Task

Task state machine graph

Task API (1st rc release, API not stable)

task.start

Dispatch the task to the task dispatcher.

If task dispatcher dose not immediately call task.run, the task will be pushed into pending status otherwise it will be pushed into running status.

task.abort

Manually abort the task, and push its status into abort

If task is runnning, the cancellation token event within the task runnable's handler will be fired. Status other than abort and complete will be pushed into abort status, thus onAbort event is fired.

Aborting the task won't directly abort real runnable process, because that is controlled for your own business. Certainly we suggest you to do this for you own business logic, while you're not required to do that. Task library can handle it well such that the status of the task is immediatelly changed after aborting.

task.destroy / task.dispose

It will destroy the task immedially and unless you get the task.result and task status, you cannot do anything more to this task, neither you can start nor abort.

Typically you do not need to do this, until you want to manually recycle the listeners or simply just make it unavailable to other invokers.

task.onXXX

The task library defines 8 high level events:

task.onRestart: Event<void>
task.onStart: Event<void>
task.onPending: Event<void>
task.onRunning: Event<void>
task.onError: Event<any>
task.onResult: Event<T>
task.onAbort: Event<void>
task.onComplete: Event<void>

and 2 low level events:

task.onStateChange: Event<ChangeEvent<State>>
task.onStatusChange: Event<ChangeEvent<Status>>

A task has 6 status: init, pending, running, error, abort, complete. They all match the state machine graph shown at the top of this documentation.

When task status changes, it will fire the corresponding status event among the 8 high level events onXXX, and than will invoke onStatusChange.

After task completes before destroyed, each time you call task.onComplete you'll get listener being invoked next event loop as if the complete event just got fired. When task is started on abort or error status, it will fire onRestart and then onStart.

task.state

A task has a programatical state managed by developers, and initialized on creating a new task.

When you call Task.create<R, S>(runnable: Task.Runnable<R, S>, initialState: S): Task<R, S>, you get a task with the state type S, the result type R, and the initial task.state too.

In the runnable a developer implements, the argument handler provides 3 property getters, and a setState method.

3 properties are:

1. handler.token: the cancellation token for this task
2. handler.state: the readonly state of the current task, if you set another state, than you get a new state by calling handler.state
3. handler.restart: the restart count of this task, first time to be 0, next time 1 after task.start, ...etc

handler.setState method can change the task.state programatically as your own customization. The runnable will be invoked mutiple times as you invoke start mutiple times at the right time.

task.result

You can get the final task.result after this task is finished normally with the result.

task.error

You can get the task.error reason object if the task is in error status.

task.dispatcher

Every task needs a task dispatcher, which conforms to the Task.Dispatcher interface.

Task library has already provided 2 dispatcher ready for usage.

1. Task.Dispatcher.Default: A dispatcher who can dispatch task with no limit
2. Task.Dispatcher.SingleThread: A dispatcher who can dispatch a task only when there is no task running in it

And has also provided 1 dispatcher factory method: Dispatcher.create(maxParallel: number)

Unless a task is destroyed, you can set task.dispatcher a new value anytime you like, in order to change the task to another dispatcher so it can be 'grouped' into one dispatcher queue.

Retry

Retry utility is used in any cases which need a retry strategy and cancellation possibility, see retry test cases for more information

Retry API

Kvo

Kvo utility is used to observe any properties's change Event in a Disposable instance, see kvo test cases for more information

Kvo API