boost_1_45_0/libs/asio/doc/requirements/asynchronous_operations.qbk

[/
 / Copyright (c) 2003-2010 Christopher M. Kohlhoff (chris at kohlhoff dot com)
 /
 / 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)
 /]

[section:asynchronous_operations Requirements on asynchronous operations]

In Boost.Asio, an asynchronous operation is initiated by a function that is
named with the prefix `async_`. These functions will be referred to as
['initiating functions].

All initiating functions in Boost.Asio take a function object meeting [link
boost_asio.reference.Handler handler] requirements as the final parameter.
These handlers accept as their first parameter an lvalue of type `const
error_code`.

Implementations of asynchronous operations in Boost.Asio may call the
application programming interface (API) provided by the operating system. If
such an operating system API call results in an error, the handler will be
invoked with a `const error_code` lvalue that evaluates to true. Otherwise the
handler will be invoked with a `const error_code` lvalue that evaluates to
false.

Unless otherwise noted, when the behaviour of an asynchronous operation is
defined "as if" implemented by a __POSIX__ function, the handler will be
invoked with a value of type `error_code` that corresponds to the failure
condition described by __POSIX__ for that function, if any. Otherwise the
handler will be invoked with an implementation-defined `error_code` value that
reflects the operating system error.

Asynchronous operations will not fail with an error condition that indicates
interruption by a signal (__POSIX__ `EINTR`). Asynchronous operations will not
fail with any error condition associated with non-blocking operations
(__POSIX__ `EWOULDBLOCK`, `EAGAIN` or `EINPROGRESS`; __Windows__
`WSAEWOULDBLOCK` or `WSAEINPROGRESS`).

All asynchronous operations have an associated `io_service` object. Where the
initiating function is a member function, the associated `io_service` is that
returned by the `io_service()` member function on the same object. Where the
initiating function is not a member function, the associated `io_service` is
that returned by the `io_service()` member function of the first argument to
the initiating function.

Arguments to initiating functions will be treated as follows:

[mdash] If the parameter is declared as a const reference or by-value, the
program is not required to guarantee the validity of the argument after the
initiating function completes. The implementation may make copies of the
argument, and all copies will be destroyed no later than immediately after
invocation of the handler.

[mdash] If the parameter is declared as a non-const reference, const pointer or
non-const pointer, the program must guarantee the validity of the argument
until the handler is invoked.

The library implementation is only permitted to make calls to an initiating
function's arguments' copy constructors or destructors from a thread that
satisfies one of the following conditions:

[mdash] The thread is executing any member function of the associated
`io_service` object.

[mdash] The thread is executing the destructor of the associated `io_service`
object.

[mdash] The thread is executing one of the `io_service` service access
functions `use_service`, `add_service` or `has_service`, where the first
argument is the associated `io_service` object.

[mdash] The thread is executing any member function, constructor or destructor
of an object of a class defined in this clause, where the object's
`io_service()` member function returns the associated `io_service` object.

[mdash] The thread is executing any function defined in this clause, where any
argument to the function has an `io_service()` member function that returns the
associated `io_service` object.

[blurb Boost.Asio may use one or more hidden threads to emulate asynchronous
functionality. The above requirements are intended to prevent these hidden
threads from making calls to program code. This means that a program can, for
example, use thread-unsafe reference counting in handler objects, provided the
program ensures that all calls to an `io_service` and related objects occur
from the one thread.]

The `io_service` object associated with an asynchronous operation will have
unfinished work, as if by maintaining the existence of one or more objects of
class `io_service::work` constructed using the `io_service`, until immediately
after the handler for the asynchronous operation has been invoked.

When an asynchronous operation is complete, the handler for the operation will
be invoked as if by:

# Constructing a bound completion handler `bch` for the handler, as described
  below.

# Calling `ios.post(bch)` to schedule the handler for deferred invocation,
  where `ios` is the associated `io_service`.

This implies that the handler must not be called directly from within
the initiating function, even if the asynchronous operation completes
immediately.

A bound completion handler is a handler object that contains a copy of a
user-supplied handler, where the user-supplied handler accepts one or more
arguments. The bound completion handler does not accept any arguments, and
contains values to be passed as arguments to the user-supplied handler. The
bound completion handler forwards the `asio_handler_allocate()`,
`asio_handler_deallocate()`, and `asio_handler_invoke()` calls to the
corresponding functions for the user-supplied handler. A bound completion
handler meets the requirements for a [link
boost_asio.reference.CompletionHandler completion handler].

For example, a bound completion handler for a `ReadHandler` may be implemented
as follows:

  template<class ReadHandler>
  struct bound_read_handler
  {
    bound_read_handler(ReadHandler handler, const error_code& ec, size_t s)
      : handler_(handler), ec_(ec), s_(s)
    {
    }

    void operator()()
    {
      handler_(ec_, s_);
    }

    ReadHandler handler_;
    const error_code ec_;
    const size_t s_;
  };

  template<class ReadHandler>
  void* asio_handler_allocate(size_t size,
                              bound_read_handler<ReadHandler>* this_handler)
  {
    using namespace boost::asio;
    return asio_handler_allocate(size, &this_handler->handler_);
  }

  template<class ReadHandler>
  void asio_handler_deallocate(void* pointer, std::size_t size,
                               bound_read_handler<ReadHandler>* this_handler)
  {
    using namespace boost::asio;
    asio_handler_deallocate(pointer, size, &this_handler->handler_);
  }

  template<class F, class ReadHandler>
  void asio_handler_invoke(const F& f,
                           bound_read_handler<ReadHandler>* this_handler)
  {
    using namespace boost::asio;
    asio_handler_invoke(f, &this_handler->handler_);
  }

If the thread that initiates an asynchronous operation terminates before the
associated handler is invoked, the behaviour is implementation-defined.
Specifically, on __Windows__ versions prior to Vista, unfinished operations are
cancelled when the initiating thread exits.

The handler argument to an initiating function defines a handler identity. That
is, the original handler argument and any copies of the handler argument will
be considered equivalent. If the implementation needs to allocate storage for
an asynchronous operation, the implementation will perform
`asio_handler_allocate(size, &h)`, where `size` is the required size in bytes,
and `h` is the handler. The implementation will perform
`asio_handler_deallocate(p, size, &h)`, where `p` is a pointer to the storage,
to deallocate the storage prior to the invocation of the handler via
`asio_handler_invoke`. Multiple storage blocks may be allocated for a single
asynchronous operation.

[endsect]