How to start/stop a feature by calling a struct method

Question

Please see the following example.

type runner struct{}

func (r *runner) StopProcessing() {
    // how to stop?
}

func (r *runner) StartProcessing() {

    go func() {
        for {
            fmt.Println("doing stuff")
            time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
        }
    }()

}

As you can see I have a struct which does stuff, it's "running". It starts running when I call the run.StartProcessing() method. It then fires an endless running for{}-loop in a goroutine. Great, but I also want to be able to stop this process. And I really don't know how to achieve this. Any help is highly appreciated.

Linking to code helps the community less. The playground links are nice, but the core important code should be placed in the question. — RayfenWindspear, Nov 29 '18 at 21:12
Possible duplicate of [how to stop a goroutine](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6807590/how-to-stop-a-goroutine) — David Maze, Nov 29 '18 at 23:41

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 29 '18 at 21:52

You can use a context to get timeouts and cancelation, without requiring any extra API.

type runner struct{}

func (r *runner) StartProcessing(ctx context.Context) {
    go func() {
        for {
            select {
            case <-ctx.Done():
                return
            default:
            }
            fmt.Println("doing stuff")
            time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
        }
    }()
}

This gives you the flexibility to set a timeout, or cancel it at any time. You can also make use of existing contexts which may want to timeout or cancel sooner without your knowledge.

// normal timeout after 10 seconds
ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 10*time.Second)
defer cancel()
run.StartProcessing(ctx)

// decide to cancel early
time.Sleep(3 * time.Second)
cancel()

Mad Wombat · Answer 2 · 2018-11-29T21:22:47.613

-1

By using a channel to signal when to break out of a goroutine. The relevant part of your code would look something like this

type runner struct {
    stop chan bool
}

func (r *runner) StopProcessing() {
    r.stop <- true
}

func (r *runner) StartProcessing() {
    r.stop = make(chan bool)
    go func() {
        for {
            fmt.Println("doing stuff")
            time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
            select {
            case _ = <-r.stop:
                close(r.stop)
                return
            default:
            }
        }
    }()
}

You can see a full example here https://play.golang.org/p/OUn18Cprs0I

edited Nov 29 '18 at 21:22

answered Nov 29 '18 at 21:18

Mad Wombat

13,524
13
64
103

Beat me to it. Probably best to close the channel before the break. – RayfenWindspear Nov 29 '18 at 21:21
Agreed. Updated the code for both the answer and playground. Also, I think returning out of the function is more definite than breaking out of the loop – Mad Wombat Nov 29 '18 at 21:23
That was how I did it when I was about to post my version. – RayfenWindspear Nov 29 '18 at 21:24
The channel here does not need to be closed, nor should the receiver be responsible for closing it. – JimB Nov 29 '18 at 21:56
Why not? You need to make an actual argument if you want to convince people. StartProcessing() creates the channel and StopProcessing() closes the channel, so if StartProcessing() is called again a new channel will be created. – Mad Wombat Nov 29 '18 at 22:04
1

@MadWombat: closing a channel is not a cleanup action, it's a type of message. The advice to not have the receiver close a channel is generally sounds advice to avoid sending on a closed channel. – JimB Nov 29 '18 at 22:13
This channel is only used to start/stop the processing routine. It is created on start and closed on stop and that is the only place where it is ever used. If this was a channel used to transfer actual data between multiple goroutines, I would agree with you. – Mad Wombat Nov 29 '18 at 22:15
My comment was only for code quality, as it would not pass our code review. Do with it what you will. – JimB Nov 29 '18 at 22:18

score -1 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 29 '18 at 21:36

-1

You might try something like this... You might not need atomic but this works.

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
    "sync/atomic"
)

var trip = int64(0)

type runner struct{}

func (r *runner) StopProcessing() {
    atomic.AddInt64(&trip, 1)
}

func (r *runner) StartProcessing() {
    go func() {
        for {
            if trip > 0 {
                break
            }
            fmt.Println("doing stuff")
            time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
        }
    }()
}

func newRunner() *runner {
    return &runner{}
}

func main() {
    run := newRunner()
    run.StartProcessing() 

    // now wait 4 seconds and the kill the process
    time.Sleep(4 * time.Second)
    run.StopProcessing()
}

answered Nov 29 '18 at 21:36

cheznic

9
3

Using global variables to keep temporary state is generally frowned upon – Mad Wombat Nov 29 '18 at 22:08
Also, using int64 where its value will ever be 0 or 1 is not a good thing either. Although you can call StopProcessing() repeatedly and it will keep incrementing. Also, since there is a single goroutine running, no need to use atomic updates. – Mad Wombat Nov 29 '18 at 22:10
1

You cannot read a value concurrently, even with an atomic write. You must safely load the value, or better yet, use the builtin concurrency features of the language, like a channel. – JimB Nov 29 '18 at 22:10

How to start/stop a feature by calling a struct method

3 Answers3