defmodule ProcessTree do @external_resource "README.md" @moduledoc "README.md" |> File.read!() |> String.split("") |> Enum.filter(&(&1 =~ ~r{})) |> Enum.join("\n") # compensate for anchor id differences between ExDoc and GitHub |> (&Regex.replace(~r{\(\#\K(?=[a-z][a-z0-9-]+\))}, &1, "module-")).() alias ProcessTree.OtpRelease @typep id :: pid() | atom() if !OtpRelease.process_info_tracks_parent?() do # suppress warnings seen in OTP 24 and earlier @dialyzer {:no_match, {:known_ancestors, 3}} @dialyzer {:no_match, {:try_parent, 4}} @dialyzer {:no_unused, {:older_dictionary_ancestors, 2}} end @doc """ Starting with the calling process, recursively looks for a value for `key` in the process dictionaries of the calling process and its known ancestors/callers. If a particular ancestor process has died, it looks up to the next ancestor, if possible. Returns the first non-nil value found in the tree. If no value is found, returns `nil`. By default, if a non-nil value is found in the tree, the value is cached in the dictionaries of the calling process and any intermediate processes traversed in the search. Thereafter, subsequent calls to `get()` with the same key will return the cached value. This behavior can be disabled by passing `cache: false` as an option. ## parents, `$ancestors` and `$callers` Erlang provides [two mechanisms](https://saltycrackers.dev/posts/how-to-get-the-parent-of-an-elixir-process/) for finding the ancestors of a process: `:erlang.process_info(pid, :parent)`, available since OTP 25, and the `$ancestors` process dictionary key, which only applies to processes managed by OTP. In addition to these, Elixir uses the [`$callers`](https://hexdocs.pm/elixir/Task.html#module-ancestor-and-caller-tracking) dictionary key to track the chain of processes that initiate a supervised task. `get/2` considers all three mechanisms when navigating the ancestry of a process. Priority is first given to the parent/`$ancestors` hierarchy. Given a process and a key, if neither the process itself nor any parents/`$ancestors` have a dictionary value for the key, `get/2` asks the process if it has any `$callers`. If it does, `get/2` will look up to the first caller, look in its dictionary, then if necessary examine the caller's parents/`$ancestors` and `$callers`, with priority again given to the parent/`$ancestors` hierarchy. ## Options * `:cache` - If `false`, the value found in the tree will not be cached in the dictionaries of the calling process or any intermediate processes traversed in the search. Defaults to `true`. * `:default` - When no value is found in the tree, `get()` will return the default value if one is provided. If caching is enabled, the default value will be cached in the dictionary of the calling process. Default values might typically be read from the Application environment. For example: ``` default_value = Application.get_env(:my_app, :some_key) value = ProcessTree.get(:some_key, default: default_value) ``` """ @spec get(term(), keyword()) :: term() def get(key, opts \\ []) do cache_result? = opts[:cache] != false case actually_get(key, self(), dictionary_ancestors(self()), cache_result?) do nil -> if cache_result? && Keyword.has_key?(opts, :default), do: Process.put(key, opts[:default]) opts[:default] value -> value end end @doc """ Returns a list of the known ancestors of `pid`, from "newest" to "oldest". The set of ancestors that is "known" depends on factors including: * The OTP major version the code is running under. (OTP 25 [introduced](https://github.com/erlang/otp/pull/5768) new functionality for tracking ancestors.) * Whether the process and its ancestors are running in a supervision tree * Whether ancestor processes are still alive * Whether the given process and its ancestors were started via raw `spawn` or were instead started as Tasks, Agents, GenServers or Supervisors `ProcessTree` takes these factors and more into account and produces the most complete list of ancestors that is possible. In the mainline case - running under a supervision tree, as recommended - `known_ancestors/1` will return a list that contains, at minimum, all of the ancestor Supervisors in the tree as well as the ancestor of the initial/topmost Supervisor. When running under OTP 25 and later, the list will also include all additional ancestors, up to and including the `:init` process (`PID<0.0.0>`), provided that the additional ancestor processes are still alive. List items will be pids in all but the most unusual of circumstances. For example, if a GenServer is spawned by parent/grandparent GenServers that have registered names, and the parent GenServer dies, then the parent & grandparent may be represented in the list of the child's known ancestors using the their registered names - atoms, rather than pids. Precise behavior depends on OTP major version. """ @spec known_ancestors(pid()) :: [pid() | atom()] def known_ancestors(pid) do known_ancestors(pid, [], dictionary_ancestors(pid)) |> Enum.reverse() end @doc """ Returns the parent of `pid`, if the parent is known. Returns `:unknown` if the parent is unknown. Returns `:undefined` if `pid` represents the `:init` process (`PID<0.0.0>`). If `pid` is part of a supervision tree, the parent will be known regardless of any other factors. If the parent is known, the return value will be a pid in all but the most unusual of circumstances. See `known_ancestors/1` for dicussion. """ @spec parent(pid()) :: pid() | atom() def parent(pid) do case Process.whereis(:init) do ^pid -> :undefined _ -> ancestor(pid, 1) end end @spec actually_get(term(), id(), [id()], boolean) :: term() defp actually_get(key, pid_or_name, dictionary_ancestors, cache_result?) do cond do (value = get_dictionary_value(pid_or_name, key)) != nil -> if cache_result?, do: Process.put(key, value) value (value = try_parent(key, pid_or_name, dictionary_ancestors, cache_result?)) != nil -> if cache_result?, do: Process.put(key, value) value (value = try_caller(key, pid_or_name, cache_result?)) != nil -> if cache_result?, do: Process.put(key, value) value true -> nil end end @spec try_parent(term(), id(), [id()], boolean) :: term() defp try_parent(key, pid_or_name, dictionary_ancestors, cache_result?) do cond do (parent = process_info_parent(pid_or_name)) != nil -> older_dictionary_ancestors = older_dictionary_ancestors(parent, dictionary_ancestors) actually_get(key, parent, older_dictionary_ancestors, cache_result?) length(dictionary_ancestors) > 0 -> [parent | older_ancestors] = dictionary_ancestors actually_get(key, parent, older_ancestors, cache_result?) true -> nil end end @spec try_caller(term(), id(), boolean) :: term() defp try_caller(key, pid_or_name, cache_result?) do case caller(pid_or_name) do nil -> nil caller -> actually_get(key, caller, dictionary_ancestors(caller), cache_result?) end end @spec ancestor(pid(), non_neg_integer()) :: pid() | atom() defp ancestor(pid, index) do ancestors = known_ancestors(pid) case length(ancestors) >= index do true -> Enum.at(ancestors, index - 1) false -> :unknown end end @spec caller(id()) :: pid() | nil defp caller(pid_or_name) do maybe_pid = get_pid_if_available(pid_or_name) callers = get_dictionary_value(maybe_pid, :"$callers") case callers do nil -> nil callers -> hd(callers) end end @spec known_ancestors(id(), [id()], [id()]) :: [id()] defp known_ancestors(pid_or_name, collected_ancestors, dictionary_ancestors) do cond do pid_or_name == nil -> collected_ancestors pid_or_name == init_pid() -> collected_ancestors (parent = process_info_parent(pid_or_name)) != nil -> older_dictionary_ancestors = older_dictionary_ancestors(parent, dictionary_ancestors) known_ancestors(parent, [parent | collected_ancestors], older_dictionary_ancestors) length(dictionary_ancestors) > 0 -> [parent | older_ancestors] = dictionary_ancestors known_ancestors(parent, [parent | collected_ancestors], older_ancestors) true -> collected_ancestors end end @spec init_pid() :: pid() defp init_pid() do Process.whereis(:init) end @spec older_dictionary_ancestors(pid, [id()]) :: [id()] defp older_dictionary_ancestors(parent, []) do dictionary_ancestors(parent) end defp older_dictionary_ancestors(_parent, child_dictionary_ancestors) do [_parent | older_ancestors] = child_dictionary_ancestors older_ancestors end @spec process_info_parent(id()) :: pid() | nil if OtpRelease.process_info_tracks_parent?() do defp process_info_parent(pid) when is_pid(pid) do case Process.info(pid, :parent) do {:parent, :undefined} -> nil {:parent, parent} -> parent nil -> nil end end defp process_info_parent(name) when is_atom(name) do nil end else defp process_info_parent(_pid), do: nil end @spec get_dictionary_value(id(), term()) :: term() defp get_dictionary_value(nil, _key), do: nil defp get_dictionary_value(name, _key) when is_atom(name) do # we already know the process has died nil end if OtpRelease.optimized_dictionary_access?() do defp get_dictionary_value(pid, key) do case Process.info(pid, {:dictionary, key}) do {{:dictionary, ^key}, :undefined} -> nil {{:dictionary, ^key}, value} -> value nil -> nil end end else defp get_dictionary_value(pid, key) do case Process.info(pid, :dictionary) do nil -> nil {:dictionary, dictionary} -> case List.keyfind(dictionary, key, 0) do {_key, value} -> value nil -> nil end end end end @spec dictionary_ancestors(pid()) :: [pid() | atom()] defp dictionary_ancestors(pid) do (get_dictionary_value(pid, :"$ancestors") || []) |> Enum.map(&get_pid_if_available/1) end @spec get_pid_if_available(pid() | atom()) :: pid() | atom() defp get_pid_if_available(pid_or_registered_name) do case is_pid(pid_or_registered_name) do true -> pid_or_registered_name false -> Process.whereis(pid_or_registered_name) || pid_or_registered_name end end end