Napi Thread-Safe Callback


This package contains a header-only C++ helper class to facilitate
calling back into JavaScript from threads other than the Node.JS main thread.

Examples

Perform async work in new thread and call back with result/error

``C++
void example_async_work(const CallbackInfo& info)
{
// Capture callback in main thread
auto callback = std::make_shared(info[0].As());
bool fail = info.Length() > 1;

// Pass callback to other thread
std::thread([callback, fail]
{
try
{
// Do some work to get a result
if (fail)
throw std::runtime_error("Failure during async work");
std::string result = "foo";

// Call back with result
callback->call(result
{
// This will run in main thread and needs to construct the
// arguments for the call
args = { env.Undefined(), Napi::String::New(env, result) };
});
}
catch (std::exception& e)
{
// Call back with error
callback->callError(e.what());
}
}).detach();
}
`

Perform async work in new thread, call back with result/error and check return value

`C++
void example_async_return_value(const CallbackInfo& info)
{
auto callback = std::make_shared(info[0].As());
std::thread([callback]
{
try
{
int result = 0;
while (true)
{
// Do some work...
try
{
result += 1;
if (result > 20)
throw std::runtime_error("Failure during async work");
}
catch (std::exception &e)
{
// Call back with error
// Note that this will cause the thread to exit and the
// ThreadSafeCallback to be destroyed. But the callback
// will still be called, even afterwards
callback->callError(e.what());
throw;
}
// Call back into Javascript with current result
auto future = callback->call(
result {
args = {env.Undefined(), Number::New(env, result)};
},
[](const Value &val) {
return val.As().Value();
});
// This blocks until the JS call has returned a value
// In case the callback throws we just let the exception
// bubble up and end the thread
auto continue_running = future.get();
if (!continue_running)
break;
}
}
catch (...)
{
// Ignore errors
}
}).detach();
}
`

Usage

1. Add a dependency on this package to package.json:
`json
"dependencies": {
"napi-thread-safe-callback": "0.0.1",
}
`

2. Reference this package's include directory in binding.gyp:
`gyp
'include_dirs': ["`
3. Include the header in your code:
`C++
#include "napi-thread-safe-callback.hpp"
`

$3

Exceptions need to be enabled in the native module. To do this use the following
in binding.gyp:
`gyp
'cflags!': [ '-fno-exceptions' ],
'cflags_cc!': [ '-fno-exceptions' ],
'xcode_settings': {
'GCC_ENABLE_CPP_EXCEPTIONS': 'YES',
'CLANG_CXX_LIBRARY': 'libc++',
'MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET': '10.7',
},
'msvs_settings': {
'VCCLCompilerTool': { 'ExceptionHandling': 1 },
},
'conditions': [
['OS=="win"', { 'defines': [ '_HAS_EXCEPTIONS=1' ] }]
]
``