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lib/phoenix/channel.ex

defmodule Phoenix.Channel do
@moduledoc ~S"""
Defines a Phoenix Channel.
Channels provide a means for bidirectional communication from clients that
integrate with the `Phoenix.PubSub` layer for soft-realtime functionality.
## Topics & Callbacks
Every time you join a channel, you need to choose which particular topic you
want to listen to. The topic is just an identifier, but by convention it is
often made of two parts: `"topic:subtopic"`. Using the `"topic:subtopic"`
approach pairs nicely with the `Phoenix.Socket.channel/2` allowing you to
match on all topics starting with a given prefix:
channel "room:*", MyApp.RoomChannel
Any topic coming into the router with the `"room:"` prefix would dispatch
to `MyApp.RoomChannel` in the above example. Topics can also be pattern
matched in your channels' `join/3` callback to pluck out the scoped pattern:
# handles the special `"lobby"` subtopic
def join("room:lobby", _auth_message, socket) do
{:ok, socket}
end
# handles any other subtopic as the room ID, for example `"room:12"`, `"room:34"`
def join("room:" <> room_id, auth_message, socket) do
{:ok, socket}
end
## Authorization
Clients must join a channel to send and receive PubSub events on that channel.
Your channels must implement a `join/3` callback that authorizes the socket
for the given topic. For example, you could check if the user is allowed to
join that particular room.
To authorize a socket in `join/3`, return `{:ok, socket}`.
To refuse authorization in `join/3`, return `{:error, reply}`.
## Incoming Events
After a client has successfully joined a channel, incoming events from the
client are routed through the channel's `handle_in/3` callbacks. Within these
callbacks, you can perform any action. Typically you'll either forward a
message to all listeners with `broadcast!/3`, or push a message directly down
the socket with `push/3`. Incoming callbacks must return the `socket` to
maintain ephemeral state.
Here's an example of receiving an incoming `"new_msg"` event from one client,
and broadcasting the message to all topic subscribers for this socket.
def handle_in("new_msg", %{"uid" => uid, "body" => body}, socket) do
broadcast! socket, "new_msg", %{uid: uid, body: body}
{:noreply, socket}
end
You can also push a message directly down the socket:
# client asks for their current rank, push sent directly as a new event.
def handle_in("current_rank", socket) do
push socket, "current_rank", %{val: Game.get_rank(socket.assigns[:user])}
{:noreply, socket}
end
## Replies
In addition to pushing messages out when you receive a `handle_in` event,
you can also reply directly to a client event for request/response style
messaging. This is useful when a client must know the result of an operation
or to simply ack messages.
For example, imagine creating a resource and replying with the created record:
def handle_in("create:post", attrs, socket) do
changeset = Post.changeset(%Post{}, attrs)
if changeset.valid? do
post = Repo.insert!(changeset)
response = MyApp.PostView.render("show.json", %{post: post})
{:reply, {:ok, response}, socket}
else
response = MyApp.ChangesetView.render("errors.json", %{changeset: changeset})
{:reply, {:error, response}, socket}
end
end
Alternatively, you may just want to ack the status of the operation:
def handle_in("create:post", attrs, socket) do
changeset = Post.changeset(%Post{}, attrs)
if changeset.valid? do
Repo.insert!(changeset)
{:reply, :ok, socket}
else
{:reply, :error, socket}
end
end
## Intercepting Outgoing Events
When an event is broadcasted with `broadcast/3`, each channel subscriber can
choose to intercept the event and have their `handle_out/3` callback triggered.
This allows the event's payload to be customized on a socket by socket basis
to append extra information, or conditionally filter the message from being
delivered. If the event is not intercepted with `Phoenix.Channel.intercept/1`,
then the message is pushed directly to the client:
intercept ["new_msg", "user_joined"]
# for every socket subscribing to this topic, append an `is_editable`
# value for client metadata.
def handle_out("new_msg", msg, socket) do
push socket, "new_msg", Map.merge(msg,
%{is_editable: User.can_edit_message?(socket.assigns[:user], msg)}
)
{:noreply, socket}
end
# do not send broadcasted `"user_joined"` events if this socket's user
# is ignoring the user who joined.
def handle_out("user_joined", msg, socket) do
unless User.ignoring?(socket.assigns[:user], msg.user_id) do
push socket, "user_joined", msg
end
{:noreply, socket}
end
## Broadcasting to an external topic
In some cases, you will want to broadcast messages without the context of
a `socket`. This could be for broadcasting from within your channel to an
external topic, or broadcasting from elsewhere in your application like a
controller or another process. Such can be done via your endpoint:
# within channel
def handle_in("new_msg", %{"uid" => uid, "body" => body}, socket) do
...
broadcast_from! socket, "new_msg", %{uid: uid, body: body}
MyApp.Endpoint.broadcast_from! self(), "room:superadmin",
"new_msg", %{uid: uid, body: body}
{:noreply, socket}
end
# within controller
def create(conn, params) do
...
MyApp.Endpoint.broadcast! "room:" <> rid, "new_msg", %{uid: uid, body: body}
MyApp.Endpoint.broadcast! "room:superadmin", "new_msg", %{uid: uid, body: body}
redirect conn, to: "/"
end
## Terminate
On termination, the channel callback `terminate/2` will be invoked with
the error reason and the socket.
If we are terminating because the client left, the reason will be
`{:shutdown, :left}`. Similarly, if we are terminating because the
client connection was closed, the reason will be `{:shutdown, :closed}`.
If any of the callbacks return a `:stop` tuple, it will also
trigger terminate with the reason given in the tuple.
`terminate/2`, however, won't be invoked in case of errors nor in
case of exits. This is the same behaviour as you find in Elixir
abstractions like `GenServer` and others. Typically speaking, if you
want to clean something up, it is better to monitor your channel
process and do the clean up from another process. Similar to GenServer,
it would also be possible `:trap_exit` to guarantee that `terminate/2`
is invoked. This practice is not encouraged though.
## Exit reasons when stopping a channel
When the channel callbacks return a `:stop` tuple, such as:
{:stop, :shutdown, socket}
{:stop, {:error, :enoent}, socket}
the second argument is the exit reason, which follows the same behaviour as
standard `GenServer` exits.
You have three options to choose from when shutting down a channel:
* `:normal` - in such cases, the exit won't be logged, there is no restart
in transient mode, and linked processes do not exit
* `:shutdown` or `{:shutdown, term}` - in such cases, the exit won't be
logged, there is no restart in transient mode, and linked processes exit
with the same reason unless they're trapping exits
* any other term - in such cases, the exit will be logged, there are
restarts in transient mode, and linked processes exit with the same reason
unless they're trapping exits
## Subscribing to external topics
Sometimes you may need to programmatically subscribe a socket to external
topics in addition to the the internal `socket.topic`. For example,
imagine you have a bidding system where a remote client dynamically sets
preferences on products they want to receive bidding notifications on.
Instead of requiring a unique channel process and topic per
preference, a more efficient and simple approach would be to subscribe a
single channel to relevant notifications via your endpoint. For example:
defmodule MyApp.Endpoint.NotificationChannel do
use Phoenix.Channel
def join("notification:" <> user_id, %{"ids" => ids}, socket) do
topics = for product_id <- ids, do: "product:#{product_id}"
{:ok, socket
|> assign(:topics, [])
|> put_new_topics(topics)}
end
def handle_in("watch", %{"product_id" => id}, socket) do
{:reply, :ok, put_new_topics(socket, ["product:#{id}"])}
end
def handle_in("unwatch", %{"product_id" => id}, socket) do
{:reply, :ok, MyApp.Endpoint.unsubscribe("product:#{id}")}
end
defp put_new_topics(socket, topics) do
Enum.reduce(topics, socket, fn topic, acc ->
topics = acc.assigns.topics
if topic in topics do
acc
else
:ok = MyApp.Endpoint.subscribe(topic)
assign(acc, :topics, [topic | topics])
end
end)
end
end
Note: the caller must be responsible for preventing duplicate subscriptions.
After calling `subscribe/1` from your endpoint, the same flow applies to
handling regular Elixir messages within your channel. Most often, you'll
simply relay the `%Phoenix.Socket.Broadcast{}` event and payload:
alias Phoenix.Socket.Broadcast
def handle_info(%Broadcast{topic: _, event: ev, payload: payload}, socket) do
push socket, ev, payload
{:noreply, socket}
end
## Logging
By default, channel `"join"` and `"handle_in"` events are logged, using
the level `:info` and `:debug`, respectively. Logs can be customized per
event type or disabled by setting the `:log_join` and `:log_handle_in`
options when using `Phoenix.Channel`. For example, the following
configuration logs join events as `:info`, but disables logging for
incoming events:
use Phoenix.Channel, log_join: :info, log_handle_in: false
"""
alias Phoenix.Socket
alias Phoenix.Channel.Server
@type reply :: status :: atom | {status :: atom, response :: map}
@type socket_ref :: {transport_pid :: Pid, serializer :: module,
topic :: binary, ref :: binary, join_ref :: binary}
@callback code_change(old_vsn, Socket.t, extra :: term) ::
{:ok, Socket.t} |
{:error, reason :: term} when old_vsn: term | {:down, term}
@callback join(topic :: binary, auth_msg :: map, Socket.t) ::
{:ok, Socket.t} |
{:ok, map, Socket.t} |
{:error, map}
@callback handle_in(event :: String.t, msg :: map, Socket.t) ::
{:noreply, Socket.t} |
{:reply, reply, Socket.t} |
{:stop, reason :: term, Socket.t} |
{:stop, reason :: term, reply, Socket.t}
@callback handle_info(term, Socket.t) ::
{:noreply, Socket.t} |
{:stop, reason :: term, Socket.t}
@callback terminate(msg :: map, Socket.t) ::
{:shutdown, :left | :closed} |
term
defmacro __using__(opts \\ []) do
quote do
opts = unquote(opts)
@behaviour unquote(__MODULE__)
@on_definition unquote(__MODULE__)
@before_compile unquote(__MODULE__)
@phoenix_intercepts []
@phoenix_log_join Keyword.get(opts, :log_join, :info)
@phoenix_log_handle_in Keyword.get(opts, :log_handle_in, :debug)
import unquote(__MODULE__)
import Phoenix.Socket, only: [assign: 3]
def __socket__(:private) do
%{log_join: @phoenix_log_join,
log_handle_in: @phoenix_log_handle_in}
end
def code_change(_old, socket, _extra), do: {:ok, socket}
def handle_in(_event, _message, socket) do
{:noreply, socket}
end
def handle_info(message, state) do
Phoenix.Channel.Server.unhandled_handle_info(message, state)
end
def terminate(_reason, _socket), do: :ok
defoverridable code_change: 3, handle_info: 2, handle_in: 3, terminate: 2
end
end
defmacro __before_compile__(_) do
quote do
def __intercepts__, do: @phoenix_intercepts
end
end
@doc """
Defines which Channel events to intercept for `handle_out/3` callbacks.
By default, broadcasted events are pushed directly to the client, but
intercepting events gives your channel a chance to customize the event
for the client to append extra information or filter the message from being
delivered.
*Note*: intercepting events can introduce significantly more overhead if a
large number of subscribers must customize a message since the broadcast will
be encoded N times instead of a single shared encoding across all subscribers.
## Examples
intercept ["new_msg"]
def handle_out("new_msg", payload, socket) do
push socket, "new_msg", Map.merge(payload,
is_editable: User.can_edit_message?(socket.assigns[:user], payload)
)
{:noreply, socket}
end
`handle_out/3` callbacks must return one of:
{:noreply, Socket.t} |
{:stop, reason :: term, Socket.t}
"""
defmacro intercept(events) do
quote do
@phoenix_intercepts unquote(events)
end
end
@doc false
def __on_definition__(env, :def, :handle_out, [event, _payload, _socket], _, _)
when is_binary(event) do
unless event in Module.get_attribute(env.module, :phoenix_intercepts) do
IO.write "#{Path.relative_to(env.file, File.cwd!)}:#{env.line}: [warning] " <>
"An intercept for event \"#{event}\" has not yet been defined in #{env.module}.handle_out/3. " <>
"Add \"#{event}\" to your list of intercepted events with intercept/1"
end
end
def __on_definition__(_env, _kind, _name, _args, _guards, _body) do
end
@doc """
Broadcast an event to all subscribers of the socket topic.
The event's message must be a serializable map.
## Examples
iex> broadcast socket, "new_message", %{id: 1, content: "hello"}
:ok
"""
def broadcast(socket, event, message) do
%{pubsub_server: pubsub_server, topic: topic} = assert_joined!(socket)
Server.broadcast pubsub_server, topic, event, message
end
@doc """
Same as `broadcast/3`, but raises if broadcast fails.
"""
def broadcast!(socket, event, message) do
%{pubsub_server: pubsub_server, topic: topic} = assert_joined!(socket)
Server.broadcast! pubsub_server, topic, event, message
end
@doc """
Broadcast event from pid to all subscribers of the socket topic.
The channel that owns the socket will not receive the published
message. The event's message must be a serializable map.
## Examples
iex> broadcast_from socket, "new_message", %{id: 1, content: "hello"}
:ok
"""
def broadcast_from(socket, event, message) do
%{pubsub_server: pubsub_server, topic: topic, channel_pid: channel_pid} = assert_joined!(socket)
Server.broadcast_from pubsub_server, channel_pid, topic, event, message
end
@doc """
Same as `broadcast_from/3`, but raises if broadcast fails.
"""
def broadcast_from!(socket, event, message) do
%{pubsub_server: pubsub_server, topic: topic, channel_pid: channel_pid} = assert_joined!(socket)
Server.broadcast_from! pubsub_server, channel_pid, topic, event, message
end
@doc """
Sends event to the socket.
The event's message must be a serializable map.
## Examples
iex> push socket, "new_message", %{id: 1, content: "hello"}
:ok
"""
def push(socket, event, message) do
%{transport_pid: transport_pid, topic: topic} = assert_joined!(socket)
Server.push(transport_pid, topic, event, message, socket.serializer)
end
@doc """
Replies asynchronously to a socket push.
Useful when you need to reply to a push that can't otherwise be handled using
the `{:reply, {status, payload}, socket}` return from your `handle_in`
callbacks. `reply/2` will be used in the rare cases you need to perform work in
another process and reply when finished by generating a reference to the push
with `socket_ref/1`.
*Note*: In such cases, a `socket_ref` should be generated and
passed to the external process, so the `socket` itself is not leaked outside
the channel. The `socket` holds information such as assigns and transport
configuration, so it's important to not copy this information outside of the
channel that owns it.
## Examples
def handle_in("work", payload, socket) do
Worker.perform(payload, socket_ref(socket))
{:noreply, socket}
end
def handle_info({:work_complete, result, ref}, socket) do
reply ref, {:ok, result}
{:noreply, socket}
end
"""
@spec reply(socket_ref, reply) :: :ok
def reply({transport_pid, serializer, topic, ref, join_ref}, {status, payload}) do
Server.reply(transport_pid, join_ref, ref, topic, {status, payload}, serializer)
end
@doc """
Generates a `socket_ref` for an async reply.
See `reply/2` for example usage.
"""
@spec socket_ref(Socket.t) :: socket_ref
def socket_ref(%Socket{joined: true, ref: ref} = socket) when not is_nil(ref) do
{socket.transport_pid, socket.serializer, socket.topic, ref, socket.join_ref}
end
def socket_ref(_socket) do
raise ArgumentError, """
Socket refs can only be generated for a socket that has joined with a push ref
"""
end
defp assert_joined!(%Socket{joined: true} = socket) do
socket
end
defp assert_joined!(%Socket{joined: false}) do
raise """
`push`, `reply`, and `broadcast` can only be called after the socket has finished joining.
To push a message on join, send to self and handle in handle_info/2, ie:
def join(topic, auth_msg, socket) do
...
send(self, :after_join)
{:ok, socket}
end
def handle_info(:after_join, socket) do
push socket, "feed", %{list: feed_items(socket)}
{:noreply, socket}
end
"""
end
end