diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | erts/doc/src/erl_nif.xml | 33 |
1 files changed, 28 insertions, 5 deletions
diff --git a/erts/doc/src/erl_nif.xml b/erts/doc/src/erl_nif.xml index 5a69bed34c..50e07f019e 100644 --- a/erts/doc/src/erl_nif.xml +++ b/erts/doc/src/erl_nif.xml @@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ ok <seealso marker="#enif_make_resource"> <c>enif_make_resource</c></seealso>. The term returned by <c>enif_make_resource</c> is opaque in nature. - It can be stored and passed between processes on the same node, but + It can be stored and passed between processes, but the only real end usage is to pass it back as an argument to a NIF. The NIF can then call <seealso marker="#enif_get_resource"> <c>enif_get_resource</c></seealso> and get back a pointer to the @@ -1952,10 +1952,33 @@ typedef enum { details, see the <seealso marker="#enif_resource_example">example of creating and returning a resource object</seealso> in the User's Guide.</p> - <p>Notice that the only defined behavior of using a resource term in - an Erlang program is to store it and send it between processes on the - same node. Other operations, such as matching or - <c>term_to_binary</c>, have unpredictable (but harmless) results.</p> + <note> + <p>Since ERTS 9.0 (OTP-20.0), resource terms have a defined behavior + when compared and serialized through <c>term_to_binary</c> or passed + between nodes.</p> + <list type="bulleted"> + <item> + <p>Two resource terms will compare equal iff they + would yield the same resource object pointer when passed to + <seealso marker="#enif_get_resource"><c>enif_get_resource</c></seealso>.</p> + </item> + <item> + <p>A resoure term can be serialized with <c>term_to_binary</c> and later + be fully recreated if the resource object is still alive when + <c>binary_to_term</c> is called. A <em>stale</em> resource term will be + returned from <c>binary_to_term</c> if the resource object has + been deallocated. <seealso marker="#enif_get_resource"><c>enif_get_resource</c></seealso> + will return false for stale resource terms.</p> + <p>The same principles of serialization apply when passing + resource terms in messages to remote nodes and back again. A + resource term will act stale on all nodes except the node where + its resource object is still alive in memory.</p> + </item> + </list> + <p>Before ERTS 9.0 (OTP-20.0), all resource terms did + compare equal to each other and to empty binaries (<c><<>></c>). + If serialized, they would be recreated as plain empty binaries.</p> + </note> </desc> </func> |