Add mutation explainer

Author: legendecas

SYNC-MUTATION.md

@@ -0,0 +1,335 @@
+# Synchronous Mutation
+
+The enforced mutation function scope APIs with `run` (as in
+`AsyncContext.Snapshot.prototype.run` and `AsyncContext.Variable.prototype.run`)
+requires any `Variable` value mutations or `Snapshot` restorations to be
+performed within a new function scope.
+
+Modifications to `Variable` values are propagated to its subtasks. This `.run`
+scope enforcement prevents any modifications to be visible to its caller
+function scope, consequently been propagated to tasks created in sibling
+function calls.
+
+For instance, given a global scheduler state and a piece of user code:
+
+```js
+globalThis.scheduler = {
+  #asyncVar: new AsyncContext.Variable(),
+  postTask(task, { priority }) {
+    asyncVar.run(priority, task);
+  },
+  yield() {
+    const priority = asyncVar.get();
+    return new Promise(resolve => {
+      // resolve at a timing depending on the priority
+      resolve();
+    });
+  },
+};
+
+async function f() {
+  await scheduler.yield();
+
+  await someLibrary.doAsyncWork();
+  someLibrary.doSyncWork();
+
+  // this can not be affected by either `doAsyncWork` or `doSyncWork` call.
+  await scheduler.yield();
+}
+```
+
+In this case, the `scheduler.yield` calls in function `f` will never be affected by
+sibling library function calls.
+
+Notably, AsyncContext by itself is designed to be scoped by instance of
+`AsyncContext.Variable`s, and without sharing a reference to the instance, its
+value will not be affected in library calls. This example shows a design that
+modifications in `AsyncContext.Variable` are only visible to logical subtasks.
+
+## Overview
+
+The `.run` and `.set` comparison has the similar traits when comparing
+`AsyncContext.Variable` and [`ContinuationVariable`][]. The difference is that
+whether the mutations made with `.run`/`.set` is visible to its parent scope.
+
+Type   | Mutation not visible to parent scope    | Mutation visible to parent scope
+---    | ---                                     | ---
+Sync   | `.run(value, fn)`                       | `.set(value)`
+Async  | `AsyncContext.Variable`                 | `ContinuationVariable`
+
+In the above table, the "sync" is referring to
+`someLibrary.doSyncWork()` (or `someLibrary.doAsyncWork()` without `await`),
+and the "async" is referring to `await someLibrary.doAsyncWork()` in the
+example snippet above respectively.
+
+## Limitation of run
+
+The enforcement of mutation scopes can reduce the chance that the mutation is
+exposed to the parent scope in unexpected way, but it also increases the bar to
+use the feature or migrate existing code to adopt the feature.
+
+For example, given a snippet of code:
+
+```js
+function *gen() {
+  yield computeResult();
+  yield computeResult2();
+}
+```
+
+If we want to scope the `computeResult` and `computeResult2` calls with a new
+AsyncContext value, it needs non-trivial refactor:
+
+```js
+const asyncVar = new AsyncContext.Context();
+
+function *gen() {
+  const span = createSpan();
+  yield asyncVar.run(span, () => computeResult());
+  yield asyncVar.run(span, () => computeResult2());
+  // ...or
+  yield* asyncVar.run(span, function *() {
+    yield computeResult();
+    yield computeResult2();
+  });
+}
+```
+
+`.run(val, fn)` creates a new function body. The new function environment
+is not equivalent to the outer environment and can not trivially share code
+fragments between them. Additionally, `break`/`continue`/`return` can not be
+refactored naively.
+
+It will be more intuitive to be able to insert a new line and without refactor
+existing code snippet.
+
+```js
+const asyncVar = new AsyncContext.Context();
+
+function *gen() {
+  asyncVar.set(createSpan(i));
+  yield computeResult(i);
+  yield computeResult2(i);
+}
+```
+
+## The set semantics
+
+With the name of `set`, this method actually doesn't modify existing async
+context snapshots, similar to consecutive `run` operations. For example, in
+the following case, `set` doesn't change the context variables in async tasks
+created just prior to the mutation:
+
+```js
+const asyncVar = new AsyncContext.Variable({ defaultValue: "default" });
+
+asyncVar.set("main");
+new AsyncContext.Snapshot() // snapshot 0
+console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => "main"
+
+asyncVar.set("value-1");
+new AsyncContext.Snapshot() // snapshot 1
+Promise.resolve()
+  .then(() => { // continuation 1
+    console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => 'value-1'
+  })
+
+asyncVar.set("value-2");
+new AsyncContext.Snapshot() // snapshot 2
+Promise.resolve()
+  .then(() => { // continuation 2
+    console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => 'value-2'
+  })
+```
+
+The value mapping is equivalent to:
+
+```
+⌌-----------⌍ snapshot 0
+|   'main'  |
+⌎-----------⌏
+      |
+⌌-----------⌍ snapshot 1
+| 'value-1' |  <---- the continuation 1
+⌎-----------⌏
+      |
+⌌-----------⌍ snapshot 2
+| 'value-2' |  <---- the continuation 2
+⌎-----------⌏
+```
+
+This trait is important with both `run` and `set` because mutations to
+`AsyncContext.Variable`s must not mutate prior `AsyncContext.Snapshot`s.
+
+> Note: this also applies to [`ContinuationVariable`][]
+
+### Decouple mutation with scopes
+
+To preserve the strong scope guarantees provided by `run`, an additional
+constraint can also be put to `set` to declare explicit scopes of mutation.
+
+A dedicated `AsyncContext.contextScope` can be decoupled with `run` to open a
+mutable scope with a series of `set` operations.
+
+```js
+const asyncVar = new AsyncContext.Variable({ defaultValue: "default" });
+
+asyncVar.set("A"); // Throws ReferenceError: Not in a mutable context scope.
+
+// Executes the `main` function in a new mutable context scope.
+AsyncContext.contextScope(() => {
+  asyncVar.set("main");
+
+  console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => "main"
+});
+// Goes out of scope and all variables are restored in the current context.
+
+console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => "default"
+```
+
+`AsyncContext.contextScope` is basically a shortcut of
+`AsyncContext.Snapshot.run`:
+
+```js
+const asyncVar = new AsyncContext.Variable({ defaultValue: "default" });
+
+asyncVar.set("A"); // Throws ReferenceError: Not in a mutable context scope.
+
+// Executes the `main` function in a new mutable context scope.
+AsyncContext.Snapshot.wrap(() => {
+  asyncVar.set("main");
+
+  console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => "main"
+})();
+// Goes out of scope and all variables are restored in the current context.
+
+console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => "default"
+```
+
+### Use cases
+
+One use case of `set` is that it allows more intuitive test framework
+integration (or similar frameworks that have prose style declarations,
+like middlewares).
+
+```js
+describe("asynct context", () => {
+  const ctx = new AsyncContext.Variable();
+
+  beforeEach((test) => {
+    ctx.set(1);
+  });
+
+  it('run in snapshot', () => {
+    // This function is run as a second paragraph of the test sequence.
+    assert.strictEqual(ctx.get(),1);
+  });
+});
+
+function testDriver() {
+  await AsyncContext.contextScope(async () => {
+    runBeforeEach();
+    await runTest();
+    runAfterEach();
+  });
+}
+```
+
+However, without proper test framework support, mutations in async `beforeEach`
+are still unintuitive, e.g. https://github.com/xunit/xunit/issues/1880.
+
+This will need a return-value API to feedback the final context snapshot to the
+next function paragraph.
+
+```js
+describe("asynct context", () => {
+  const ctx = new AsyncContext.Variable();
+
+  beforeEach(async (test) => {
+    await undefined;
+    ctx.set(1);
+    test.setSnapshot(new AsyncContext.Snapshot());
+  });
+
+  it('run in snapshot', () => {
+    // This function is run in the snapshot saved in `test.setSnapshot`.
+    assert.strictEqual(ctx.get(),1);
+  });
+});
+
+function testDriver() {
+  let snapshot = new AsyncContext.Snapshot();
+  await AsyncContext.contextScope(async () => {
+    await runBeforeEach({
+      setSnapshot(it) {
+        snapshot = it;
+      }
+    });
+    await snapshot.run(() => runTest());
+    await runAfterEach();
+  });
+}
+```
+
+### Polyfill Viability
+
+> Can `set` be implementation in user land with `run`?
+
+The most important trait of `set` is that it will not mutate existing
+`AsyncContext.Snapshot`.
+
+A userland polyfill like the following one can not preserve this trait.
+
+```typescript
+class SettableVar<T> {
+  private readonly internal: AsyncContext.Variable<[T]>;
+  constructor(opts = {}) {
+    this.internal = new AsyncContext.Variable({...opts, defaultValue: [opts.defaultValue]});
+  }
+
+  get() {
+    return this.internal.get()[0];
+  }
+
+  set(val) {
+    this.internal.get()[0] = val;
+  }
+}
+```
+
+In the following snippet, mutations to a `SettableVar` will also apply to prior
+snapshots.
+
+```js
+const asyncVar = new SettableVar({ defaultValue: "default" });
+
+asyncVar.set("main");
+new AsyncContext.Snapshot() // snapshot 0
+console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => "main"
+
+asyncVar.set("value-1");
+new AsyncContext.Snapshot() // snapshot 1
+Promise.resolve()
+  .then(() => { // continuation 1
+    console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => 'value-2'
+  })
+
+asyncVar.set("value-2");
+new AsyncContext.Snapshot() // snapshot 2
+Promise.resolve()
+  .then(() => { // continuation 2
+    console.log(asyncVar.get()); // => 'value-2'
+  })
+```
+
+The value mapping is equivalent to:
+
+```
+⌌---------------⌍ snapshot 0 & 1 & 2
+| [ 'value-2' ] |  <---- the continuation 1 & 2
+⌎---------------⌏
+```
+
+
+
+[`ContinuationVariable`]: ./CONTINUATION.md