Module Lwt_main

Main loop and event queue

This module controls the ``main-loop'' of Lwt.

val run : 'a Lwt.t -> 'a

Lwt_main.run p calls the Lwt scheduler, performing I/O until p resolves. Lwt_main.run p returns the value in p if p is fulfilled. If p is rejected with an exception instead, Lwt_main.run p raises that exception.

Every native and bytecode program that uses Lwt should call this function at its top level. It implements the Lwt main loop.

Example:

let main () = Lwt_io.write_line Lwt_io.stdout "hello world"

let () = Lwt_main.run (main ())

Lwt_main.run is not available when targeting JavaScript, because the environment (such as Node.js or the browser's script engine) implements the I/O loop.

On Unix, calling Lwt_main.run installs a SIGCHLD handler, which is needed for the implementations of Lwt_unix.waitpid and Lwt_unix.wait4. As a result, programs that call Lwt_main.run and also use non-Lwt system calls need to handle those system calls failing with EINTR.

Nested calls to Lwt_main.run are not allowed. That is, do not call Lwt_main.run in a callback triggered by a promise that is resolved by an outer invocation of Lwt_main.run. If your program makes such a call, Lwt_main.run will raise Failure. This should be considered a logic error (i.e., code making such a call is inherently broken).

In addition, note that if you have set the exception filter to let runtime exceptions bubble up (via Lwt.Exception_filter.(set handle_all_except_runtime)) then Lwt does not attempt to catch exceptions thrown by the OCaml runtime. Specifically, in this case, Lwt lets Out_of_memory and Stack_overflow exceptions traverse all of its functions and bubble up to the caller of Lwt_main.run. Moreover because these exceptions are left to traverse the call stack, they leave the internal data-structures in an inconsistent state. For this reason, calling Lwt_main.run again after such an exception will raise Failure.

It is not safe to call Lwt_main.run in a function registered with Stdlib.at_exit, use Lwt_main.at_exit instead.

val yield : unit -> unit Lwt.t

yield () is a pending promise that is fulfilled after Lwt finishes calling all currently ready callbacks, i.e. it is fulfilled on the next “tick.”

  • deprecated

    Since 5.5.0 yield is deprecated in favor of the more general Lwt.pause in order to avoid discrepancies in resolution (see below) and stay compatible with other execution environments such as js_of_ocaml.

val abandon_yielded_and_paused : unit -> unit

Causes promises created with Lwt.pause and Lwt_main.yield to remain forever pending.

(Note that yield is deprecated in favor of the more general Lwt.pause.)

This is meant for use with Lwt_unix.fork, as a way to “abandon” more promise chains that are pending in your process.

  • deprecated

    Since 5.7 abandon_yielded_and_paused is deprecated in favour of Lwt.abandon_paused.

module type Hooks = sig ... end

Hook sequences. Each module of this type is a set of hooks, to be run by Lwt at certain points during execution. See modules Enter_iter_hooks, Leave_iter_hooks, and Exit_hooks.

module Enter_iter_hooks : Hooks with type 'return_value kind = 'return_value

Hooks, of type unit -> unit, that are called before each iteration of the Lwt main loop.

module Leave_iter_hooks : Hooks with type 'return_value kind = 'return_value

Hooks, of type unit -> unit, that are called after each iteration of the Lwt main loop.

module Exit_hooks : Hooks with type 'return_value kind = 'return_value Lwt.t

Promise-returning hooks, of type unit -> unit Lwt.t, that are called at process exit. Exceptions raised by these hooks are ignored.

val enter_iter_hooks : (unit -> unit) Lwt_sequence.t
val leave_iter_hooks : (unit -> unit) Lwt_sequence.t
val exit_hooks : (unit -> unit Lwt.t) Lwt_sequence.t
val at_exit : (unit -> unit Lwt.t) -> unit

Lwt_main.at_exit hook is the same as ignore (Lwt_main.Exit_hooks.add_first hook).