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Revision 1.37 by root, Mon Sep 24 02:25:44 2001 UTC vs.
Revision 1.206 by root, Thu Oct 30 09:57:00 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
26This module is still experimental, see the BUGS section below. 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.
27 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
28In this module, coroutines are defined as "callchain + lexical variables 52In this module, coroutines are defined as "callchain + lexical variables +
29+ @_ + $_ + $@ + $^W + C stack), that is, a coroutine has it's own 53@_ + $_ + $@ + $/ + C stack), that is, a coroutine has its own callchain,
30callchain, it's own set of lexicals and it's own set of perl's most 54its own set of lexicals and its own set of perls most important global
31important global variables. 55variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration).
32 56
33=cut 57=cut
34 58
35package Coro; 59package Coro;
36 60
61use strict;
37no warnings qw(uninitialized); 62no warnings "uninitialized";
38 63
39use Coro::State; 64use Coro::State;
40 65
41use base Exporter; 66use base qw(Coro::State Exporter);
42 67
43$VERSION = 0.5; 68our $idle; # idle handler
69our $main; # main coroutine
70our $current; # current coroutine
44 71
72our $VERSION = 4.802;
73
45@EXPORT = qw(async cede schedule terminate current); 74our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub);
46%EXPORT_TAGS = ( 75our %EXPORT_TAGS = (
47 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)], 76 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)],
48); 77);
49@EXPORT_OK = @{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}; 78our @EXPORT_OK = (@{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}, qw(nready));
50 79
51{ 80=over 4
52 my @async;
53 my $init;
54 81
55 # this way of handling attributes simply is NOT scalable ;()
56 sub import {
57 Coro->export_to_level(1, @_);
58 my $old = *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"}{CODE};
59 *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"} = sub {
60 my ($package, $ref) = (shift, shift);
61 my @attrs;
62 for (@_) {
63 if ($_ eq "Coro") {
64 push @async, $ref;
65 unless ($init++) {
66 eval q{
67 sub INIT {
68 &async(pop @async) while @async;
69 }
70 };
71 }
72 } else {
73 push @attrs, $_;
74 }
75 }
76 return $old ? $old->($package, $ref, @attrs) : @attrs;
77 };
78 }
79
80}
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 = new Coro;
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<$main> (of course).
93 98
99This variable is B<strictly> I<read-only>. You can take copies of the
100value stored in it and use it as any other coroutine object, but you must
101not otherwise modify the variable itself.
102
94=cut 103=cut
104
105$main->{desc} = "[main::]";
95 106
96# maybe some other module used Coro::Specific before... 107# maybe some other module used Coro::Specific before...
97if ($current) {
98 $main->{specific} = $current->{specific}; 108$main->{_specific} = $current->{_specific}
99} 109 if $current;
100 110
101our $current = $main; 111_set_current $main;
102 112
103sub current() { $current } 113sub current() { $current } # [DEPRECATED]
104 114
105=item $idle 115=item $Coro::idle
106 116
107The coroutine to switch to when no other coroutine is running. The default 117This variable is mainly useful to integrate Coro into event loops. It is
108implementation prints "FATAL: deadlock detected" and exits. 118usually better to rely on L<Coro::AnyEvent> or LC<Coro::EV>, as this is
119pretty low-level functionality.
109 120
110=cut 121This variable stores a callback that is called whenever the scheduler
122finds no ready coroutines to run. The default implementation prints
123"FATAL: deadlock detected" and exits, because the program has no other way
124to continue.
111 125
112# should be done using priorities :( 126This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::Timer> and
113our $idle = new Coro sub { 127C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wake up a
114 print STDERR "FATAL: deadlock detected\n"; 128coroutine so the scheduler can run it.
115 exit(51); 129
130Note that the callback I<must not>, under any circumstances, block
131the current coroutine. Normally, this is achieved by having an "idle
132coroutine" that calls the event loop and then blocks again, and then
133readying that coroutine in the idle handler.
134
135See L<Coro::Event> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this
136technique.
137
138Please note that if your callback recursively invokes perl (e.g. for event
139handlers), then it must be prepared to be called recursively itself.
140
141=cut
142
143$idle = sub {
144 require Carp;
145 Carp::croak ("FATAL: deadlock detected");
116}; 146};
147
148sub _cancel {
149 my ($self) = @_;
150
151 # free coroutine data and mark as destructed
152 $self->_destroy
153 or return;
154
155 # call all destruction callbacks
156 $_->(@{$self->{_status}})
157 for @{(delete $self->{_on_destroy}) || []};
158}
117 159
118# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine 160# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine
119# cannot destroy itself. 161# cannot destroy itself.
120my @destroy; 162my @destroy;
163my $manager;
164
121my $manager = new Coro sub { 165$manager = new Coro sub {
122 while() { 166 while () {
123 # by overwriting the state object with the manager we destroy it 167 (shift @destroy)->_cancel
124 # while still being able to schedule this coroutine (in case it has 168 while @destroy;
125 # been readied multiple times. this is harmless since the manager 169
126 # can be called as many times as neccessary and will always
127 # remove itself from the runqueue
128 (pop @destroy)->{_coro_state} = $manager->{_coro_state} while @destroy;
129 &schedule; 170 &schedule;
130 } 171 }
131}; 172};
173$manager->desc ("[coro manager]");
174$manager->prio (PRIO_MAX);
132 175
133# static methods. not really. 176=back
134 177
135=head2 STATIC METHODS 178=head2 SIMPLE COROUTINE CREATION
136
137Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current process only.
138 179
139=over 4 180=over 4
140 181
141=item async { ... } [@args...] 182=item async { ... } [@args...]
142 183
143Create a new asynchronous process and return it's process object 184Create a new coroutine and return it's coroutine object (usually
144(usually unused). When the sub returns the new process is automatically 185unused). The coroutine will be put into the ready queue, so
186it will start running automatically on the next scheduler run.
187
188The first argument is a codeblock/closure that should be executed in the
189coroutine. When it returns argument returns the coroutine is automatically
145terminated. 190terminated.
146 191
192The remaining arguments are passed as arguments to the closure.
193
194See the C<Coro::State::new> constructor for info about the coroutine
195environment in which coroutines are executed.
196
197Calling C<exit> in a coroutine will do the same as calling exit outside
198the coroutine. Likewise, when the coroutine dies, the program will exit,
199just as it would in the main program.
200
201If you do not want that, you can provide a default C<die> handler, or
202simply avoid dieing (by use of C<eval>).
203
147 # create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments 204Example: Create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments.
205
148 async { 206 async {
149 print "@_\n"; 207 print "@_\n";
150 } 1,2,3,4; 208 } 1,2,3,4;
151 209
152The coderef you submit MUST NOT be a closure that refers to variables
153in an outer scope. This does NOT work. Pass arguments into it instead.
154
155=cut 210=cut
156 211
157sub async(&@) { 212sub async(&@) {
158 my $pid = new Coro @_; 213 my $coro = new Coro @_;
159 $manager->ready; # this ensures that the stack is cloned from the manager
160 $pid->ready; 214 $coro->ready;
161 $pid; 215 $coro
162} 216}
217
218=item async_pool { ... } [@args...]
219
220Similar to C<async>, but uses a coroutine pool, so you should not call
221terminate or join on it (although you are allowed to), and you get a
222coroutine that might have executed other code already (which can be good
223or bad :).
224
225On the plus side, this function is faster than creating (and destroying)
226a completly new coroutine, so if you need a lot of generic coroutines in
227quick successsion, use C<async_pool>, not C<async>.
228
229The code block is executed in an C<eval> context and a warning will be
230issued in case of an exception instead of terminating the program, as
231C<async> does. As the coroutine is being reused, stuff like C<on_destroy>
232will not work in the expected way, unless you call terminate or cancel,
233which somehow defeats the purpose of pooling (but is fine in the
234exceptional case).
235
236The priority will be reset to C<0> after each run, tracing will be
237disabled, the description will be reset and the default output filehandle
238gets restored, so you can change all these. Otherwise the coroutine will
239be re-used "as-is": most notably if you change other per-coroutine global
240stuff such as C<$/> you I<must needs> revert that change, which is most
241simply done by using local as in: C<< local $/ >>.
242
243The idle pool size is limited to C<8> idle coroutines (this can be
244adjusted by changing $Coro::POOL_SIZE), but there can be as many non-idle
245coros as required.
246
247If you are concerned about pooled coroutines growing a lot because a
248single C<async_pool> used a lot of stackspace you can e.g. C<async_pool
249{ terminate }> once per second or so to slowly replenish the pool. In
250addition to that, when the stacks used by a handler grows larger than 16kb
251(adjustable via $Coro::POOL_RSS) it will also be destroyed.
252
253=cut
254
255our $POOL_SIZE = 8;
256our $POOL_RSS = 16 * 1024;
257our @async_pool;
258
259sub pool_handler {
260 my $cb;
261
262 while () {
263 eval {
264 while () {
265 _pool_1 $cb;
266 &$cb;
267 _pool_2 $cb;
268 &schedule;
269 }
270 };
271
272 if ($@) {
273 last if $@ eq "\3async_pool terminate\2\n";
274 warn $@;
275 }
276 }
277}
278
279sub async_pool(&@) {
280 # this is also inlined into the unlock_scheduler
281 my $coro = (pop @async_pool) || new Coro \&pool_handler;
282
283 $coro->{_invoke} = [@_];
284 $coro->ready;
285
286 $coro
287}
288
289=back
290
291=head2 STATIC METHODS
292
293Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current coroutine.
294
295=over 4
163 296
164=item schedule 297=item schedule
165 298
166Calls the scheduler. Please note that the current process will not be put 299Calls the scheduler. The scheduler will find the next coroutine that is
300to be run from the ready queue and switches to it. The next coroutine
301to be run is simply the one with the highest priority that is longest
302in its ready queue. If there is no coroutine ready, it will clal the
303C<$Coro::idle> hook.
304
305Please note that the current coroutine will I<not> be put into the ready
167into the ready queue, so calling this function usually means you will 306queue, so calling this function usually means you will never be called
168never be called again. 307again unless something else (e.g. an event handler) calls C<< ->ready >>,
308thus waking you up.
169 309
170=cut 310This makes C<schedule> I<the> generic method to use to block the current
311coroutine and wait for events: first you remember the current coroutine in
312a variable, then arrange for some callback of yours to call C<< ->ready
313>> on that once some event happens, and last you call C<schedule> to put
314yourself to sleep. Note that a lot of things can wake your coroutine up,
315so you need to check whether the event indeed happened, e.g. by storing the
316status in a variable.
317
318The canonical way to wait on external events is this:
319
320 {
321 # remember current coroutine
322 my $current = $Coro::current;
323
324 # register a hypothetical event handler
325 on_event_invoke sub {
326 # wake up sleeping coroutine
327 $current->ready;
328 undef $current;
329 };
330
331 # call schedule until event occurred.
332 # in case we are woken up for other reasons
333 # (current still defined), loop.
334 Coro::schedule while $current;
335 }
171 336
172=item cede 337=item cede
173 338
174"Cede" to other processes. This function puts the current process into the 339"Cede" to other coroutines. This function puts the current coroutine into
175ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving up the 340the ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving
176current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher priority. 341up the current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher
342priority. Once your coroutine gets its turn again it will automatically be
343resumed.
177 344
178=cut 345This function is often called C<yield> in other languages.
179 346
347=item Coro::cede_notself
348
349Works like cede, but is not exported by default and will cede to I<any>
350coroutine, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure
351progress is made.
352
180=item terminate 353=item terminate [arg...]
181 354
182Terminates the current process. 355Terminates the current coroutine with the given status values (see L<cancel>).
183 356
184Future versions of this function will allow result arguments. 357=item killall
358
359Kills/terminates/cancels all coroutines except the currently running
360one. This is useful after a fork, either in the child or the parent, as
361usually only one of them should inherit the running coroutines.
362
363Note that while this will try to free some of the main programs resources,
364you cannot free all of them, so if a coroutine that is not the main
365program calls this function, there will be some one-time resource leak.
185 366
186=cut 367=cut
187 368
188sub terminate { 369sub terminate {
189 $current->cancel; 370 $current->cancel (@_);
190 &schedule; 371}
191 die; # NORETURN 372
373sub killall {
374 for (Coro::State::list) {
375 $_->cancel
376 if $_ != $current && UNIVERSAL::isa $_, "Coro";
377 }
192} 378}
193 379
194=back 380=back
195 381
196# dynamic methods
197
198=head2 PROCESS METHODS 382=head2 COROUTINE METHODS
199 383
200These are the methods you can call on process objects. 384These are the methods you can call on coroutine objects (or to create
385them).
201 386
202=over 4 387=over 4
203 388
204=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...] 389=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...]
205 390
206Create a new process and return it. When the sub returns the process 391Create a new coroutine and return it. When the sub returns, the coroutine
207automatically terminates. To start the process you must first put it into 392automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were
393called. To make the coroutine run you must first put it into the ready
208the ready queue by calling the ready method. 394queue by calling the ready method.
209 395
210The coderef you submit MUST NOT be a closure that refers to variables 396See C<async> and C<Coro::State::new> for additional info about the
211in an outer scope. This does NOT work. Pass arguments into it instead. 397coroutine environment.
212 398
213=cut 399=cut
214 400
215sub _newcoro { 401sub _run_coro {
216 terminate &{+shift}; 402 terminate &{+shift};
217} 403}
218 404
219sub new { 405sub new {
220 my $class = shift; 406 my $class = shift;
221 bless {
222 _coro_state => (new Coro::State $_[0] && \&_newcoro, @_),
223 }, $class;
224}
225 407
226=item $process->ready 408 $class->SUPER::new (\&_run_coro, @_)
409}
227 410
228Put the current process into the ready queue. 411=item $success = $coroutine->ready
229 412
230=cut 413Put the given coroutine into the end of its ready queue (there is one
414queue for each priority) and return true. If the coroutine is already in
415the ready queue, do nothing and return false.
231 416
232=item $process->cancel 417This ensures that the scheduler will resume this coroutine automatically
418once all the coroutines of higher priority and all coroutines of the same
419priority that were put into the ready queue earlier have been resumed.
233 420
234Like C<terminate>, but terminates the specified process instead. 421=item $is_ready = $coroutine->is_ready
422
423Return whether the coroutine is currently the ready queue or not,
424
425=item $coroutine->cancel (arg...)
426
427Terminates the given coroutine and makes it return the given arguments as
428status (default: the empty list). Never returns if the coroutine is the
429current coroutine.
235 430
236=cut 431=cut
237 432
238sub cancel { 433sub cancel {
434 my $self = shift;
435 $self->{_status} = [@_];
436
437 if ($current == $self) {
239 push @destroy, $_[0]; 438 push @destroy, $self;
240 $manager->ready; 439 $manager->ready;
241 &schedule if $current == $_[0]; 440 &schedule while 1;
441 } else {
442 $self->_cancel;
443 }
242} 444}
243 445
446=item $coroutine->join
447
448Wait until the coroutine terminates and return any values given to the
449C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently
450from multiple coroutines, and all will be resumed and given the status
451return once the C<$coroutine> terminates.
452
453=cut
454
455sub join {
456 my $self = shift;
457
458 unless ($self->{_status}) {
459 my $current = $current;
460
461 push @{$self->{_on_destroy}}, sub {
462 $current->ready;
463 undef $current;
464 };
465
466 &schedule while $current;
467 }
468
469 wantarray ? @{$self->{_status}} : $self->{_status}[0];
470}
471
472=item $coroutine->on_destroy (\&cb)
473
474Registers a callback that is called when this coroutine gets destroyed,
475but before it is joined. The callback gets passed the terminate arguments,
476if any, and I<must not> die, under any circumstances.
477
478=cut
479
480sub on_destroy {
481 my ($self, $cb) = @_;
482
483 push @{ $self->{_on_destroy} }, $cb;
484}
485
244=item $oldprio = $process->prio($newprio) 486=item $oldprio = $coroutine->prio ($newprio)
245 487
246Sets the priority of the process. Higher priority processes get run before 488Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the
247lower priority processes. Priorities are smalled signed integer (currently 489coroutine. Higher priority coroutines get run before lower priority
490coroutines. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3),
248-4 .. +3), that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import 491that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio
249tag :prio to get then): 492to get then):
250 493
251 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN 494 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN
252 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4 495 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4
253 496
254 # set priority to HIGH 497 # set priority to HIGH
255 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH); 498 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH);
256 499
257The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any 500The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any
258existing coroutine. 501existing coroutine.
259 502
260Changing the priority of the current process will take effect immediately, 503Changing the priority of the current coroutine will take effect immediately,
261but changing the priority of processes in the ready queue (but not 504but changing the priority of coroutines in the ready queue (but not
262running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that 505running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that
263process). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version. 506coroutine). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version.
264 507
265=cut
266
267sub prio {
268 my $old = $_[0]{prio};
269 $_[0]{prio} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
270 $old;
271}
272
273=item $newprio = $process->nice($change) 508=item $newprio = $coroutine->nice ($change)
274 509
275Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e. 510Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e.
276higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix). 511higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix).
277 512
278=cut 513=item $olddesc = $coroutine->desc ($newdesc)
279 514
280sub nice { 515Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this
281 $_[0]{prio} -= $_[1]; 516coroutine. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a coroutine.
517
518This method simply sets the C<< $coroutine->{desc} >> member to the given string. You
519can modify this member directly if you wish.
520
521=item $coroutine->throw ([$scalar])
522
523If C<$throw> is specified and defined, it will be thrown as an exception
524inside the coroutine at the next convinient point in time (usually after
525it gains control at the next schedule/transfer/cede). Otherwise clears the
526exception object.
527
528The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in
529C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended
530(unlike with C<die>).
531
532This can be used as a softer means than C<cancel> to ask a coroutine to
533end itself, although there is no guarentee that the exception will lead to
534termination, and if the exception isn't caught it might well end the whole
535program.
536
537=cut
538
539sub desc {
540 my $old = $_[0]{desc};
541 $_[0]{desc} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
542 $old;
282} 543}
283 544
284=back 545=back
285 546
547=head2 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
548
549=over 4
550
551=item Coro::nready
552
553Returns the number of coroutines that are currently in the ready state,
554i.e. that can be switched to by calling C<schedule> directory or
555indirectly. The value C<0> means that the only runnable coroutine is the
556currently running one, so C<cede> would have no effect, and C<schedule>
557would cause a deadlock unless there is an idle handler that wakes up some
558coroutines.
559
560=item my $guard = Coro::guard { ... }
561
562This creates and returns a guard object. Nothing happens until the object
563gets destroyed, in which case the codeblock given as argument will be
564executed. This is useful to free locks or other resources in case of a
565runtime error or when the coroutine gets canceled, as in both cases the
566guard block will be executed. The guard object supports only one method,
567C<< ->cancel >>, which will keep the codeblock from being executed.
568
569Example: set some flag and clear it again when the coroutine gets canceled
570or the function returns:
571
572 sub do_something {
573 my $guard = Coro::guard { $busy = 0 };
574 $busy = 1;
575
576 # do something that requires $busy to be true
577 }
578
579=cut
580
581sub guard(&) {
582 bless \(my $cb = $_[0]), "Coro::guard"
583}
584
585sub Coro::guard::cancel {
586 ${$_[0]} = sub { };
587}
588
589sub Coro::guard::DESTROY {
590 ${$_[0]}->();
591}
592
593
594=item unblock_sub { ... }
595
596This utility function takes a BLOCK or code reference and "unblocks" it,
597returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef
598will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the
599original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another
600coroutine.
601
602The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as the
603venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not coroutine-safe (a weaker form
604of thread-safety). This means you must not block within event callbacks,
605otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library
606currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV>.
607
608This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another
609coroutine where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy
610is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to
611disk, for example.
612
613In short: simply use C<unblock_sub { ... }> instead of C<sub { ... }> when
614creating event callbacks that want to block.
615
616If your handler does not plan to block (e.g. simply sends a message to
617another coroutine, or puts some other coroutine into the ready queue),
618there is no reason to use C<unblock_sub>.
619
620Note that you also need to use C<unblock_sub> for any other callbacks that
621are indirectly executed by any C-based event loop. For example, when you
622use a module that uses L<AnyEvent> (and you use L<Coro::AnyEvent>) and it
623provides callbacks that are the result of some event callback, then you
624must not block either, or use C<unblock_sub>.
625
626=cut
627
628our @unblock_queue;
629
630# we create a special coro because we want to cede,
631# to reduce pressure on the coro pool (because most callbacks
632# return immediately and can be reused) and because we cannot cede
633# inside an event callback.
634our $unblock_scheduler = new Coro sub {
635 while () {
636 while (my $cb = pop @unblock_queue) {
637 # this is an inlined copy of async_pool
638 my $coro = (pop @async_pool) || new Coro \&pool_handler;
639
640 $coro->{_invoke} = $cb;
641 $coro->ready;
642 cede; # for short-lived callbacks, this reduces pressure on the coro pool
643 }
644 schedule; # sleep well
645 }
646};
647$unblock_scheduler->desc ("[unblock_sub scheduler]");
648
649sub unblock_sub(&) {
650 my $cb = shift;
651
652 sub {
653 unshift @unblock_queue, [$cb, @_];
654 $unblock_scheduler->ready;
655 }
656}
657
658=back
659
286=cut 660=cut
287 661
2881; 6621;
289 663
290=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS 664=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS
291 665
292 - you must make very sure that no coro is still active on global destruction. 666This module is not perl-pseudo-thread-safe. You should only ever use this
293 very bad things might happen otherwise (usually segfaults).
294 - this module is not thread-safe. You must only ever use this module from
295 the same thread (this requirement might be loosened in the future to 667module from the same thread (this requirement might be removed in the
296 allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow this). 668future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow
669this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as this
670is much faster and uses less memory.
297 671
298=head1 SEE ALSO 672=head1 SEE ALSO
299 673
300L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Cont>, L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, 674Event-Loop integration: L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>.
301L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::State>, L<Coro::Event>, L<Coro::RWLock>, 675
302L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>. 676Debugging: L<Coro::Debug>.
677
678Support/Utility: L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Util>.
679
680Locking/IPC: L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, L<Coro::SemaphoreSet>, L<Coro::RWLock>.
681
682IO/Timers: L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>, L<Coro::AIO>.
683
684Compatibility: L<Coro::LWP>, L<Coro::BDB>, L<Coro::Storable>, L<Coro::Select>.
685
686XS API: L<Coro::MakeMaker>.
687
688Low level Configuration, Coroutine Environment: L<Coro::State>.
303 689
304=head1 AUTHOR 690=head1 AUTHOR
305 691
306 Marc Lehmann <pcg@goof.com> 692 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
307 http://www.goof.com/pcg/marc/ 693 http://home.schmorp.de/
308 694
309=cut 695=cut
310 696

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