Provided by: libmce-perl_1.879-1_all 
NAME
MCE::Channel - Queue-like and two-way communication capability
VERSION
This document describes MCE::Channel version 1.879
SYNOPSIS
use MCE::Channel;
########################
# Construction
########################
# A single producer and many consumers supporting processes and threads
my $c1 = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Mutex' ); # default implementation
my $c2 = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Threads' ); # threads::shared locking
# Set the mp flag if two or more workers (many producers) will be calling
# enqueue/send or recv2/recv2_nb on the left end of the channel
my $c3 = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Mutex', mp => 1 );
my $c4 = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Threads', mp => 1 );
# Tuned for one producer and one consumer, no locking
my $c5 = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Simple' );
########################
# Queue-like behavior
########################
# Send data to consumers
$c1->enqueue('item');
$c1->enqueue(qw/item1 item2 item3 itemN/);
# Receive data
my $item = $c1->dequeue(); # item
my @items = $c1->dequeue(2); # (item1, item2)
# Receive, non-blocking
my $item = $c1->dequeue_nb(); # item
my @items = $c1->dequeue_nb(2); # (item1, item2)
# Signal that there is no more work to be sent
$c1->end();
########################
# Two-way communication
########################
# Producer(s) sending data
$c3->send('message');
$c3->send(qw/arg1 arg2 arg3/);
# Consumer(s) receiving data
my $mesg = $c3->recv(); # message
my @args = $c3->recv(); # (arg1, arg2, arg3)
# Alternatively, non-blocking
my $mesg = $c3->recv_nb(); # message
my @args = $c3->recv_nb(); # (arg1, arg2, arg3)
# A producer signaling no more work to be sent
$c3->end();
# Consumers(s) sending data
$c3->send2('message');
$c3->send2(qw/arg1 arg2 arg3/);
# Producer(s) receiving data
my $mesg = $c3->recv2(); # message
my @args = $c3->recv2(); # (arg1, arg2, arg3)
# Alternatively, non-blocking
my $mesg = $c3->recv2_nb(); # message
my @args = $c3->recv2_nb(); # (arg1, arg2, arg3)
DESCRIPTION
A MCE::Channel object is a container for sending and receiving data using socketpair
handles. Serialization is provided by Sereal if available. Defaults to Storable
otherwise. Excluding the "Simple" implementation, both ends of the "channel" support many
workers concurrently (with mp => 1).
new ( impl => STRING, mp => BOOLEAN )
This creates a new channel. Three implementations are provided "Mutex", "Threads", and
"Simple" indicating the locking mechanism to use "MCE::Mutex", "threads::shared", and no
locking respectively.
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new(); # default: impl => 'Mutex', mp => 0
# default: impl => 'Threads' on Windows
The "Mutex" implementation supports processes and threads whereas the "Threads"
implementation is suited for Windows and threads only.
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Mutex' ); # MCE::Mutex locking
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Threads' ); # threads::shared locking
# on Windows, silently becomes impl => 'Threads' when specifying 'Mutex'
Set the "mp" (m)any (p)roducers option to a true value if there will be two or more
workers calling "enqueue", <send>, "recv2", or "recv2_nb" on the left end of the channel.
This is important to not incur a race condition.
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Mutex', mp => 1 );
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Threads', mp => 1 );
# on Windows, silently becomes impl => 'Threads' when specifying 'Mutex'
The "Simple" implementation is optimized for one producer and one consumer max. It omits
locking for maximum performance. This implementation is preferred for parent to child
communication not shared by another worker.
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Simple' );
QUEUE-LIKE BEHAVIOR
enqueue ( ITEM1 [, ITEM2, ... ] )
Appends a list of items onto the left end of the channel. This will block once the
internal socket buffer becomes full (i.e. awaiting workers to dequeue on the other end).
This prevents producer(s) from running faster than consumer(s).
Object (de)serialization is handled automatically using Sereal if available or defaults to
Storable otherwise.
$chnl->enqueue('item1');
$chnl->enqueue(qw/item2 item3 .../);
$chnl->enqueue([ array_ref1 ]);
$chnl->enqueue([ array_ref2 ], [ array_ref3 ], ...);
$chnl->enqueue({ hash_ref1 });
$chnl->enqueue({ hash_ref2 }, { hash_ref3 }, ...);
dequeue
dequeue ( COUNT )
Removes the requested number of items (default 1) from the right end of the channel. If
the channel contains fewer than the requested number of items, the method will block (i.e.
until other producer(s) enqueue more items).
$item = $chnl->dequeue(); # item1
@items = $chnl->dequeue(2); # ( item2, item3 )
dequeue_nb
dequeue_nb ( COUNT )
Removes the requested number of items (default 1) from the right end of the channel. If
the channel contains fewer than the requested number of items, the method will return what
it was able to retrieve and return immediately. If the channel is empty, then returns "an
empty list" in list context or "undef" in scalar context.
$item = $chnl->dequeue_nb(); # array_ref1
@items = $chnl->dequeue_nb(2); # ( array_ref2, array_ref3 )
end
This is called by a producer to signal that there is no more work to be sent. Once ended,
no more items may be sent by the producer. Calling "end" by multiple producers is not
supported.
$chnl->end;
TWO-WAY IPC - PRODUCER TO CONSUMER
send ( ARG1 [, ARG2, ... ] )
Append data onto the left end of the channel. Unlike "enqueue", the values are kept
together for the receiving consumer, similarly to calling a method. Object
(de)serialization is handled automatically.
$chnl->send('item');
$chnl->send([ list_ref ]);
$chnl->send([ hash_ref ]);
$chnl->send(qw/item1 item2 .../);
$chnl->send($id, [ list_ref ]);
$chnl->send($id, { hash_ref });
The fast channel implementations, introduced in MCE 1.877, support one item for "send". If
you want to pass multiple arguments, simply join the arguments into a string. That means
the receiver will need to split the string.
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new(impl => "SimpleFast");
$chnl->send(join(" ", qw/item1 item2 item3/);
my ($item1, $item2, $item3) = split " ", $chnl->recv();
recv
recv_nb
Blocking and non-blocking fetch methods from the right end of the channel. For the latter
and when the channel is empty, returns "an empty list" in list context or "undef" in
scalar context.
$item = $chnl->recv();
$array_ref = $chnl->recv();
$hash_ref = $chnl->recv();
($item1, $item2) = $chnl->recv_nb();
($id, $array_ref) = $chnl->recv_nb();
($id, $hash_ref) = $chnl->recv_nb();
TWO-WAY IPC - CONSUMER TO PRODUCER
send2 ( ARG1 [, ARG2, ... ] )
Append data onto the right end of the channel. Unlike "enqueue", the values are kept
together for the receiving producer, similarly to calling a method. Object
(de)serialization is handled automatically.
$chnl->send2('item');
$chnl->send2([ list_ref ]);
$chnl->send2([ hash_ref ]);
$chnl->send2(qw/item1 item2 .../);
$chnl->send2($id, [ list_ref ]);
$chnl->send2($id, { hash_ref });
The fast channel implementations, introduced in MCE 1.877, support one item for "send2".
If you want to pass multiple arguments, simply join the arguments into a string. Not to
forget, the receiver must split the string as well.
$chnl = MCE::Channel->new(impl => "MutexFast");
$chnl->send2(join(" ", qw/item1 item2 item3/);
my ($item1, $item2, $item3) = split " ", $chnl->recv();
recv2
recv2_nb
Blocking and non-blocking fetch methods from the left end of the channel. For the latter
and when the channel is empty, returns "an empty list" in list context or "undef" in
scalar context.
$item = $chnl->recv2();
$array_ref = $chnl->recv2();
$hash_ref = $chnl->recv2();
($item1, $item2) = $chnl->recv2_nb();
($id, $array_ref) = $chnl->recv2_nb();
($id, $hash_ref) = $chnl->recv2_nb();
DEMONSTRATIONS
Example 1 - threads
"MCE::Channel" was made to work efficiently with threads. The reason comes from using
threads::shared for locking versus MCE::Mutex.
use strict;
use warnings;
use threads;
use MCE::Channel;
my $queue = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Threads' );
my $num_consumers = 10;
sub consumer {
my $count = 0;
# receive items
while ( my ($item1, $item2) = $queue->dequeue(2) ) {
$count += 2;
}
# send result
$queue->send2( threads->tid => $count );
}
threads->create('consumer') for 1 .. $num_consumers;
## producer
$queue->enqueue($_, $_ * 2) for 1 .. 40000;
$queue->end;
my %results;
my $total = 0;
for ( 1 .. $num_consumers ) {
my ($id, $count) = $queue->recv2;
$results{$id} = $count;
$total += $count;
}
$_->join for threads->list;
print $results{$_}, "\n" for keys %results;
print "$total total\n\n";
__END__
# output
8034
8008
8036
8058
7990
7948
8068
7966
7960
7932
80000 total
Example 2 - MCE::Child
The following is similarly threads-like for Perl lacking threads support. It spawns
processes instead, thus requires the "Mutex" channel implementation which is the default
if omitted.
use strict;
use warnings;
use MCE::Child;
use MCE::Channel;
my $queue = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Mutex' );
my $num_consumers = 10;
sub consumer {
my $count = 0;
# receive items
while ( my ($item1, $item2) = $queue->dequeue(2) ) {
$count += 2;
}
# send result
$queue->send2( MCE::Child->pid => $count );
}
MCE::Child->create('consumer') for 1 .. $num_consumers;
## producer
$queue->enqueue($_, $_ * 2) for 1 .. 40000;
$queue->end;
my %results;
my $total = 0;
for ( 1 .. $num_consumers ) {
my ($id, $count) = $queue->recv2;
$results{$id} = $count;
$total += $count;
}
$_->join for MCE::Child->list;
print $results{$_}, "\n" for keys %results;
print "$total total\n\n";
Example 3 - Consumer requests item
Like the previous example, but have the manager process await a notification from the
consumer before inserting into the queue. This allows the producer to end the channel
early (i.e. exit loop).
use strict;
use warnings;
use MCE::Child;
use MCE::Channel;
my $queue = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Mutex' );
my $num_consumers = 10;
sub consumer {
# receive items
my $count = 0;
while () {
# Notify the manager process to send items. This allows the
# manager process to enqueue only when requested. The benefit
# is being able to end the channel immediately.
$queue->send2( MCE::Child->pid ); # channel is bi-directional
my ($item1, $item2) = $queue->dequeue(2);
last unless ( defined $item1 ); # channel ended
$count += 2;
}
# result
return ( MCE::Child->pid => $count );
}
MCE::Child->create('consumer') for 1 .. $num_consumers;
## producer
for my $num (1 .. 40000) {
# Await worker notification before inserting (blocking).
my $consumer_pid = $queue->recv2;
$queue->enqueue($num, $num * 2);
}
$queue->end;
my %results;
my $total = 0;
for my $child ( MCE::Child->list ) {
my ($id, $count) = $child->join;
$results{$id} = $count;
$total += $count;
}
print $results{$_}, "\n" for keys %results;
print "$total total\n\n";
Example 4 - Many producers
Running with 2 or more producers requires setting the "mp" option. Internally, this
enables locking support for the left end of the channel. The "mp" option applies to
"Mutex" and "Threads" channel implementations only.
Here, using the MCE facility for gathering the final count.
use strict;
use warnings;
use MCE::Flow;
use MCE::Channel;
my $queue = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Mutex', mp => 1 );
my $num_consumers = 10;
sub consumer {
# receive items
my $count = 0;
while ( my ( $item1, $item2 ) = $queue->dequeue(2) ) {
$count += 2;
}
# send result
MCE->gather( MCE->wid => $count );
}
sub producer {
$queue->enqueue($_, $_ * 2) for 1 .. 20000;
}
## run 2 producers and many consumers
MCE::Flow->init(
max_workers => [ 2, $num_consumers ],
task_name => [ 'producer', 'consumer' ],
task_end => sub {
my ($mce, $task_id, $task_name) = @_;
if ( $task_name eq 'producer' ) {
$queue->end;
}
}
);
# consumers call gather above (i.e. send a key-value pair),
# have MCE append to a hash
my %results = mce_flow \&producer, \&consumer;
MCE::Flow->finish;
my $total = 0;
for ( keys %results ) {
$total += $results{$_};
print $results{$_}, "\n";
}
print "$total total\n\n";
Example 5 - Many channels
This demonstration configures a channel per consumer. Plus, a common channel for consumers
to request the next input item. The "Simple" implementation is specified for the
individual channels whereas locking may be necessary for the $ready channel. However,
consumers do not incur reading and what is written is very small (i.e. atomic write is
guaranteed by the OS). Thus, am safely choosing the "Simple" implementation versus
"Mutex".
use strict;
use warnings;
use MCE::Flow;
use MCE::Channel;
my $prog_name = $0; $prog_name =~ s{^.*[\\/]}{}g;
my $input_size = shift || 3000;
unless ($input_size =~ /\A\d+\z/) {
print {*STDERR} "usage: $prog_name [ size ]\n";
exit 1;
}
my $consumers = 4;
my @chnls = map { MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Simple' ) } 1 .. $consumers;
my $ready = MCE::Channel->new( impl => 'Simple' );
sub producer {
my $id = 0;
# send the next input item upon request
for ( 0 .. $input_size - 1 ) {
my $chnl_num = $ready->recv2;
$chnls[ $chnl_num ]->send( ++$id, $_ );
}
# signal no more work
$_->send( 0, undef ) for @chnls;
}
sub consumer {
my $chnl_num = MCE->task_wid - 1;
while () {
# notify the producer ready for input
$ready->send2( $chnl_num );
# retrieve input data
my ( $id, $item ) = $chnls[ $chnl_num ]->recv;
# leave loop if no more work
last unless $id;
# compute and send the result to the manager process
# ordered output requires an id (must be 1st argument)
MCE->gather( $id, [ $item, sqrt($item) ] );
}
}
# A custom 'ordered' output iterator for MCE's gather facility.
# It returns a closure block, expecting an ID for 1st argument.
sub output_iterator {
my %tmp; my $order_id = 1;
return sub {
my ( $id, $result ) = @_;
$tmp{ $id } = $result;
while () {
last unless exists $tmp{ $order_id };
$result = delete $tmp{ $order_id };
printf "n: %d sqrt(n): %f\n", $result->[0], $result->[1];
$order_id++;
}
};
}
# Run one producer and many consumers.
# Output to be sent orderly to STDOUT.
MCE::Flow->init(
gather => output_iterator(),
max_workers => [ 1, $consumers ],
);
MCE::Flow->run( \&producer, \&consumer );
MCE::Flow->finish;
__END__
# Output
n: 0 sqrt(n): 0.000000
n: 1 sqrt(n): 1.000000
n: 2 sqrt(n): 1.414214
n: 3 sqrt(n): 1.732051
n: 4 sqrt(n): 2.000000
n: 5 sqrt(n): 2.236068
n: 6 sqrt(n): 2.449490
n: 7 sqrt(n): 2.645751
n: 8 sqrt(n): 2.828427
n: 9 sqrt(n): 3.000000
...
SEE ALSO
• <https://github.com/marioroy/mce-examples/tree/master/chameneos>
• threads::lite
AUTHOR
Mario E. Roy, <marioeroy AT gmail DOT com>
COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE
Copyright (C) 2019-2022 by Mario E. Roy
MCE::Channel is released under the same license as Perl.
See <https://dev.perl.org/licenses/> for more information.