core: many docstring updates and an example substitute for Channel

examples/ping_pong.py

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# Wire up a ping/pong counting loop between 2 subprocesses.
+
+from __future__ import print_function
+import mitogen.core
+import mitogen.select
+
+
+@mitogen.core.takes_router
+def ping_pong(control_sender, router):
+    with mitogen.core.Receiver(router) as recv:
+        # Tell caller how to communicate with us.
+        control_sender.send(recv.to_sender())
+
+        # Wait for caller to tell us how to talk back:
+        data_sender = recv.get().unpickle()
+
+        n = 0
+        while (n + 1) < 30:
+            n = recv.get().unpickle()
+            print('the number is currently', n)
+            data_sender.send(n + 1)
+
+
+@mitogen.main()
+def main(router):
+    # Create a receiver for control messages.
+    with mitogen.core.Receiver(router) as recv:
+        # Start ping_pong() in child 1 and fetch its sender.
+        c1 = router.local()
+        c1_call = c1.call_async(ping_pong, recv.to_sender())
+        c1_sender = recv.get().unpickle()
+
+        # Start ping_pong() in child 2 and fetch its sender.
+        c2 = router.local()
+        c2_call = c2.call_async(ping_pong, recv.to_sender())
+        c2_sender = recv.get().unpickle()
+
+        # Tell the children about each others' senders.
+        c1_sender.send(c2_sender)
+        c2_sender.send(c1_sender)
+
+    # Start the loop.
+    c1_sender.send(0)
+
+    # Wait for both functions to return.
+    mitogen.select.Select.all([c1_call, c2_call])

mitogen/core.py

@@ -714,7 +714,7 @@ class Message(object):
 class Sender(object):
     """
     Senders are used to send pickled messages to a handle in another context,
-    it is the inverse of :class:`mitogen.core.Sender`.
+    it is the inverse of :class:`mitogen.core.Receiver`.
 
     Senders may be serialized, making them convenient to wire up data flows.
     See :meth:`mitogen.core.Receiver.to_sender` for more information.
@@ -785,10 +785,12 @@ class Receiver(object):
     :param mitogen.core.Context respondent:
         Context this receiver is receiving from. If not :data:`None`, arranges
         for the receiver to receive a dead message if messages can no longer be
-        routed to the context, due to disconnection or exit.
+        routed to the context due to disconnection, and ignores messages that
+        did not originate from the respondent context.
     """
     #: If not :data:`None`, a reference to a function invoked as
-    #: `notify(receiver)` when a new message is delivered to this receiver.
+    #: `notify(receiver)` when a new message is delivered to this receiver. The
+    #: function is invoked on the broker thread, therefore it must not block.
     #: Used by :class:`mitogen.select.Select` to implement waiting on multiple
     #: receivers.
     notify = None
@@ -830,6 +832,8 @@ class Receiver(object):
                     sender.send(line)
                 sender.close()
 
+            @mitogen.main()
+            def main(router):
                 remote = router.ssh(hostname='mainframe')
                 recv = mitogen.core.Receiver(router)
                 remote.call(deliver_monthly_report, recv.to_sender())
@@ -840,7 +844,8 @@ class Receiver(object):
 
     def _on_receive(self, msg):
         """
-        Callback from the Stream; appends data to the internal queue.
+        Callback registered for the handle with :class:`Router`; appends data
+        to the internal queue.
         """
         _vv and IOLOG.debug('%r._on_receive(%r)', self, msg)
         self._latch.put(msg)
@@ -878,15 +883,15 @@ class Receiver(object):
             If not :data:`None`, specifies a timeout in seconds.
 
         :raises mitogen.core.ChannelError:
-            The remote end indicated the channel should be closed, or
+            The remote end indicated the channel should be closed,
-            communication with its parent context was lost.
+            communication with it was lost, or :meth:`close` was called in the
+            local process.
 
         :raises mitogen.core.TimeoutError:
             Timeout was reached.
 
         :returns:
-            `(msg, data)` tuple, where `msg` is the :class:`Message` that was
+            :class:`Message` that was received.
-            received, and `data` is its unpickled data part.
         """
         _vv and IOLOG.debug('%r.get(timeout=%r, block=%r)', self, timeout, block)
         try:
@@ -915,6 +920,13 @@ class Channel(Sender, Receiver):
     A channel inherits from :class:`mitogen.core.Sender` and
     `mitogen.core.Receiver` to provide bidirectional functionality.
 
+    This class is incomplete and obsolete, it will be removed in Mitogen 0.3.
+    Channels were an early attempt at syntax sugar. It is always easier to pass
+    around unidirectional pairs of senders/receivers, even though the syntax is
+    baroque:
+
+    .. literalinclude:: ../examples/ping_pong.py
+
     Since all handles aren't known until after both ends are constructed, for
     both ends to communicate through a channel, it is necessary for one end to
     retrieve the handle allocated to the other and reconfigure its own channel