values (see L<cancel>).
168 318
169Future versions of this function will allow result arguments. 319=item Coro::on_enter BLOCK, Coro::on_leave BLOCK
170 320
171=cut 321These function install enter and leave winders in the current scope. The
322enter block will be executed when on_enter is called and whenever the
323current coroutine is re-entered by the scheduler, while the leave block is
324executed whenever the current coroutine is blocked by the scheduler, and
325also when the containing scope is exited (by whatever means, be it exit,
326die, last etc.).
172 327
173sub terminate { 328I<Neither invoking the scheduler, nor exceptions, are allowed within those
174 $current->{_results} = [@_]; 329BLOCKs>. That means: do not even think about calling C<die> without an
175 &schedule; 330eval, and do not even think of entering the scheduler in any way.
331
332Since both BLOCKs are tied to the current scope, they will automatically
333be removed when the current scope exits.
334
335These functions implement the same concept as C<dynamic-wind> in scheme
336does, and are useful when you want to localise some resource to a specific
337coroutine.
338
339They slow down coroutine switching considerably for coroutines that use
340them (But coroutine switching is still reasonably fast if the handlers are
341fast).
342
343These functions are best understood by an example: The following function
344will change the current timezone to "Antarctica/South_Pole", which
345requires a call to C<tzset>, but by using C<on_enter> and C<on_leave>,
346which remember/change the current timezone and restore the previous
347value, respectively, the timezone is only changes for the coroutine that
348installed those handlers.
349
350 use POSIX qw(tzset);
351
352 async {
353 my $old_tz; # store outside TZ value here
354
355 Coro::on_enter {
356 $old_tz = $ENV{TZ}; # remember the old value
357
358 $ENV{TZ} = "Antarctica/South_Pole";
359 tzset; # enable new value
360 };
361
362 Coro::on_leave {
363 $ENV{TZ} = $old_tz;
364 tzset; # restore old value
365 };
366
367 # at this place, the timezone is Antarctica/South_Pole,
368 # without disturbing the TZ of any other coroutine.
369 };
370
371This can be used to localise about any resource (locale, uid, current
372working directory etc.) to a block, despite the existance of other
373coroutines.
374
375=item killall
376
377Kills/terminates/cancels all coroutines except the currently running one.
378
379Note that while this will try to free some of the main interpreter
380resources if the calling coroutine isn't the main coroutine, but one
381cannot free all of them, so if a coroutine that is not the main coroutine
382calls this function, there will be some one-time resource leak.
383
384=cut
385
386sub killall {
387 for (Coro::State::list) {
388 $_->cancel
389 if $_ != $current && UNIVERSAL::isa $_, "Coro";
390 }
176} 391}
177 392
178=back 393=back
179 394
180# dynamic methods 395=head1 COROUTINE OBJECT METHODS
181 396
182=head2 PROCESS METHODS
183
184These are the methods you can call on process objects. 397These are the methods you can call on coroutine objects (or to create
398them).
185 399
186=over 4 400=over 4
187 401
188=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...] 402=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...]
189 403
190Create a new process and return it. When the sub returns the process 404Create a new coroutine and return it. When the sub returns, the coroutine
191automatically terminates. To start the process you must first put it into 405automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were
406called. To make the coroutine run you must first put it into the ready
192the ready queue by calling the ready method. 407queue by calling the ready method.
193 408
194The coderef you submit MUST NOT be a closure that refers to variables 409See C<async> and C<Coro::State::new> for additional info about the
195in an outer scope. This does NOT work. Pass arguments into it instead. 410coroutine environment.
196 411
197=cut 412=cut
198 413
199sub _newcoro { 414sub _coro_run {
200 terminate &{+shift}; 415 terminate &{+shift};
201} 416}
202 417
418=item $success = $coroutine->ready
419
420Put the given coroutine into the end of its ready queue (there is one
421queue for each priority) and return true. If the coroutine is already in
422the ready queue, do nothing and return false.
423
424This ensures that the scheduler will resume this coroutine automatically
425once all the coroutines of higher priority and all coroutines of the same
426priority that were put into the ready queue earlier have been resumed.
427
428=item $is_ready = $coroutine->is_ready
429
430Return whether the coroutine is currently the ready queue or not,
431
432=item $coroutine->cancel (arg...)
433
434Terminates the given coroutine and makes it return the given arguments as
435status (default: the empty list). Never returns if the coroutine is the
436current coroutine.
437
438=cut
439
203sub new { 440sub cancel {
204 my $class = shift; 441 my $self = shift;
205 bless {
206 _coro_state => (new Coro::State $_[0] && \&_newcoro, @_),
207 }, $class;
208}
209 442
210=item $process->ready 443 if ($current == $self) {
444 terminate @_;
445 } else {
446 $self->{_status} = [@_];
447 $self->_cancel;
448 }
449}
211 450
212Put the current process into the ready queue. 451=item $coroutine->schedule_to
213 452
214=cut 453Puts the current coroutine to sleep (like C<Coro::schedule>), but instead
454of continuing with the next coro from the ready queue, always switch to
455the given coroutine object (regardless of priority etc.). The readyness
456state of that coroutine isn't changed.
215 457
216sub ready { 458This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
217 push @ready, $_[0]; 459uses for this one.
460
461=item $coroutine->cede_to
462
463Like C<schedule_to>, but puts the current coroutine into the ready
464queue. This has the effect of temporarily switching to the given
465coroutine, and continuing some time later.
466
467This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
468uses for this one.
469
470=item $coroutine->throw ([$scalar])
471
472If C<$throw> is specified and defined, it will be thrown as an exception
473inside the coroutine at the next convenient point in time. Otherwise
474clears the exception object.
475
476Coro will check for the exception each time a schedule-like-function
477returns, i.e. after each C<schedule>, C<cede>, C<< Coro::Semaphore->down
478>>, C<< Coro::Handle->readable >> and so on. Most of these functions
479detect this case and return early in case an exception is pending.
480
481The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in
482C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended
483(unlike with C<die>).
484
485This can be used as a softer means than C<cancel> to ask a coroutine to
486end itself, although there is no guarantee that the exception will lead to
487termination, and if the exception isn't caught it might well end the whole
488program.
489
490You might also think of C<throw> as being the moral equivalent of
491C<kill>ing a coroutine with a signal (in this case, a scalar).
492
493=item $coroutine->join
494
495Wait until the coroutine terminates and return any values given to the
496C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently
497from multiple coroutines, and all will be resumed and given the status
498return once the C<$coroutine> terminates.
499
500=cut
501
502sub join {
503 my $self = shift;
504
505 unless ($self->{_status}) {
506 my $current = $current;
507
508 push @{$self->{_on_destroy}}, sub {
509 $current->ready;
510 undef $current;
511 };
512
513 &schedule while $current;
514 }
515
516 wantarray ? @{$self->{_status}} : $self->{_status}[0];
517}
518
519=item $coroutine->on_destroy (\&cb)
520
521Registers a callback that is called when this coroutine gets destroyed,
522but before it is joined. The callback gets passed the terminate arguments,
523if any, and I<must not> die, under any circumstances.
524
525=cut
526
527sub on_destroy {
528 my ($self, $cb) = @_;
529
530 push @{ $self->{_on_destroy} }, $cb;
531}
532
533=item $oldprio = $coroutine->prio ($newprio)
534
535Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the
536coroutine. Higher priority coroutines get run before lower priority
537coroutines. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3),
538that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio
539to get then):
540
541 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN
542 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4
543
544 # set priority to HIGH
545 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH);
546
547The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any
548existing coroutine.
549
550Changing the priority of the current coroutine will take effect immediately,
551but changing the priority of coroutines in the ready queue (but not
552running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that
553coroutine). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version.
554
555=item $newprio = $coroutine->nice ($change)
556
557Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e.
558higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix).
559
560=item $olddesc = $coroutine->desc ($newdesc)
561
562Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this
563coroutine. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a
564coroutine.
565
566This method simply sets the C<< $coroutine->{desc} >> member to the given
567string. You can modify this member directly if you wish.
568
569=cut
570
571sub desc {
572 my $old = $_[0]{desc};
573 $_[0]{desc} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
574 $old;
575}
576
577sub transfer {
578 require Carp;
579 Carp::croak ("You must not call ->transfer on Coro objects. Use Coro::State objects or the ->schedule_to method. Caught");
218} 580}
219 581
220=back 582=back
221 583
584=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
585
586=over 4
587
588=item Coro::nready
589
590Returns the number of coroutines that are currently in the ready state,
591i.e. that can be switched to by calling C<schedule> directory or
592indirectly. The value C<0> means that the only runnable coroutine is the
593currently running one, so C<cede> would have no effect, and C<schedule>
594would cause a deadlock unless there is an idle handler that wakes up some
595coroutines.
596
597=item my $guard = Coro::guard { ... }
598
599This function still exists, but is deprecated. Please use the
600C<Guard::guard> function instead.
601
602=cut
603
604BEGIN { *guard = \&Guard::guard }
605
606=item unblock_sub { ... }
607
608This utility function takes a BLOCK or code reference and "unblocks" it,
609returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef
610will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the
611original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another
612coroutine.
613
614The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as the
615venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not coroutine-safe (a weaker form
616of reentrancy). This means you must not block within event callbacks,
617otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library
618currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV>.
619
620This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another
621coroutine where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy
622is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to
623disk, for example.
624
625In short: simply use C<unblock_sub { ... }> instead of C<sub { ... }> when
626creating event callbacks that want to block.
627
628If your handler does not plan to block (e.g. simply sends a message to
629another coroutine, or puts some other coroutine into the ready queue),
630there is no reason to use C<unblock_sub>.
631
632Note that you also need to use C<unblock_sub> for any other callbacks that
633are indirectly executed by any C-based event loop. For example, when you
634use a module that uses L<AnyEvent> (and you use L<Coro::AnyEvent>) and it
635provides callbacks that are the result of some event callback, then you
636must not block either, or use C<unblock_sub>.
637
638=cut
639
640our @unblock_queue;
641
642# we create a special coro because we want to cede,
643# to reduce pressure on the coro pool (because most callbacks
644# return immediately and can be reused) and because we cannot cede
645# inside an event callback.
646our $unblock_scheduler = new Coro sub {
647 while () {
648 while (my $cb = pop @unblock_queue) {
649 &async_pool (@$cb);
650
651 # for short-lived callbacks, this reduces pressure on the coro pool
652 # as the chance is very high that the async_poll coro will be back
653 # in the idle state when cede returns
654 cede;
655 }
656 schedule; # sleep well
657 }
658};
659$unblock_scheduler->{desc} = "[unblock_sub scheduler]";
660
661sub unblock_sub(&) {
662 my $cb = shift;
663
664 sub {
665 unshift @unblock_queue, [$cb, @_];
666 $unblock_scheduler->ready;
667 }
668}
669
670=item $cb = Coro::rouse_cb
671
672Create and return a "rouse callback". That's a code reference that,
673when called, will remember a copy of its arguments and notify the owner
674coroutine of the callback.
675
676See the next function.
677
678=item @args = Coro::rouse_wait [$cb]
679
680Wait for the specified rouse callback (or the last one that was created in
681this coroutine).
682
683As soon as the callback is invoked (or when the callback was invoked
684before C<rouse_wait>), it will return the arguments originally passed to
685the rouse callback.
686
687See the section B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK> for an actual usage example.
688
689=back
690
222=cut 691=cut
223 692
2241; 6931;
225 694
226=head1 BUGS 695=head1 HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK
227 696
228 - could be faster, especially when the core would introduce special 697It is very common for a coroutine to wait for some callback to be
229 support for coroutines (like it does for threads). 698called. This occurs naturally when you use coroutines in an otherwise
230 - there is still a memleak on coroutine termination that I could not 699event-based program, or when you use event-based libraries.
231 identify. Could be as small as a single SV. 700
232 - this module is not well-tested. 701These typically register a callback for some event, and call that callback
702when the event occured. In a coroutine, however, you typically want to
703just wait for the event, simplyifying things.
704
705For example C<< AnyEvent->child >> registers a callback to be called when
706a specific child has exited:
707
708 my $child_watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { ... });
709
710But from withina coroutine, you often just want to write this:
711
712 my $status = wait_for_child $pid;
713
714Coro offers two functions specifically designed to make this easy,
715C<Coro::rouse_cb> and C<Coro::rouse_wait>.
716
717The first function, C<rouse_cb>, generates and returns a callback that,
718when invoked, will save its arguments and notify the coroutine that
719created the callback.
720
721The second function, C<rouse_wait>, waits for the callback to be called
722(by calling C<schedule> to go to sleep) and returns the arguments
723originally passed to the callback.
724
725Using these functions, it becomes easy to write the C<wait_for_child>
726function mentioned above:
727
728 sub wait_for_child($) {
729 my ($pid) = @_;
730
731 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => Coro::rouse_cb);
732
733 my ($rpid, $rstatus) = Coro::rouse_wait;
734 $rstatus
735 }
736
737In the case where C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait> are not flexible enough,
738you can roll your own, using C<schedule>:
739
740 sub wait_for_child($) {
741 my ($pid) = @_;
742
743 # store the current coroutine in $current,
744 # and provide result variables for the closure passed to ->child
745 my $current = $Coro::current;
746 my ($done, $rstatus);
747
748 # pass a closure to ->child
749 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
750 $rstatus = $_[1]; # remember rstatus
751 $done = 1; # mark $rstatus as valud
752 });
753
754 # wait until the closure has been called
755 schedule while !$done;
756
757 $rstatus
758 }
759
760
761=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS
762
763=over 4
764
765=item fork with pthread backend
766
767When Coro is compiled using the pthread backend (which isn't recommended
768but required on many BSDs as their libcs are completely broken), then
769coroutines will not survive a fork. There is no known workaround except to
770fix your libc and use a saner backend.
771
772=item perl process emulation ("threads")
773
774This module is not perl-pseudo-thread-safe. You should only ever use this
775module from the first thread (this requirement might be removed in the
776future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow
777this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as having
778the windows process emulation enabled under unix roughly halves perl
779performance, even when not used.
780
781=item coroutine switching not signal safe
782
783You must not switch to another coroutine from within a signal handler
784(only relevant with %SIG - most event libraries provide safe signals).
785
786That means you I<MUST NOT> call any function that might "block" the
787current coroutine - C<cede>, C<schedule> C<< Coro::Semaphore->down >> or
788anything that calls those. Everything else, including calling C<ready>,
789works.
790
791=back
792
233 793
234=head1 SEE ALSO 794=head1 SEE ALSO
235 795
236L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Cont>, L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, 796Event-Loop integration: L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>.
237L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::State>, L<Coro::Event>. 797
798Debugging: L<Coro::Debug>.
799
800Support/Utility: L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Util>.
801
802Locking and IPC: L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Semaphore>,
803L<Coro::SemaphoreSet>, L<Coro::RWLock>.
804
805I/O and Timers: L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>, L<Coro::AIO>.
806
807Compatibility with other modules: L<Coro::LWP> (but see also L<AnyEvent::HTTP> for
808a better-working alternative), L<Coro::BDB>, L<Coro::Storable>,
809L<Coro::Select>.
810
811XS API: L<Coro::MakeMaker>.
812
813Low level Configuration, Thread Environment, Continuations: L<Coro::State>.
238 814
239=head1 AUTHOR 815=head1 AUTHOR
240 816
241 Marc Lehmann <pcg@goof.com> 817 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
242 http://www.goof.com/pcg/marc/ 818 http://home.schmorp.de/
243 819
244=cut 820=cut
245 821

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