Language-based model for asynchronous operations

• US 9,547,511 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gustafsson, Niklas, Kizer, Geoffrey M.
• Primary Examiner(s): SNYDER, STEVEN G
• Application Number:
  US12/479,186
• Publication Number:
  US 20100313184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,783 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/40 Transformation of program code
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/41 Compilation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/45 Exploiting coarse grain parallelism in compilation, i.e. parallelism between groups of instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/458 Synchronisation, e.g. post-wait, barriers, locks synchronisation among tasks G06F9/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45516 Runtime code conversion or optimisation

Abstract

A language-based model to support asynchronous operations set forth in a synchronous syntax is provided. The asynchronous operations are transformed in a compiler into an asynchronous pattern, such as an APM-based pattern (or asynchronous programming model based pattern). The ability to compose asynchronous operations comes from the ability to efficiently call asynchronous methods from other asynchronous methods, pause them and later resume them, and effectively implementing a single-linked stack. One example includes support for ordered and unordered compositions of asynchronous operations. In an ordered composition, each asynchronous operation is started and finished before another operation in the composition is started. In an unordered composition, each asynchronous operation is started and completed independently of the operations in the unordered composition.

Claims

1. A method for providing asynchronous operations comprising:

defining a runtime environment including a syntax for synchronous operations to create asynchronous operations in a language-based model from a synchronous syntax, wherein the syntax for synchronous operations is distinguishable from an asynchronous pattern;

defining at least one keyword in the language-based model for use with programming in the syntax for the synchronous operations to define the asynchronous operations from the synchronous syntax prior to compilation; and

compiling in the runtime environment the synchronous operations programmed in the syntax associated with the at least one keyword into an asynchronous operation having an asynchronous pattern configured for the runtime environment, wherein a first asynchronous method calls a second asynchronous method from a linked stack;

wherein the synchronous operation associated with the keyword to define the asynchronous operation is represented during compilation as a plurality of declarations including a name of the asynchronous operation used to call the operation synchronously, and a begin declaration and an end declaration used as implementations of an asynchronous programming model for the asynchronous operation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the language-based model is in C-sharp or VB.NET programming language.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the runtime environment is included with an operating system configured for use with a computing device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one keyword is a modifier for a method in a programming language.

5. The method of claim 4 including using the modifier with a class, structure, or interface.

6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

calling asynchronous operations from other asynchronous operations;

pausing and later resuming asynchronous operations; and

implementing a single-linked stack.

7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising supporting ordered compositions and unordered compositions.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the unordered compositions include starting and completing asynchronous operations independently of one another.

9. The method of claim 8 where unordered compositions are indicated with another keyword.

10. The method of claim 8 including interleaving operations in the unordered composition.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the compiling includes transforming the asynchronous operations in the syntax for synchronous operations into an asynchronous pattern.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the asynchronous pattern includes an asynchronous programming model based pattern.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the asynchronous operations are nested, and further comprising, composing an outermost frame of an asynchronous operation as a corresponding asynchronous pattern.

14. The method of claim 13 including using implementations of the asynchronous pattern during the compiling.

15. The method of claim 1 and further comprising bridging nonconforming patterns in the syntax.

16. A computer readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions for controlling a computing device to perform a method comprising:

defining a runtime environment including a syntax for synchronous operations to create asynchronous operations from a synchronous syntax, wherein the syntax for synchronous operations is distinguishable from an asynchronous pattern;

defining at least one keyword for use with programming in the syntax for the synchronous operations, wherein synchronous operations associated with the keyword define asynchronous operations from the synchronous syntax prior to compilation;

compiling in the runtime environment the synchronous operations programmed in the syntax associated with the keyword into an asynchronous operation having an asynchronous pattern configured for the runtime environment, wherein a first asynchronous method calls a second asynchronous method from a linked stack;

wherein the keyword defining the asynchronous operation is represented during compilation as a plurality of declarations including a name of the asynchronous operation used to call the operation synchronously, and a begin declaration and an end declaration used as implementations of an asynchronous programming model for the asynchronous operation;

providing support for ordered compositions, wherein the ordered compositions include a first set of at least two asynchronous operations wherein calls to the first set of operations are serialized so that each operation is completed for a current call before a next call is performed; and

providing support for unordered compositions, wherein the unordered compositions include a second set of at least two asynchronous operations wherein each of the unordered compositions start and continue independently of the other asynchronous operations in the second set.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein ordered and unordered compositions include:

issuing a first asynchronous operation;

pausing the first asynchronous operation if the first asynchronous operation does not immediately complete; and

returning from the asynchronous operation and temporarily giving up the stack.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the ordered compositions include:

yielding an entire call chain during the pausing of the first asynchronous operation; and

issuing a second asynchronous operation after completing the first asynchronous operation.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the first and second asynchronous operations are part of a loop.

20. A system to provide asynchronous operations from a synchronous syntax comprising:

a processor and memory configured to;

define a runtime environment including a syntax for synchronous operations to create asynchronous operations in a language-based model from a synchronous syntax, wherein the syntax for synchronous operations is distinguishable from an asynchronous pattern;

define at least one keyword in the language-based model for use with programming in the syntax for the synchronous operations to define the asynchronous operations prior to compilation from the synchronous syntax;

provide support for ordered compositions, wherein the ordered compositions include a first set of at least two asynchronous operations wherein calls to the first set of operations are serialized so that each operation is completed for a current call before a next call is performed; and

provide support for unordered compositions, wherein the unordered compositions include a second set of at least two asynchronous operations wherein each of the unordered compositions start and continue independently of the other asynchronous operations in the second set; and

compile in the runtime environment the synchronous operations programmed in the syntax associated with the at least one keyword and the construct into an asynchronous operation having an asynchronous pattern with pattern-matching identification configured for the runtime environment, wherein a first asynchronous method calls a second asynchronous method from a linked stack.