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1=head1 NAME 1=head1 NAME
2 2
3Coro - coroutine process abstraction 3Coro - the only real threads in perl
4 4
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 5=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 6
7 use Coro; 7 use Coro;
8 8
9 async { 9 async {
10 # some asynchronous thread of execution 10 # some asynchronous thread of execution
11 print "2\n";
12 cede; # yield back to main
13 print "4\n";
11 }; 14 };
12 15 print "1\n";
13 # alternatively create an async process like this: 16 cede; # yield to coroutine
14 17 print "3\n";
15 sub some_func : Coro { 18 cede; # and again
16 # some more async code 19
17 } 20 # use locking
18 21 use Coro::Semaphore;
19 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
26This module is still experimental, see the BUGS section below. 34This module collection manages continuations in general, most often
35in the form of cooperative threads (also called coroutines in the
36documentation). They are similar to kernel threads but don't (in general)
37run in parallel at the same time even on SMP machines. The specific flavor
38of thread offered by this module also guarantees you that it will not
39switch between threads unless necessary, at easily-identified points in
40your program, so locking and parallel access are rarely an issue, making
41thread programming much safer and easier than using other thread models.
27 42
43Unlike the so-called "Perl threads" (which are not actually real threads
44but only the windows process emulation ported to unix), Coro provides a
45full shared address space, which makes communication between threads
46very easy. And threads are fast, too: disabling the Windows process
47emulation code in your perl and using Coro can easily result in a two to
48four times speed increase for your programs.
49
50Coro achieves that by supporting multiple running interpreters that share
51data, which is especially useful to code pseudo-parallel processes and
52for event-based programming, such as multiple HTTP-GET requests running
53concurrently. See L<Coro::AnyEvent> to learn more on how to integrate Coro
54into an event-based environment.
55
28In this module, coroutines are defined as "callchain + lexical variables 56In this module, a thread is defined as "callchain + lexical variables +
29+ @_ + $_ + $@ + $^W + C stack), that is, a coroutine has it's own 57@_ + $_ + $@ + $/ + C stack), that is, a thread has its own callchain,
30callchain, it's own set of lexicals and it's own set of perl's most 58its own set of lexicals and its own set of perls most important global
31important global variables. 59variables (see L<Coro::State> for more configuration and background info).
60
61See also the C<SEE ALSO> section at the end of this document - the Coro
62module family is quite large.
32 63
33=cut 64=cut
34 65
35package Coro; 66package Coro;
36 67
68use strict qw(vars subs);
69no warnings "uninitialized";
70
37use Coro::State; 71use Coro::State;
38 72
39use base Exporter; 73use base qw(Coro::State Exporter);
40 74
75our $idle; # idle handler
76our $main; # main coroutine
77our $current; # current coroutine
78
41$VERSION = 0.10; 79our $VERSION = 5.13;
42 80
43@EXPORT = qw(async cede schedule terminate current); 81our @EXPORT = qw(async async_pool cede schedule terminate current unblock_sub);
44@EXPORT_OK = qw($current); 82our %EXPORT_TAGS = (
83 prio => [qw(PRIO_MAX PRIO_HIGH PRIO_NORMAL PRIO_LOW PRIO_IDLE PRIO_MIN)],
84);
85our @EXPORT_OK = (@{$EXPORT_TAGS{prio}}, qw(nready));
45 86
46{ 87=head1 GLOBAL VARIABLES
47 my @async;
48 88
49 # this way of handling attributes simply is NOT scalable ;() 89=over 4
50 sub import {
51 Coro->export_to_level(1, @_);
52 my $old = *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"}{CODE};
53 *{(caller)[0]."::MODIFY_CODE_ATTRIBUTES"} = sub {
54 my ($package, $ref) = (shift, shift);
55 my @attrs;
56 for (@_) {
57 if ($_ eq "Coro") {
58 push @async, $ref;
59 } else {
60 push @attrs, $_;
61 }
62 }
63 return $old ? $old->($package, $ref, @attrs) : @attrs;
64 };
65 }
66 90
67 sub INIT {
68 &async(pop @async) while @async;
69 }
70}
71
72=item $main 91=item $Coro::main
73 92
74This coroutine represents the main program. 93This variable stores the coroutine object that represents the main
94program. While you cna C<ready> it and do most other things you can do to
95coroutines, it is mainly useful to compare again C<$Coro::current>, to see
96whether you are running in the main program or not.
75 97
76=cut 98=cut
77 99
78our $main = new Coro; 100# $main is now being initialised by Coro::State
79 101
80=item $current (or as function: current) 102=item $Coro::current
81 103
82The current coroutine (the last coroutine switched to). The initial value is C<$main> (of course). 104The coroutine object representing the current coroutine (the last
105coroutine that the Coro scheduler switched to). The initial value is
106C<$Coro::main> (of course).
83 107
84=cut 108This variable is B<strictly> I<read-only>. You can take copies of the
109value stored in it and use it as any other coroutine object, but you must
110not otherwise modify the variable itself.
85 111
86# maybe some other module used Coro::Specific before... 112=cut
87if ($current) {
88 $main->{specific} = $current->{specific};
89}
90 113
91our $current = $main;
92
93sub current() { $current } 114sub current() { $current } # [DEPRECATED]
94 115
95=item $idle 116=item $Coro::idle
96 117
97The coroutine to switch to when no other coroutine is running. The default 118This variable is mainly useful to integrate Coro into event loops. It is
98implementation prints "FATAL: deadlock detected" and exits. 119usually better to rely on L<Coro::AnyEvent> or L<Coro::EV>, as this is
120pretty low-level functionality.
99 121
100=cut 122This variable stores either a coroutine or a callback.
101 123
102# should be done using priorities :( 124If it is a callback, the it is called whenever the scheduler finds no
103our $idle = new Coro sub { 125ready coroutines to run. The default implementation prints "FATAL:
104 print STDERR "FATAL: deadlock detected\n"; 126deadlock detected" and exits, because the program has no other way to
105 exit(51); 127continue.
128
129If it is a coroutine object, then this object will be readied (without
130invoking any ready hooks, however) when the scheduler finds no other ready
131coroutines to run.
132
133This hook is overwritten by modules such as C<Coro::EV> and
134C<Coro::AnyEvent> to wait on an external event that hopefully wake up a
135coroutine so the scheduler can run it.
136
137Note that the callback I<must not>, under any circumstances, block
138the current coroutine. Normally, this is achieved by having an "idle
139coroutine" that calls the event loop and then blocks again, and then
140readying that coroutine in the idle handler, or by simply placing the idle
141coroutine in this variable.
142
143See L<Coro::Event> or L<Coro::AnyEvent> for examples of using this
144technique.
145
146Please note that if your callback recursively invokes perl (e.g. for event
147handlers), then it must be prepared to be called recursively itself.
148
149=cut
150
151$idle = sub {
152 require Carp;
153 Carp::croak ("FATAL: deadlock detected");
106}; 154};
107 155
108# we really need priorities... 156# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine
109my @ready; # the ready queue. hehe, rather broken ;) 157# cannot destroy itself.
158our @destroy;
159our $manager;
110 160
111# static methods. not really. 161$manager = new Coro sub {
162 while () {
163 Coro::_cancel shift @destroy
164 while @destroy;
112 165
113=head2 STATIC METHODS 166 &schedule;
167 }
168};
169$manager->{desc} = "[coro manager]";
170$manager->prio (PRIO_MAX);
114 171
115Static methods are actually functions that operate on the current process only. 172=back
173
174=head1 SIMPLE COROUTINE CREATION
116 175
117=over 4 176=over 4
118 177
119=item async { ... } [@args...] 178=item async { ... } [@args...]
120 179
121Create a new asynchronous process and return it's process object 180Create a new coroutine and return its coroutine object (usually
122(usually unused). When the sub returns the new process is automatically 181unused). The coroutine will be put into the ready queue, so
182it will start running automatically on the next scheduler run.
183
184The first argument is a codeblock/closure that should be executed in the
185coroutine. When it returns argument returns the coroutine is automatically
123terminated. 186terminated.
124 187
188The remaining arguments are passed as arguments to the closure.
189
190See the C<Coro::State::new> constructor for info about the coroutine
191environment in which coroutines are executed.
192
193Calling C<exit> in a coroutine will do the same as calling exit outside
194the coroutine. Likewise, when the coroutine dies, the program will exit,
195just as it would in the main program.
196
197If you do not want that, you can provide a default C<die> handler, or
198simply avoid dieing (by use of C<eval>).
199
125 # create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments 200Example: Create a new coroutine that just prints its arguments.
201
126 async { 202 async {
127 print "@_\n"; 203 print "@_\n";
128 } 1,2,3,4; 204 } 1,2,3,4;
129 205
130The coderef you submit MUST NOT be a closure that refers to variables
131in an outer scope. This does NOT work. Pass arguments into it instead.
132
133=cut 206=cut
134 207
135sub async(&@) { 208sub async(&@) {
136 my $pid = new Coro @_; 209 my $coro = new Coro @_;
137 $pid->ready; 210 $coro->ready;
138 $pid; 211 $coro
139} 212}
213
214=item async_pool { ... } [@args...]
215
216Similar to C<async>, but uses a coroutine pool, so you should not call
217terminate or join on it (although you are allowed to), and you get a
218coroutine that might have executed other code already (which can be good
219or bad :).
220
221On the plus side, this function is about twice as fast as creating (and
222destroying) a completely new coroutine, so if you need a lot of generic
223coroutines in quick successsion, use C<async_pool>, not C<async>.
224
225The code block is executed in an C<eval> context and a warning will be
226issued in case of an exception instead of terminating the program, as
227C<async> does. As the coroutine is being reused, stuff like C<on_destroy>
228will not work in the expected way, unless you call terminate or cancel,
229which somehow defeats the purpose of pooling (but is fine in the
230exceptional case).
231
232The priority will be reset to C<0> after each run, tracing will be
233disabled, the description will be reset and the default output filehandle
234gets restored, so you can change all these. Otherwise the coroutine will
235be re-used "as-is": most notably if you change other per-coroutine global
236stuff such as C<$/> you I<must needs> revert that change, which is most
237simply done by using local as in: C<< local $/ >>.
238
239The idle pool size is limited to C<8> idle coroutines (this can be
240adjusted by changing $Coro::POOL_SIZE), but there can be as many non-idle
241coros as required.
242
243If you are concerned about pooled coroutines growing a lot because a
244single C<async_pool> used a lot of stackspace you can e.g. C<async_pool
245{ terminate }> once per second or so to slowly replenish the pool. In
246addition to that, when the stacks used by a handler grows larger than 32kb
247(adjustable via $Coro::POOL_RSS) it will also be destroyed.
248
249=cut
250
251our $POOL_SIZE = 8;
252our $POOL_RSS = 32 * 1024;
253our @async_pool;
254
255sub pool_handler {
256 while () {
257 eval {
258 &{&_pool_handler} while 1;
259 };
260
261 warn $@ if $@;
262 }
263}
264
265=back
266
267=head1 STATIC METHODS
268
269Static methods are actually functions that implicitly operate on the
270current coroutine.
271
272=over 4
140 273
141=item schedule 274=item schedule
142 275
143Calls the scheduler. Please note that the current process will not be put 276Calls the scheduler. The scheduler will find the next coroutine that is
277to be run from the ready queue and switches to it. The next coroutine
278to be run is simply the one with the highest priority that is longest
279in its ready queue. If there is no coroutine ready, it will clal the
280C<$Coro::idle> hook.
281
282Please note that the current coroutine will I<not> be put into the ready
144into the ready queue, so calling this function usually means you will 283queue, so calling this function usually means you will never be called
145never be called again. 284again unless something else (e.g. an event handler) calls C<< ->ready >>,
285thus waking you up.
146 286
147=cut 287This makes C<schedule> I<the> generic method to use to block the current
288coroutine and wait for events: first you remember the current coroutine in
289a variable, then arrange for some callback of yours to call C<< ->ready
290>> on that once some event happens, and last you call C<schedule> to put
291yourself to sleep. Note that a lot of things can wake your coroutine up,
292so you need to check whether the event indeed happened, e.g. by storing the
293status in a variable.
148 294
149my $prev; 295See B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK>, below, for some ways to wait for callbacks.
150
151sub schedule {
152 # should be done using priorities :(
153 ($prev, $current) = ($current, shift @ready || $idle);
154 Coro::State::transfer($prev, $current);
155}
156 296
157=item cede 297=item cede
158 298
159"Cede" to other processes. This function puts the current process into the 299"Cede" to other coroutines. This function puts the current coroutine into
160ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving up the 300the ready queue and calls C<schedule>, which has the effect of giving
161current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher priority. 301up the current "timeslice" to other coroutines of the same or higher
302priority. Once your coroutine gets its turn again it will automatically be
303resumed.
162 304
163=cut 305This function is often called C<yield> in other languages.
164 306
165sub cede { 307=item Coro::cede_notself
308
309Works like cede, but is not exported by default and will cede to I<any>
310coroutine, regardless of priority. This is useful sometimes to ensure
311progress is made.
312
313=item terminate [arg...]
314
315Terminates the current coroutine with the given status values (see L<cancel>).
316
317=item killall
318
319Kills/terminates/cancels all coroutines except the currently running
320one. This can be useful after a fork, either in the child or the parent,
321as usually only one of them should inherit the running coroutines.
322
323Note that in the implementation, destructors run as normal, making this
324function not so useful after a fork. Future versions of this function
325might try to free resources without running any code.
326
327Note that while this will try to free some of the main programs resources,
328you cannot free all of them, so if a coroutine that is not the main
329program calls this function, there will be some one-time resource leak.
330
331=cut
332
333sub killall {
334 for (Coro::State::list) {
335 $_->cancel
336 if $_ != $current && UNIVERSAL::isa $_, "Coro";
337 }
338}
339
340=back
341
342=head1 COROUTINE OBJECT METHODS
343
344These are the methods you can call on coroutine objects (or to create
345them).
346
347=over 4
348
349=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...]
350
351Create a new coroutine and return it. When the sub returns, the coroutine
352automatically terminates as if C<terminate> with the returned values were
353called. To make the coroutine run you must first put it into the ready
354queue by calling the ready method.
355
356See C<async> and C<Coro::State::new> for additional info about the
357coroutine environment.
358
359=cut
360
361sub _coro_run {
362 terminate &{+shift};
363}
364
365=item $success = $coroutine->ready
366
367Put the given coroutine into the end of its ready queue (there is one
368queue for each priority) and return true. If the coroutine is already in
369the ready queue, do nothing and return false.
370
371This ensures that the scheduler will resume this coroutine automatically
372once all the coroutines of higher priority and all coroutines of the same
373priority that were put into the ready queue earlier have been resumed.
374
375=item $is_ready = $coroutine->is_ready
376
377Return whether the coroutine is currently the ready queue or not,
378
379=item $coroutine->cancel (arg...)
380
381Terminates the given coroutine and makes it return the given arguments as
382status (default: the empty list). Never returns if the coroutine is the
383current coroutine.
384
385=cut
386
387sub cancel {
388 my $self = shift;
389
390 if ($current == $self) {
391 terminate @_;
392 } else {
393 $self->{_status} = [@_];
394 $self->_cancel;
395 }
396}
397
398=item $coroutine->schedule_to
399
400Puts the current coroutine to sleep (like C<Coro::schedule>), but instead
401of continuing with the next coro from the ready queue, always switch to
402the given coroutine object (regardless of priority etc.). The readyness
403state of that coroutine isn't changed.
404
405This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
406uses for this one.
407
408=item $coroutine->cede_to
409
410Like C<schedule_to>, but puts the current coroutine into the ready
411queue. This has the effect of temporarily switching to the given
412coroutine, and continuing some time later.
413
414This is an advanced method for special cases - I'd love to hear about any
415uses for this one.
416
417=item $coroutine->throw ([$scalar])
418
419If C<$throw> is specified and defined, it will be thrown as an exception
420inside the coroutine at the next convenient point in time. Otherwise
421clears the exception object.
422
423Coro will check for the exception each time a schedule-like-function
424returns, i.e. after each C<schedule>, C<cede>, C<< Coro::Semaphore->down
425>>, C<< Coro::Handle->readable >> and so on. Most of these functions
426detect this case and return early in case an exception is pending.
427
428The exception object will be thrown "as is" with the specified scalar in
429C<$@>, i.e. if it is a string, no line number or newline will be appended
430(unlike with C<die>).
431
432This can be used as a softer means than C<cancel> to ask a coroutine to
433end itself, although there is no guarantee that the exception will lead to
434termination, and if the exception isn't caught it might well end the whole
435program.
436
437You might also think of C<throw> as being the moral equivalent of
438C<kill>ing a coroutine with a signal (in this case, a scalar).
439
440=item $coroutine->join
441
442Wait until the coroutine terminates and return any values given to the
443C<terminate> or C<cancel> functions. C<join> can be called concurrently
444from multiple coroutines, and all will be resumed and given the status
445return once the C<$coroutine> terminates.
446
447=cut
448
449sub join {
450 my $self = shift;
451
452 unless ($self->{_status}) {
453 my $current = $current;
454
455 push @{$self->{_on_destroy}}, sub {
166 $current->ready; 456 $current->ready;
167 &schedule; 457 undef $current;
168} 458 };
169 459
170=item terminate 460 &schedule while $current;
461 }
171 462
172Terminates the current process. 463 wantarray ? @{$self->{_status}} : $self->{_status}[0];
464}
173 465
174Future versions of this function will allow result arguments. 466=item $coroutine->on_destroy (\&cb)
175 467
176=cut 468Registers a callback that is called when this coroutine gets destroyed,
469but before it is joined. The callback gets passed the terminate arguments,
470if any, and I<must not> die, under any circumstances.
177 471
178# this coroutine is necessary because a coroutine 472=cut
179# cannot destroy itself. 473
180my @destroy; 474sub on_destroy {
181my $terminate = new Coro sub { 475 my ($self, $cb) = @_;
476
477 push @{ $self->{_on_destroy} }, $cb;
478}
479
480=item $oldprio = $coroutine->prio ($newprio)
481
482Sets (or gets, if the argument is missing) the priority of the
483coroutine. Higher priority coroutines get run before lower priority
484coroutines. Priorities are small signed integers (currently -4 .. +3),
485that you can refer to using PRIO_xxx constants (use the import tag :prio
486to get then):
487
488 PRIO_MAX > PRIO_HIGH > PRIO_NORMAL > PRIO_LOW > PRIO_IDLE > PRIO_MIN
489 3 > 1 > 0 > -1 > -3 > -4
490
491 # set priority to HIGH
492 current->prio(PRIO_HIGH);
493
494The idle coroutine ($Coro::idle) always has a lower priority than any
495existing coroutine.
496
497Changing the priority of the current coroutine will take effect immediately,
498but changing the priority of coroutines in the ready queue (but not
499running) will only take effect after the next schedule (of that
500coroutine). This is a bug that will be fixed in some future version.
501
502=item $newprio = $coroutine->nice ($change)
503
504Similar to C<prio>, but subtract the given value from the priority (i.e.
505higher values mean lower priority, just as in unix).
506
507=item $olddesc = $coroutine->desc ($newdesc)
508
509Sets (or gets in case the argument is missing) the description for this
510coroutine. This is just a free-form string you can associate with a
511coroutine.
512
513This method simply sets the C<< $coroutine->{desc} >> member to the given
514string. You can modify this member directly if you wish.
515
516=cut
517
518sub desc {
519 my $old = $_[0]{desc};
520 $_[0]{desc} = $_[1] if @_ > 1;
521 $old;
522}
523
524sub transfer {
525 require Carp;
526 Carp::croak ("You must not call ->transfer on Coro objects. Use Coro::State objects or the ->schedule_to method. Caught");
527}
528
529=back
530
531=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
532
533=over 4
534
535=item Coro::nready
536
537Returns the number of coroutines that are currently in the ready state,
538i.e. that can be switched to by calling C<schedule> directory or
539indirectly. The value C<0> means that the only runnable coroutine is the
540currently running one, so C<cede> would have no effect, and C<schedule>
541would cause a deadlock unless there is an idle handler that wakes up some
542coroutines.
543
544=item my $guard = Coro::guard { ... }
545
546This function still exists, but is deprecated. Please use the
547C<Guard::guard> function instead.
548
549=cut
550
551BEGIN { *guard = \&Guard::guard }
552
553=item unblock_sub { ... }
554
555This utility function takes a BLOCK or code reference and "unblocks" it,
556returning a new coderef. Unblocking means that calling the new coderef
557will return immediately without blocking, returning nothing, while the
558original code ref will be called (with parameters) from within another
559coroutine.
560
561The reason this function exists is that many event libraries (such as the
562venerable L<Event|Event> module) are not coroutine-safe (a weaker form
563of reentrancy). This means you must not block within event callbacks,
564otherwise you might suffer from crashes or worse. The only event library
565currently known that is safe to use without C<unblock_sub> is L<EV>.
566
567This function allows your callbacks to block by executing them in another
568coroutine where it is safe to block. One example where blocking is handy
569is when you use the L<Coro::AIO|Coro::AIO> functions to save results to
570disk, for example.
571
572In short: simply use C<unblock_sub { ... }> instead of C<sub { ... }> when
573creating event callbacks that want to block.
574
575If your handler does not plan to block (e.g. simply sends a message to
576another coroutine, or puts some other coroutine into the ready queue),
577there is no reason to use C<unblock_sub>.
578
579Note that you also need to use C<unblock_sub> for any other callbacks that
580are indirectly executed by any C-based event loop. For example, when you
581use a module that uses L<AnyEvent> (and you use L<Coro::AnyEvent>) and it
582provides callbacks that are the result of some event callback, then you
583must not block either, or use C<unblock_sub>.
584
585=cut
586
587our @unblock_queue;
588
589# we create a special coro because we want to cede,
590# to reduce pressure on the coro pool (because most callbacks
591# return immediately and can be reused) and because we cannot cede
592# inside an event callback.
593our $unblock_scheduler = new Coro sub {
182 while() { 594 while () {
183 delete ((pop @destroy)->{_coro_state}) while @destroy; 595 while (my $cb = pop @unblock_queue) {
184 &schedule; 596 &async_pool (@$cb);
597
598 # for short-lived callbacks, this reduces pressure on the coro pool
599 # as the chance is very high that the async_poll coro will be back
600 # in the idle state when cede returns
601 cede;
602 }
603 schedule; # sleep well
185 } 604 }
186}; 605};
606$unblock_scheduler->{desc} = "[unblock_sub scheduler]";
187 607
188sub terminate { 608sub unblock_sub(&) {
189 push @destroy, $current; 609 my $cb = shift;
190 $terminate->ready; 610
191 &schedule; 611 sub {
192 # NORETURN 612 unshift @unblock_queue, [$cb, @_];
613 $unblock_scheduler->ready;
614 }
193} 615}
616
617=item $cb = Coro::rouse_cb
618
619Create and return a "rouse callback". That's a code reference that,
620when called, will remember a copy of its arguments and notify the owner
621coroutine of the callback.
622
623See the next function.
624
625=item @args = Coro::rouse_wait [$cb]
626
627Wait for the specified rouse callback (or the last one that was created in
628this coroutine).
629
630As soon as the callback is invoked (or when the callback was invoked
631before C<rouse_wait>), it will return the arguments originally passed to
632the rouse callback.
633
634See the section B<HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK> for an actual usage example.
194 635
195=back 636=back
196 637
197# dynamic methods 638=cut
198 639
199=head2 PROCESS METHODS 6401;
200 641
201These are the methods you can call on process objects. 642=head1 HOW TO WAIT FOR A CALLBACK
643
644It is very common for a coroutine to wait for some callback to be
645called. This occurs naturally when you use coroutines in an otherwise
646event-based program, or when you use event-based libraries.
647
648These typically register a callback for some event, and call that callback
649when the event occured. In a coroutine, however, you typically want to
650just wait for the event, simplyifying things.
651
652For example C<< AnyEvent->child >> registers a callback to be called when
653a specific child has exited:
654
655 my $child_watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub { ... });
656
657But from withina coroutine, you often just want to write this:
658
659 my $status = wait_for_child $pid;
660
661Coro offers two functions specifically designed to make this easy,
662C<Coro::rouse_cb> and C<Coro::rouse_wait>.
663
664The first function, C<rouse_cb>, generates and returns a callback that,
665when invoked, will save its arguments and notify the coroutine that
666created the callback.
667
668The second function, C<rouse_wait>, waits for the callback to be called
669(by calling C<schedule> to go to sleep) and returns the arguments
670originally passed to the callback.
671
672Using these functions, it becomes easy to write the C<wait_for_child>
673function mentioned above:
674
675 sub wait_for_child($) {
676 my ($pid) = @_;
677
678 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => Coro::rouse_cb);
679
680 my ($rpid, $rstatus) = Coro::rouse_wait;
681 $rstatus
682 }
683
684In the case where C<rouse_cb> and C<rouse_wait> are not flexible enough,
685you can roll your own, using C<schedule>:
686
687 sub wait_for_child($) {
688 my ($pid) = @_;
689
690 # store the current coroutine in $current,
691 # and provide result variables for the closure passed to ->child
692 my $current = $Coro::current;
693 my ($done, $rstatus);
694
695 # pass a closure to ->child
696 my $watcher = AnyEvent->child (pid => $pid, cb => sub {
697 $rstatus = $_[1]; # remember rstatus
698 $done = 1; # mark $rstatus as valud
699 });
700
701 # wait until the closure has been called
702 schedule while !$done;
703
704 $rstatus
705 }
706
707
708=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS
202 709
203=over 4 710=over 4
204 711
205=item new Coro \&sub [, @args...] 712=item fork with pthread backend
206 713
207Create a new process and return it. When the sub returns the process 714When Coro is compiled using the pthread backend (which isn't recommended
208automatically terminates. To start the process you must first put it into 715but required on many BSDs as their libcs are completely broken), then
209the ready queue by calling the ready method. 716coroutines will not survive a fork. There is no known workaround except to
717fix your libc and use a saner backend.
210 718
211The coderef you submit MUST NOT be a closure that refers to variables 719=item perl process emulation ("threads")
212in an outer scope. This does NOT work. Pass arguments into it instead.
213 720
214=cut 721This module is not perl-pseudo-thread-safe. You should only ever use this
722module from the first thread (this requirement might be removed in the
723future to allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow
724this). I recommend disabling thread support and using processes, as having
725the windows process emulation enabled under unix roughly halves perl
726performance, even when not used.
215 727
216sub _newcoro { 728=item coroutine switching not signal safe
217 terminate &{+shift};
218}
219 729
220sub new { 730You must not switch to another coroutine from within a signal handler
221 my $class = shift; 731(only relevant with %SIG - most event libraries provide safe signals).
222 bless {
223 _coro_state => (new Coro::State $_[0] && \&_newcoro, @_),
224 }, $class;
225}
226 732
227=item $process->ready 733That means you I<MUST NOT> call any function that might "block" the
228 734current coroutine - C<cede>, C<schedule> C<< Coro::Semaphore->down >> or
229Put the current process into the ready queue. 735anything that calls those. Everything else, including calling C<ready>,
230 736works.
231=cut
232
233sub ready {
234 push @ready, $_[0];
235}
236 737
237=back 738=back
238 739
239=cut
240
2411;
242
243=head1 BUGS/LIMITATIONS
244
245 - could be faster, especially when the core would introduce special
246 support for coroutines (like it does for threads).
247 - there is still a memleak on coroutine termination that I could not
248 identify. Could be as small as a single SV.
249 - this module is not well-tested.
250 - if variables or arguments "disappear" (become undef) or become
251 corrupted please contact the author so he cen iron out the
252 remaining bugs.
253 - this module is not thread-safe. You must only ever use this module from
254 the same thread (this requirement might be loosened in the future to
255 allow per-thread schedulers, but Coro::State does not yet allow this).
256 740
257=head1 SEE ALSO 741=head1 SEE ALSO
258 742
259L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Cont>, L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Semaphore>, 743Event-Loop integration: L<Coro::AnyEvent>, L<Coro::EV>, L<Coro::Event>.
260L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::State>, L<Coro::Event>. 744
745Debugging: L<Coro::Debug>.
746
747Support/Utility: L<Coro::Specific>, L<Coro::Util>.
748
749Locking and IPC: L<Coro::Signal>, L<Coro::Channel>, L<Coro::Semaphore>,
750L<Coro::SemaphoreSet>, L<Coro::RWLock>.
751
752I/O and Timers: L<Coro::Timer>, L<Coro::Handle>, L<Coro::Socket>, L<Coro::AIO>.
753
754Compatibility with other modules: L<Coro::LWP> (but see also L<AnyEvent::HTTP> for
755a better-working alternative), L<Coro::BDB>, L<Coro::Storable>,
756L<Coro::Select>.
757
758XS API: L<Coro::MakeMaker>.
759
760Low level Configuration, Thread Environment, Continuations: L<Coro::State>.
261 761
262=head1 AUTHOR 762=head1 AUTHOR
263 763
264 Marc Lehmann <pcg@goof.com> 764 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
265 http://www.goof.com/pcg/marc/ 765 http://home.schmorp.de/
266 766
267=cut 767=cut
268 768

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