Kamaelia.Internet.Selector

• component Selector

• NOTIFICATION OF SOCKET AND FILE EVENTS
  • Example Usage
  • How does it work?

NOTIFICATION OF SOCKET AND FILE EVENTS

The Selector component listens for events on sockets and sends out notifications. It is effectively a wrapper around the unix 'select' statement. Components request that the Selector component notify them when a supplied socket or file object is ready.

The selectorComponent is a service that registers with the Coordinating Assistant Tracker (CAT).

NOTE: The behaviour and API of this component changed in Kamaelia 0.4 and is likely to change again in the near future.

Example Usage

See the source code for TCPClient for an example of how the Selector component can be used.

How does it work?

Selector is a service. Obtain it by calling the static method Selector.getSelectorService(...). Any existing instance will be returned, otherwise a new one is automatically created.

This component ignores anything sent to its "inbox" and "control" inboxes. This component does not terminate.

Register socket or file objects with the selector, to receive a one-shot notification when that file descriptor is ready. The file descriptor can be a python file object or socket object. The notification is one-shot - meaning you must resubmit your request every time you wish to receive a notification.

Ensure you deregister the file object when closing the file/socket. You may do this even if you have already received the notification. The Selector component will be unable to handle notifications for any other descriptors if it still has a registered descriptor that has closed.

Register for a notification by sending an one of the following messages to the "notify" inbox, as returned by Selector.getSelectorService():

• Kamaelia.KamaeliaIpc.newReader(caller, (component,inboxname), descriptor)
• Kamaelia.KamaeliaIpc.newWriter(caller, (component,inboxname), descriptor)
• Kamaelia.KamaeliaIpc.newExceptional(caller, (component,inboxname), descriptor)

Choose which as appropriate:

• a newReader() request will notify when there is data ready to be read on the descriptor
• a newWriter() request will notify when writing to the descriptor will not block.
• a newExceptional() request will notify when an exceptional event occurs on the specified descriptor.

Selector will notify the taret component by sending the file/socket descriptor object to the target inbox the component provided. It then automatically deregisters the descriptor, unlinking from the target component's inbox.

For a given descriptor for a given type of event (read/write/exceptional) only one notification will be sent when the event occurs. If multiple notification requests have been received, only the first is listened to; all others are ignored.

Of course, once the notification as happened, or someone has requested that descriptor be deregistered, then someone can register for it once again.

Deregister by sending on of the following messages to the "notify" inbox of Selector:

• Kamaelia.KamaeliaIpc.removeReader(caller, descriptor)
• Kamaelia.KamaeliaIpc.removeWriter(caller, descriptor)
• Kamaelia.KamaeliaIpc.removeExceptional(caller, descriptor)

It is advisable to send a deregister message when the corresponding file descriptor closes, in case you registered for a notification, but it has not occurred.

---

Kamaelia.Internet.Selector.Selector

class Selector(Axon.ThreadedComponent.threadedadaptivecommscomponent)

Selector() -> new Selector component

Use Selector.getSelectorService(...) in preference as it returns an existing instance, or automatically creates a new one.

Inboxes

• control : Recieving a Axon.Ipc.shutdown() message here causes shutdown
• inbox : Not used at present
• notify : Used to be notified about things to select

Outboxes

Methods defined here

__init__(self)

addLinks(self, replyService, selectable, meta, selectables, boxBase)

Adds a file descriptor (selectable).

Creates a corresponding outbox, with name based on boxBase; links it to the component that wants to be notified; adds the file descriptor to the set of selectables; and records the box and linkage info in meta.

handleNotify(self, meta, readers, writers, exceptionals)

Process requests to add and remove file descriptors (selectables) that arrive at the "notify" inbox.

main(self)

Main loop

removeLinks(self, selectable, meta, selectables)

Removes a file descriptor (selectable).

Removes the corresponding entry from meta and selectables; unlinks from the component to be notified; and deletes the corresponding outbox.

stop(self)

trackedBy(self, tracker)