15.1.4.1. DataReader

class eprosima::fastdds::dds::DataReader : public eprosima::fastdds::dds::DomainEntity

Class DataReader, contains the actual implementation of the behaviour of the Subscriber.

Read or take data methods.

Methods to read or take data from the History.

ReturnCode_t read(LoanableCollection &data_values, SampleInfoSeq &sample_infos, int32_t max_samples = LENGTH_UNLIMITED, SampleStateMask sample_states = ANY_SAMPLE_STATE, ViewStateMask view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE, InstanceStateMask instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE)

Access a collection of data samples from the DataReader.

This operation accesses a collection of Data values from the DataReader. The caller can limit the size of the returned collection with the max_samples parameter.

The properties of the data_values collection and the setting of the PresentationQosPolicy may impose further limits on the size of the returned ‘list.’

  1. If PresentationQosPolicy::access_scope is INSTANCE_PRESENTATION_QOS, then the returned collection is a ‘list’ where samples belonging to the same data-instance are consecutive.

  2. If PresentationQosPolicy::access_scope is TOPIC_PRESENTATION_QOS and PresentationQosPolicy::ordered_access is set to false, then the returned collection is a ‘list’ where samples belonging to the same data-instance are consecutive.

  3. If PresentationQosPolicy::access_scope is TOPIC_PRESENTATION_QOS and PresentationQosPolicy::ordered_access is set to true, then the returned collection is a ‘list’ where samples belonging to the same instance may or may not be consecutive. This is because to preserve order it may be necessary to mix samples from different instances.

  4. If PresentationQosPolicy::access_scope is GROUP_PRESENTATION_QOS and PresentationQosPolicy::ordered_access is set to false, then the returned collection is a ‘list’ where samples belonging to the same data instance are consecutive.

  5. If PresentationQosPolicy::access_scope is GROUP_PRESENTATION_QOS and PresentationQosPolicy::ordered_access is set to true, then the returned collection contains at most one sample. The difference in this case is due to the fact that it is required that the application is able to read samples belonging to different DataReader objects in a specific order.

In any case, the relative order between the samples of one instance is consistent with the DestinationOrderQosPolicy:

The actual number of samples returned depends on the information that has been received by the middleware as well as the HistoryQosPolicy, ResourceLimitsQosPolicy, and ReaderResourceLimitsQos:

If the operation succeeds and the number of samples returned has been limited (by means of a maximum limit, as listed above, or insufficient SampleInfo resources), the call will complete successfully and provide those samples the reader is able to return. The user may need to make additional calls, or return outstanding loaned buffers in the case of insufficient resources, in order to access remaining samples.

In addition to the collection of samples, the read operation also uses a collection of SampleInfo structures (sample_infos).

The initial (input) properties of the data_values and sample_infos collections will determine the precise behavior of this operation. For the purposes of this description the collections are modeled as having three properties:

  • the current length (len, see LoanableCollection::length())

  • the maximum length (max_len, see LoanableCollection::maximum())

  • whether the collection container owns the memory of the elements within (owns, see LoanableCollection::has_ownership())

The initial (input) values of the len, max_len, and owns properties for the data_values and sample_infos collections govern the behavior of the read operation as specified by the following rules:

  1. The values of len, max_len, and owns for the two collections must be identical. Otherwise read will fail with RETCODE_PRECONDITION_NOT_MET.

  2. On successful output, the values of len, max_len, and owns will be the same for both collections.

  3. If the input max_len == 0 , then the data_values and sample_infos collections will be filled with elements that are ‘loaned’ by the DataReader. On output, owns will be false, len will be set to the number of values returned, and max_len will be set to a value verifying max_len >= len . The use of this variant allows for zero-copy access to the data and the application will need to return the loan to the DataReader using the return_loan operation.

  4. If the input max_len > 0 and the input owns == false , then the read operation will fail with RETCODE_PRECONDITION_NOT_MET. This avoids the potential hard-to-detect memory leaks caused by an application forgetting to return the loan.

  5. If input max_len > 0 and the input owns == true , then the read operation will copy the Data values and SampleInfo values into the elements already inside the collections. On output, owns will be true, len will be set to the number of values copied, and max_len will remain unchanged. The use of this variant forces a copy but the application can control where the copy is placed and the application will not need to return the loan. The number of samples copied depends on the values of max_len and max_samples:

    • If max_samples == LENGTH_UNLIMITED , then at most max_len values will be copied. The use of this variant lets the application limit the number of samples returned to what the sequence can accommodate.

    • If max_samples <= max_len , then at most max_samples values will be copied. The use of this variant lets the application limit the number of samples returned to fewer that what the sequence can accommodate.

    • If max_samples > max_len , then the read operation will fail with RETCODE_PRECONDITION_NOT_MET. This avoids the potential confusion where the application expects to be able to access up to max_samples, but that number can never be returned, even if they are available in the DataReader, because the output sequence cannot accommodate them.

As described above, upon return the data_values and sample_infos collections may contain elements ‘loaned’ from the DataReader. If this is the case, the application will need to use the return_loan operation to return the loan once it is no longer using the Data in the collection. Upon return from return_loan, the collection will have max_len == 0 and owns == false .

The application can determine whether it is necessary to return the loan or not based on the state of the collections when the read operation was called, or by accessing the owns property. However, in many cases it may be simpler to always call return_loan, as this operation is harmless (i.e., leaves all elements unchanged) if the collection does not have a loan.

On output, the collection of Data values and the collection of SampleInfo structures are of the same length and are in a one-to-one correspondence. Each SampleInfo provides information, such as the source_timestamp, the sample_state, view_state, and instance_state, etc., about the corresponding sample.

Some elements in the returned collection may not have valid data. If the instance_state in the SampleInfo is NOT_ALIVE_DISPOSED_INSTANCE_STATE or NOT_ALIVE_NO_WRITERS_INSTANCE_STATE, then the last sample for that instance in the collection, that is, the one whose SampleInfo has sample_rank == 0 does not contain valid data. Samples that contain no data do not count towards the limits imposed by the ResourceLimitsQosPolicy.

The act of reading a sample changes its sample_state to READ_SAMPLE_STATE. If the sample belongs to the most recent generation of the instance, it will also set the view_state of the instance to be NOT_NEW_VIEW_STATE. It will not affect the instance_state of the instance.

If the DataReader has no samples that meet the constraints, the operations fails with RETCODE_NO_DATA.

Important: If the samples “returned” by this method are loaned from the middleware (see take for more information on memory loaning), it is important that their contents not be changed. Because the memory in which the data is stored belongs to the middleware, any modifications made to the data will be seen the next time the same samples are read or taken; the samples will no longer reflect the state that was received from the network.

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [inout] data_values: A LoanableCollection object where the received data samples will be returned.

  • [inout] sample_infos: A SampleInfoSeq object where the received sample info will be returned.

  • [in] max_samples: The maximum number of samples to be returned. If the special value LENGTH_UNLIMITED is provided, as many samples will be returned as are available, up to the limits described above.

  • [in] sample_states: Only data samples with sample_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] view_states: Only data samples with view_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] instance_states: Only data samples with instance_state matching one of these will be returned.

ReturnCode_t read_instance(LoanableCollection &data_values, SampleInfoSeq &sample_infos, int32_t max_samples = LENGTH_UNLIMITED, const InstanceHandle_t &a_handle = HANDLE_NIL, SampleStateMask sample_states = ANY_SAMPLE_STATE, ViewStateMask view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE, InstanceStateMask instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE)

Access a collection of data samples from the DataReader.

This operation accesses a collection of data values from the DataReader. The behavior is identical to read, except that all samples returned belong to the single specified instance whose handle is a_handle.

Upon successful completion, the data collection will contain samples all belonging to the same instance. The corresponding SampleInfo verifies SampleInfo::instance_handle == a_handle.

This operation is semantically equivalent to the read operation, except in building the collection. The DataReader will check that the sample belongs to the specified instance and otherwise it will not place the sample in the returned collection.

The behavior of this operation follows the same rules as the operation regarding the pre-conditions and post-conditions for the data_values and sample_infos. Similar to read, this operation may ‘loan’ elements to the output collections, which must then be returned by means of return_loan.

If the DataReader has no samples that meet the constraints, the operations fails with RETCODE_NO_DATA.

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [inout] data_values: A LoanableCollection object where the received data samples will be returned.

  • [inout] sample_infos: A SampleInfoSeq object where the received sample info will be returned.

  • [in] max_samples: The maximum number of samples to be returned. If the special value LENGTH_UNLIMITED is provided, as many samples will be returned as are available, up to the limits described in the documentation for read().

  • [in] a_handle: The specified instance to return samples for. The method will fail with RETCODE_BAD_PARAMETER if the handle does not correspond to an existing data-object known to the DataReader.

  • [in] sample_states: Only data samples with sample_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] view_states: Only data samples with view_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] instance_states: Only data samples with instance_state matching one of these will be returned.

ReturnCode_t read_next_instance(LoanableCollection &data_values, SampleInfoSeq &sample_infos, int32_t max_samples = LENGTH_UNLIMITED, const InstanceHandle_t &previous_handle = HANDLE_NIL, SampleStateMask sample_states = ANY_SAMPLE_STATE, ViewStateMask view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE, InstanceStateMask instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE)

Access a collection of data samples from the DataReader.

This operation accesses a collection of data values from the DataReader where all the samples belong to a single instance. The behavior is similar to read_instance, except that the actual instance is not directly specified. Rather, the samples will all belong to the ‘next’ instance with instance_handle ‘greater’ than the specified ‘previous_handle’ that has available samples.

This operation implies the existence of a total order ‘greater-than’ relationship between the instance handles. The specifics of this relationship are not all important and are implementation specific. The important thing is that, according to the middleware, all instances are ordered relative to each other. This ordering is between the instance handles, and should not depend on the state of the instance (e.g. whether it has data or not) and must be defined even for instance handles that do not correspond to instances currently managed by the DataReader. For the purposes of the ordering, it should be ‘as if’ each instance handle was represented as an integer.

The behavior of this operation is ‘as if’ the DataReader invoked read_instance, passing the smallest instance_handle among all the ones that: (a) are greater than previous_handle, and (b) have available samples (i.e. samples that meet the constraints imposed by the specified states).

The special value HANDLE_NIL is guaranteed to be ‘less than’ any valid instance_handle. So the use of the parameter value previous_handle == HANDLE_NIL will return the samples for the instance which has the smallest instance_handle among all the instances that contain available samples.

This operation is intended to be used in an application-driven iteration, where the application starts by passing previous_handle == HANDLE_NIL, examines the samples returned, and then uses the instance_handle returned in the SampleInfo as the value of the previous_handle argument to the next call to read_next_instance. The iteration continues until read_next_instance fails with RETCODE_NO_DATA.

Note that it is possible to call the read_next_instance operation with a previous_handle that does not correspond to an instance currently managed by the DataReader. This is because as stated earlier the ‘greater-than’ relationship is defined even for handles not managed by the DataReader. One practical situation where this may occur is when an application is iterating through all the instances, takes all the samples of a NOT_ALIVE_NO_WRITERS_INSTANCE_STATE instance, returns the loan (at which point the instance information may be removed, and thus the handle becomes invalid), and tries to read the next instance.

The behavior of this operation follows the same rules as the operation regarding the pre-conditions and post-conditions for the data_values and sample_infos. Similar to read, this operation may ‘loan’ elements to the output collections, which must then be returned by means of return_loan.

If the DataReader has no samples that meet the constraints, the operations fails with RETCODE_NO_DATA.

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [inout] data_values: A LoanableCollection object where the received data samples will be returned.

  • [inout] sample_infos: A SampleInfoSeq object where the received sample info will be returned.

  • [in] max_samples: The maximum number of samples to be returned. If the special value LENGTH_UNLIMITED is provided, as many samples will be returned as are available, up to the limits described in the documentation for read().

  • [in] previous_handle: The ‘next smallest’ instance with a value greater than this value that has available samples will be returned.

  • [in] sample_states: Only data samples with sample_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] view_states: Only data samples with view_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] instance_states: Only data samples with instance_state matching one of these will be returned.

ReturnCode_t read_next_sample(void *data, SampleInfo *info)

This operation copies the next, non-previously accessed Data value from the DataReader; the operation also copies the corresponding SampleInfo. The implied order among the samples stored in the DataReader is the same as for the read operation.

The read_next_sample operation is semantically equivalent to the read operation where the input Data sequence has max_length = 1 , the sample_states = NOT_READ_SAMPLE_STATE , the view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE , and the instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE .

The read_next_sample operation provides a simplified API to ‘read’ samples avoiding the need for the application to manage sequences and specify states.

If there is no unread data in the DataReader, the operation will return RETCODE_NO_DATA and nothing is copied

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [out] data: Data pointer to store the sample

  • [out] info: SampleInfo pointer to store the sample information

ReturnCode_t take(LoanableCollection &data_values, SampleInfoSeq &sample_infos, int32_t max_samples = LENGTH_UNLIMITED, SampleStateMask sample_states = ANY_SAMPLE_STATE, ViewStateMask view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE, InstanceStateMask instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE)

Access a collection of data samples from the DataReader.

This operation accesses a collection of data-samples from the DataReader and a corresponding collection of SampleInfo structures, and ‘removes’ them from the DataReader. The operation will return either a ‘list’ of samples or else a single sample. This is controlled by the PresentationQosPolicy using the same logic as for the read operation.

The act of taking a sample removes it from the DataReader so it cannot be ‘read’ or ‘taken’ again. If the sample belongs to the most recent generation of the instance, it will also set the view_state of the instance to NOT_NEW. It will not affect the instance_state of the instance.

The behavior of the take operation follows the same rules than the read operation regarding the pre-conditions and post-conditions for the data_values and sample_infos collections. Similar to read, the take operation may ‘loan’ elements to the output collections which must then be returned by means of return_loan. The only difference with read is that, as stated, the samples returned by take will no longer be accessible to successive calls to read or take.

If the DataReader has no samples that meet the constraints, the operations fails with RETCODE_NO_DATA.

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [inout] data_values: A LoanableCollection object where the received data samples will be returned.

  • [inout] sample_infos: A SampleInfoSeq object where the received sample info will be returned.

  • [in] max_samples: The maximum number of samples to be returned. If the special value LENGTH_UNLIMITED is provided, as many samples will be returned as are available, up to the limits described in the documentation for read().

  • [in] sample_states: Only data samples with sample_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] view_states: Only data samples with view_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] instance_states: Only data samples with instance_state matching one of these will be returned.

ReturnCode_t take_instance(LoanableCollection &data_values, SampleInfoSeq &sample_infos, int32_t max_samples = LENGTH_UNLIMITED, const InstanceHandle_t &a_handle = HANDLE_NIL, SampleStateMask sample_states = ANY_SAMPLE_STATE, ViewStateMask view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE, InstanceStateMask instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE)

Access a collection of data samples from the DataReader.

This operation accesses a collection of data values from the DataReader and ‘removes’ them from the DataReader.

This operation has the same behavior as read_instance, except that the samples are ‘taken’ from the DataReader such that they are no longer accessible via subsequent ‘read’ or ‘take’ operations.

The behavior of this operation follows the same rules as the operation regarding the pre-conditions and post-conditions for the data_values and sample_infos. Similar to read, this operation may ‘loan’ elements to the output collections, which must then be returned by means of return_loan.

If the DataReader has no samples that meet the constraints, the operations fails with RETCODE_NO_DATA.

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [inout] data_values: A LoanableCollection object where the received data samples will be returned.

  • [inout] sample_infos: A SampleInfoSeq object where the received sample info will be returned.

  • [in] max_samples: The maximum number of samples to be returned. If the special value LENGTH_UNLIMITED is provided, as many samples will be returned as are available, up to the limits described in the documentation for read().

  • [in] a_handle: The specified instance to return samples for. The method will fail with RETCODE_BAD_PARAMETER if the handle does not correspond to an existing data-object known to the DataReader.

  • [in] sample_states: Only data samples with sample_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] view_states: Only data samples with view_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] instance_states: Only data samples with instance_state matching one of these will be returned.

ReturnCode_t take_next_instance(LoanableCollection &data_values, SampleInfoSeq &sample_infos, int32_t max_samples = LENGTH_UNLIMITED, const InstanceHandle_t &previous_handle = HANDLE_NIL, SampleStateMask sample_states = ANY_SAMPLE_STATE, ViewStateMask view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE, InstanceStateMask instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE)

Access a collection of data samples from the DataReader.

This operation accesses a collection of data values from the DataReader and ‘removes’ them from the DataReader.

This operation has the same behavior as read_next_instance, except that the samples are ‘taken’ from the DataReader such that they are no longer accessible via subsequent ‘read’ or ‘take’ operations.

Similar to the operation read_next_instance, it is possible to call this operation with a previous_handle that does not correspond to an instance currently managed by the DataReader.

The behavior of this operation follows the same rules as the operation regarding the pre-conditions and post-conditions for the data_values and sample_infos. Similar to read, this operation may ‘loan’ elements to the output collections, which must then be returned by means of return_loan.

If the DataReader has no samples that meet the constraints, the operations fails with RETCODE_NO_DATA.

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [inout] data_values: A LoanableCollection object where the received data samples will be returned.

  • [inout] sample_infos: A SampleInfoSeq object where the received sample info will be returned.

  • [in] max_samples: The maximum number of samples to be returned. If the special value LENGTH_UNLIMITED is provided, as many samples will be returned as are available, up to the limits described in the documentation for read().

  • [in] previous_handle: The ‘next smallest’ instance with a value greater than this value that has available samples will be returned.

  • [in] sample_states: Only data samples with sample_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] view_states: Only data samples with view_state matching one of these will be returned.

  • [in] instance_states: Only data samples with instance_state matching one of these will be returned.

ReturnCode_t take_next_sample(void *data, SampleInfo *info)

This operation copies the next, non-previously accessed Data value from the DataReader and ‘removes’ it from the DataReader so it is no longer accessible. The operation also copies the corresponding SampleInfo.

This operation is analogous to read_next_sample except for the fact that the sample is ‘removed’ from the DataReader.

This operation is semantically equivalent to the take operation where the input sequence has max_length = 1 , the sample_states = NOT_READ_SAMPLE_STATE , the view_states = ANY_VIEW_STATE , and the instance_states = ANY_INSTANCE_STATE .

This operation provides a simplified API to ’take’ samples avoiding the need for the application to manage sequences and specify states.

If there is no unread data in the DataReader, the operation will return RETCODE_NO_DATA and nothing is copied.

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [out] data: Data pointer to store the sample

  • [out] info: SampleInfo pointer to store the sample information

Public Functions

~DataReader()

Destructor.

ReturnCode_t enable() override

This operation enables the DataReader.

Return

RETCODE_OK is successfully enabled. RETCODE_PRECONDITION_NOT_MET if the Subscriber creating this DataReader is not enabled.

bool wait_for_unread_message(const fastrtps::Duration_t &timeout)

Method to block the current thread until an unread message is available.

Return

true if there is new unread message, false if timeout

Parameters

  • [in] timeout: Max blocking time for this operation.

ReturnCode_t return_loan(LoanableCollection &data_values, SampleInfoSeq &sample_infos)

This operation indicates to the DataReader that the application is done accessing the collection of data_values and sample_infos obtained by some earlier invocation of read or take on the DataReader.

The data_values and sample_infos must belong to a single related ‘pair’; that is, they should correspond to a pair returned from a single call to read or take. The data_values and sample_infos must also have been obtained from the same DataReader to which they are returned. If either of these conditions is not met, the operation will fail and return RETCODE_PRECONDITION_NOT_MET.

This operation allows implementations of the read and take operations to “loan” buffers from the DataReader to the application and in this manner provide “zero-copy” access to the data. During the loan, the DataReader will guarantee that the data and sample-information are not modified.

It is not necessary for an application to return the loans immediately after the read or take calls. However, as these buffers correspond to internal resources inside the DataReader, the application should not retain them indefinitely.

The use of the return_loan operation is only necessary if the read or take calls “loaned” buffers to the application. This only occurs if the data_values and sample_infos collections had max_len == 0 at the time read or take was called. The application may also examine the owns property of the collection to determine if there is an outstanding loan. However, calling return_loan on a collection that does not have a loan is safe and has no side effects.

If the collections had a loan, upon return from return_loan the collections will have max_len == 0 .

Return

Any of the standard return codes.

Parameters

  • [inout] data_values: A LoanableCollection object where the received data samples were obtained from an earlier invocation of read or take on this DataReader.

  • [inout] sample_infos: A SampleInfoSeq object where the received sample infos were obtained from an earlier invocation of read or take on this DataReader.

ReturnCode_t get_first_untaken_info(SampleInfo *info)

Returns information about the first untaken sample.

Return

RETCODE_OK if sample info was returned. RETCODE_NO_DATA if there is no sample to take.

Parameters

  • [out] info: Pointer to a SampleInfo_t structure to store first untaken sample information.

const fastrtps::rtps::GUID_t &guid()

Get associated GUID.

Return

Associated GUID

InstanceHandle_t get_instance_handle() const

Getter for the associated InstanceHandle.

Return

Copy of the InstanceHandle

TypeSupport type()

Getter for the data type.

Return

TypeSupport associated to the DataReader.

const TopicDescription *get_topicdescription() const

Get TopicDescription.

Return

TopicDescription pointer.

ReturnCode_t get_requested_deadline_missed_status(RequestedDeadlineMissedStatus &status)

Get the requested deadline missed status.

Return

The deadline missed status.

ReturnCode_t get_requested_incompatible_qos_status(RequestedIncompatibleQosStatus &status)

Get the requested incompatible qos status.

Return

RETCODE_OK

Parameters

  • [out] status: Requested incompatible qos status.

ReturnCode_t set_qos(const DataReaderQos &qos)

Setter for the DataReaderQos.

Return

RETCODE_IMMUTABLE_POLICY if any of the Qos cannot be changed, RETCODE_INCONSISTENT_POLICY if the Qos is not self consistent and RETCODE_OK if the qos is changed correctly.

Parameters

const DataReaderQos &get_qos() const

Getter for the DataReaderQos.

Return

Pointer to the DataReaderQos.

ReturnCode_t get_qos(DataReaderQos &qos) const

Getter for the DataReaderQos.

Return

RETCODE_OK

Parameters

ReturnCode_t set_listener(DataReaderListener *listener)

Modifies the DataReaderListener, sets the mask to StatusMask::all().

Return

RETCODE_OK

Parameters

ReturnCode_t set_listener(DataReaderListener *listener, const StatusMask &mask)

Modifies the DataReaderListener.

Return

RETCODE_OK

Parameters

const DataReaderListener *get_listener() const

Getter for the DataReaderListener.

Return

Pointer to the DataReaderListener

ReturnCode_t get_liveliness_changed_status(LivelinessChangedStatus &status) const

Get the liveliness changed status.

Return

RETCODE_OK

Parameters

const Subscriber *get_subscriber() const

Getter for the Subscriber.

Return

Subscriber pointer