Difference between revisions of "Netwire"

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(Added subsection Examples and a link to tetris-hs)
 
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Netwire is a library for [[Functional Reactive Programming|functional reactive programming]], which uses the concept of [[Arrow|arrows]] for modelling an embedded domain-specific language. This language lets you express reactive systems, which means systems that change over time. It shares the basic concept with [[Yampa]] and its fork Animas, but it is itself not a fork and has many additional features.
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Netwire is a [[Functional Reactive Programming|functional reactive programming]] library that provides both an applicative and an arrow interface. It allows you to express time-varying values with a rich event system.
   
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* [http://hackage.haskell.org/package/netwire Download netwire]
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* [http://hackage.haskell.org/package/netwire Project page]
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* [http://hub.darcs.net/ertes/netwire Source repository]
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This wiki page corresponds to Netwire version 3 and is currently a work in progress.
  
   
 
== Features ==
  
== Features ==
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Here is a list of some of the features of Netwire:
  
Here is a list of some of the features of Netwire:
   
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* arrow interface (or optionally an applicative interface),
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* applicative interface (or optionally an arrow interface),
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* signal inhibition (ArrowZero / Alternative),
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* signal intervals,
  +
* dynamic switching,
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* signal selection (ArrowPlus / Alternative),
  
  ⚫
* rich set of predefined functionality,
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* self-adjusting wires (ArrowChoice),
  
  ⚫
* signal analysis (average, interpolation, peak, etc.),
⚫
* rich set of event wires,
  
  ⚫
* effectful reactive systems.
⚫
* signal analysis wires (average, peak, etc.),
  
⚫
* effectful wires.
  
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⚫
== Basics ==
  
−  
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The Netwire library is based around a data type called <hask>Wire</hask>. You need to import the <hask>Control.Wire</hask> module to work with wires:
  
   
  ⚫
== Scope ==
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<haskell>
  
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import Control.Wire
  
   
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Netwire's FRP framework is intended to be used for continuous applications. It replaces the traditional big main loop with its global state and event callbacks/branching by a completely declarative model. The following types of applications can benefit from using Netwire:
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data Wire e (>~) a b
  
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</haskell>
  
   
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* artificial intelligence and bots,
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For some arrows <hask>(>~)</hask> and all monoids <hask>e</hask> the type <hask>Wire e (>~)</hask> is an arrow. Only certain arrows are allowed for <hask>(>~)</hask>, because <hask>Wire</hask> is actually a data family. These arrows are called base arrows in Netwire.
  
  +
* canvas-based graphics and animations,
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* continuous signal synthesis (audio waves, etc.),
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* games and game servers,
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* scene-based user interfaces (like OpenGL and vty),
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* simulations.
   
  +
If you can sensibly break your application down into ''frames'', then Netwire is for you. For other kinds of reactive applications like widget-based UIs you may want to look into [[reactive-banana]] instead.
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<haskell>
  
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comp :: Wire e (>~) a b
  
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</haskell>
  
   
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Values of type <hask>Wire e (>~) a b</hask> are time-varying functions, which resemble the following type:
  
   
  +
== Get started ==
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<haskell>
  
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a >~ Either e b
  
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</haskell>
  
   
  +
The documentation is contained within the package itself, but you can also read it online:
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So it's a function that takes a value of type <hask>a</hask> and either produces a value of type <hask>b</hask> or produces no value, but instead ''inhibits'' with a value of type <hask>e</hask>. The act of running a wire is called ''stepping'' and the process is called an ''instant''. You can step a wire through one of the stepping functions, which we will cover later. When you step a wire, it will return a new version of itself along with its result. You are supposed to call the new version the next time you step.
  
   
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* [http://hub.darcs.net/ertes/netwire/browse/README.md Tutorial]
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=== The inhibition monoid ===
  
  +
* [http://hackage.haskell.org/package/netwire Project page with API docs]
   
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The <hask>e</hask> argument to <hask>Wire</hask> is called the inhibition monoid. For simple applications you can just use <hask>()</hask> here, but you may want to actually assign exception values to inhibition. We will cover that later. For now just use <hask>()</hask>.
  
   
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=== Base arrows ===
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=== Other reading ===
   
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* [http://todayincode.tumblr.com/post/96914679355/almost-a-netwire-5-tutorial Almost a Netwire 5 Tutorial]
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The <hask>(>~)</hask> argument to <hask>Wire</hask> is called the base arrow. In most cases you will use a <hask>Kleisli</hask> arrow here, and this is currently the only type of arrow supported, though more will be added in the future. For simple applications you can just use the <hask>IO</hask> monad, and it is useful to define a type alias for your custom wire type:
  
   
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<haskell>
  
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type MyWire = Wire () (Kleisli IO)
  
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</haskell>
  
   
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== Running wires ==
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=== Examples ===
   
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* [https://github.com/ScrambledEggsOnToast/tetris-hs tetris-hs]
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For running a wire you can use the stepping functions available in the <hask>Control.Wire.Session</hask> module. There is no need to import that module. It is automatically imported with <hask>Control.Wire</hask>. For Kleisli-based wires you will want to use the <hask>stepWireM</hask> function:
  
   
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<haskell>
  
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stepWireM ::
  
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Monad m
  
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=> Wire e (Kleisli m) a b
  
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-> a
  
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-> m (Either e b, Wire e (Kleisli m) a b)
  
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</haskell>
  
   
  +
== Model and correctness ==
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In our case we have <hask>m = IO</hask>, so our type signature is simply:
  
   
  +
Netwire's underlying abstraction is more powerful than the [http://conal.net/papers/icfp97/ original formulation of time-varying values]. It allows you to implement general component systems with local state.
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<haskell>
  
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stepWireM :: MyWire a b -> a -> IO (Either () b, MyWire a b)
  
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</haskell>
  
   
  +
Starting with Netwire 5 there are two module trees <hask>Control.Wire</hask> and <hask>FRP.Netwire</hask>. The latter exports a subset of Netwire that closely follows the original model and provides a set of predefined FRP wires.
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This function takes a wire and an input value. It passes the input value to the wire and returns its result value of type <hask>Either () b</hask>. Along with the result it also returns a new wire. Normally you would call <hask>stepWireM</hask> in a loop, which performs instant after instant. This is the basic structure:
  
   
  +
Signal intervals are an extension of the original model and an integral part of Netwire: A behavior is a ''partial'' function of time with the limitation that both the defined and undefined intervals must have a non-zero length. This extension makes it much easier to express switching and multicasting systems.
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<haskell>
  
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system :: MyWire Int String
  
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system = {- ... -}
  
   
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== History ==
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main :: IO ()
  
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main = loop system
  
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where
  
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loop :: MyWire Int String -> IO ()
  
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loop w' = do
  
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(mx, w) <- stepWireM w' 15
  
   
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This project started in 2011 as a replacement for Yampa to provide both a nicer interface and better integration into existing frameworks. Its original purpose was to power game servers and intelligent network bots. That's the origin of the name ''Netwire''.
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{- ... do something with mx ... -}
  
   
  +
However, before its first release ''signal intervals'' were added (originally under the term ''signal inhibition''). Netwire became a completely new abstraction, so it lost its connection to Yampa.
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loop w -- loop with the new wire.
  
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</haskell>
  
   
 
[[Category:FRP]]
  
[[Category:FRP]]

Latest revision as of 21:39, 2 October 2014

Netwire is a functional reactive programming library that provides both an applicative and an arrow interface. It allows you to express time-varying values with a rich event system.

Features

Here is a list of some of the features of Netwire:

  • applicative interface (or optionally an arrow interface),
  • signal intervals,
  • dynamic switching,
  • rich set of predefined functionality,
  • signal analysis (average, interpolation, peak, etc.),
  • effectful reactive systems.

Scope

Netwire's FRP framework is intended to be used for continuous applications. It replaces the traditional big main loop with its global state and event callbacks/branching by a completely declarative model. The following types of applications can benefit from using Netwire:

  • artificial intelligence and bots,
  • canvas-based graphics and animations,
  • continuous signal synthesis (audio waves, etc.),
  • games and game servers,
  • scene-based user interfaces (like OpenGL and vty),
  • simulations.

If you can sensibly break your application down into frames, then Netwire is for you. For other kinds of reactive applications like widget-based UIs you may want to look into reactive-banana instead.


Get started

The documentation is contained within the package itself, but you can also read it online:


Other reading


Examples


Model and correctness

Netwire's underlying abstraction is more powerful than the original formulation of time-varying values. It allows you to implement general component systems with local state.

Starting with Netwire 5 there are two module trees Control.Wire and FRP.Netwire. The latter exports a subset of Netwire that closely follows the original model and provides a set of predefined FRP wires.

Signal intervals are an extension of the original model and an integral part of Netwire: A behavior is a partial function of time with the limitation that both the defined and undefined intervals must have a non-zero length. This extension makes it much easier to express switching and multicasting systems.

History

This project started in 2011 as a replacement for Yampa to provide both a nicer interface and better integration into existing frameworks. Its original purpose was to power game servers and intelligent network bots. That's the origin of the name Netwire.

However, before its first release signal intervals were added (originally under the term signal inhibition). Netwire became a completely new abstraction, so it lost its connection to Yampa.

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