Add main_thread_only execmodel

In order to prevent tasks from running in a non-main thread,
wait for the previous task inside _try_send_to_primary_thread,
then schedule the next task. Add a main_thread_only execmodel
to distinguish this new behavior from the existing thread
execmodel, since users of the thread execmodel expect that
tasks can run in multiple threads concurrently.

Closes: #96

Author: zmedico

doc/basics.rst

@@ -138,14 +138,14 @@ processes then you often want to call ``group.terminate()``
 yourself and specify a larger or not timeout.
 
 
-threading models: gevent, eventlet, thread
-===========================================
+threading models: gevent, eventlet, thread, main_thread_only
+====================================================================
 
 .. versionadded:: 1.2 (status: experimental!)
 
-execnet supports "thread", "eventlet" and "gevent" as thread models
-on each of the two sides.  You need to decide which model to use
-before you create any gateways::
+execnet supports "main_thread_only", "thread", "eventlet" and "gevent"
+as thread models on each of the two sides.  You need to decide which
+model to use before you create any gateways::
 
     # content of threadmodel.py
     import execnet

src/execnet/gateway_base.py

@@ -134,6 +134,10 @@ def Event(self):
         return threading.Event()
 
 
+class MaintThreadOnlyExecModel(ThreadExecModel):
+    backend = "main_thread_only"
+
+
 class EventletExecModel(ExecModel):
     backend = "eventlet"
 
@@ -254,6 +258,8 @@ def get_execmodel(backend):
         return backend
     if backend == "thread":
         return ThreadExecModel()
+    elif backend == "main_thread_only":
+        return MaintThreadOnlyExecModel()
     elif backend == "eventlet":
         return EventletExecModel()
     elif backend == "gevent":
@@ -322,7 +328,7 @@ def __init__(self, execmodel, hasprimary=False):
         self._shuttingdown = False
         self._waitall_events = []
         if hasprimary:
-            if self.execmodel.backend != "thread":
+            if self.execmodel.backend not in ("thread", "main_thread_only"):
                 raise ValueError("hasprimary=True requires thread model")
             self._primary_thread_task_ready = self.execmodel.Event()
         else:
@@ -332,7 +338,7 @@ def integrate_as_primary_thread(self):
         """integrate the thread with which we are called as a primary
         thread for executing functions triggered with spawn().
         """
-        assert self.execmodel.backend == "thread", self.execmodel
+        assert self.execmodel.backend in ("thread", "main_thread_only"), self.execmodel
         primary_thread_task_ready = self._primary_thread_task_ready
         # interacts with code at REF1
         while 1:
@@ -345,7 +351,11 @@ def integrate_as_primary_thread(self):
             with self._running_lock:
                 if self._shuttingdown:
                     break
-                primary_thread_task_ready.clear()
+                # Only clear if _try_send_to_primary_thread has not
+                # yet set the next self._primary_thread_task reply
+                # after waiting for this one to complete.
+                if reply is self._primary_thread_task:
+                    primary_thread_task_ready.clear()
 
     def trigger_shutdown(self):
         with self._running_lock:
@@ -376,6 +386,19 @@ def _try_send_to_primary_thread(self, reply):
                 # wake up primary thread
                 primary_thread_task_ready.set()
                 return True
+            elif (
+                self.execmodel.backend == "main_thread_only"
+                and self._primary_thread_task is not None
+            ):
+                self._primary_thread_task.waitfinish()
+                self._primary_thread_task = reply
+                # wake up primary thread (it's okay if this is already set
+                # because we waited for the previous task to finish above
+                # and integrate_as_primary_thread will not clear it when
+                # it enters self._running_lock if it detects that a new
+                # task is available)
+                primary_thread_task_ready.set()
+                return True
         return False
 
     def spawn(self, func, *args, **kwargs):
@@ -1106,7 +1129,18 @@ def join(self, timeout=None):
 class WorkerGateway(BaseGateway):
     def _local_schedulexec(self, channel, sourcetask):
         sourcetask = loads_internal(sourcetask)
-        self._execpool.spawn(self.executetask, (channel, sourcetask))
+        if self.execmodel.backend == "main_thread_only":
+            # TODO: Maybe use something like queue.Queue to queue an asynchronous
+            # spawn here in order to avoid using another thread.
+            import threading
+
+            t = threading.Thread(
+                target=self._execpool.spawn,
+                args=(self.executetask, (channel, sourcetask)),
+            )
+            t.start()
+        else:
+            self._execpool.spawn(self.executetask, (channel, sourcetask))
 
     def _terminate_execution(self):
         # called from receiverthread
@@ -1132,7 +1166,7 @@ def serve(self):
         def trace(msg):
             self._trace("[serve] " + msg)
 
-        hasprimary = self.execmodel.backend == "thread"
+        hasprimary = self.execmodel.backend in ("thread", "main_thread_only")
         self._execpool = WorkerPool(self.execmodel, hasprimary=hasprimary)
         trace("spawning receiver thread")
         self._initreceive()

src/execnet/multi.py

@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ def makegateway(self, spec=None):
 
             id=<string>     specifies the gateway id
             python=<path>   specifies which python interpreter to execute
-            execmodel=model 'thread', 'eventlet', 'gevent' model for execution
+            execmodel=model 'thread', 'main_thread_only', 'eventlet', 'gevent' model for execution
             chdir=<path>    specifies to which directory to change
             nice=<path>     specifies process priority of new process
             env:NAME=value  specifies a remote environment variable setting.

testing/conftest.py

@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ def anypython(request):
         pytest.skip(f"no {name} found")
     if "execmodel" in request.fixturenames and name != "sys.executable":
         backend = request.getfixturevalue("execmodel").backend
-        if backend != "thread":
+        if backend not in ("thread", "main_thread_only"):
             pytest.xfail(f"cannot run {backend!r} execmodel with bare {name}")
     return executable
 
@@ -173,7 +173,9 @@ def gw(request, execmodel, group):
         return gw
 
 
-@pytest.fixture(params=["thread", "eventlet", "gevent"], scope="session")
+@pytest.fixture(
+    params=["thread", "main_thread_only", "eventlet", "gevent"], scope="session"
+)
 def execmodel(request):
     if request.param != "thread":
         pytest.importorskip(request.param)

testing/test_termination.py

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ def doit():
 
 
 def test_endmarker_delivery_on_remote_killterm(makegateway, execmodel):
-    if execmodel.backend != "thread":
+    if execmodel.backend not in ("thread", "main_thread_only"):
         pytest.xfail("test and execnet not compatible to greenlets yet")
     gw = makegateway("popen")
     q = execmodel.queue.Queue()

testing/test_threadpool.py

@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ def wait_then_put():
 
 
 def test_primary_thread_integration(execmodel):
-    if execmodel.backend != "thread":
+    if execmodel.backend not in ("thread", "main_thread_only"):
         with pytest.raises(ValueError):
             WorkerPool(execmodel=execmodel, hasprimary=True)
         return
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ def func():
 
 
 def test_primary_thread_integration_shutdown(execmodel):
-    if execmodel.backend != "thread":
+    if execmodel.backend not in ("thread", "main_thread_only"):
         pytest.skip("can only run with threading")
     pool = WorkerPool(execmodel=execmodel, hasprimary=True)
     queue = execmodel.queue.Queue()