task: return JoinHandle from spawn (#1777)

`tokio::spawn` now returns a `JoinHandle` to obtain the result of the task:

Closes #887.

tokio/src/lib.rs

@@ -121,6 +121,8 @@ pub mod sync;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "rt-core")]
 pub mod task;
+#[cfg(feature = "rt-core")]
+pub use crate::task::spawn;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "time")]
 pub mod time;
@@ -128,10 +130,6 @@ pub mod time;
 #[cfg(feature = "rt-full")]
 mod util;
 
-#[doc(inline)]
-#[cfg(feature = "rt-core")]
-pub use crate::runtime::spawn;
-
 #[cfg(not(test))] // Work around for rust-lang/rust#62127
 #[cfg(feature = "macros")]
 #[doc(inline)]

tokio/src/runtime/basic_scheduler.rs

@@ -225,12 +225,14 @@ impl SchedulerPriv {
     ///
     /// Must be called from the same thread that holds the `BasicScheduler`
     /// value.
-    pub(super) unsafe fn spawn_background<F>(&self, future: F)
+    pub(super) unsafe fn spawn<F>(&self, future: F) -> JoinHandle<F::Output>
     where
-        F: Future<Output = ()> + Send + 'static,
+        F: Future + Send + 'static,
+        F::Output: Send + 'static,
     {
-        let task = task::background(future);
+        let (task, handle) = task::joinable(future);
         self.schedule_local(task);
+        handle
     }
 
     unsafe fn schedule_local(&self, task: Task<Self>) {

tokio/src/runtime/global.rs

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use crate::runtime::basic_scheduler;
+use crate::task::JoinHandle;
 
 #[cfg(feature = "rt-full")]
 use crate::runtime::thread_pool;
@@ -27,64 +28,23 @@ thread_local! {
 // ===== global spawn fns =====
 
 /// Spawns a future on the default executor.
-///
-/// In order for a future to do work, it must be spawned on an executor. The
-/// `spawn` function is the easiest way to do this. It spawns a future on the
-/// [default executor] for the current execution context (tracked using a
-/// thread-local variable).
-///
-/// The default executor is **usually** a thread pool.
-///
-/// # Examples
-///
-/// In this example, a server is started and `spawn` is used to start a new task
-/// that processes each received connection.
-///
-/// ```
-/// use tokio::net::TcpListener;
-///
-/// # async fn process<T>(_t: T) {}
-/// # async fn dox() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
-/// let mut listener = TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:8080").await?;
-///
-/// loop {
-///     let (socket, _) = listener.accept().await?;
-///
-///     tokio::spawn(async move {
-///         // Process each socket concurrently.
-///         process(socket).await
-///     });
-/// }
-/// # }
-/// ```
-///
-/// [default executor]: struct.DefaultExecutor.html
-///
-/// # Panics
-///
-/// This function will panic if the default executor is not set or if spawning
-/// onto the default executor returns an error. To avoid the panic, use
-/// [`DefaultExecutor`].
-///
-/// [`DefaultExecutor`]: struct.DefaultExecutor.html
-pub fn spawn<T>(future: T)
+pub(crate) fn spawn<T>(future: T) -> JoinHandle<T::Output>
 where
-    T: Future<Output = ()> + Send + 'static,
+    T: Future + Send + 'static,
+    T::Output: Send + 'static,
 {
     EXECUTOR.with(|current_executor| match current_executor.get() {
         #[cfg(feature = "rt-full")]
         State::ThreadPool(thread_pool_ptr) => {
             let thread_pool = unsafe { &*thread_pool_ptr };
-            thread_pool.spawn_background(future);
+            thread_pool.spawn(future)
         }
         State::Basic(basic_scheduler_ptr) => {
             let basic_scheduler = unsafe { &*basic_scheduler_ptr };
 
             // Safety: The `BasicScheduler` value set the thread-local (same
             // thread).
-            unsafe {
-                basic_scheduler.spawn_background(future);
-            }
+            unsafe { basic_scheduler.spawn(future) }
         }
         State::Empty => {
             // Explicit drop of `future` silences the warning that `future` is

tokio/src/runtime/mod.rs

@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ use self::enter::enter;
 #[cfg(feature = "rt-core")]
 mod global;
 #[cfg(feature = "rt-core")]
-pub use self::global::spawn;
+pub(crate) use self::global::spawn;
 
 mod handle;
 pub use self::handle::Handle;

tokio/src/runtime/thread_pool/slice.rs

@@ -95,15 +95,6 @@ where
         }
     }
 
-    pub(crate) fn spawn_background<F>(&self, future: F)
-    where
-        F: Future + Send + 'static,
-        F::Output: Send + 'static,
-    {
-        let task = task::background(future);
-        self.schedule(task);
-    }
-
     pub(crate) fn schedule(&self, task: Task<Shared<P>>) {
         current::get(|current_worker| match current_worker.as_member(self) {
             Some(worker) => {

tokio/src/runtime/thread_pool/spawner.rs

@@ -37,14 +37,6 @@ impl Spawner {
         self.workers.spawn_typed(future)
     }
 
-    /// Spawn a task in the background
-    pub(crate) fn spawn_background<F>(&self, future: F)
-    where
-        F: Future<Output = ()> + Send + 'static,
-    {
-        self.workers.spawn_background(future);
-    }
-
     /// Reference to the worker set. Used by `ThreadPool` to initiate shutdown.
     pub(super) fn workers(&self) -> &slice::Set<Box<dyn Unpark>> {
         &*self.workers

tokio/src/runtime/thread_pool/tests/loom_pool.rs

@@ -150,18 +150,22 @@ fn pool_shutdown() {
 
 #[test]
 fn complete_block_on_under_load() {
+    use futures::FutureExt;
+
     loom::model(|| {
         let pool = mk_pool(2);
 
-        pool.block_on(async {
-            // Spin hard
-            crate::spawn(async {
-                for _ in 0..2 {
-                    yield_once().await;
-                }
-            });
+        pool.block_on({
+            futures::future::lazy(|_| ()).then(|_| {
+                // Spin hard
+                crate::spawn(async {
+                    for _ in 0..2 {
+                        yield_once().await;
+                    }
+                });
 
-            gated2(true).await
+                gated2(true)
+            })
         });
     });
 }

tokio/src/task/mod.rs

@@ -21,6 +21,11 @@ pub(crate) use self::list::OwnedList;
 mod raw;
 use self::raw::RawTask;
 
+#[cfg(feature = "rt-core")]
+mod spawn;
+#[cfg(feature = "rt-core")]
+pub use spawn::spawn;
+
 mod stack;
 pub(crate) use self::stack::TransferStack;
 
@@ -70,6 +75,7 @@ pub(crate) trait Schedule: Send + Sync + Sized + 'static {
 }
 
 /// Create a new task without an associated join handle
+#[cfg(feature = "rt-full")]
 pub(crate) fn background<T, S>(task: T) -> Task<S>
 where
     T: Future + Send + 'static,

tokio/src/task/raw.rs

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ pub(super) fn vtable<T: Future, S: Schedule>() -> &'static Vtable {
 }
 
 impl RawTask {
+    #[cfg(feature = "rt-full")]
     pub(super) fn new_background<T, S>(task: T) -> RawTask
     where
         T: Future + Send + 'static,

tokio/src/task/spawn.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+use crate::runtime;
+use crate::task::JoinHandle;
+
+use std::future::Future;
+
+/// Spawns a new asynchronous task, returning a
+/// [`JoinHandle`](super::JoinHandle)] for it.
+///
+/// Spawning a task enables the task to execute concurrently to other tasks. The
+/// spawned task may execute on the current thread, or it may be sent to a
+/// different thread to be executed. The specifics depend on the current
+/// [`Runtime`](crate::runtime::Runtime) configuration.
+///
+/// # Examples
+///
+/// In this example, a server is started and `spawn` is used to start a new task
+/// that processes each received connection.
+///
+/// ```no_run
+/// use tokio::net::{TcpListener, TcpStream};
+///
+/// use std::io;
+///
+/// async fn process(socket: TcpStream) {
+///     // ...
+/// # drop(socket);
+/// }
+///
+/// #[tokio::main]
+/// async fn main() -> io::Result<()> {
+///     let mut listener = TcpListener::bind("127.0.0.1:8080").await?;
+///
+///     loop {
+///         let (socket, _) = listener.accept().await?;
+///
+///         tokio::spawn(async move {
+///             // Process each socket concurrently.
+///             process(socket).await
+///         });
+///     }
+/// }
+/// ```
+///
+/// # Panics
+///
+/// Panics if called from **outside** of the Tokio runtime.
+pub fn spawn<T>(task: T) -> JoinHandle<T::Output>
+where
+    T: Future + Send + 'static,
+    T::Output: Send + 'static,
+{
+    runtime::spawn(task)
+}

tokio/src/task/state.rs

@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ const INITIAL_STATE: usize = NOTIFIED;
 /// unambiguous modification order.
 impl State {
     /// Starts with a ref count of 1
+    #[cfg(feature = "rt-full")]
     pub(super) fn new_background() -> State {
         State {
             val: AtomicUsize::new(INITIAL_STATE),

tokio/tests/rt_common.rs

@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ rt_test! {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn spawn_one() {
+    fn spawn_one_bg() {
         let mut rt = rt();
 
         let out = rt.block_on(async {
@@ -96,6 +96,29 @@ rt_test! {
         assert_eq!(out, "ZOMG");
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn spawn_one_join() {
+        let mut rt = rt();
+
+        let out = rt.block_on(async {
+            let (tx, rx) = oneshot::channel();
+
+            let handle = tokio::spawn(async move {
+                tx.send("ZOMG").unwrap();
+                "DONE"
+            });
+
+            let msg = assert_ok!(rx.await);
+
+            let out = assert_ok!(handle.await);
+            assert_eq!(out, "DONE");
+
+            msg
+        });
+
+        assert_eq!(out, "ZOMG");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn spawn_two() {
         let mut rt = rt();
@@ -180,7 +203,7 @@ rt_test! {
 
             tokio::spawn(poll_fn(move |_| {
                 assert_eq!(2, Arc::strong_count(&cnt));
-                Poll::Pending
+                Poll::<()>::Pending
             }));
         });