Class execution_context encapsulates context switching and manages the associated context' stack (allocation/deallocation).

execution_context allocates the context stack (using its StackAllocator argument) and creates a control structure on top of it. This structure is responsible for managing context' stack. The address of the control structure is stored in the first frame of context' stack (e.g. it can not directly accessed from within execution_context). In contrast to execution_context (v1) the ownership of the control structure is not shared (no member variable to control structure in execution_context). execution_context keeps internally a state that is moved by a call of execution_context::operator() (*this will be invalidated), e.g. after a calling execution_context::operator(), *this can not be used for an additional context switch.

execution_context is only move-constructible and move-assignable.

The moved state is assigned to a new instance of execution_context. This object becomes the first argument of the context-function, if the context was resumed the first time, or the first element in a tuple returned by execution_context::operator() that has been called in the resumed context. In contrast to execution_context (v1), the context switch is faster because no global pointer etc. is involved.

On return the context-function of the current context has to specify an execution_context to which the execution cotnrol is transferred after termination of the current context.

If an instance with valid state goes out of scope and the context-function has not yet returned, the stack is traversed in order to access the control structure (address stored at the first stack frame) and to deallocate context' stack via the StackAllocator. The stack walking makes the destruction of execution_context very slow and should be prevented if possible.

execution_context expects a function/functor with signature execution_context(execution_context ctx, void* vp). The parameter ctx represents the context from which this context was resumed (e.g. that has called execution_context::operator() on *this) and vp is the data passed to execution_context::operator(). The return value is the execution_context that has to be resumed, while this context terminates.

usage of execution_context

int n=35;
ctx::execution_context source(
    [n](ctx::execution_context sink,void*)mutable{
        int a=0;
        int b=1;
        while(n-->0){
            auto result=sink(&a);
            sink=std::move(std::get<0>(result));
            auto next=a+b;
            a=b;
            b=next;
        }
        return sink;
    });
for(int i=0;i<10;++i){
    auto result=source();
    source=std::move(std::get<0>(result));
    std::cout<<*(int*)std::get<1>(result)<<" ";
}

output:
    0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34

This simple example demonstrates the basic usage of execution_context. The context sink represents the main-context (function main() running). sink is generated by the framework (first element of lambda's parameter list). Because the state is invalidated (== changed) by each call of execution_context::operator(), sink has to be assigned the new state of the execution_context returned by execution_context::operator().

The lambda that calculates the Fibonacci numbers is executed inside the context represented by source. Calculated Fibonacci numbers are transferred between the two context' via expression sink(&a) (and returned by source()).

The locale variables a, b and next remain their values during each context switch (yield(a)). This is possible due ctx has its own stack and the stack is exchanged by each context switch.

inverting the control flow

/*
 * grammar:
 *   P ---> E '\0'
 *   E ---> T {('+'|'-') T}
 *   T ---> S {('*'|'/') S}
 *   S ---> digit | '(' E ')'
 */
class Parser{
    // implementation omitted; see examples directory
};

std::istringstream is("1+1");
bool done=false;
std::exception_ptr except;

// execute parser in new execution context
boost::context::execution_context source(
        [&is,&done,&except](ctx::execution_context sink,void*){
        // create parser with callback function
        Parser p( is,
                  [&sink](char ch){
                        // resume main execution context
                        auto result = sink(&ch);
                        sink = std::move(std::get<0>(result));
                });
            try {
                // start recursive parsing
                p.run();
            } catch (...) {
                // store other exceptions in exception-pointer
                except = std::current_exception();
            }
            // set termination flag
            done=true;
            // resume main execution context
            return sink;
        });

// user-code pulls parsed data from parser
// invert control flow
auto result = source();
source = std::move(std::get<0>(result));
void * vp = std::get<1>(result);
if ( except) {
    std::rethrow_exception(except);
}
while( ! done) {
    printf("Parsed: %c\n",* static_cast<char*>(vp));
    std::tie(source,vp) = source();
    if (except) {
        std::rethrow_exception(except);
    }
}

output:
    Parsed: 1
    Parsed: +
    Parsed: 1

In this example a recursive descent parser uses a callback to emit a newly passed symbol. Using execution_context the control flow can be inverted, e.g. the user-code pulls parsed symbols from the parser - instead to get pushed from the parser (via callback).

The data (character) is transferred between the two execution_context.

If the code executed by execution_context emits an exception, the application is terminated. std::exception_ptr can be used to transfer exceptions between different execution contexts.

Sometimes it is necessary to unwind the stack of an unfinished context to destroy local stack variables so they can release allocated resources (RAII pattern). The user is responsible for this task.

allocating control structures on top of stack

Allocating control structures on top of the stack requires to allocated the stack_context and create the control structure with placement new before execution_context is created.

// stack-allocator used for (de-)allocating stack
fixedsize_stack salloc( 4048);
// allocate stack space
stack_context sctx( salloc.allocate() );
// reserve space for control structure on top of the stack
void * sp = static_cast< char * >( sctx.sp) - sizeof( my_control_structure);
std::size_t size = sctx.size - sizeof( my_control_structure);
// placement new creates control structure on reserved space
my_control_structure * cs = new ( sp) my_control_structure( sp, size, sctx, salloc);
...
// destructing the control structure
cs->~my_control_structure();
...
struct my_control_structure  {
    // captured context
    execution_context cctx;

    template< typename StackAllocator >
    my_control_structure( void * sp, std::size_t size, stack_context sctx, StackAllocator salloc) :
        // create captured context
        cctx( std::allocator_arg, preallocated( sp, size, sctx), salloc, entry_func) {
    }
    ...
};

exception handling

If the function executed inside a execution_context emits ans exception, the application is terminated by calling std::terminate(). std::exception_ptr can be used to transfer exceptions between different execution contexts.

parameter passing

The void pointer argument passed to execution_context::operator(), in one context, is passed as the last argument of the context-function if the context is started for the first time. In all following invocations of execution_context::operator() the void pointer passed to execution_context::operator(), in one context, is returned by execution_context::operator() in the other context.

class X {
private:
    std::exception_ptr excptr_;
    boost::context::execution_context ctx_;

public:
    X() :
        excptr_(),
        ctx_([=](ctx::execution_context ctx, void* vp)mutable{
                    try {
                        for (;;) {
                            int i = * static_cast<int*>(vp);
                            std::string str = boost::lexical_cast<std::string>(i);
                            auto result = ctx(& str);
                            ctx = std::move(std::get<0>(result) );
                            vp = std::get<1>(result);
                        }
                    } catch (ctx::detail::forced_unwind const&) {
                        throw;
                    } catch (...) {
                        excptr_=std::current_exception();
                    }
                    return ctx;
             })
    {}

    std::string operator()(int i) {
        auto result = ctx_(&i);
        ctx_ = std::move(std::get<0>(result));
        void * ret = std::get<1>(result);
        if(excptr_){
            std::rethrow_exception(excptr_);
        }
        return * static_cast<std::string*>(ret);
    }
};

X x;
std::cout << x( 7) << std::endl;

output:
7

Class execution_context

class execution_context {
public:
    template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
    execution_context( Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

    template< typename StackAlloc, typename Fn, typename ... Args >
    execution_context( std::allocator_arg_t, StackAlloc salloc, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

    template< typename StackAlloc, typename Fn, typename ... Args >
    execution_context( std::allocator_arg_t, preallocated palloc, StackAlloc salloc, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);


    template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
    execution_context( std::allocator_arg_t, segemented_stack, Fn && fn, Args && ... args) = delete;

    template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
    execution_context( std::allocator_arg_t, preallocated palloc, segmented, Fn && fn, Args && ... args)= delete;
    ~execution_context();

    execution_context( execution_context && other) noexcept;
    execution_context & operator=( execution_context && other) noexcept;

    execution_context( execution_context const& other) noexcept = delete;
    execution_context & operator=( execution_context const& other) noexcept = delete;

    explicit operator bool() const noexcept;
    bool operator!() const noexcept;

    std::tuple< execution_context, void * > operator()( void * data = nullptr);

    template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
    std::tuple< execution_context, void * > operator()( exec_ontop_arg_t, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

    template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
    std::tuple< execution_context, void * > operator()( void * data, exec_ontop_arg_t, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

    bool operator==( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

    bool operator!=( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

    bool operator<( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

    bool operator>( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

    bool operator<=( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

    bool operator>=( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

    template< typename charT, class traitsT >
    friend std::basic_ostream< charT, traitsT > &
    operator<<( std::basic_ostream< charT, traitsT > & os, execution_context const& other);
};

Constructor

template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
execution_context( Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

template< typename StackAlloc, typename Fn, typename ... Args >
execution_context( std::allocator_arg_t, StackAlloc salloc, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

template< typename StackAlloc, typename Fn, typename ... Args >
execution_context( std::allocator_arg_t, preallocated palloc, StackAlloc salloc, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

Move constructor

execution_context( execution_context && other) noexcept;

Move assignment operator

execution_context & operator=( execution_context && other) noexcept;

Member function operator bool()

explicit operator bool() const noexcept;

Member function operator!()

bool operator!() const noexcept;

Member function operator()()

std::tuple< execution_context, void * > operator()( void * data = nullptr);

Member function operator()()

template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
std::tuple< execution_context, void * > operator()( exec_ontop_arg_t, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

template< typename Fn, typename ... Args >
std::tuple< execution_context, void * > operator()( void * data, exec_ontop_arg_t, Fn && fn, Args && ... args);

Member function operator==()

bool operator==( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

Member function operator!=()

bool operator!=( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

Member function operator<()

bool operator<( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

Member function operator>()

bool operator>( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

Member function operator<=()

bool operator<=( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

Member function operator>=()

bool operator>=( execution_context const& other) const noexcept;

Non-member function operator<<()

template< typename charT, class traitsT >
std::basic_ostream< charT, traitsT > &
operator<<( std::basic_ostream< charT, traitsT > & os, execution_context const& other);