Dart language FIDL tutorial

About this tutorial

This tutorial describes how to make client calls and write servers in Dart using the FIDL InterProcess Communication (IPC) system in Fuchsia.

Refer to the main FIDL page for details on the design and implementation of FIDL, as well as the instructions for getting and building Fuchsia.

Getting started

We'll use the echo.fidl sample that we discussed in the FIDL Tutorial introduction section, by opening //garnet/examples/fidl/services/echo.fidl.

library fidl.examples.echo;

[Discoverable]
protocol Echo {
    EchoString(string? value) -> (string? response);
};

Build

The examples are in Topaz at: //topaz/examples/fidl/

You can build the code via the following:

# You'll need Topaz for Dart
fx set-petal topaz
# Also include garnet examples when building Topaz
fx set x64
fx build

`Echo` server

The echo server implementation can be found at: //master/examples /fidl/echo_server_async_dart/lib/main.dart.

This file implements the main() function and the EchoImpl class:

The main() function is executed when the component is loaded. main() registers the availability of the service with incoming connections from FIDL.
EchoImpl processes requests on the Echo protocol. A new object is created for each channel.

To understand how the code works, here‘s a summary of what happens in the server to execute an IPC call. We will dig into what each of these lines means, so it’s not necessary to understand all of this before you move on.

Startup. The FIDL Shell loads the Dart runner, which starts the VM, loads main.dart, and calls main().
Registration main() registers EchoImpl to bind itself to incoming requests on the Echo protocol. main() returns, but the program doesn't exit, because an event loop to handle incoming requests is running.
Service request. The Echo server package receives a request to bind Echo service to a new channel, so it calls the bind() function passed in the previous step.
Service request. bind() uses the EchoImpl instance.
API request. The Echo server package receives a call to echoString() from the channel and dispatches it to echoString() in the EchoImpl object instance bound in the last step.
API request. echoString() returns a future containing the response.

Now let's go through the details of how this works.

File headers

Here are the import declarations in the Dart server implementation:

import 'dart:async';
import 'package:fidl/fidl.dart';
import 'package:fidl_fidl_examples_echo/fidl_async.dart' as fidl_echo;
import 'package:fuchsia_services/services.dart';

dart:async Support for asynchronous programming with classes such as Future.
fidl.dart exposes the FIDL runtime library for Dart. Our program needs it for InterfaceRequest.
fidl_echo contains bindings for the Echo protocol. This file is generated from the protocol defined in echo.fidl.
services.dart is required for ApplicationContext, which is where we register our service.

main()

Everything starts with main():

void main(List<String> args) {
  _quiet = args.contains('-q');

  final context = StartupContext.fromStartupInfo();
  final echo = _EchoImpl();

  context.outgoing.addPublicService<fidl_echo.Echo>(
      echo.bind, fidl_echo.Echo.$serviceName);
}

main() is called by the Dart VM when your service is loaded, similar to main() in a C or C++ component. It binds an instance of EchoImpl, our implementation of the Echo protocol, to the name of the Echo service.

Eventually, another FIDL component will attempt to connect to our component.

The `bind()` function

Here's what it looks like:

void bind(InterfaceRequest<fidl_echo.Echo> request) {
  _binding.bind(this, request);
}

The bind() function is called when the first channel is received from another component. This function binds once for each service it makes available to the other component (remember that each service exposes a single protocol). The information is cached in a data structure owned by the FIDL runtime, and used to create objects to be the endpoints for additional incoming channels.

Unlike C++, Dart only has a single thread per isolate, so there's no possible confusion over which thread owns a channel.

Is there really only one thread?

Both yes and no. There‘s only one thread in your component’s VM, but the handle watcher isolate has its own, separate thread so that component isolates don't have to block. Component isolates can also spawn new isolates, which will run on different threads.

The `echoString` function

Finally we reach the implementation of the server API. Your EchoImpl object receives a call to the echoString() function. It accepts a string value argument and it returns a Future of type String.

@override
Future<String> echoString(String value) async {
  if (!_quiet) {
    print('EchoString: $value');
  }
  return value;
}

`Echo` client

The echo client implementation can be found at: //master/examples/fidl/echo_client_async_dart/lib/main.dart

Our simple client does everything in main().

Note: a component can be a client, a service, or both, or many. The distinction in this example between Client and Server is purely for demonstration purposes.

Here is the summary of how the client makes a connection to the echo service.

Startup. The FIDL Shell loads the Dart runner, which starts the VM, loads main.dart, and calls main().
Launch. The destination server if it wasn't started already.
Connect. The destination server is specified, and we request for it to be started if it wasn't already.
Bind. We bind EchoProxy, a generated proxy class, to the remote Echo service.
Invoke. We invoke echoString with a value, and set a callback to handle the response.
Wait. main() returns, but the FIDL run loop is still waiting for messages from the remote channel.
Handle result. The result arrives, and our callback is executed, printing the response.
Shutdown. dart_echo_server exits.
Shutdown. dart_echo_client exits.

main()

The main() function in the client contains all the client code.

Future<void> main(List<String> args) async {
  String serverUrl =
      'fuchsia-pkg://fuchsia.com/echo_server_async_dart#meta/echo_server_async_dart.cmx';
  if (args.length >= 2 && args[0] == '--server') {
    serverUrl = args[1];
  }

  final context = StartupContext.fromStartupInfo();

  /// A [DirectoryProxy] who's channels will facilitate the connection between
  /// this client component and the launched server component we're about to
  /// launch. This client component is looking for service under /in/svc/
  /// directory to connect to while the server exposes services others can
  /// connect to under /out/public directory.
  final dirProxy = DirectoryProxy();

  // Connect. The destination server is specified, and we request for it to be
  // started if it wasn't already.
  final launchInfo = LaunchInfo(
    url: serverUrl,
    // The directoryRequest is the handle to the /out directory of the launched
    // component.
    directoryRequest: dirProxy.ctrl.request().passChannel(),
  );

  // Creates a new instance of the component described by launchInfo.
  final componentController = ComponentControllerProxy();

  await context.launcher
      .createComponent(launchInfo, componentController.ctrl.request());

  // Bind. We bind EchoProxy, a generated proxy class, to the remote Echo
  // service.
  final _echo = fidl_echo.EchoProxy();
  Incoming(dirProxy).connectToService(_echo);

  // Invoke echoString with a value and print it's response.
  final response = await _echo.echoString('hello');
  print('***** Response: $response');

  // close the echo server
  componentController.ctrl.close();

  // Shutdown, exit this Echo client
  exit(0);
}

Run the sample

You can run the Echo example like this:

$ fx shell run fuchsia-pkg://fuchsia.com/echo_client_async_dart#meta/echo_client_async_dart.cmx

`Echo` across languages and runtimes

As a final exercise, you can now mix & match Echo clients and servers as you see fit. Let's try having the Dart client call the C++ server (from the C++ version of the example).

$ fx shell run fuchsia-pkg://fuchsia.com/echo_client_async_dart#meta/echo_client_async_dart.cmx--server fuchsia-pkg://fuchsia.com/echo_server_cpp#meta/echo_server_cpp.cmx

The Dart client will start the C++ server and connect to it. EchoString() works across language boundaries, all that matters is that the ABI defined by FIDL is observed on both ends.

Dart language FIDL tutorial

About this tutorial

Getting started

Build

Echo server

File headers

main()

The bind() function

Is there really only one thread?

The echoString function

Echo client

main()

Run the sample

Echo across languages and runtimes

`Echo` server

The `bind()` function

The `echoString` function

`Echo` client

`Echo` across languages and runtimes