Bonobo (v2.1)

A lightweight wrapper for the HTML5 Web Worker API.

Author: Joe Harlow (joe@f5.io)

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Bonobo provides a simple wrapper for the HTML5 Web Worker API. It is library agnostic and has no dependencies.

Bonobo allows you to define workers inline, negating the need for seperate JavaScript files.

Version 2.0+

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Bonobo v2.0+ adds a completely revised set of methods. Please make sure to read the docs if you wish to start using v2.0+.

Browser Support

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Bonobo is built on the Web Worker and Blob APIs. When these are not available it will purely run the task in the main thread by creating a fake worker. This should allow the usage of Bonobo in a Progressive Enhancement environment.

For full capabilities, the following browsers are supported:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 10+
• Mozilla Firefox 21.0+
• Google Chrome 27.0+
• Apple Safari 5.1+
• Opera 15.0+

Installation

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Bonobo can be installed with either npm or bower, by running:

npm install bonobo or bower install bonobo respectively.

Usage

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Bonobo can be loaded using CommonJS-style module definitions using browserify, if the package has been installed via npm.

var Bonobo = require('bonobo');

If loaded with a <script> tag, Bonobo can be accessed using either Bonobo or bN on the window object.

From here on out, we will refer to it as Bonobo.

Bonobo has two sets of methods. One relates to methods available in your main JavaScript file/thread, the other relates to methods available from within your worker.

Transferable Objects

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Bonobo has built in systems to deal with Transferable Objects intelligently. If the content being transferred between threads can be automatically converted into an ArrayBuffer then it will be transferred as such. This allows for transferring of large Strings, Objects or Arrays to happen quickly and efficiently. Please be aware: This will not allow you to transfer prototype chains or Functions between threads, plain objects only.

Main Thread

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Bonobo(reference /* String */)

Calling Bonobo('monkey') creates and returns a new Employee with a reference of 'monkey'. The created Employee can be retrieved at any time using the same method.

The returned Employee has the following methods, which are chainable:

• hoist(fn /* Function */)

  As of Bonobo v2.0, employees can have multiple defined functions which are reusable. The contents of the Function passed to hoist will be hoisted to the top of you worker, allowing you to define reused variables or functions globally across the Employee.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
        .hoist(function() {
    	    var MAX_NUMBER = 123456,
    	    	MIN_NUMBER = 1;
  
    	    function double(num) {
    		    return num * 2;
    	    }
  
    	    var triple = function(num) {
    		    return num * 3;
    	    }
        });
  

• require(...args /* String */)

  This method is an alias for the importScripts function that is available within the Web Worker API. It will import the supplied scripts at the top of your worker.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
        .require('scripts/script1.js', 'scripts/script2.js');
  

• define(fn /* Named Function */ OR name /* String */, fn /* Function */)

  The define method takes either a Named Function or a name and Function combination. It allows you to define a function within your worker which can be called at a later time.

  This method will also expose the Function as a named variable of the Employee object if it is not already taken or reserved. It will also expose the function via the run method documented below.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
        .define(function calculate(data) {
            /* Will expose the function 'calculate' on the Employee.
             * For example, after compilation you will be able to run
             * Bonobo('monkey').calculate(data); */
        });
    
    // The following code achieves the same result
    
    Bonobo('monkey')
        .define('calculate', function(data) {
        	/* Exposes the function 'calculate' on the Employee.
        });
  

• run(method /* String */[, data[, transfer /* ArrayBuffer */]])

  The run method will call the requested method on the the Employee Thread only once the worker has been compiled. As above, data that can be transferred as an ArrayBuffer will automatically be done so.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function calculate(data) {
    		// Do something here.
    	})
    	.compile().then(function() {
    		this.run('calculate', data);
    	});
  

• done(fn /* Function */)

  The Function passed into the done method will be executed when the Employee Thread calls its own done method. The first parameter of the Function will be what the Employee Thread passed through.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.done(function(data) {
       		console.log('Response from Bonobo(\'' + this.ref + '\'): ' + data);
       	});
  

• on(event /* String */, fn /* Function */)

  The on method allows Bonobo to listen out for custom events emitted from the Employee Thread using the emit method.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function refresh(data) {
        	Bonobo.emit('refresh', 'Hello World!');
    	})
    	.on('refresh', function(data) {
       		console.log('Data from Bonobo(\'' + this.ref + '\'): ' + data);
       	});
  

• error(fn /* Function */)

  The Function passed into the error method will be executed when the Employee Thread calls its own error method OR when an error occurs. The first parameter of the Function will be what the Employee Thread passed through OR the error message.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.error(function(message) {
       		console.log('Error from Bonobo(\'' + this.ref + '\'): ' + message);
       	});
  

• build() OR compile()

  Before using an 'Employee' Thread, it must be compiled. The compile or build methods return a simple Promise-like object containing a then Function.

  You cannot run any of the defined methods on a worker until it is compiled.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function calculate(data) {
    		// Do something here.
    	})
    	.compile().then(function() {
    		this.run('calculate', data);
    	});
  

• stop()

  This method will stop an Employee Thread.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.stop(); // will stop the Employee Thread with reference: 'monkey'
  

• destroy()

  This method will stop an Employee Thread and destroy the Employee.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.destroy(); // will stop the Employee Thread with reference: 'monkey' and destroy it
  

Employee Thread

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• Bonobo.log(data) OR console.log(data)

  This method will log to the console of the Main Thread. console.log in the Employee Thread is aliased to Bonobo.log for ease-of-use.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function logs(data) {
    		Bonobo.log('Hello'); // will log 'Hello' to the Main Thread
    		console.log('World!'); // will log 'World!' to the Main Thread
       	});
  

• Bonobo.done(data)

  This method will push the data provided to the Main Thread.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function compute(data) {
    		// This computationally expensive code will run on a new thread
    		var arr = [];
    		for (var i = 0, n=1, a=1; i < 16750000; i++, a+=4, n++) {
    			arr.push(i * a / n);
    		}
    		Bonobo.done({ message: 'I\'ve finished my task!', data: arr });
    	});
  

• Bonobo.emit(event /* String */,data)

  This method will push the data provided to the Main Thread through the handler defined for the event name using the on method.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function refresh(data) {
        	Bonobo.emit('refresh', 'Hello World!');
    	})
    	.on('refresh', function(data) {
       		console.log('Data from Bonobo(\'' + this.ref + '\'): ' + data);
       	});
  

• Bonobo.error(message)

  This method will force an error with the value of message to the Main Thread.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function helloWorld(data) {
    		if (data !== 'Hello World') {
    			Bonobo.error('Wrong data!');
    		} else {
    			Bonobo.done('I\'ve finished my task!');
    		}
    	});
  

• Bonobo.importJS(...args)

  This method is an alias for the importScripts function that is available within the Web Worker API.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function calc(data) {
    		Bonobo.importJS('scripts/something.js','scripts/awesome.js');
    		Bonobo.log(JSON.stringify(Something));
    		Bonobo.log(JSON.stringify(Awesome));
    	});
  

• Bonobo.stop()

  This method will stop the Employee Thread from within itself.

  Example:

    Bonobo('monkey')
    	.define(function calc(data) {
    		if (data !== 'Hello World') {
    			Bonobo.stop();
    		}
    	});
  

License

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Copyright (C) 2014 Joe Harlow (Fourth of 5 Limited)

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.