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Revision 1.61 by pcg, Fri May 14 13:25:08 2004 UTC vs.
Revision 1.248 by root, Mon Dec 15 15:03:31 2008 UTC

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 coro
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 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
34This module collection manages continuations in general, most often in
35the form of cooperative threads (also called coros, or simply "coro"
36in the documentation). They are similar to kernel threads but don't (in
37general) run in parallel at the same time even on SMP machines. The
38specific flavor of thread offered by this module also guarantees you that
39it will not switch between threads unless necessary, at easily-identified
40points in your program, so locking and parallel access are rarely an
41issue, making thread programming much safer and easier than using other
42thread models.
43
44Unlike the so-called "Perl threads" (which are not actually real threads
45but only the windows process emulation ported to unix), Coro provides a
46full shared address space, which makes communication between threads
47very easy. And threads are fast, too: disabling the Windows process
48emulation code in your perl and using Coro can easily result in a two to
49four times speed increase for your programs.
50
51Coro achieves that by supporting multiple running interpreters that share
52data, which is especially useful to code pseudo-parallel processes and
53for event-based programming, such as multiple HTTP-GET requests running
54concurrently. See L<Coro::AnyEvent> to learn more on how to integrate Coro
55into an event-based environment.
56
26In this module, coroutines are defined as "callchain + lexical variables 57In this module, a thread is defined as "callchain + lexical variables +
27+ @_ + $_ + $@ + $^W + C stack), that is, a coroutine has it's own 58@_ + $_ + $@ + $/ + C stack), that is, a thread has its own callchain,
28callchain, it's own set of lexicals and it's own set of perl's most 59its own set of lexicals and its own set of perls most important global
29important global variables. 60variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration and background info).
61
62See also the C<SEE ALSO> section at the end of this document - the Coro
63module family is quite large.
30 64
31=cut 65=cut
32 66
33package Coro; 67package Coro;
34 68
35BEGIN { eval { require warnings } && warnings->unimport ("uninitialized") } 69use strict qw(vars subs);
70no warnings "uninitialized";
71
72use Guard ();
36 73
37use Coro::State; 74use Coro::State;
38 75
39use vars qw($idle $main $current); 76use base qw(Coro::State Exporter);
40 77
41use base Exporter; 78our $idle; # idle handler
79our $main; # main coro
80our $current; # current coro
42 81
43$VERSION = 0.97; 82our $VERSION = 5.13;
44 83
45@EXPORT = qw(async cede schedule terminate current); 84our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub);
46%EXPORT_TAGS = ( 85our %EXPORT_TAGS = (
47 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)], 86 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)],
48); 87);
49@EXPORT_OK = @{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}; 88our @EXPORT_OK = (@{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}, qw(nready));
50 89
51{ 90=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES
52 my @async;
53 my $init;
54
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 91
82=over 4 92=over 4
83 93
84=item $main 94=item $Coro::main
85 95
86This coroutine represents the main program. 96This variable stores the Coro object that represents the main
97program. While you cna C<ready> it and do most other things you can do to
98coro, it is mainly useful to compare again C<$Coro::current>, to see
99whether you are running in the main program or not.
87 100
88=cut 101=cut
89 102
90$main = new Coro; 103# $main is now being initialised by Coro::State
91 104
92=item $current (or as function: current) 105=item $Coro::current
93 106
94The current coroutine (the last coroutine switched to). The initial value is C<$main> (of course). 107The Coro object representing the current coro (the last
108coro that the Coro scheduler switched to). The initial value is
109C<$Coro::main> (of course).
95 110
96=cut 111This variable is B<strictly> I<read-only>. You can take copies of the
112value stored in it and use it as any other Coro object, but you must
113not otherwise modify the variable itself.
97 114
98# maybe some other module used Coro::Specific before... 115=cut
99if ($current) {
100 $main->{specific} = $current->{specific};
101}
102 116
103$current = $main;
104
105sub current() { $current } 117sub current() { $current } # [DEPRECATED]
106 118
107=item $idle 119=item $Coro::idle
108 120
109The coroutine to switch to when no other coroutine is running. The default 121This variable is mainly useful to integrate Coro into event loops. It is
110implementation prints "FATAL: deadlock detected" and exits. 122usually better to rely on L<Coro::AnyEvent> or L<Coro::EV>, as this is
123pretty low-level functionality.
111 124
112=cut 125This variable stores either a Coro object or a callback.
113 126
114# should be done using priorities :( 127If it is a callback, the it is called whenever the scheduler finds no
115$idle = new Coro sub { 128ready coros to run. The default implementation prints "FATAL:
116 print STDERR "FATAL: deadlock detected\n"; 129deadlock detected" and exits, because the program has no other way to
117 exit(51); 130continue.
131
132If it is a coro object, then this object will be readied (without
133invoking any ready hooks, however) when the scheduler finds no other ready
134coros to run.
135
136This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::EV> and
137C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wake up a
138coro so the scheduler can run it.
139
140Note that the callback I<must not>, under any circumstances, block
141the current coro. Normally, this is achieved by having an "idle
142coro" that calls the event loop and then blocks again, and then
143readying that coro in the idle handler, or by simply placing the idle
144coro in this variable.
145
146See L<Coro::Event> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this
147technique.
148
149Please note that if your callback recursively invokes perl (e.g. for event
150handlers), then it must be prepared to be called recursively itself.
151
152=cut
153
154$idle = sub {
155 require Carp;
156 Carp::croak ("FATAL: deadlock detected");
118}; 157};
119 158
120# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine 159# this coro is necessary because a coro
121# cannot destroy itself. 160# cannot destroy itself.
122my @destroy; 161our @destroy;
123my $manager; 162our $manager;
163
124$manager = new Coro sub { 164$manager = new Coro sub {
125 while () { 165 while () {
126 # by overwriting the state object with the manager we destroy it 166 Coro::State::cancel shift @destroy
127 # while still being able to schedule this coroutine (in case it has
128 # been readied multiple times. this is harmless since the manager
129 # can be called as many times as neccessary and will always
130 # remove itself from the runqueue
131 while (@destroy) { 167 while @destroy;
132 my $coro = pop @destroy;
133 $coro->{status} ||= [];
134 $_->ready for @{delete $coro->{join} || []};
135 168
136 # the next line destroys the _coro_state, but keeps the
137 # process itself intact (we basically make it a zombie
138 # process that always runs the manager thread, so it's possible
139 # to transfer() to this process).
140 $coro->{_coro_state} = $manager->{_coro_state};
141 }
142 &schedule; 169 &schedule;
143 } 170 }
144}; 171};
145 172$manager->{desc} = "[coro manager]";
146# static methods. not really. 173$manager->prio (PRIO_MAX);
147 174
148=back 175=back
149 176
150=head2 STATIC METHODS 177=head1 SIMPLE CORO CREATION
151
152Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current process only.
153 178
154=over 4 179=over 4
155 180
156=item async { ... } [@args...] 181=item async { ... } [@args...]
157 182
158Create a new asynchronous process and return it's process object 183Create a new coro and return its Coro object (usually
159(usually unused). When the sub returns the new process is automatically 184unused). The coro will be put into the ready queue, so
185it will start running automatically on the next scheduler run.
186
187The first argument is a codeblock/closure that should be executed in the
188coro. When it returns argument returns the coro is automatically
160terminated. 189terminated.
161 190
191The remaining arguments are passed as arguments to the closure.
192
193See the C<Coro::State::new> constructor for info about the coro
194environment in which coro are executed.
195
196Calling C<exit> in a coro will do the same as calling exit outside
197the coro. Likewise, when the coro dies, the program will exit,
198just as it would in the main program.
199
200If you do not want that, you can provide a default C<die> handler, or
201simply avoid dieing (by use of C<eval>).
202
162 # create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments 203Example: Create a new coro that just prints its arguments.
204
163 async { 205 async {
164 print "@_\n"; 206 print "@_\n";
165 } 1,2,3,4; 207 } 1,2,3,4;
166 208
167=cut 209=cut
168 210
169sub async(&@) { 211sub async(&@) {
170 my $pid = new Coro @_; 212 my $coro = new Coro @_;
171 $manager->ready; # this ensures that the stack is cloned from the manager
172 $pid->ready; 213 $coro->ready;
173 $pid; 214 $coro
174} 215}
216
217=item async_pool { ... } [@args...]
218
219Similar to C<async>, but uses a coro pool, so you should not call
220terminate or join on it (although you are allowed to), and you get a
221coro that might have executed other code already (which can be good
222or bad :).
223
224On the plus side, this function is about twice as fast as creating (and
225destroying) a completely new coro, so if you need a lot of generic
226coros in quick successsion, use C<async_pool>, not C<async>.
227
228The code block is executed in an C<eval> context and a warning will be
229issued in case of an exception instead of terminating the program, as
230C<async> does. As the coro is being reused, stuff like C<on_destroy>
231will not work in the expected way, unless you call terminate or cancel,
232which somehow defeats the purpose of pooling (but is fine in the
233exceptional case).
234
235The priority will be reset to C<0> after each run, tracing will be
236disabled, the description will be reset and the default output filehandle
237gets restored, so you can change all these. Otherwise the coro will
238be re-used "as-is": most notably if you change other per-coro global
239stuff such as C<$/> you I<must needs> revert that change, which is most
240simply done by using local as in: C<< local $/ >>.
241
242The idle pool size is limited to C<8> idle coros (this can be
243adjusted by changing $Coro::POOL_SIZE), but there can be as many non-idle
244coros as required.
245
246If you are concerned about pooled coros growing a lot because a
247single C<async_pool> used a lot of stackspace you can e.g. C<async_pool
248{ terminate }> once per second or so to slowly replenish the pool. In
249addition to that, when the stacks used by a handler grows larger than 32kb
250(adjustable via $Coro::POOL_RSS) it will also be destroyed.
251
252=cut
253
254our $POOL_SIZE = 8;
255our $POOL_RSS = 32 * 1024;
256our @async_pool;
257
258sub pool_handler {
259 while () {
260 eval {
261 &{&_pool_handler} while 1;
262 };
263
264 warn $@ if $@;
265 }
266}
267
268=back
269
270=head1 STATIC METHODS
271
272Static methods are actually functions that implicitly operate on the
273current coro.
274
275=over 4
175 276
176=item schedule 277=item schedule
177 278
178Calls the scheduler. Please note that the current process will not be put 279Calls the scheduler. The scheduler will find the next coro that is
280to be run from the ready queue and switches to it. The next coro
281to be run is simply the one with the highest priority that is longest
282in its ready queue. If there is no coro ready, it will clal the
283C<$Coro::idle> hook.
284
285Please note that the current coro will I<not> be put into the ready
179into the ready queue, so calling this function usually means you will 286queue, so calling this function usually means you will never be called
180never be called again. 287again unless something else (e.g. an event handler) calls C<< ->ready >>,
288thus waking you up.
181 289
182=cut 290This makes C<schedule> I<the> generic method to use to block the current
291coro and wait for events: first you remember the current coro in
292a variable, then arrange for some callback of yours to call C<< ->ready
293>> on that once some event happens, and last you call C<schedule> to put
294yourself to sleep. Note that a lot of things can wake your coro up,
295so you need to check whether the event indeed happened, e.g. by storing the
296status in a variable.
297
298See B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK>, below, for some ways to wait for callbacks.
183 299
184=item cede 300=item cede
185 301
186"Cede" to other processes. This function puts the current process into the 302"Cede" to other coros. This function puts the current coro into
187ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving up the 303the ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving
188current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher priority. 304up the current "timeslice" to other coros of the same or higher
305priority. Once your coro gets its turn again it will automatically be
306resumed.
189 307
190=cut 308This function is often called C<yield> in other languages.
309
310=item Coro::cede_notself
311
312Works like cede, but is not exported by default and will cede to I<any>
313coro, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure
314progress is made.
191 315
192=item terminate [arg...] 316=item terminate [arg...]
193 317
194Terminates the current process with the given status values (see L<cancel>). 318Terminates the current coro with the given status values (see L<cancel>).
195 319
196=cut 320=item Coro::on_enter BLOCK, Coro::on_leave BLOCK
197 321
198sub terminate { 322These function install enter and leave winders in the current scope. The
199 $current->cancel (@_); 323enter block will be executed when on_enter is called and whenever the
324current coro is re-entered by the scheduler, while the leave block is
325executed whenever the current coro is blocked by the scheduler, and
326also when the containing scope is exited (by whatever means, be it exit,
327die, last etc.).
328
329I<Neither invoking the scheduler, nor exceptions, are allowed within those
330BLOCKs>. That means: do not even think about calling C<die> without an
331eval, and do not even think of entering the scheduler in any way.
332
333Since both BLOCKs are tied to the current scope, they will automatically
334be removed when the current scope exits.
335
336These functions implement the same concept as C<dynamic-wind> in scheme
337does, and are useful when you want to localise some resource to a specific
338coro.
339
340They slow down coro switching considerably for coros that use
341them (But coro switching is still reasonably fast if the handlers are
342fast).
343
344These functions are best understood by an example: The following function
345will change the current timezone to "Antarctica/South_Pole", which
346requires a call to C<tzset>, but by using C<on_enter> and C<on_leave>,
347which remember/change the current timezone and restore the previous
348value, respectively, the timezone is only changes for the coro that
349installed those handlers.
350
351 use POSIX qw(tzset);
352
353 async {
354 my $old_tz; # store outside TZ value here
355
356 Coro::on_enter {
357 $old_tz = $ENV{TZ}; # remember the old value
358
359 $ENV{TZ} = "Antarctica/South_Pole";
360 tzset; # enable new value
361 };
362
363 Coro::on_leave {
364 $ENV{TZ} = $old_tz;
365 tzset; # restore old value
366 };
367
368 # at this place, the timezone is Antarctica/South_Pole,
369 # without disturbing the TZ of any other coro.
370 };
371
372This can be used to localise about any resource (locale, uid, current
373working directory etc.) to a block, despite the existance of other
374coros.
375
376=item killall
377
378Kills/terminates/cancels all coros except the currently running one.
379
380Note that while this will try to free some of the main interpreter
381resources if the calling coro isn't the main coro, but one
382cannot free all of them, so if a coro that is not the main coro
383calls this function, there will be some one-time resource leak.
384
385=cut
386
387sub killall {
388 for (Coro::State::list) {
389 $_->cancel
390 if $_ != $current && UNIVERSAL::isa $_, "Coro";
391 }
200} 392}
201 393
202=back 394=back
203 395
204# dynamic methods 396=head1 CORO OBJECT METHODS
205 397
206=head2 PROCESS METHODS
207
208These are the methods you can call on process objects. 398These are the methods you can call on coro objects (or to create
399them).
209 400
210=over 4 401=over 4
211 402
212=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...] 403=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...]
213 404
214Create a new process and return it. When the sub returns the process 405Create a new coro and return it. When the sub returns, the coro
215automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were 406automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were
216called. To make the process run you must first put it into the ready queue 407called. To make the coro run you must first put it into the ready
217by calling the ready method. 408queue by calling the ready method.
218 409
219=cut 410See C<async> and C<Coro::State::new> for additional info about the
411coro environment.
220 412
413=cut
414
221sub _newcoro { 415sub _coro_run {
222 terminate &{+shift}; 416 terminate &{+shift};
223} 417}
224 418
225sub new { 419=item $success = $coro->ready
226 my $class = shift;
227 bless {
228 _coro_state => (new Coro::State $_[0] && \&_newcoro, @_),
229 }, $class;
230}
231 420
232=item $process->ready 421Put the given coro into the end of its ready queue (there is one
422queue for each priority) and return true. If the coro is already in
423the ready queue, do nothing and return false.
233 424
234Put the given process into the ready queue. 425This ensures that the scheduler will resume this coro automatically
426once all the coro of higher priority and all coro of the same
427priority that were put into the ready queue earlier have been resumed.
235 428
236=cut 429=item $is_ready = $coro->is_ready
237 430
431Returns true iff the Coro object is in the ready queue. Unless the Coro
432object gets destroyed, it will eventually be scheduled by the scheduler.
433
434=item $is_running = $coro->is_running
435
436Returns true iff the Coro object is currently running. Only one Coro object
437can ever be in the running state (but it currently is possible to have
438multiple running Coro::States).
439
440=item $is_suspended = $coro->is_suspended
441
442Returns true iff this Coro object has been suspended. Suspended Coros will
443not ever be scheduled.
444
238=item $process->cancel (arg...) 445=item $coro->cancel (arg...)
239 446
240Temrinates the given process and makes it return the given arguments as 447Terminates the given Coro and makes it return the given arguments as
241status (default: the empty list). 448status (default: the empty list). Never returns if the Coro is the
449current Coro.
242 450
243=cut 451=cut
244 452
245sub cancel { 453sub cancel {
246 my $self = shift; 454 my $self = shift;
455
456 if ($current == $self) {
457 terminate @_;
458 } else {
247 $self->{status} = [@_]; 459 $self->{_status} = [@_];
248 push @destroy, $self; 460 Coro::State::cancel $self;
249 $manager->ready; 461 }
250 &schedule if $current == $self;
251} 462}
252 463
464=item $coro->schedule_to
465
466Puts the current coro to sleep (like C<Coro::schedule>), but instead
467of continuing with the next coro from the ready queue, always switch to
468the given coro object (regardless of priority etc.). The readyness
469state of that coro isn't changed.
470
471This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
472uses for this one.
473
474=item $coro->cede_to
475
476Like C<schedule_to>, but puts the current coro into the ready
477queue. This has the effect of temporarily switching to the given
478coro, and continuing some time later.
479
480This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
481uses for this one.
482
483=item $coro->throw ([$scalar])
484
485If C<$throw> is specified and defined, it will be thrown as an exception
486inside the coro at the next convenient point in time. Otherwise
487clears the exception object.
488
489Coro will check for the exception each time a schedule-like-function
490returns, i.e. after each C<schedule>, C<cede>, C<< Coro::Semaphore->down
491>>, C<< Coro::Handle->readable >> and so on. Most of these functions
492detect this case and return early in case an exception is pending.
493
494The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in
495C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended
496(unlike with C<die>).
497
498This can be used as a softer means than C<cancel> to ask a coro to
499end itself, although there is no guarantee that the exception will lead to
500termination, and if the exception isn't caught it might well end the whole
501program.
502
503You might also think of C<throw> as being the moral equivalent of
504C<kill>ing a coro with a signal (in this case, a scalar).
505
253=item $process->join 506=item $coro->join
254 507
255Wait until the coroutine terminates and return any values given to the 508Wait until the coro terminates and return any values given to the
256C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called multiple times 509C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently
257from multiple processes. 510from multiple coro, and all will be resumed and given the status
511return once the C<$coro> terminates.
258 512
259=cut 513=cut
260 514
261sub join { 515sub join {
262 my $self = shift; 516 my $self = shift;
517
263 unless ($self->{status}) { 518 unless ($self->{_status}) {
264 push @{$self->{join}}, $current; 519 my $current = $current;
265 &schedule; 520
521 push @{$self->{_on_destroy}}, sub {
522 $current->ready;
523 undef $current;
524 };
525
526 &schedule while $current;
266 } 527 }
528
267 wantarray ? @{$self->{status}} : $self->{status}[0]; 529 wantarray ? @{$self->{_status}} : $self->{_status}[0];
268} 530}
269 531
532=item $coro->on_destroy (\&cb)
533
534Registers a callback that is called when this coro gets destroyed,
535but before it is joined. The callback gets passed the terminate arguments,
536if any, and I<must not> die, under any circumstances.
537
538=cut
539
540sub on_destroy {
541 my ($self, $cb) = @_;
542
543 push @{ $self->{_on_destroy} }, $cb;
544}
545
270=item $oldprio = $process->prio($newprio) 546=item $oldprio = $coro->prio ($newprio)
271 547
272Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the 548Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the
273process. Higher priority processes get run before lower priority 549coro. Higher priority coro get run before lower priority
274processes. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3), 550coro. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3),
275that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio 551that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio
276to get then): 552to get then):
277 553
278 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN 554 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN
279 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4 555 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4
280 556
281 # set priority to HIGH 557 # set priority to HIGH
282 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH); 558 current->prio (PRIO_HIGH);
283 559
284The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any 560The idle coro ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any
285existing coroutine. 561existing coro.
286 562
287Changing the priority of the current process will take effect immediately, 563Changing the priority of the current coro will take effect immediately,
288but changing the priority of processes in the ready queue (but not 564but changing the priority of coro in the ready queue (but not
289running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that 565running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that
290process). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version. 566coro). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version.
291 567
292=cut
293
294sub prio {
295 my $old = $_[0]{prio};
296 $_[0]{prio} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
297 $old;
298}
299
300=item $newprio = $process->nice($change) 568=item $newprio = $coro->nice ($change)
301 569
302Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e. 570Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e.
303higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix). 571higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix).
304 572
305=cut
306
307sub nice {
308 $_[0]{prio} -= $_[1];
309}
310
311=item $olddesc = $process->desc($newdesc) 573=item $olddesc = $coro->desc ($newdesc)
312 574
313Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this 575Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this
314process. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a process. 576coro. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a
577coro.
578
579This method simply sets the C<< $coro->{desc} >> member to the given
580string. You can modify this member directly if you wish.
315 581
316=cut 582=cut
317 583
318sub desc { 584sub desc {
319 my $old = $_[0]{desc}; 585 my $old = $_[0]{desc};
320 $_[0]{desc} = $_[1] if @_ > 1; 586 $_[0]{desc} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
321 $old; 587 $old;
322} 588}
323 589
590sub transfer {
591 require Carp;
592 Carp::croak ("You must not call ->transfer on Coro objects. Use Coro::State objects or the ->schedule_to method. Caught");
593}
594
324=back 595=back
325 596
597=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
598
599=over 4
600
601=item Coro::nready
602
603Returns the number of coro that are currently in the ready state,
604i.e. that can be switched to by calling C<schedule> directory or
605indirectly. The value C<0> means that the only runnable coro is the
606currently running one, so C<cede> would have no effect, and C<schedule>
607would cause a deadlock unless there is an idle handler that wakes up some
608coro.
609
610=item my $guard = Coro::guard { ... }
611
612This function still exists, but is deprecated. Please use the
613C<Guard::guard> function instead.
614
615=cut
616
617BEGIN { *guard = \&Guard::guard }
618
619=item unblock_sub { ... }
620
621This utility function takes a BLOCK or code reference and "unblocks" it,
622returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef
623will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the
624original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another
625coro.
626
627The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as the
628venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not thread-safe (a weaker form
629of reentrancy). This means you must not block within event callbacks,
630otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library
631currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV>.
632
633This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another
634coro where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy
635is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to
636disk, for example.
637
638In short: simply use C<unblock_sub { ... }> instead of C<sub { ... }> when
639creating event callbacks that want to block.
640
641If your handler does not plan to block (e.g. simply sends a message to
642another coro, or puts some other coro into the ready queue), there is
643no reason to use C<unblock_sub>.
644
645Note that you also need to use C<unblock_sub> for any other callbacks that
646are indirectly executed by any C-based event loop. For example, when you
647use a module that uses L<AnyEvent> (and you use L<Coro::AnyEvent>) and it
648provides callbacks that are the result of some event callback, then you
649must not block either, or use C<unblock_sub>.
650
651=cut
652
653our @unblock_queue;
654
655# we create a special coro because we want to cede,
656# to reduce pressure on the coro pool (because most callbacks
657# return immediately and can be reused) and because we cannot cede
658# inside an event callback.
659our $unblock_scheduler = new Coro sub {
660 while () {
661 while (my $cb = pop @unblock_queue) {
662 &async_pool (@$cb);
663
664 # for short-lived callbacks, this reduces pressure on the coro pool
665 # as the chance is very high that the async_poll coro will be back
666 # in the idle state when cede returns
667 cede;
668 }
669 schedule; # sleep well
670 }
671};
672$unblock_scheduler->{desc} = "[unblock_sub scheduler]";
673
674sub unblock_sub(&) {
675 my $cb = shift;
676
677 sub {
678 unshift @unblock_queue, [$cb, @_];
679 $unblock_scheduler->ready;
680 }
681}
682
683=item $cb = Coro::rouse_cb
684
685Create and return a "rouse callback". That's a code reference that,
686when called, will remember a copy of its arguments and notify the owner
687coro of the callback.
688
689See the next function.
690
691=item @args = Coro::rouse_wait [$cb]
692
693Wait for the specified rouse callback (or the last one that was created in
694this coro).
695
696As soon as the callback is invoked (or when the callback was invoked
697before C<rouse_wait>), it will return the arguments originally passed to
698the rouse callback.
699
700See the section B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK> for an actual usage example.
701
702=back
703
326=cut 704=cut
327 705
3281; 7061;
329 707
708=head1 HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK
709
710It is very common for a coro to wait for some callback to be
711called. This occurs naturally when you use coro in an otherwise
712event-based program, or when you use event-based libraries.
713
714These typically register a callback for some event, and call that callback
715when the event occured. In a coro, however, you typically want to
716just wait for the event, simplyifying things.
717
718For example C<< AnyEvent->child >> registers a callback to be called when
719a specific child has exited:
720
721 my $child_watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { ... });
722
723But from within a coro, you often just want to write this:
724
725 my $status = wait_for_child $pid;
726
727Coro offers two functions specifically designed to make this easy,
728C<Coro::rouse_cb> and C<Coro::rouse_wait>.
729
730The first function, C<rouse_cb>, generates and returns a callback that,
731when invoked, will save its arguments and notify the coro that
732created the callback.
733
734The second function, C<rouse_wait>, waits for the callback to be called
735(by calling C<schedule> to go to sleep) and returns the arguments
736originally passed to the callback.
737
738Using these functions, it becomes easy to write the C<wait_for_child>
739function mentioned above:
740
741 sub wait_for_child($) {
742 my ($pid) = @_;
743
744 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => Coro::rouse_cb);
745
746 my ($rpid, $rstatus) = Coro::rouse_wait;
747 $rstatus
748 }
749
750In the case where C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait> are not flexible enough,
751you can roll your own, using C<schedule>:
752
753 sub wait_for_child($) {
754 my ($pid) = @_;
755
756 # store the current coro in $current,
757 # and provide result variables for the closure passed to ->child
758 my $current = $Coro::current;
759 my ($done, $rstatus);
760
761 # pass a closure to ->child
762 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
763 $rstatus = $_[1]; # remember rstatus
764 $done = 1; # mark $rstatus as valud
765 });
766
767 # wait until the closure has been called
768 schedule while !$done;
769
770 $rstatus
771 }
772
773
330=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS 774=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS
331 775
332 - you must make very sure that no coro is still active on global 776=over 4
333 destruction. very bad things might happen otherwise (usually segfaults).
334 777
778=item fork with pthread backend
779
780When Coro is compiled using the pthread backend (which isn't recommended
781but required on many BSDs as their libcs are completely broken), then
782coro will not survive a fork. There is no known workaround except to
783fix your libc and use a saner backend.
784
785=item perl process emulation ("threads")
786
335 - this module is not thread-safe. You should only ever use this module 787This module is not perl-pseudo-thread-safe. You should only ever use this
336 from the same thread (this requirement might be losened in the future 788module from the first thread (this requirement might be removed in the
337 to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow 789future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow
338 this). 790this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as having
791the windows process emulation enabled under unix roughly halves perl
792performance, even when not used.
793
794=item coro switching is not signal safe
795
796You must not switch to another coro from within a signal handler
797(only relevant with %SIG - most event libraries provide safe signals).
798
799That means you I<MUST NOT> call any function that might "block" the
800current coro - C<cede>, C<schedule> C<< Coro::Semaphore->down >> or
801anything that calls those. Everything else, including calling C<ready>,
802works.
803
804=back
805
339 806
340=head1 SEE ALSO 807=head1 SEE ALSO
341 808
342L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Cont>, L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, 809Event-Loop integration: L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>.
343L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::State>, L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Event>, 810
344L<Coro::L<Coro::RWLock>, Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>. 811Debugging: L<Coro::Debug>.
812
813Support/Utility: L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Util>.
814
815Locking and IPC: L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Semaphore>,
816L<Coro::SemaphoreSet>, L<Coro::RWLock>.
817
818I/O and Timers: L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>, L<Coro::AIO>.
819
820Compatibility with other modules: L<Coro::LWP> (but see also L<AnyEvent::HTTP> for
821a better-working alternative), L<Coro::BDB>, L<Coro::Storable>,
822L<Coro::Select>.
823
824XS API: L<Coro::MakeMaker>.
825
826Low level Configuration, Thread Environment, Continuations: L<Coro::State>.
345 827
346=head1 AUTHOR 828=head1 AUTHOR
347 829
348 Marc Lehmann <pcg@goof.com> 830 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
349 http://www.goof.com/pcg/marc/ 831 http://home.schmorp.de/
350 832
351=cut 833=cut
352 834

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