IO::Async::Loop(3) User Contributed Perl Documentation IO::Async::Loop(3)NAME
"IO::Async::Loop" - core loop of the "IO::Async" framework
SYNOPSIS
use IO::Async::Stream;
use IO::Async::Timer::Countdown;
use IO::Async::Loop;
my $loop = IO::Async::Loop->new;
$loop->add( IO::Async::Timer::Countdown->new(
delay => 10,
on_expire => sub { print "10 seconds have passed\n" },
)->start );
$loop->add( IO::Async::Stream->new_for_stdin(
on_read => sub {
my ( $self, $buffref, $eof ) = @_;
while( $$buffref =~ s/^(.*)\n// ) {
print "You typed a line $1\n";
}
return 0;
},
) );
$loop->run;
DESCRIPTION
This module provides an abstract class which implements the core loop
of the "IO::Async" framework. Its primary purpose is to store a set of
IO::Async::Notifier objects or subclasses of them. It handles all of
the lower-level set manipulation actions, and leaves the actual IO
readiness testing/notification to the concrete class that implements
it. It also provides other functionality such as signal handling, child
process managing, and timers.
See also the two bundled Loop subclasses:
IO::Async::Loop::Select
IO::Async::Loop::Poll
Or other subclasses that may appear on CPAN which are not part of the
core "IO::Async" distribution.
MAGIC CONSTRUCTOR
$loop = IO::Async::Loop->new
This function attempts to find a good subclass to use, then calls its
constructor. It works by making a list of likely candidate classes,
then trying each one in turn, "require"ing the module then calling its
"new" method. If either of these operations fails, the next subclass is
tried. If no class was successful, then an exception is thrown.
The constructed object is cached, and will be returned again by a
subsequent call. The cache will also be set by a constructor on a
specific subclass. This behaviour makes it possible to simply use the
normal constructor in a module that wishes to interract with the main
program's Loop, such as an integration module for another event system.
For example, the following two $loop variables will refer to the same
object:
use IO::Async::Loop;
use IO::Async::Loop::Poll;
my $loop_poll = IO::Async::Loop::Poll->new;
my $loop = IO::Async::Loop->new;
While it is not advised to do so under normal circumstances, if the
program really wishes to construct more than one Loop object, it can
call the constructor "really_new", or invoke one of the subclass-
specific constructors directly.
The list of candidates is formed from the following choices, in this
order:
· $ENV{IO_ASYNC_LOOP}
If this environment variable is set, it should contain a comma-
separated list of subclass names. These names may or may not be
fully-qualified; if a name does not contain "::" then it will have
"IO::Async::Loop::" prepended to it. This allows the end-user to
specify a particular choice to fit the needs of his use of a
program using "IO::Async".
· $IO::Async::Loop::LOOP
If this scalar is set, it should contain a comma-separated list of
subclass names. These may or may not be fully-qualified, as with
the above case. This allows a program author to suggest a loop
module to use.
In cases where the module subclass is a hard requirement, such as
GTK programs using "Glib", it would be better to use the module
specifically and invoke its constructor directly.
· $^O
The module called "IO::Async::Loop::$^O" is tried next. This allows
specific OSes, such as the ever-tricky "MSWin32", to provide an
implementation that might be more efficient than the generic ones,
or even work at all.
· Poll and Select
Finally, if no other choice has been made by now, the built-in
"Poll" module is chosen. This should always work, but in case it
doesn't, the "Select" module will be chosen afterwards as a last-
case attempt. If this also fails, then the magic constructor itself
will throw an exception.
If any of the explicitly-requested loop types ($ENV{IO_ASYNC_LOOP} or
$IO::Async::Loop::LOOP) fails to load then a warning is printed
detailing the error.
Implementors of new "IO::Async::Loop" subclasses should see the notes
about "API_VERSION" below.
NOTIFIER MANAGEMENT
The following methods manage the collection of "IO::Async::Notifier"
objects.
$loop->add( $notifier )
This method adds another notifier object to the stored collection. The
object may be a "IO::Async::Notifier", or any subclass of it.
When a notifier is added, any children it has are also added,
recursively. In this way, entire sections of a program may be written
within a tree of notifier objects, and added or removed on one piece.
$loop->remove( $notifier )
This method removes a notifier object from the stored collection, and
recursively and children notifiers it contains.
@notifiers = $loop->notifiers
Returns a list of all the notifier objects currently stored in the
Loop.
LOOPING CONTROL
The following methods control the actual run cycle of the loop, and
hence the program.
$count = $loop->loop_once( $timeout )
This method performs a single wait loop using the specific subclass's
underlying mechanism. If $timeout is undef, then no timeout is applied,
and it will wait until an event occurs. The intention of the return
value is to indicate the number of callbacks that this loop executed,
though different subclasses vary in how accurately they can report
this. See the documentation for this method in the specific subclass
for more information.
@result = $loop->run
$result = $loop->run
Runs the actual IO event loop. This method blocks until the "stop"
method is called, and returns the result that was passed to "stop". In
scalar context only the first result is returned; the others will be
discarded if more than one value was provided. This method may be
called recursively.
This method is a recent addition and may not be supported by all the
"IO::Async::Loop" subclasses currently available on CPAN.
$loop->stop( @result )
Stops the inner-most "run" method currently in progress, causing it to
return the given @result.
This method is a recent addition and may not be supported by all the
"IO::Async::Loop" subclasses currently available on CPAN.
$loop->loop_forever
A synonym for "run", though this method does not return a result.
$loop->loop_stop
A synonym for "stop", though this method does not pass any results.
FUTURE SUPPORT
The following methods relate to IO::Async::Future objects.
$future = $loop->new_future
Returns a new "IO::Async::Future" instance with a reference to the
Loop.
$loop->await( $future )
Blocks until the given future is ready, as indicated by its "is_ready"
method. As a convenience it returns the future, to simplify code:
my @result = $loop->await( $future )->get;
$loop->await_all( @futures )
Blocks until all the given futures are ready, as indicated by the
"is_ready" method. Equivalent to calling "await" on a
"Future->wait_all" except that it doesn't create the surrounding future
object.
$future = $loop->delay_future( %args )
Returns a new "IO::Async::Future" instance which will become done at a
given point in time. The %args should contain an "at" or "after" key as
per the "watch_time" method. The returned future may be cancelled to
cancel the timer. At the alloted time the future will succeed with an
empty result list.
$future = $loop->timeout_future( %args )
Returns a new "IO::Async::Future" instance which will fail at a given
point in time. The %args should contain an "at" or "after" key as per
the "watch_time" method. The returned future may be cancelled to cancel
the timer. At the alloted time, the future will fail with the string
"Timeout".
FEATURES
Most of the following methods are higher-level wrappers around base
functionality provided by the low-level API documented below. They may
be used by "IO::Async::Notifier" subclasses or called directly by the
program.
$id = $loop->attach_signal( $signal, $code )
This method adds a new signal handler to watch the given signal. The
same signal can be attached to multiple times; its callback functions
will all be invoked, in no particular order.
The returned $id value can be used to identify the signal handler in
case it needs to be removed by the "detach_signal" method. Note that
this value may be an object reference, so if it is stored, it should be
released after it cancelled, so the object itself can be freed.
$signal The name of the signal to attach to. This should be a bare name
like "TERM".
$code A CODE reference to the handling callback.
Attaching to "SIGCHLD" is not recommended because of the way all child
processes use it to report their termination. Instead, the
"watch_child" method should be used to watch for termination of a given
child process. A warning will be printed if "SIGCHLD" is passed here,
but in future versions of "IO::Async" this behaviour may be disallowed
altogether.
See also POSIX for the "SIGname" constants.
For a more flexible way to use signals from within Notifiers, see
instead the IO::Async::Signal object.
$loop->detach_signal( $signal, $id )
Removes a previously-attached signal handler.
$signal The name of the signal to remove from. This should be a bare
name like "TERM".
$id The value returned by the "attach_signal" method.
$loop->later( $code )
Schedules a code reference to be invoked as soon as the current round
of IO operations is complete.
The code reference is never invoked immediately, though the loop will
not perform any blocking operations between when it is installed and
when it is invoked. It may call "select", "poll" or equivalent with a
zero-second timeout, and process any currently-pending IO conditions
before the code is invoked, but it will not block for a non-zero amount
of time.
This method is implemented using the "watch_idle" method, with the
"when" parameter set to "later". It will return an ID value that can be
passed to "unwatch_idle" if required.
$loop->spawn_child( %params )
This method creates a new child process to run a given code block or
command. For more detail, see the "spawn_child" method on the
IO::Async::ChildManager class.
$pid = $loop->open_child( %params )
This creates a new child process to run the given code block or
command, and attaches filehandles to it that the parent will watch.
This method is a light wrapper around constructing a new
IO::Async::Process object, provided largely for backward compatibility.
New code ought to construct such an object directly, as it may provide
more features than are available here.
The %params hash takes the following keys:
command => ARRAY or STRING
code => CODE
The command or code to run in the child process (as per the
"spawn" method)
on_finish => CODE
A continuation to be called when the child process exits and
has closed all of the filehandles that were set up for it. It
will be invoked in the following way:
$on_finish->( $pid, $exitcode )
The second argument is passed the plain perl $? value.
on_error => CODE
Optional continuation to be called when the child code block
throws an exception, or the command could not be exec(2)ed. It
will be invoked in the following way (as per "spawn")
$on_error->( $pid, $exitcode, $dollarbang, $dollarat )
If this continuation is not supplied, then "on_finish" is used
instead. The value of $! and $@ will not be reported.
setup => ARRAY
Optional reference to an array to pass to the underlying
"spawn" method.
In addition, the hash takes keys that define how to set up file
descriptors in the child process. (If the "setup" array is also given,
these operations will be performed after those specified by "setup".)
fdn => HASH
A hash describing how to set up file descriptor n. The hash may
contain one of the following sets of keys:
on_read => CODE
The child will be given the writing end of a pipe. The
reading end will be wrapped by an "IO::Async::Stream" using
this "on_read" callback function.
from => STRING
The child will be given the reading end of a pipe. The
string given by the "from" parameter will be written to the
child. When all of the data has been written the pipe will
be closed.
stdin => ...
stdout => ...
stderr => ...
Shortcuts for "fd0", "fd1" and "fd2" respectively.
$pid = $loop->run_child( %params )
This creates a new child process to run the given code block or
command, capturing its STDOUT and STDERR streams. When the process
exits, a continuation is invoked being passed the exitcode, and content
of the streams.
command => ARRAY or STRING
code => CODE
The command or code to run in the child process (as per the
"spawn_child" method)
on_finish => CODE
A continuation to be called when the child process exits and
closed its STDOUT and STDERR streams. It will be invoked in the
following way:
$on_finish->( $pid, $exitcode, $stdout, $stderr )
The second argument is passed the plain perl $? value.
stdin => STRING
Optional. String to pass in to the child process's STDIN
stream.
setup => ARRAY
Optional reference to an array to pass to the underlying
"spawn" method.
This method is intended mainly as an IO::Async-compatible replacement
for the perl "readpipe" function (`backticks`), allowing it to replace
my $output = `command here`;
with
$loop->run_child(
command => "command here",
on_finish => sub {
my ( undef, $exitcode, $output ) = @_;
...
}
);
$loop->resolver
Returns the internally-stored IO::Async::Resolver object, used for name
resolution operations by the "resolve", "connect" and "listen" methods.
$loop->resolve( %params )
This method performs a single name resolution operation. It uses an
internally-stored "IO::Async::Resolver" object. For more detail, see
the "resolve" method on the IO::Async::Resolver class.
$future = $loop->connect( %params )
This method performs a non-blocking connection to a given address or
set of addresses, returning a IO::Async::Future which represents the
operation. On completion, the future will yield the connected socket
handle, or the given IO::Async::Handle object.
There are two modes of operation. Firstly, a list of addresses can be
provided which will be tried in turn. Alternatively as a convenience,
if a host and service name are provided instead of a list of addresses,
these will be resolved using the underlying loop's "resolve" method
into the list of addresses.
When attempting to connect to any among a list of addresses, there may
be failures among the first attempts, before a valid connection is
made. For example, the resolver may have returned some IPv6 addresses,
but only IPv4 routes are valid on the system. In this case, the first
connect(2) syscall will fail. This isn't yet a fatal error, if there
are more addresses to try, perhaps some IPv4 ones.
For this reason, it is possible that the operation eventually succeeds
even though some system calls initially fail. To be aware of individual
failures, the optional "on_fail" callback can be used. This will be
invoked on each individual socket(2) or connect(2) failure, which may
be useful for debugging or logging.
Because this module simply uses the "getaddrinfo" resolver, it will be
fully IPv6-aware if the underlying platform's resolver is. This allows
programs to be fully IPv6-capable.
In plain address mode, the %params hash takes the following keys:
addrs => ARRAY
Reference to an array of (possibly-multiple) address structures
to attempt to connect to. Each should be in the layout
described for "addr". Such a layout is returned by the
"getaddrinfo" named resolver.
addr => HASH or ARRAY
Shortcut for passing a single address to connect to; it may be
passed directly with this key, instead of in another array on
its own. This should be in a format recognised by
IO::Async::OS's "extract_addrinfo" method.
This example shows how to use the "Socket" functions to
construct one for TCP port 8001 on address 10.0.0.1:
$loop->connect(
addr => {
family => "inet",
socktype => "stream",
port => 8001,
ip => "10.0.0.1",
},
...
);
This example shows another way to connect to a UNIX socket at
echo.sock.
$loop->connect(
addr => {
family => "unix",
socktype => "stream",
path => "echo.sock",
},
...
);
local_addrs => ARRAY
local_addr => HASH or ARRAY
Optional. Similar to the "addrs" or "addr" parameters, these
specify a local address or set of addresses to bind(2) the
socket to before connect(2)ing it.
When performing the resolution step too, the "addrs" or "addr" keys are
ignored, and instead the following keys are taken:
host => STRING
service => STRING
The hostname and service name to connect to.
local_host => STRING
local_service => STRING
Optional. The hostname and/or service name to bind(2) the
socket to locally before connecting to the peer.
family => INT
socktype => INT
protocol => INT
flags => INT
Optional. Other arguments to pass along with "host" and
"service" to the "getaddrinfo" call.
socktype => STRING
Optionally may instead be one of the values 'stream', 'dgram'
or 'raw' to stand for "SOCK_STREAM", "SOCK_DGRAM" or
"SOCK_RAW". This utility is provided to allow the caller to
avoid a separate "use Socket" only for importing these
constants.
It is necessary to pass the "socktype" hint to the resolver when
resolving the host/service names into an address, as some OS's
"getaddrinfo" functions require this hint. A warning is emitted if
neither "socktype" nor "protocol" hint is defined when performing a
"getaddrinfo" lookup. To avoid this warning while still specifying no
particular "socktype" hint (perhaps to invoke some OS-specific
behaviour), pass 0 as the "socktype" value.
In either case, it also accepts the following arguments:
handle => IO::Async::Handle
Optional. If given a IO::Async::Handle object or a subclass
(such as IO::Async::Stream or IO::Async::Socket its handle will
be set to the newly-connected socket on success, and that
handle used as the result of the future instead.
on_fail => CODE
Optional. After an individual socket(2) or connect(2) syscall
has failed, this callback is invoked to inform of the error. It
is passed the name of the syscall that failed, the arguments
that were passed to it, and the error it generated. I.e.
$on_fail->( "socket", $family, $socktype, $protocol, $! );
$on_fail->( "bind", $sock, $address, $! );
$on_fail->( "connect", $sock, $address, $! );
Because of the "try all" nature when given a list of multiple
addresses, this callback may be invoked multiple times, even
before an eventual success.
This method accepts an "extensions" parameter; see the "EXTENSIONS"
section below.
$loop->connect( %params )
When not returning a future, additional parameters can be given
containing the continuations to invoke on success or failure.
on_connected => CODE
A continuation that is invoked on a successful connect(2) call
to a valid socket. It will be passed the connected socket
handle, as an "IO::Socket" object.
$on_connected->( $handle )
on_stream => CODE
An alternative to "on_connected", a continuation that is passed
an instance of IO::Async::Stream when the socket is connected.
This is provided as a convenience for the common case that a
Stream object is required as the transport for a Protocol
object.
$on_stream->( $stream )
on_socket => CODE
Similar to "on_stream", but constructs an instance of
IO::Async::Socket. This is most useful for "SOCK_DGRAM" or
"SOCK_RAW" sockets.
$on_socket->( $socket )
on_connect_error => CODE
A continuation that is invoked after all of the addresses have
been tried, and none of them succeeded. It will be passed the
most significant error that occurred, and the name of the
operation it occurred in. Errors from the connect(2) syscall
are considered most significant, then bind(2), then finally
socket(2).
$on_connect_error->( $syscall, $! )
on_resolve_error => CODE
A continuation that is invoked when the name resolution attempt
fails. This is invoked in the same way as the "on_error"
continuation for the "resolve" method.
$loop->listen( %params ) ==> $listener
This method sets up a listening socket and arranges for an acceptor
callback to be invoked each time a new connection is accepted on the
socket. Internally it creates an instance of IO::Async::Listener and
adds it to the Loop if not given one in the arguments.
Addresses may be given directly, or they may be looked up using the
system's name resolver, or a socket handle may be given directly.
If multiple addresses are given, or resolved from the service and
hostname, then each will be attempted in turn until one succeeds.
In named resolver mode, the %params hash takes the following keys:
service => STRING
The service name to listen on.
host => STRING
The hostname to listen on. Optional. Will listen on all
addresses if not supplied.
family => INT
socktype => INT
protocol => INT
flags => INT
Optional. Other arguments to pass along with "host" and
"service" to the "getaddrinfo" call.
socktype => STRING
Optionally may instead be one of the values 'stream', 'dgram'
or 'raw' to stand for "SOCK_STREAM", "SOCK_DGRAM" or
"SOCK_RAW". This utility is provided to allow the caller to
avoid a separate "use Socket" only for importing these
constants.
It is necessary to pass the "socktype" hint to the resolver when
resolving the host/service names into an address, as some OS's
"getaddrinfo" functions require this hint. A warning is emitted if
neither "socktype" nor "protocol" hint is defined when performing a
"getaddrinfo" lookup. To avoid this warning while still specifying no
particular "socktype" hint (perhaps to invoke some OS-specific
behaviour), pass 0 as the "socktype" value.
In plain address mode, the %params hash takes the following keys:
addrs => ARRAY
Reference to an array of (possibly-multiple) address structures
to attempt to listen on. Each should be in the layout described
for "addr". Such a layout is returned by the "getaddrinfo"
named resolver.
addr => ARRAY
Shortcut for passing a single address to listen on; it may be
passed directly with this key, instead of in another array of
its own. This should be in a format recognised by
IO::Async::OS's "extract_addrinfo" method. See also the
"EXAMPLES" section.
In direct socket handle mode, the following keys are taken:
handle => IO
The listening socket handle.
In either case, the following keys are also taken:
on_fail => CODE
Optional. A callback that is invoked if a syscall fails while
attempting to create a listening sockets. It is passed the name
of the syscall that failed, the arguments that were passed to
it, and the error generated. I.e.
$on_fail->( "socket", $family, $socktype, $protocol, $! );
$on_fail->( "sockopt", $sock, $optname, $optval, $! );
$on_fail->( "bind", $sock, $address, $! );
$on_fail->( "listen", $sock, $queuesize, $! );
queuesize => INT
Optional. The queue size to pass to the listen(2) calls. If not
supplied, then 3 will be given instead.
reuseaddr => BOOL
Optional. If true or not supplied then the "SO_REUSEADDR"
socket option will be set. To prevent this, pass a false value
such as 0.
v6only => BOOL
Optional. If defined, sets or clears the "IPV6_V6ONLY" socket
option on "PF_INET6" sockets. This option disables the ability
of "PF_INET6" socket to accept connections from "AF_INET"
addresses. Not all operating systems allow this option to be
disabled.
An alternative which gives more control over the listener, is to create
the "IO::Async::Listener" object directly and add it explicitly to the
Loop.
This method accepts an "extensions" parameter; see the "EXTENSIONS"
section below.
$loop->listen( %params )
When not returning a future, additional parameters can be given
containing the continuations to invoke on success or failure.
on_notifier => CODE
Optional. A callback that is invoked when the Listener object
is ready to receive connections. The callback is passed the
Listener object itself.
$on_notifier->( $listener )
If this callback is required, it may instead be better to
construct the Listener object directly.
on_listen => CODE
Optional. A callback that is invoked when the listening socket
is ready. Typically this would be used in the name resolver
case, in order to inspect the socket's sockname address, or
otherwise inspect the filehandle.
$on_listen->( $socket )
on_listen_error => CODE
A continuation this is invoked after all of the addresses have
been tried, and none of them succeeded. It will be passed the
most significant error that occurred, and the name of the
operation it occurred in. Errors from the listen(2) syscall are
considered most significant, then bind(2), then sockopt(2),
then finally socket(2).
on_resolve_error => CODE
A continuation that is invoked when the name resolution attempt
fails. This is invoked in the same way as the "on_error"
continuation for the "resolve" method.
OS ABSTRACTIONS
Because the Magic Constructor searches for OS-specific subclasses of
the Loop, several abstractions of OS services are provided, in case
specific OSes need to give different implementations on that OS.
$signum = $loop->signame2num( $signame )
Legacy wrappers around IO::Async::OS functions.
$time = $loop->time
Returns the current UNIX time in fractional seconds. This is currently
equivalent to "Time::HiRes::time" but provided here as a utility for
programs to obtain the time current used by "IO::Async" for its own
timing purposes.
$pid = $loop->fork( %params )
This method creates a new child process to run a given code block,
returning its process ID.
code => CODE
A block of code to execute in the child process. It will be
called in scalar context inside an "eval" block. The return
value will be used as the exit(2) code from the child if it
returns (or 255 if it returned "undef" or thows an exception).
on_exit => CODE
A optional continuation to be called when the child processes
exits. It will be invoked in the following way:
$on_exit->( $pid, $exitcode )
The second argument is passed the plain perl $? value.
This key is optional; if not supplied, the calling code should
install a handler using the "watch_child" method.
keep_signals => BOOL
Optional boolean. If missing or false, any CODE references in
the %SIG hash will be removed and restored back to "DEFAULT" in
the child process. If true, no adjustment of the %SIG hash will
be performed.
$tid = $loop->create_thread( %params )
This method creates a new (non-detached) thread to run the given code
block, returning its thread ID.
code => CODE
A block of code to execute in the thread. It is called in the
context given by the "context" argument, and its return value
will be available to the "on_joined" callback. It is called
inside an "eval" block; if it fails the exception will be
caught.
context => "scalar" | "list" | "void"
Optional. Gives the calling context that "code" is invoked in.
Defaults to "scalar" if not supplied.
on_joined => CODE
Callback to invoke when the thread function returns or throws
an exception. If it returned, this callback will be invoked
with its result
$on_joined->( return => @result )
If it threw an exception the callback is invoked with the value
of $@
$on_joined->( died => $! )
LOW-LEVEL METHODS
As "IO::Async::Loop" is an abstract base class, specific subclasses of
it are required to implement certain methods that form the base level
of functionality. They are not recommended for applications to use; see
instead the various event objects or higher level methods listed above.
These methods should be considered as part of the interface contract
required to implement a "IO::Async::Loop" subclass.
IO::Async::Loop->API_VERSION
This method will be called by the magic constructor on the class before
it is constructed, to ensure that the specific implementation will
support the required API. This method should return the API version
that the loop implementation supports. The magic constructor will use
that class, provided it declares a version at least as new as the
version documented here.
The current API version is 0.49.
This method may be implemented using "constant"; e.g
use constant API_VERSION => '0.49';
$loop->watch_io( %params )
This method installs callback functions which will be invoked when the
given IO handle becomes read- or write-ready.
The %params hash takes the following keys:
handle => IO
The IO handle to watch.
on_read_ready => CODE
Optional. A CODE reference to call when the handle becomes
read-ready.
on_write_ready => CODE
Optional. A CODE reference to call when the handle becomes
write-ready.
There can only be one filehandle of any given fileno registered at any
one time. For any one filehandle, there can only be one read-readiness
and/or one write-readiness callback at any one time. Registering a new
one will remove an existing one of that type. It is not required that
both are provided.
Applications should use a "IO::Async::Handle" or "IO::Async::Stream"
instead of using this method.
$loop->unwatch_io( %params )
This method removes a watch on an IO handle which was previously
installed by "watch_io".
The %params hash takes the following keys:
handle => IO
The IO handle to remove the watch for.
on_read_ready => BOOL
If true, remove the watch for read-readiness.
on_write_ready => BOOL
If true, remove the watch for write-readiness.
Either or both callbacks may be removed at once. It is not an error to
attempt to remove a callback that is not present. If both callbacks
were provided to the "watch_io" method and only one is removed by this
method, the other shall remain.
$loop->watch_signal( $signal, $code )
This method adds a new signal handler to watch the given signal.
$signal The name of the signal to watch to. This should be a bare name
like "TERM".
$code A CODE reference to the handling callback.
There can only be one callback per signal name. Registering a new one
will remove an existing one.
Applications should use a "IO::Async::Signal" object, or call
"attach_signal" instead of using this method.
This and "unwatch_signal" are optional; a subclass may implement
neither, or both. If it implements neither then signal handling will be
performed by the base class using a self-connected pipe to interrupt
the main IO blocking.
$loop->unwatch_signal( $signal )
This method removes the signal callback for the given signal.
$signal The name of the signal to watch to. This should be a bare name
like "TERM".
$id = $loop->watch_time( %args )
This method installs a callback which will be called at the specified
time. The time may either be specified as an absolute value (the "at"
key), or as a delay from the time it is installed (the "after" key).
The returned $id value can be used to identify the timer in case it
needs to be cancelled by the "unwatch_time" method. Note that this
value may be an object reference, so if it is stored, it should be
released after it has been fired or cancelled, so the object itself can
be freed.
The %params hash takes the following keys:
at => NUM
The absolute system timestamp to run the event.
after => NUM
The delay after now at which to run the event, if "at" is not
supplied. A zero or negative delayed timer should be executed
as soon as possible; the next time the "loop_once" method is
invoked.
now => NUM
The time to consider as now if calculating an absolute time
based on "after"; defaults to "time()" if not specified.
code => CODE
CODE reference to the continuation to run at the allotted time.
Either one of "at" or "after" is required.
For more powerful timer functionality as a "IO::Async::Notifier" (so it
can be used as a child within another Notifier), see instead the
IO::Async::Timer object and its subclasses.
These *_time methods are optional; a subclass may implement neither or
both of them. If it implements neither, then the base class will manage
a queue of timer events. This queue should be handled by the
"loop_once" method implemented by the subclass, using the
"_adjust_timeout" and "_manage_queues" methods.
This is the newer version of the API, replacing "enqueue_timer". It is
unspecified how this method pair interacts with the older
"enqueue/requeue/cancel_timer" triplet.
$loop->unwatch_time( $id )
Removes a timer callback previously created by "watch_time".
This is the newer version of the API, replacing "cancel_timer". It is
unspecified how this method pair interacts with the older
"enqueue/requeue/cancel_timer" triplet.
$id = $loop->enqueue_timer( %params )
An older version of "watch_time". This method should not be used in new
code but is retained for legacy purposes. For simple watch/unwatch
behaviour use instead the new "watch_time" method; though note it has
differently-named arguments. For requeueable timers, consider using an
IO::Async::Timer::Countdown or IO::Async::Timer::Absolute instead.
$loop->cancel_timer( $id )
An older version of "unwatch_time". This method should not be used in
new code but is retained for legacy purposes.
$newid = $loop->requeue_timer( $id, %params )
Reschedule an existing timer, moving it to a new time. The old timer is
removed and will not be invoked.
The %params hash takes the same keys as "enqueue_timer", except for the
"code" argument.
The requeue operation may be implemented as a cancel + enqueue, which
may mean the ID changes. Be sure to store the returned $newid value if
it is required.
This method should not be used in new code but is retained for legacy
purposes. For requeueable, consider using an
IO::Async::Timer::Countdown or IO::Async::Timer::Absolute instead.
$id = $loop->watch_idle( %params )
This method installs a callback which will be called at some point in
the near future.
The %params hash takes the following keys:
when => STRING
Specifies the time at which the callback will be invoked. See
below.
code => CODE
CODE reference to the continuation to run at the allotted time.
The "when" parameter defines the time at which the callback will later
be invoked. Must be one of the following values:
later Callback is invoked after the current round of IO events have
been processed by the loop's underlying "loop_once" method.
If a new idle watch is installed from within a "later"
callback, the installed one will not be invoked during this
round. It will be deferred for the next time "loop_once" is
called, after any IO events have been handled.
If there are pending idle handlers, then the "loop_once" method will
use a zero timeout; it will return immediately, having processed any IO
events and idle handlers.
The returned $id value can be used to identify the idle handler in case
it needs to be removed, by calling the "unwatch_idle" method. Note this
value may be a reference, so if it is stored it should be released
after the callback has been invoked or cancled, so the referrant itself
can be freed.
This and "unwatch_idle" are optional; a subclass may implement neither,
or both. If it implements neither then idle handling will be performed
by the base class, using the "_adjust_timeout" and "_manage_queues"
methods.
$loop->unwatch_idle( $id )
Cancels a previously-installed idle handler.
$loop->watch_child( $pid, $code )
This method adds a new handler for the termination of the given child
process PID, or all child processes.
$pid The PID to watch. Will report on all child processes if this is
0.
$code A CODE reference to the exit handler. It will be invoked as
$code->( $pid, $? )
The second argument is passed the plain perl $? value.
After invocation, the handler for a PID-specific watch is automatically
removed. The all-child watch will remain until it is removed by
"unwatch_child".
This and "unwatch_child" are optional; a subclass may implement
neither, or both. If it implements neither then child watching will be
performed by using "watch_signal" to install a "SIGCHLD" handler, which
will use "waitpid" to look for exited child processes.
If both a PID-specific and an all-process watch are installed, there is
no ordering guarantee as to which will be called first.
$loop->unwatch_child( $pid )
This method removes a watch on an existing child process PID.
METHODS FOR SUBCLASSES
The following methods are provided to access internal features which
are required by specific subclasses to implement the loop
functionality. The use cases of each will be documented in the above
section.
$loop->_adjust_timeout( \$timeout )
Shortens the timeout value passed in the scalar reference if it is
longer in seconds than the time until the next queued event on the
timer queue. If there are pending idle handlers, the timeout is reduced
to zero.
$loop->_manage_queues
Checks the timer queue for callbacks that should have been invoked by
now, and runs them all, removing them from the queue. It also invokes
all of the pending idle handlers. Any new idle handlers installed by
these are not invoked yet; they will wait for the next time this method
is called.
EXTENSIONS
An Extension is a Perl module that provides extra methods in the
"IO::Async::Loop" or other packages. They are intended to provide extra
functionality that easily integrates with the rest of the code.
Certain base methods take an "extensions" parameter; an ARRAY reference
containing a list of extension names. If such a list is passed to a
method, it will immediately call a method whose name is that of the
base method, prefixed by the first extension name in the list,
separated by "_". If the "extensions" list contains more extension
names, it will be passed the remaining ones in another "extensions"
parameter.
For example,
$loop->connect(
extensions => [qw( FOO BAR )],
%args
)
will become
$loop->FOO_connect(
extensions => [qw( BAR )],
%args
)
This is provided so that extension modules, such as IO::Async::SSL can
easily be invoked indirectly, by passing extra arguments to "connect"
methods or similar, without needing every module to be aware of the
"SSL" extension. This functionality is generic and not limited to
"SSL"; other extensions may also use it.
The following methods take an "extensions" parameter:
$loop->connect
$loop->listen
If an extension "listen" method is invoked, it will be passed a
"listener" parameter even if one was not provided to the original
"$loop->listen" call, and it will not receive any of the "on_*" event
callbacks. It should use the "acceptor" parameter on the "listener"
object.
STALL WATCHDOG
A well-behaved "IO::Async" program should spend almost all of its time
blocked on input using the underlying "IO::Async::Loop" instance. The
stall watchdog is an optional debugging feature to help detect CPU
spinlocks and other bugs, where control is not returned to the loop
every so often.
If the watchdog is enabled and an event handler consumes more than a
given amount of real time before returning to the event loop, it will
be interrupted by printing a stack trace and terminating the program.
The watchdog is only in effect while the loop itself is not blocking;
it won't fail simply because the loop instance is waiting for input or
timers.
It is implemented using "SIGALRM", so if enabled, this signal will no
longer be available to user code. (Though in any case, most uses of
"alarm()" and "SIGALRM" are better served by one of the
IO::Async::Timer subclasses).
The following environment variables control its behaviour.
IO_ASYNC_WATCHDOG => BOOL
Enables the stall watchdog if set to a non-zero value.
IO_ASYNC_WATCHDOG_INTERVAL => INT
Watchdog interval, in seconds, to pass to the alarm(2) call.
Defaults to 10 seconds.
IO_ASYNC_WATCHDOG_SIGABRT => BOOL
If enabled, the watchdog signal handler will raise a "SIGABRT",
which usually has the effect of breaking out of a running program
in debuggers such as gdb. If not set then the process is terminated
by throwing an exception with "die".
AUTHOR
Paul Evans <leonerd@leonerd.org.uk>
perl v5.18.2 2014-05-14 IO::Async::Loop(3)