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16 cede; # yield to coro 16 cede; # yield to coro
17 print "3\n"; 17 print "3\n";
18 cede; # and again 18 cede; # and again
19 19
20 # use locking 20 # use locking
21 use Coro::Semaphore;
22 my $lock = new Coro::Semaphore; 21 my $lock = new Coro::Semaphore;
23 my $locked; 22 my $locked;
24 23
25 $lock->down; 24 $lock->down;
26 $locked = 1; 25 $locked = 1;
40points in your program, so locking and parallel access are rarely an 39points in your program, so locking and parallel access are rarely an
41issue, making thread programming much safer and easier than using other 40issue, making thread programming much safer and easier than using other
42thread models. 41thread models.
43 42
44Unlike the so-called "Perl threads" (which are not actually real threads 43Unlike the so-called "Perl threads" (which are not actually real threads
45but only the windows process emulation (see section of same name for more 44but only the windows process emulation (see section of same name for
46details) ported to unix, and as such act as processes), Coro provides 45more details) ported to UNIX, and as such act as processes), Coro
47a full shared address space, which makes communication between threads 46provides a full shared address space, which makes communication between
48very easy. And Coro's threads are fast, too: disabling the Windows 47threads very easy. And coro threads are fast, too: disabling the Windows
49process emulation code in your perl and using Coro can easily result in 48process emulation code in your perl and using Coro can easily result in
50a two to four times speed increase for your programs. A parallel matrix 49a two to four times speed increase for your programs. A parallel matrix
51multiplication benchmark runs over 300 times faster on a single core than 50multiplication benchmark (very communication-intensive) runs over 300
52perl's pseudo-threads on a quad core using all four cores. 51times faster on a single core than perls pseudo-threads on a quad core
52using all four cores.
53 53
54Coro achieves that by supporting multiple running interpreters that share 54Coro achieves that by supporting multiple running interpreters that share
55data, which is especially useful to code pseudo-parallel processes and 55data, which is especially useful to code pseudo-parallel processes and
56for event-based programming, such as multiple HTTP-GET requests running 56for event-based programming, such as multiple HTTP-GET requests running
57concurrently. See L<Coro::AnyEvent> to learn more on how to integrate Coro 57concurrently. See L<Coro::AnyEvent> to learn more on how to integrate Coro
63variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration and background info). 63variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration and background info).
64 64
65See also the C<SEE ALSO> section at the end of this document - the Coro 65See also the C<SEE ALSO> section at the end of this document - the Coro
66module family is quite large. 66module family is quite large.
67 67
68=head1 CORO THREAD LIFE CYCLE
69
70During the long and exciting (or not) life of a coro thread, it goes
71through a number of states:
72
73=over 4
74
75=item 1. Creation
76
77The first thing in the life of a coro thread is it's creation -
78obviously. The typical way to create a thread is to call the C<async
79BLOCK> function:
80
81 async {
82 # thread code goes here
83 };
84
85You can also pass arguments, which are put in C<@_>:
86
87 async {
88 print $_[1]; # prints 2
89 } 1, 2, 3;
90
91This creates a new coro thread and puts it into the ready queue, meaning
92it will run as soon as the CPU is free for it.
93
94C<async> will return a Coro object - you can store this for future
95reference or ignore it - a thread that is running, ready to run or waiting
96for some event is alive on it's own.
97
98Another way to create a thread is to call the C<new> constructor with a
99code-reference:
100
101 new Coro sub {
102 # thread code goes here
103 }, @optional_arguments;
104
105This is quite similar to calling C<async>, but the important difference is
106that the new thread is not put into the ready queue, so the thread will
107not run until somebody puts it there. C<async> is, therefore, identical to
108this sequence:
109
110 my $coro = new Coro sub {
111 # thread code goes here
112 };
113 $coro->ready;
114 return $coro;
115
116=item 2. Startup
117
118When a new coro thread is created, only a copy of the code reference
119and the arguments are stored, no extra memory for stacks and so on is
120allocated, keeping the coro thread in a low-memory state.
121
122Only when it actually starts executing will all the resources be finally
123allocated.
124
125The optional arguments specified at coro creation are available in C<@_>,
126similar to function calls.
127
128=item 3. Running / Blocking
129
130A lot can happen after the coro thread has started running. Quite usually,
131it will not run to the end in one go (because you could use a function
132instead), but it will give up the CPU regularly because it waits for
133external events.
134
135As long as a coro thread runs, its Coro object is available in the global
136variable C<$Coro::current>.
137
138The low-level way to give up the CPU is to call the scheduler, which
139selects a new coro thread to run:
140
141 Coro::schedule;
142
143Since running threads are not in the ready queue, calling the scheduler
144without doing anything else will block the coro thread forever - you need
145to arrange either for the coro to put woken up (readied) by some other
146event or some other thread, or you can put it into the ready queue before
147scheduling:
148
149 # this is exactly what Coro::cede does
150 $Coro::current->ready;
151 Coro::schedule;
152
153All the higher-level synchronisation methods (Coro::Semaphore,
154Coro::rouse_*...) are actually implemented via C<< ->ready >> and C<<
155Coro::schedule >>.
156
157While the coro thread is running it also might get assigned a C-level
158thread, or the C-level thread might be unassigned from it, as the Coro
159runtime wishes. A C-level thread needs to be assigned when your perl
160thread calls into some C-level function and that function in turn calls
161perl and perl then wants to switch coroutines. This happens most often
162when you run an event loop and block in the callback, or when perl
163itself calls some function such as C<AUTOLOAD> or methods via the C<tie>
164mechanism.
165
166=item 4. Termination
167
168Many threads actually terminate after some time. There are a number of
169ways to terminate a coro thread, the simplest is returning from the
170top-level code reference:
171
172 async {
173 # after returning from here, the coro thread is terminated
174 };
175
176 async {
177 return if 0.5 < rand; # terminate a little earlier, maybe
178 print "got a chance to print this\n";
179 # or here
180 };
181
182Any values returned from the coroutine can be recovered using C<< ->join
183>>:
184
185 my $coro = async {
186 "hello, world\n" # return a string
187 };
188
189 my $hello_world = $coro->join;
190
191 print $hello_world;
192
193Another way to terminate is to call C<< Coro::terminate >>, which at any
194subroutine call nesting level:
195
196 async {
197 Coro::terminate "return value 1", "return value 2";
198 };
199
200Yet another way is to C<< ->cancel >> (or C<< ->safe_cancel >>) the coro
201thread from another thread:
202
203 my $coro = async {
204 exit 1;
205 };
206
207 $coro->cancel; # also accepts values for ->join to retrieve
208
209Cancellation I<can> be dangerous - it's a bit like calling C<exit> without
210actually exiting, and might leave C libraries and XS modules in a weird
211state. Unlike other thread implementations, however, Coro is exceptionally
212safe with regards to cancellation, as perl will always be in a consistent
213state, and for those cases where you want to do truly marvellous things
214with your coro while it is being cancelled - that is, make sure all
215cleanup code is executed from the thread being cancelled - there is even a
216C<< ->safe_cancel >> method.
217
218So, cancelling a thread that runs in an XS event loop might not be the
219best idea, but any other combination that deals with perl only (cancelling
220when a thread is in a C<tie> method or an C<AUTOLOAD> for example) is
221safe.
222
223Last not least, a coro thread object that isn't referenced is C<<
224->cancel >>'ed automatically - just like other objects in Perl. This
225is not such a common case, however - a running thread is referencedy by
226C<$Coro::current>, a thread ready to run is referenced by the ready queue,
227a thread waiting on a lock or semaphore is referenced by being in some
228wait list and so on. But a thread that isn't in any of those queues gets
229cancelled:
230
231 async {
232 schedule; # cede to other coros, don't go into the ready queue
233 };
234
235 cede;
236 # now the async above is destroyed, as it is not referenced by anything.
237
238A slightly embellished example might make it clearer:
239
240 async {
241 my $guard = Guard::guard { print "destroyed\n" };
242 schedule while 1;
243 };
244
245 cede;
246
247Superficially one might not expect any output - since the C<async>
248implements an endless loop, the C<$guard> will not be cleaned up. However,
249since the thread object returned by C<async> is not stored anywhere, the
250thread is initially referenced because it is in the ready queue, when it
251runs it is referenced by C<$Coro::current>, but when it calls C<schedule>,
252it gets C<cancel>ed causing the guard object to be destroyed (see the next
253section), and printing it's message.
254
255If this seems a bit drastic, remember that this only happens when nothing
256references the thread anymore, which means there is no way to further
257execute it, ever. The only options at this point are leaking the thread,
258or cleaning it up, which brings us to...
259
260=item 5. Cleanup
261
262Threads will allocate various resources. Most but not all will be returned
263when a thread terminates, during clean-up.
264
265Cleanup is quite similar to throwing an uncaught exception: perl will
266work it's way up through all subroutine calls and blocks. On it's way, it
267will release all C<my> variables, undo all C<local>'s and free any other
268resources truly local to the thread.
269
270So, a common way to free resources is to keep them referenced only by my
271variables:
272
273 async {
274 my $big_cache = new Cache ...;
275 };
276
277If there are no other references, then the C<$big_cache> object will be
278freed when the thread terminates, regardless of how it does so.
279
280What it does C<NOT> do is unlock any Coro::Semaphores or similar
281resources, but that's where the C<guard> methods come in handy:
282
283 my $sem = new Coro::Semaphore;
284
285 async {
286 my $lock_guard = $sem->guard;
287 # if we return, or die or get cancelled, here,
288 # then the semaphore will be "up"ed.
289 };
290
291The C<Guard::guard> function comes in handy for any custom cleanup you
292might want to do (but you cannot switch to other coroutines from those
293code blocks):
294
295 async {
296 my $window = new Gtk2::Window "toplevel";
297 # The window will not be cleaned up automatically, even when $window
298 # gets freed, so use a guard to ensure it's destruction
299 # in case of an error:
300 my $window_guard = Guard::guard { $window->destroy };
301
302 # we are safe here
303 };
304
305Last not least, C<local> can often be handy, too, e.g. when temporarily
306replacing the coro thread description:
307
308 sub myfunction {
309 local $Coro::current->{desc} = "inside myfunction(@_)";
310
311 # if we return or die here, the description will be restored
312 }
313
314=item 6. Viva La Zombie Muerte
315
316Even after a thread has terminated and cleaned up its resources, the Coro
317object still is there and stores the return values of the thread.
318
319When there are no other references, it will simply be cleaned up and
320freed.
321
322If there areany references, the Coro object will stay around, and you
323can call C<< ->join >> as many times as you wish to retrieve the result
324values:
325
326 async {
327 print "hi\n";
328 1
329 };
330
331 # run the async above, and free everything before returning
332 # from Coro::cede:
333 Coro::cede;
334
335 {
336 my $coro = async {
337 print "hi\n";
338 1
339 };
340
341 # run the async above, and clean up, but do not free the coro
342 # object:
343 Coro::cede;
344
345 # optionally retrieve the result values
346 my @results = $coro->join;
347
348 # now $coro goes out of scope, and presumably gets freed
349 };
350
351=back
352
68=cut 353=cut
69 354
70package Coro; 355package Coro;
71 356
72use common::sense; 357use common::sense;
81 366
82our $idle; # idle handler 367our $idle; # idle handler
83our $main; # main coro 368our $main; # main coro
84our $current; # current coro 369our $current; # current coro
85 370
86our $VERSION = 5.2; 371our $VERSION = 6.33;
87 372
88our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub rouse_cb rouse_wait); 373our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub rouse_cb rouse_wait);
89our %EXPORT_TAGS = ( 374our %EXPORT_TAGS = (
90 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)], 375 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)],
91); 376);
96=over 4 381=over 4
97 382
98=item $Coro::main 383=item $Coro::main
99 384
100This variable stores the Coro object that represents the main 385This variable stores the Coro object that represents the main
101program. While you cna C<ready> it and do most other things you can do to 386program. While you can C<ready> it and do most other things you can do to
102coro, it is mainly useful to compare again C<$Coro::current>, to see 387coro, it is mainly useful to compare again C<$Coro::current>, to see
103whether you are running in the main program or not. 388whether you are running in the main program or not.
104 389
105=cut 390=cut
106 391
131 416
132The default implementation dies with "FATAL: deadlock detected.", followed 417The default implementation dies with "FATAL: deadlock detected.", followed
133by a thread listing, because the program has no other way to continue. 418by a thread listing, because the program has no other way to continue.
134 419
135This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::EV> and 420This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::EV> and
136C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wake up a 421C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wakes up a
137coro so the scheduler can run it. 422coro so the scheduler can run it.
138 423
139See L<Coro::EV> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this technique. 424See L<Coro::EV> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this technique.
140 425
141=cut 426=cut
142 427
428# ||= because other modules could have provided their own by now
143$idle = new Coro sub { 429$idle ||= new Coro sub {
144 require Coro::Debug; 430 require Coro::Debug;
145 die "FATAL: deadlock detected.\n" 431 die "FATAL: deadlock detected.\n"
146 . Coro::Debug::ps_listing (); 432 . Coro::Debug::ps_listing ();
147}; 433};
148 434
151our @destroy; 437our @destroy;
152our $manager; 438our $manager;
153 439
154$manager = new Coro sub { 440$manager = new Coro sub {
155 while () { 441 while () {
156 Coro::State::cancel shift @destroy 442 _destroy shift @destroy
157 while @destroy; 443 while @destroy;
158 444
159 &schedule; 445 &schedule;
160 } 446 }
161}; 447};
295coro, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure 581coro, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure
296progress is made. 582progress is made.
297 583
298=item terminate [arg...] 584=item terminate [arg...]
299 585
300Terminates the current coro with the given status values (see L<cancel>). 586Terminates the current coro with the given status values (see
587L<cancel>). The values will not be copied, but referenced directly.
301 588
302=item Coro::on_enter BLOCK, Coro::on_leave BLOCK 589=item Coro::on_enter BLOCK, Coro::on_leave BLOCK
303 590
304These function install enter and leave winders in the current scope. The 591These function install enter and leave winders in the current scope. The
305enter block will be executed when on_enter is called and whenever the 592enter block will be executed when on_enter is called and whenever the
461To avoid this, it is best to put a suspended coro into the ready queue 748To avoid this, it is best to put a suspended coro into the ready queue
462unconditionally, as every synchronisation mechanism must protect itself 749unconditionally, as every synchronisation mechanism must protect itself
463against spurious wakeups, and the one in the Coro family certainly do 750against spurious wakeups, and the one in the Coro family certainly do
464that. 751that.
465 752
753=item $state->is_new
754
755Returns true iff this Coro object is "new", i.e. has never been run
756yet. Those states basically consist of only the code reference to call and
757the arguments, but consumes very little other resources. New states will
758automatically get assigned a perl interpreter when they are transfered to.
759
760=item $state->is_zombie
761
762Returns true iff the Coro object has been cancelled, i.e.
763it's resources freed because they were C<cancel>'ed, C<terminate>'d,
764C<safe_cancel>'ed or simply went out of scope.
765
766The name "zombie" stems from UNIX culture, where a process that has
767exited and only stores and exit status and no other resources is called a
768"zombie".
769
466=item $is_ready = $coro->is_ready 770=item $is_ready = $coro->is_ready
467 771
468Returns true iff the Coro object is in the ready queue. Unless the Coro 772Returns true iff the Coro object is in the ready queue. Unless the Coro
469object gets destroyed, it will eventually be scheduled by the scheduler. 773object gets destroyed, it will eventually be scheduled by the scheduler.
470 774
479Returns true iff this Coro object has been suspended. Suspended Coros will 783Returns true iff this Coro object has been suspended. Suspended Coros will
480not ever be scheduled. 784not ever be scheduled.
481 785
482=item $coro->cancel (arg...) 786=item $coro->cancel (arg...)
483 787
484Terminates the given Coro and makes it return the given arguments as 788Terminates the given Coro thread and makes it return the given arguments as
485status (default: the empty list). Never returns if the Coro is the 789status (default: an empty list). Never returns if the Coro is the
486current Coro. 790current Coro.
487 791
488=cut 792This is a rather brutal way to free a coro, with some limitations - if
793the thread is inside a C callback that doesn't expect to be canceled,
794bad things can happen, or if the cancelled thread insists on running
795complicated cleanup handlers that rely on its thread context, things will
796not work.
489 797
490sub cancel { 798Any cleanup code being run (e.g. from C<guard> blocks) will be run without
491 my $self = shift; 799a thread context, and is not allowed to switch to other threads. On the
800plus side, C<< ->cancel >> will always clean up the thread, no matter
801what. If your cleanup code is complex or you want to avoid cancelling a
802C-thread that doesn't know how to clean up itself, it can be better to C<<
803->throw >> an exception, or use C<< ->safe_cancel >>.
492 804
493 if ($current == $self) { 805The arguments to C<< ->cancel >> are not copied, but instead will
494 terminate @_; 806be referenced directly (e.g. if you pass C<$var> and after the call
495 } else { 807change that variable, then you might change the return values passed to
496 $self->{_status} = [@_]; 808e.g. C<join>, so don't do that).
497 Coro::State::cancel $self; 809
810The resources of the Coro are usually freed (or destructed) before this
811call returns, but this can be delayed for an indefinite amount of time, as
812in some cases the manager thread has to run first to actually destruct the
813Coro object.
814
815=item $coro->safe_cancel ($arg...)
816
817Works mostly like C<< ->cancel >>, but is inherently "safer", and
818consequently, can fail with an exception in cases the thread is not in a
819cancellable state.
820
821This method works a bit like throwing an exception that cannot be caught
822- specifically, it will clean up the thread from within itself, so
823all cleanup handlers (e.g. C<guard> blocks) are run with full thread
824context and can block if they wish. The downside is that there is no
825guarantee that the thread can be cancelled when you call this method, and
826therefore, it might fail. It is also considerably slower than C<cancel> or
827C<terminate>.
828
829A thread is in a safe-cancellable state if it either hasn't been run yet,
830or it has no C context attached and is inside an SLF function.
831
832The latter two basically mean that the thread isn't currently inside a
833perl callback called from some C function (usually via some XS modules)
834and isn't currently executing inside some C function itself (via Coro's XS
835API).
836
837This call returns true when it could cancel the thread, or croaks with an
838error otherwise (i.e. it either returns true or doesn't return at all).
839
840Why the weird interface? Well, there are two common models on how and
841when to cancel things. In the first, you have the expectation that your
842coro thread can be cancelled when you want to cancel it - if the thread
843isn't cancellable, this would be a bug somewhere, so C<< ->safe_cancel >>
844croaks to notify of the bug.
845
846In the second model you sometimes want to ask nicely to cancel a thread,
847but if it's not a good time, well, then don't cancel. This can be done
848relatively easy like this:
849
850 if (! eval { $coro->safe_cancel }) {
851 warn "unable to cancel thread: $@";
498 } 852 }
499} 853
854However, what you never should do is first try to cancel "safely" and
855if that fails, cancel the "hard" way with C<< ->cancel >>. That makes
856no sense: either you rely on being able to execute cleanup code in your
857thread context, or you don't. If you do, then C<< ->safe_cancel >> is the
858only way, and if you don't, then C<< ->cancel >> is always faster and more
859direct.
500 860
501=item $coro->schedule_to 861=item $coro->schedule_to
502 862
503Puts the current coro to sleep (like C<Coro::schedule>), but instead 863Puts the current coro to sleep (like C<Coro::schedule>), but instead
504of continuing with the next coro from the ready queue, always switch to 864of continuing with the next coro from the ready queue, always switch to
523inside the coro at the next convenient point in time. Otherwise 883inside the coro at the next convenient point in time. Otherwise
524clears the exception object. 884clears the exception object.
525 885
526Coro will check for the exception each time a schedule-like-function 886Coro will check for the exception each time a schedule-like-function
527returns, i.e. after each C<schedule>, C<cede>, C<< Coro::Semaphore->down 887returns, i.e. after each C<schedule>, C<cede>, C<< Coro::Semaphore->down
528>>, C<< Coro::Handle->readable >> and so on. Most of these functions 888>>, C<< Coro::Handle->readable >> and so on. Most of those functions (all
529detect this case and return early in case an exception is pending. 889that are part of Coro itself) detect this case and return early in case an
890exception is pending.
530 891
531The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in 892The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in
532C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended 893C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended
533(unlike with C<die>). 894(unlike with C<die>).
534 895
535This can be used as a softer means than C<cancel> to ask a coro to 896This can be used as a softer means than either C<cancel> or C<safe_cancel
536end itself, although there is no guarantee that the exception will lead to 897>to ask a coro to end itself, although there is no guarantee that the
537termination, and if the exception isn't caught it might well end the whole 898exception will lead to termination, and if the exception isn't caught it
538program. 899might well end the whole program.
539 900
540You might also think of C<throw> as being the moral equivalent of 901You might also think of C<throw> as being the moral equivalent of
541C<kill>ing a coro with a signal (in this case, a scalar). 902C<kill>ing a coro with a signal (in this case, a scalar).
542 903
543=item $coro->join 904=item $coro->join
544 905
545Wait until the coro terminates and return any values given to the 906Wait until the coro terminates and return any values given to the
546C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently 907C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently
547from multiple coro, and all will be resumed and given the status 908from multiple threads, and all will be resumed and given the status
548return once the C<$coro> terminates. 909return once the C<$coro> terminates.
549 910
550=cut
551
552sub join {
553 my $self = shift;
554
555 unless ($self->{_status}) {
556 my $current = $current;
557
558 push @{$self->{_on_destroy}}, sub {
559 $current->ready;
560 undef $current;
561 };
562
563 &schedule while $current;
564 }
565
566 wantarray ? @{$self->{_status}} : $self->{_status}[0];
567}
568
569=item $coro->on_destroy (\&cb) 911=item $coro->on_destroy (\&cb)
570 912
571Registers a callback that is called when this coro gets destroyed, 913Registers a callback that is called when this coro thread gets destroyed,
572but before it is joined. The callback gets passed the terminate arguments, 914that is, after it's resources have been freed but before it is joined. The
915callback gets passed the terminate/cancel arguments, if any, and I<must
573if any, and I<must not> die, under any circumstances. 916not> die, under any circumstances.
574 917
575=cut 918There can be any number of C<on_destroy> callbacks per coro, and there is
576 919currently no way to remove a callback once added.
577sub on_destroy {
578 my ($self, $cb) = @_;
579
580 push @{ $self->{_on_destroy} }, $cb;
581}
582 920
583=item $oldprio = $coro->prio ($newprio) 921=item $oldprio = $coro->prio ($newprio)
584 922
585Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the 923Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the
586coro. Higher priority coro get run before lower priority 924coro thread. Higher priority coro get run before lower priority
587coro. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3), 925coros. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3),
588that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio 926that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio
589to get then): 927to get then):
590 928
591 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN 929 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN
592 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4 930 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4
593 931
594 # set priority to HIGH 932 # set priority to HIGH
595 current->prio (PRIO_HIGH); 933 current->prio (PRIO_HIGH);
596 934
597The idle coro ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any 935The idle coro thread ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any
598existing coro. 936existing coro.
599 937
600Changing the priority of the current coro will take effect immediately, 938Changing the priority of the current coro will take effect immediately,
601but changing the priority of coro in the ready queue (but not 939but changing the priority of a coro in the ready queue (but not running)
602running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that 940will only take effect after the next schedule (of that coro). This is a
603coro). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version. 941bug that will be fixed in some future version.
604 942
605=item $newprio = $coro->nice ($change) 943=item $newprio = $coro->nice ($change)
606 944
607Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e. 945Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e.
608higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix). 946higher values mean lower priority, just as in UNIX's nice command).
609 947
610=item $olddesc = $coro->desc ($newdesc) 948=item $olddesc = $coro->desc ($newdesc)
611 949
612Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this 950Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this
613coro. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a 951coro thread. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a
614coro. 952coro.
615 953
616This method simply sets the C<< $coro->{desc} >> member to the given 954This method simply sets the C<< $coro->{desc} >> member to the given
617string. You can modify this member directly if you wish. 955string. You can modify this member directly if you wish, and in fact, this
956is often preferred to indicate major processing states that can then be
957seen for example in a L<Coro::Debug> session:
958
959 sub my_long_function {
960 local $Coro::current->{desc} = "now in my_long_function";
961 ...
962 $Coro::current->{desc} = "my_long_function: phase 1";
963 ...
964 $Coro::current->{desc} = "my_long_function: phase 2";
965 ...
966 }
618 967
619=cut 968=cut
620 969
621sub desc { 970sub desc {
622 my $old = $_[0]{desc}; 971 my $old = $_[0]{desc};
659returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef 1008returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef
660will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the 1009will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the
661original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another 1010original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another
662coro. 1011coro.
663 1012
664The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as the 1013The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as
665venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not thread-safe (a weaker form 1014the venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not thread-safe (a weaker form
666of reentrancy). This means you must not block within event callbacks, 1015of reentrancy). This means you must not block within event callbacks,
667otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library 1016otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library
668currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV>. 1017currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV> (but
1018you might still run into deadlocks if all event loops are blocked).
1019
1020Coro will try to catch you when you block in the event loop
1021("FATAL:$Coro::IDLE blocked itself"), but this is just best effort and
1022only works when you do not run your own event loop.
669 1023
670This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another 1024This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another
671coro where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy 1025coro where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy
672is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to 1026is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to
673disk, for example. 1027disk, for example.
740 1094
741=back 1095=back
742 1096
743=cut 1097=cut
744 1098
1099for my $module (qw(Channel RWLock Semaphore SemaphoreSet Signal Specific)) {
1100 my $old = defined &{"Coro::$module\::new"} && \&{"Coro::$module\::new"};
1101
1102 *{"Coro::$module\::new"} = sub {
1103 require "Coro/$module.pm";
1104
1105 # some modules have their new predefined in State.xs, some don't
1106 *{"Coro::$module\::new"} = $old
1107 if $old;
1108
1109 goto &{"Coro::$module\::new"};
1110 };
1111}
1112
7451; 11131;
746 1114
747=head1 HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK 1115=head1 HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK
748 1116
749It is very common for a coro to wait for some callback to be 1117It is very common for a coro to wait for some callback to be
762But from within a coro, you often just want to write this: 1130But from within a coro, you often just want to write this:
763 1131
764 my $status = wait_for_child $pid; 1132 my $status = wait_for_child $pid;
765 1133
766Coro offers two functions specifically designed to make this easy, 1134Coro offers two functions specifically designed to make this easy,
767C<Coro::rouse_cb> and C<Coro::rouse_wait>. 1135C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait>.
768 1136
769The first function, C<rouse_cb>, generates and returns a callback that, 1137The first function, C<rouse_cb>, generates and returns a callback that,
770when invoked, will save its arguments and notify the coro that 1138when invoked, will save its arguments and notify the coro that
771created the callback. 1139created the callback.
772 1140
778function mentioned above: 1146function mentioned above:
779 1147
780 sub wait_for_child($) { 1148 sub wait_for_child($) {
781 my ($pid) = @_; 1149 my ($pid) = @_;
782 1150
783 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => Coro::rouse_cb); 1151 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => rouse_cb);
784 1152
785 my ($rpid, $rstatus) = Coro::rouse_wait; 1153 my ($rpid, $rstatus) = rouse_wait;
786 $rstatus 1154 $rstatus
787 } 1155 }
788 1156
789In the case where C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait> are not flexible enough, 1157In the case where C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait> are not flexible enough,
790you can roll your own, using C<schedule>: 1158you can roll your own, using C<schedule> and C<ready>:
791 1159
792 sub wait_for_child($) { 1160 sub wait_for_child($) {
793 my ($pid) = @_; 1161 my ($pid) = @_;
794 1162
795 # store the current coro in $current, 1163 # store the current coro in $current,
798 my ($done, $rstatus); 1166 my ($done, $rstatus);
799 1167
800 # pass a closure to ->child 1168 # pass a closure to ->child
801 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { 1169 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
802 $rstatus = $_[1]; # remember rstatus 1170 $rstatus = $_[1]; # remember rstatus
803 $done = 1; # mark $rstatus as valud 1171 $done = 1; # mark $rstatus as valid
1172 $current->ready; # wake up the waiting thread
804 }); 1173 });
805 1174
806 # wait until the closure has been called 1175 # wait until the closure has been called
807 schedule while !$done; 1176 schedule while !$done;
808 1177
828future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow 1197future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow
829this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as having 1198this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as having
830the windows process emulation enabled under unix roughly halves perl 1199the windows process emulation enabled under unix roughly halves perl
831performance, even when not used. 1200performance, even when not used.
832 1201
1202Attempts to use threads created in another emulated process will crash
1203("cleanly", with a null pointer exception).
1204
833=item coro switching is not signal safe 1205=item coro switching is not signal safe
834 1206
835You must not switch to another coro from within a signal handler 1207You must not switch to another coro from within a signal handler (only
836(only relevant with %SIG - most event libraries provide safe signals). 1208relevant with %SIG - most event libraries provide safe signals), I<unless>
1209you are sure you are not interrupting a Coro function.
837 1210
838That means you I<MUST NOT> call any function that might "block" the 1211That means you I<MUST NOT> call any function that might "block" the
839current coro - C<cede>, C<schedule> C<< Coro::Semaphore->down >> or 1212current coro - C<cede>, C<schedule> C<< Coro::Semaphore->down >> or
840anything that calls those. Everything else, including calling C<ready>, 1213anything that calls those. Everything else, including calling C<ready>,
841works. 1214works.
851ithreads (for example, that memory or files would be shared), showing his 1224ithreads (for example, that memory or files would be shared), showing his
852lack of understanding of this area - if it is hard to understand for Chip, 1225lack of understanding of this area - if it is hard to understand for Chip,
853it is probably not obvious to everybody). 1226it is probably not obvious to everybody).
854 1227
855What follows is an ultra-condensed version of my talk about threads in 1228What follows is an ultra-condensed version of my talk about threads in
856scripting languages given onthe perl workshop 2009: 1229scripting languages given on the perl workshop 2009:
857 1230
858The so-called "ithreads" were originally implemented for two reasons: 1231The so-called "ithreads" were originally implemented for two reasons:
859first, to (badly) emulate unix processes on native win32 perls, and 1232first, to (badly) emulate unix processes on native win32 perls, and
860secondly, to replace the older, real thread model ("5.005-threads"). 1233secondly, to replace the older, real thread model ("5.005-threads").
861 1234

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