Acme-Parataxis
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=head1 PREEMPTION
=head2 C<maybe_yield( )>
Increments an internal operation counter for the current fiber. If the counter reaches the threshold set by
C<set_preempt_threshold>, the fiber automatically yields.
while (my $row = $sth->fetch) {
process($row);
Acme::Parataxis->maybe_yield( ); # Cooperatively prevent starvation
}
=head2 C<set_preempt_threshold( $val )>
Sets the number of C<maybe_yield> increments before a forced yield occurs. Default is 0 (preemption disabled).
=head1 Class Methods
=head2 C<tid( )>
Returns the unique OS Thread ID of the main interpreter thread.
=head2 C<current_fid( )>
Returns the unique numeric ID of the currently executing fiber, or -1 if called from the "root" (main) context.
=head2 C<root( )>
Returns a proxy object representing the initial execution context. This is useful for C<transfer( )>ing control back to
the main thread from a symmetric coroutine.
=head1 Acme::Parataxis OBJECT METHODS
=head2 C<fid( )>
Returns the unique numeric ID of the fiber object.
=head2 C<is_done( )>
Returns true if the fiber has finished execution (either by returning or dying). Once a fiber is done, its internal ID
is released and it can no longer be called.
=head1 Acme::Parataxis::Future OBJECT METHODS
=head2 C<await( )>
Suspends the current fiber until the future is ready. Returns the result or B<dies> if the task encountered an error.
=head2 C<is_ready( )>
Returns true if the task associated with the future has completed.
=head2 C<result( )>
Returns the task result immediately. Croaks if the future is not yet ready.
=head1 INTEGRATING SYNCHRONOUS MODULES
To use synchronous modules (like C<HTTP::Tiny>) in a non-blocking way, you can subclass their handle or transport
methods and use a C<while> loop combined with C<yield('WAITING')>. This ensures the fiber yields control until the
underlying I/O is ready.
# Example: A cooperative HTTP::Tiny subclass
{
package My::HTTP;
use parent 'HTTP::Tiny';
sub _open_handle {
my ($self, $request, $scheme, $host, $port, $peer) = @_;
return My::HTTP::Handle->new(
timeout => $self->{timeout},
keep_alive => $self->{keep_alive},
keep_alive_timeout => $self->{keep_alive_timeout}
)->connect($scheme, $host, $port, $peer);
}
sub request {
my ($self, $method, $url, $args) = @_;
my %new_args = %{ $args // {} };
my $orig_cb = $new_args{data_callback};
my $content = '';
$new_args{data_callback} = sub {
my ($data, $response) = @_;
if ($orig_cb) { return $orig_cb->($data, $response) }
$content .= $data;
return 1;
};
my $res = $self->SUPER::request($method, $url, \%new_args);
$res->{content} = $content unless $orig_cb;
return $res;
}
}
{
package My::HTTP::Handle;
use parent -norequire, 'HTTP::Tiny::Handle';
use Time::HiRes qw[time];
sub _do_timeout {
my ($self, $type, $timeout) = @_;
$timeout //= $self->{timeout} // 60;
my $start = time;
while (1) {
# Check for readiness NOW (0 timeout)
return 1 if $self->SUPER::_do_timeout($type, 0);
# Check for overall timeout
my $elapsed = time - $start;
return 0 if $elapsed > $timeout;
# Suspend fiber and wait for background I/O check
my $wait = ($timeout - $elapsed) > 0.5 ? 0.5 : ($timeout - $elapsed);
if ($type eq 'read') {
Acme::Parataxis->await_read($self->{fh}, int($wait * 1000));
} else {
Acme::Parataxis->await_write($self->{fh}, int($wait * 1000));
}
}
}
}
=head1 EXAMPLES
=head2 Cooperative Parallelism
This example demonstrates how to perform multiple HTTP requests concurrently on a single interpretation thread.
use Acme::Parataxis;
# ... (See My::HTTP implementation in INTEGRATING SYNCHRONOUS MODULES) ...
Acme::Parataxis::run(sub {
my $http = My::HTTP->new(verify_SSL => 0);
my @urls = qw[http://example.com http://perl.org];
# Spawn tasks for each URL
my @futures = map {
my $url = $_;
Acme::Parataxis->spawn(sub { $http->get($url)->{status} })
} @urls;
# Collect results as they become ready
say "Status for $urls[$_]: " . $futures[$_]->await( ) for 0..$#urls;
});
=head2 Symmetric Producer/Consumer
A low-level example of Passing control sideways between fibers.
my ($p, $c);
$p = Acme::Parataxis->new(code => sub {
for my $item (qw[Apple Banana Cherry]) {
say "Producer: Sending $item";
$c->transfer($item);
}
$c->transfer('DONE');
});
$c = Acme::Parataxis->new(code => sub {
my $item = Acme::Parataxis->yield( ); # Initial wait
while (1) {
last if $item eq 'DONE';
say "Consumer: Eating $item";
$item = $p->transfer( );
}
});
$c->call( ); # Prime consumer
$p->call( ); # Start producer
=head1 BEST PRACTICES & GOTCHAS
=over
=item * B<Avoid blocking syscalls:> Never call blocking C<sleep( )> or C<sysread( )> on the main interpretation thread.
Always use the C<await_*> equivalents to offload work to the pool.
=item * B<Thread Safety:> While Perl code remains single-threaded, background tasks run on separate OS threads. Shared
C-level data (if accessed via FFI) must be mutex-protected.
=item * B<Stack Limits:> Each fiber is allocated a 512KB stack by default. This is more than sufficient for most
Perl code and allows for high concurrency with a small memory footprint. Extremely deep recursion or massive regex
backtracking might still hit limits.
=item * B<Efficiency:> The native thread pool is initialized dynamically upon the first asynchronous request. It
starts with a small "seed" pool and grows on demand up to the configured limit. Worker threads use condition
variables to sleep efficiently when idle, ensuring near-zero CPU usage when no background tasks are pending.
=item * B<Reference Cycles:> Be careful when passing fiber objects into their own closures, as this can create
memory leaks.
=back
=head1 GORY TECHNICAL DETAILS
=head2 Architectural Inspiration
The concurrency model in Parataxis is heavily inspired by the B<Wren> programming language, specifically its treatment
of fibers as the primary unit of execution and its deterministic cooperative scheduling.
=head2 Stack Virtualization
On Unix-like systems, we use C<ucontext.h> to manage stack and register state. On Windows, we leverage the native
C<Fiber API>. In both cases, we perform heart surgery on the Perl interpreter by manually teleporting its internal
global pointers (the C<PL_*> variables) between contexts.
=head2 Shared CVs and Pad Virtualization
A significant challenge in Perl green threads is the shared nature of PadLists and the global C<CvDEPTH> counter. In
debug builds of Perl, calling a shared subroutine from multiple fibers can trigger internal assertions (like
C<AvFILLp(av) == -1>). Parataxis includes a specialized workaround that surgically cleans the next landing pad before
every context switch to satisfy these assertions without clobbering active lexical state.
=head2 C<eval> vs. C<try/catch>
While C<feature 'try'> is available in modern Perl, manually teleporting interpreter state can occasionally confuse the
compiler's expectations for stack unwinding. Standard C<eval { ... }> remains the most predictable way to handle
exceptions within fibers.
=head2 Signal Handling
Signals are delivered to the main process thread. Perl handles these at 'safe points,' which in this module typically
occur during a context switch (yield, transfer, or call). If you send a signal while a fiber is suspended, it will
generally be processed when the fiber is resumed and hits the next internal Perl opcode.
=head2 The 'Final Transfer' Requirement
In a symmetric coroutine model (using C<transfer( )>), fibers don't have a natural 'parent' to return to. I've added
fallback logic to return to the C<last_sender> or the main thread on exit but it's good practice to explicitly
C<transfer( )> back to a partner fiber or the C<root( )> context to ensure your application logic remains predictable.
Leaving a fiber to just 'fall off the end' is like walking out of a room without closing the door; eventually, the
draft will bother someone.
=head2 C<is_done( )> vs. Destruction
A fiber being C<is_done( )> simply means its Perl code has finished executing. The underlying C-level memory (stacks,
context, etc.) is not immediately freed until the C<Acme::Parataxis> object is destroyed or the runtime performs its
final C<cleanup( )>. This is why you might see memory usage stay flat even after a fiber finishes, until the garbage
collector finally catches up with the object.
=head1 AUTHOR
Sanko Robinson <sanko@cpan.org>
=head1 LICENSE
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