README.md
1# What is this
2This file documents high level parts of the sequence manager.
3
4The sequence manager provides a set of prioritized FIFO task queues, which
5allows funneling multiple sequences of immediate and delayed tasks on a single
6underlying sequence.
7
8## Work Queue and Task selection
9Both immediate tasks and delayed tasks are posted to a `TaskQueue` via an
10associated `TaskRunner`. `TaskQueue`s use distinct primitive FIFO queues, called
11`WorkQueue`s, to manage immediate tasks and delayed tasks. Tasks eventually end
12up in their assigned `WorkQueue` which is made directly visible to
13`SequenceManager` through `TaskQueueSelector`.
14`SequenceManagerImpl::SelectNextTask()` uses
15`TaskQueueSelector::SelectWorkQueueToService()` to select the next work queue
16based on various policy e.g. priority, from which 1 task is popped at a time.
17
18## Journey of a Task
19Task queues have a mechanism to allow efficient cross-thread posting with the
20use of 2 work queues, `immediate_incoming_queue` which is used when posting, and
21`immediate_work_queue` used to pop tasks from. An immediate task posted from the
22main thread is pushed on `immediate_incoming_queue` in
23`TaskQueueImpl::PostImmediateTaskImpl()`. If the work queue was empty,
24`SequenceManager` is notified and the `TaskQueue` is registered to do
25`ReloadEmptyImmediateWorkQueue()` before SequenceManager selects a task, which
26moves tasks from `immediate_incoming_queue` to `immediate_work_queue` in batch
27for all registered `TaskQueue`s. The tasks then follow the regular work queue
28selection mechanism.
29
30## Journey of a WakeUp
31A `WakeUp` represents a time at which a delayed task wants to run.
32
33Each `TaskQueueImpl` maintains its own next wake-up as
34`main_thread_only().scheduled_wake_up`, associated with the earliest pending
35delayed task. It communicates its wake up to the WakeUpQueue via
36`WakeUpQueue::SetNextWakeUpForQueue()`. The `WakeUpQueue` is responsible for
37determining the single next wake up time for the thread. This is accessed from
38`SequenceManagerImpl` and may determine the next run time if there's no
39immediate work, which ultimately gets passed to the MessagePump, typically via
40`MessagePump::Delegate::NextWorkInfo` (returned by
41`ThreadControllerWithMessagePumpImpl::DoWork()`) or by
42`MessagePump::ScheduleDelayedWork()` (on rare occasions where the next WakeUp is
43scheduled on the main thread from outside a `DoWork()`). When a delayed run time
44associated with a wake-up is reached, `WakeUpQueue` is notified through
45`WakeUpQueue::MoveReadyDelayedTasksToWorkQueues()` and in turn notifies all
46`TaskQueue`s whose wake-up can be resolved. This lets each `TaskQueue`s process
47ripe delayed tasks.
48
49## Journey of a delayed Task
50A delayed Task posted cross-thread generates an immediate Task to run
51`TaskQueueImpl::ScheduleDelayedWorkTask()` which eventually calls
52`TaskQueueImpl::PushOntoDelayedIncomingQueueFromMainThread()`, so that it can be
53enqueued on the main thread. A delayed Task posted from the main thread skips
54this step and calls
55`TaskQueueImpl::PushOntoDelayedIncomingQueueFromMainThread()` directly. The Task
56is then pushed on `main_thread_only().delayed_incoming_queue` and possibly
57updates the next task queue wake-up. Once the delayed run time is reached,
58possibly because the wake-up is resolved, the delayed task is moved to
59`main_thread_only().delayed_work_queue` and follows the regular work queue
60selection mechanism.
61
62## TimeDomain and TickClock
63`SequenceManager` and related classes use a common `TickClock` that can be
64injected by specifying a `TimeDomain`. A `TimeDomain` is a specialisation of
65`TickClock` that gets notified when the `MessagePump` is about to go idle via
66TimeDomain::MaybeFastForwardToWakeUp(), and can use the signal to fast forward
67in time. This is used in `TaskEnvironment` to support `MOCK_TIME`, and in
68devtools to support virtual time.
69