asyncio: Added more category documentation.

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Ryan C. Gordon 2024-12-04 23:08:36 -05:00
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* SDL_LoadFileAsync as a convenience function. This will handle allocating a
* buffer, slurping in the file data, and null-terminating it; you still check
* for results later.
*
* Behind the scenes, SDL will use newer, efficient APIs on platforms that
* support them: Linux's io_uring and Windows 11's IoRing, for example. If
* those technologies aren't available, SDL will offload the work to a thread
* pool that will manage otherwise-synchronous loads without blocking the app.
*
* ## Best Practices
*
* Simple non-blocking i/o--for an app that just wants to pick up data
* whenever it's ready without losing framerate waiting on disks to spin--can
* use whatever pattern works well for the program. In this case, simply call
* SDL_ReadAsyncIO, or maybe SDL_LoadFileAsync, as needed. Once a frame, call
* SDL_GetAsyncIOResult to check for any completed tasks and deal with the
* data as it arrives.
*
* If two separate pieces of the same program need their own i/o, it is legal
* for each to create their own queue. This will prevent either piece from
* accidentally consuming the other's completed tasks. Each queue does require
* some amount of resources, but it is not an overwhelming cost. Do not make a
* queue for each task, however. It is better to put many tasks into a single
* queue. They will be reported in order of completion, not in the order they
* were submitted, so it doesn't generally matter what order tasks are started.
*
* One async i/o queue can be shared by multiple threads, or one thread can
* have more than one queue, but the most efficient way--if ruthless
* efficiency is the goal--is to have one queue per thread, with multiple
* threads working in parallel, and attempt to keep each queue loaded with
* tasks that are both started by and consumed by the same thread. On modern
* platforms that can use newer interfaces, this can keep data flowing as
* efficiently as possible all the way from storage hardware to the app, with
* no contention between threads for access to the same queue.
*
* Written data is not guaranteed to make it to physical media by the time a
* closing task is completed, unless SDL_CloseAsyncIO is called with its
* `flush` parameter set to true, which is to say that a successful result
* here can still result in lost data during an unfortunately-timed power
* outage if not flushed. However, flushing will take longer and may be
* unnecessary, depending on the app's needs.
*/
#ifndef SDL_asyncio_h_