1 module pulse.threadmainloop;
2 
3 import pulse.mainloopapi;
4 
5 extern (C):
6 
7 /***
8   This file is part of PulseAudio.
9 
10   Copyright 2006 Lennart Poettering
11   Copyright 2006 Pierre Ossman <ossman@cendio.se> for Cendio AB
12 
13   PulseAudio is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
14   it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published
15   by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2.1 of the License,
16   or (at your option) any later version.
17 
18   PulseAudio is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
19   WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
20   MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
21   General Public License for more details.
22 
23   You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
24   along with PulseAudio; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
25 ***/
26 
27 /** \page threaded_mainloop Threaded Main Loop
28  *
29  * \section overv_sec Overview
30  *
31  * The threaded main loop implementation is a special version of the primary
32  * main loop implementation (see \ref mainloop). For the basic design, see
33  * its documentation.
34  *
35  * The added feature in the threaded main loop is that it spawns a new thread
36  * that runs the real main loop. This allows a synchronous application to use
37  * the asynchronous API without risking stalling the PulseAudio library.
38  *
39  * \section creat_sec Creation
40  *
41  * A pa_threaded_mainloop object is created using pa_threaded_mainloop_new().
42  * This will only allocate the required structures though, so to use it the
43  * thread must also be started. This is done through
44  * pa_threaded_mainloop_start(), after which you can start using the main loop.
45  *
46  * \section destr_sec Destruction
47  *
48  * When the PulseAudio connection has been terminated, the thread must be
49  * stopped and the resources freed. Stopping the thread is done using
50  * pa_threaded_mainloop_stop(), which must be called without the lock (see
51  * below) held. When that function returns, the thread is stopped and the
52  * pa_threaded_mainloop object can be freed using pa_threaded_mainloop_free().
53  *
54  * \section lock_sec Locking
55  *
56  * Since the PulseAudio API doesn't allow concurrent accesses to objects,
57  * a locking scheme must be used to guarantee safe usage. The threaded main
58  * loop API provides such a scheme through the functions
59  * pa_threaded_mainloop_lock() and pa_threaded_mainloop_unlock().
60  *
61  * The lock is recursive, so it's safe to use it multiple times from the same
62  * thread. Just make sure you call pa_threaded_mainloop_unlock() the same
63  * number of times you called pa_threaded_mainloop_lock().
64  *
65  * The lock needs to be held whenever you call any PulseAudio function that
66  * uses an object associated with this main loop. Those objects include
67  * pa_mainloop, pa_context, pa_stream and pa_operation, and the various event
68  * objects (pa_io_event, pa_time_event, pa_defer_event). Make sure you do not
69  * hold on to the lock more than necessary though, as the threaded main loop
70  * stops while the lock is held.
71  *
72  * Example:
73  *
74  * \code
75  * void my_check_stream_func(pa_threaded_mainloop *m, pa_stream *s) {
76  *     pa_stream_state_t state;
77  *
78  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_lock(m);
79  *
80  *     state = pa_stream_get_state(s);
81  *
82  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_unlock(m);
83  *
84  *     if (state == PA_STREAM_READY)
85  *         printf("Stream is ready!");
86  *     else
87  *         printf("Stream is not ready!");
88  * }
89  * \endcode
90  *
91  * \section cb_sec Callbacks
92  *
93  * Callbacks in PulseAudio are asynchronous, so they require extra care when
94  * using them together with a threaded main loop.
95  *
96  * The easiest way to turn the callback based operations into synchronous
97  * ones, is to simply wait for the callback to be called and continue from
98  * there. This is the approach chosen in PulseAudio's threaded API.
99  *
100  * \subsection basic_subsec Basic callbacks
101  *
102  * For the basic case, where all that is required is to wait for the callback
103  * to be invoked, the code should look something like this:
104  *
105  * Example:
106  *
107  * \code
108  * static void my_drain_callback(pa_stream *s, int success, void *userdata) {
109  *     pa_threaded_mainloop *m;
110  *
111  *     m = userdata;
112  *     assert(m);
113  *
114  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_signal(m, 0);
115  * }
116  *
117  * void my_drain_stream_func(pa_threaded_mainloop *m, pa_stream *s) {
118  *     pa_operation *o;
119  *
120  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_lock(m);
121  *
122  *     o = pa_stream_drain(s, my_drain_callback, m);
123  *     assert(o);
124  *
125  *     while (pa_operation_get_state(o) == PA_OPERATION_RUNNING)
126  *         pa_threaded_mainloop_wait(m);
127  *
128  *     pa_operation_unref(o);
129  *
130  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_unlock(m);
131  * }
132  * \endcode
133  *
134  * The main function, my_drain_stream_func(), will wait for the callback to
135  * be called using pa_threaded_mainloop_wait().
136  *
137  * If your application is multi-threaded, then this waiting must be
138  * done inside a while loop. The reason for this is that multiple
139  * threads might be using pa_threaded_mainloop_wait() at the same
140  * time. Each thread must therefore verify that it was its callback
141  * that was invoked. Also the underlying OS synchronization primitives
142  * are usually not free of spurious wake-ups, so a
143  * pa_threaded_mainloop_wait() must be called within a loop even if
144  * you have only one thread waiting.
145  *
146  * The callback, my_drain_callback(), indicates to the main function that it
147  * has been called using pa_threaded_mainloop_signal().
148  *
149  * As you can see, pa_threaded_mainloop_wait() may only be called with
150  * the lock held. The same thing is true for pa_threaded_mainloop_signal(),
151  * but as the lock is held before the callback is invoked, you do not have to
152  * deal with that.
153  *
154  * The functions will not dead lock because the wait function will release
155  * the lock before waiting and then regrab it once it has been signalled.
156  * For those of you familiar with threads, the behaviour is that of a
157  * condition variable.
158  *
159  * \subsection data_subsec Data callbacks
160  *
161  * For many callbacks, simply knowing that they have been called is
162  * insufficient. The callback also receives some data that is desired. To
163  * access this data safely, we must extend our example a bit:
164  *
165  * \code
166  * static int * volatile drain_result = NULL;
167  *
168  * static void my_drain_callback(pa_stream*s, int success, void *userdata) {
169  *     pa_threaded_mainloop *m;
170  *
171  *     m = userdata;
172  *     assert(m);
173  *
174  *     drain_result = &success;
175  *
176  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_signal(m, 1);
177  * }
178  *
179  * void my_drain_stream_func(pa_threaded_mainloop *m, pa_stream *s) {
180  *     pa_operation *o;
181  *
182  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_lock(m);
183  *
184  *     o = pa_stream_drain(s, my_drain_callback, m);
185  *     assert(o);
186  *
187  *     while (drain_result == NULL)
188  *         pa_threaded_mainloop_wait(m);
189  *
190  *     pa_operation_unref(o);
191  *
192  *     if (*drain_result)
193  *         printf("Success!");
194  *     else
195  *         printf("Bitter defeat...");
196  *
197  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_accept(m);
198  *
199  *     pa_threaded_mainloop_unlock(m);
200  * }
201  * \endcode
202  *
203  * The example is a bit silly as it would probably have been easier to just
204  * copy the contents of success, but for larger data structures this can be
205  * wasteful.
206  *
207  * The difference here compared to the basic callback is the value 1 passed
208  * to pa_threaded_mainloop_signal() and the call to
209  * pa_threaded_mainloop_accept(). What will happen is that
210  * pa_threaded_mainloop_signal() will signal the main function and then wait.
211  * The main function is then free to use the data in the callback until
212  * pa_threaded_mainloop_accept() is called, which will allow the callback
213  * to continue.
214  *
215  * Note that pa_threaded_mainloop_accept() must be called some time between
216  * exiting the while loop and unlocking the main loop! Failure to do so will
217  * result in a race condition. I.e. it is not ok to release the lock and
218  * regrab it before calling pa_threaded_mainloop_accept().
219  *
220  * \subsection async_subsec Asynchronous callbacks
221  *
222  * PulseAudio also has callbacks that are completely asynchronous, meaning
223  * that they can be called at any time. The threaded main loop API provides
224  * the locking mechanism to handle concurrent accesses, but nothing else.
225  * Applications will have to handle communication from the callback to the
226  * main program through their own mechanisms.
227  *
228  * The callbacks that are completely asynchronous are:
229  *
230  * \li State callbacks for contexts, streams, etc.
231  * \li Subscription notifications
232  */
233 
234 /** \file
235  *
236  * A thread based event loop implementation based on pa_mainloop. The
237  * event loop is run in a helper thread in the background. A few
238  * synchronization primitives are available to access the objects
239  * attached to the event loop safely.
240  *
241  * See also \subpage threaded_mainloop
242  */
243 
244 /** An opaque threaded main loop object */
245 struct pa_threaded_mainloop;
246 
247 /** Allocate a new threaded main loop object. You have to call
248  * pa_threaded_mainloop_start() before the event loop thread starts
249  * running. Free with pa_threaded_mainloop_free. */
250 pa_threaded_mainloop* pa_threaded_mainloop_new ();
251 
252 /** Free a threaded main loop object. If the event loop thread is
253  * still running, terminate it with pa_threaded_mainloop_stop()
254  * first. */
255 void pa_threaded_mainloop_free (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
256 
257 /** Start the event loop thread. Returns zero on success, negative on error. */
258 int pa_threaded_mainloop_start (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
259 
260 /** Terminate the event loop thread cleanly. Make sure to unlock the
261  * mainloop object before calling this function. */
262 void pa_threaded_mainloop_stop (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
263 
264 /** Lock the event loop object, effectively blocking the event loop
265  * thread from processing events. You can use this to enforce
266  * exclusive access to all objects attached to the event loop. This
267  * lock is recursive. This function may not be called inside the event
268  * loop thread. Events that are dispatched from the event loop thread
269  * are executed with this lock held. */
270 void pa_threaded_mainloop_lock (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
271 
272 /** Unlock the event loop object, inverse of pa_threaded_mainloop_lock(). */
273 void pa_threaded_mainloop_unlock (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
274 
275 /** Wait for an event to be signalled by the event loop thread. You
276  * can use this to pass data from the event loop thread to the main
277  * thread in a synchronized fashion. This function may not be called
278  * inside the event loop thread. Prior to this call the event loop
279  * object needs to be locked using pa_threaded_mainloop_lock(). While
280  * waiting the lock will be released. Immediately before returning it
281  * will be acquired again. This function may spuriously wake up even
282  * without pa_threaded_mainloop_signal() being called. You need to
283  * make sure to handle that! */
284 void pa_threaded_mainloop_wait (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
285 
286 /** Signal all threads waiting for a signalling event in
287  * pa_threaded_mainloop_wait(). If wait_for_accept is non-zero, do
288  * not return before the signal was accepted by a
289  * pa_threaded_mainloop_accept() call. While waiting for that condition
290  * the event loop object is unlocked. */
291 void pa_threaded_mainloop_signal (pa_threaded_mainloop* m, int wait_for_accept);
292 
293 /** Accept a signal from the event thread issued with
294  * pa_threaded_mainloop_signal(). This call should only be used in
295  * conjunction with pa_threaded_mainloop_signal() with a non-zero
296  * wait_for_accept value.  */
297 void pa_threaded_mainloop_accept (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
298 
299 /** Return the return value as specified with the main loop's
300  * pa_mainloop_quit() routine. */
301 int pa_threaded_mainloop_get_retval (const(pa_threaded_mainloop)* m);
302 
303 /** Return the main loop abstraction layer vtable for this main loop.
304  * There is no need to free this object as it is owned by the loop
305  * and is destroyed when the loop is freed. */
306 pa_mainloop_api* pa_threaded_mainloop_get_api (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
307 
308 /** Returns non-zero when called from within the event loop thread. \since 0.9.7 */
309 int pa_threaded_mainloop_in_thread (pa_threaded_mainloop* m);
310 
311 /** Sets the name of the thread. \since 5.0 */
312 void pa_threaded_mainloop_set_name (pa_threaded_mainloop* m, const(char)* name);
313 
314 /** Runs the given callback in the mainloop thread without the lock held. The
315  * caller is responsible for ensuring that PulseAudio data structures are only
316  * accessed in a thread-safe way (that is, APIs that take pa_context and
317  * pa_stream are not thread-safe, and should not accessed without some
318  * synchronisation). This is the only situation in which
319  * pa_threaded_mainloop_lock() and pa_threaded_mainloop_unlock() may be used
320  * in the mainloop thread context. \since 13.0 */
321 void pa_threaded_mainloop_once_unlocked (
322     pa_threaded_mainloop* m,
323     void function (pa_threaded_mainloop* m, void* userdata) callback,
324     void* userdata);
325