[Twisted-Python] PullProducer appreciation, lack thereof.

Kevin Turner acapnotic at twistedmatrix.com
Wed Apr 2 12:25:04 EST 2003


On Mon, 2003-03-24 at 14:29, radix CVS wrote: 
> class IPullProducer(IProducer):
>     """A pull producer, also known as a non-streaming producer, is
>     expected to produce data each time resumeProducing() is called.
>     """
>     def resumeProducing(self):
>         """Resume producing data.
>         This tells a producer to re-add itself to the main loop and produce
>         more data for its consumer."""

Usage and behaviour of a PullProducer isn't clear to me.  Does
PullProducer.resumeProducing mean that it should call consumer.write
exactly once?  Or is the amount of times consumer.write will be called
undefined or context-dependent but merely guaranteed to be finite?

A PushProducer delivers an undefined quantity of data to consumer.write
some unknown time after resumeProducing is called.  A PullProducer
delivers an undefined quantity of data to consumer.write some unknown
time after resumeProducing is called.  So why two interfaces?  Why don't
pulling consumers just use pauseProducing upon getting a .write?[1] 
Then we can ditch one of the interfaces and the 'streaming' argument to
registerProducer and the conditionals that go with it...

If it is a different interface, can we give the method a different
name?  I think it strange that you call "resume" on these when producing
has never been "paused".  And that "resume" in this case does not signal
a return to an ongoing process from which it has been interrupted, but
is a single  request for a discrete amount of data.  A name beginning
with "get" or "next" seems more fitting.

 - Kevin


[1] "...just use pauseProducing upon getting a write()?": One answer to
that could be "it's more message traffic"; every write in a
pull-producer implemented on PushProducer this way would involve
p.resume();c.write();p.pause() as opposed to just p.resume();c.write(). 
But that alone doesn't convince me the interface confusion is worth it.

-- 
The moon is new, 0.3% illuminated, 0.5 days old.
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
Url : http://twistedmatrix.com/pipermail/twisted-python/attachments/20030402/0250a1e3/attachment.pgp 


More information about the Twisted-Python mailing list