EQ2EMu/EQ2/source/depends/boost_1_72_0/libs/fiber/doc/nonblocking.qbk

[/
      Copyright Oliver Kowalke, Nat Goodspeed 2015.
 Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0.
    (See accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at
          http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt
]

[/ import path is relative to this .qbk file]
[import ../examples/adapt_nonblocking.cpp]

[#nonblocking]
[section:nonblocking Integrating Fibers with Nonblocking I/O]

[heading Overview]

['Nonblocking] I/O is distinct from ['asynchronous] I/O. A true async I/O
operation promises to initiate the operation and notify the caller on
completion, usually via some sort of callback (as described in [link callbacks
Integrating Fibers with Asynchronous Callbacks]).

In contrast, a nonblocking I/O operation refuses to start at all if it would
be necessary to block, returning an error code such as
[@http://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man3/errno.3.html `EWOULDBLOCK`]. The
operation is performed only when it can complete immediately. In effect, the
caller must repeatedly retry the operation until it stops returning
`EWOULDBLOCK`.

In a classic event-driven program, it can be something of a headache to use
nonblocking I/O. At the point where the nonblocking I/O is attempted, a return
value of `EWOULDBLOCK` requires the caller to pass control back to the main
event loop, arranging to retry again on the next iteration.

Worse, a nonblocking I/O operation might ['partially] succeed. That means that
the relevant business logic must continue receiving control on every main loop
iteration until all required data have been processed: a doubly-nested loop,
implemented as a callback-driven state machine.

__boost_fiber__ can simplify this problem immensely. Once you have integrated
with the application's main loop as described in [link integration Sharing a
Thread with Another Main Loop], waiting for the next main-loop iteration is as
simple as calling [ns_function_link this_fiber..yield].

[heading Example Nonblocking API]

For purposes of illustration, consider this API:

[NonblockingAPI]

[heading Polling for Completion]

We can build a low-level wrapper around `NonblockingAPI::read()` that
shields its caller from ever having to deal with `EWOULDBLOCK`:

[nonblocking_read_chunk]

[heading Filling All Desired Data]

Given `read_chunk()`, we can straightforwardly iterate until we have all
desired data:

[nonblocking_read_desired]

(Of ['course] there are more efficient ways to accumulate string data. That's
not the point of this example.)

[heading Wrapping it Up]

Finally, we can define a relevant exception:

[nonblocking_IncompleteRead]

and write a simple `read()` function that either returns all desired data or
throws `IncompleteRead`:

[nonblocking_read]

Once we can transparently wait for the next main-loop iteration using
[ns_function_link this_fiber..yield], ordinary encapsulation Just Works.

[/ @path link is relative to (eventual) doc/html/index.html, hence ../..]
The source code above is found in
[@../../examples/adapt_nonblocking.cpp adapt_nonblocking.cpp].

[endsect]