Asyncio support

The asyncio module built into Python 3.4 and later can be used to write asynchronous code in a single thread. This library supports receiving messages asynchronously in an event loop using the can.Notifier class.

There will still be one thread per CAN bus but the user application will execute entirely in the event loop, allowing simpler concurrency without worrying about threading issues. Interfaces that have a valid file descriptor will however be supported natively without a thread.

You can also use the can.AsyncBufferedReader listener if you prefer to write coroutine based code instead of using callbacks.

Example

Here is an example using both callback and coroutine based code:

import asyncio
import can

def print_message(msg):
    """Regular callback function. Can also be a coroutine."""
    print(msg)

async def main():
    can0 = can.Bus('vcan0', bustype='virtual', receive_own_messages=True)
    reader = can.AsyncBufferedReader()
    logger = can.Logger('logfile.asc')

    listeners = [
        print_message,  # Callback function
        reader,         # AsyncBufferedReader() listener
        logger          # Regular Listener object
    ]
    # Create Notifier with an explicit loop to use for scheduling of callbacks
    loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
    notifier = can.Notifier(can0, listeners, loop=loop)
    # Start sending first message
    can0.send(can.Message(arbitration_id=0))

    print('Bouncing 10 messages...')
    for _ in range(10):
        # Wait for next message from AsyncBufferedReader
        msg = await reader.get_message()
        # Delay response
        await asyncio.sleep(0.5)
        msg.arbitration_id += 1
        can0.send(msg)
    # Wait for last message to arrive
    await reader.get_message()
    print('Done!')

    # Clean-up
    notifier.stop()
    can0.shutdown()

# Get the default event loop
loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
# Run until main coroutine finishes
loop.run_until_complete(main())
loop.close()