[docs] asyncio: example for shield and readexactly

Dietmar Schwertberger maillist at schwertberger.de
Wed Aug 6 19:28:42 CEST 2014


Hi!

I've recently started using asyncio.
My usage includes code which reads two bytes, but with a timeout.

My naive approach was:
rx = yield from asyncio.wait_for( reader.readexactly(2), 2.0)
But of course this does not work as it could lose a byte if exactly
one byte hasbeen received when the timeout was met.

For asyncio beginners it's not obvious how to fix that and especially
how to use shield().

My code now looks something like that:

readexactly_task = None
while True:
     try:
         if readexactly_task is None:
             # create a task to receive two bytes
             readexactly_task = asyncio.Task( reader.readexactly(2) )
         # give the task two seconds to complete
         # shield it not to be canceled on timeout
         rx = yield from asyncio.wait_for( 
asyncio.shield(readexactly_task), 2.0)
         readexactly_task = None # task has finished
         if not rx:
             break # EOF met
     except asyncio.TimeoutError:
         # asyncio.wait_for was canceled
         # the task readexactly_task is still alive
         rx = None
     if rx:
         # process the received bytes
         print(rx)



I think that it would be helpful to have such an example in the 
documentation for both
StreamReader and shield.


Of course, if readexactly had an argument 'timeout' things would have 
been easier...


Regards,

Dietmar




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