Document //flutter/runtime/dart_vm

runtime/dart_vm.h

@@ -26,22 +26,124 @@
 
 namespace flutter {
 
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+/// @brief      Describes a running instance of the Dart VM. There may only be
+///             one running instance of the Dart VM in the process at any given
+///             time. The Dart VM may be created and destroyed on any thread.
+///             Typically, the first Flutter shell instance running in the
+///             process bootstraps the Dart VM in the process as it starts up.
+///             This cost is borne on he platform task runner of that first
+///             Flutter shell. When the last Flutter shell instance is
+///             destroyed, the VM is destroyed as well if all shell instances
+///             were launched with the `Settings::leak_vm` flag set to false. If
+///             there is any shell launch in the process with `leak_vm` set to
+///             true, the VM is never shut down in the process. When the VM is
+///             shutdown, the cost of the shutdown is borne on the platform task
+///             runner of the last shell instance to be shut down.
+///
+///             Due to threading considerations, callers may never create an
+///             instance of the DartVM directly. All constructors to the DartVM
+///             are private. Instead, all callers that need a running VM
+///             reference need to access it via the `DartVMRef::Create` call.
+///             This call returns a strong reference to the running VM if one
+///             exists in the process already. If a running VM instance is not
+///             available in the process, a new instance is created and a strong
+///             reference returned to the callers. The DartVMRef::Create call
+///             ensures that there are no data races during the creation or
+///             shutdown of a Dart VM (since a VM may be created and destroyed
+///             on any thread). Due to this behavior, all callers needing a
+///             running VM instance must provide snapshots and VM settings
+///             necessary to create a VM (even if they end up not being used).
+///
+///             In a running VM instance, the service isolate is launched by
+///             default is the VM is configured to do so. All root isolates must
+///             be launched and referenced explicitly.
 class DartVM {
  public:
   ~DartVM();
 
+  //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  /// @brief      Checks if VM instances in the process can run precompiled
+  ///             code. This call can be made at any time and does not depend on
+  ///             a running VM instance. There are no threading restrictions.
+  ///
+  /// @return     If VM instances in the process run precompiled code.
+  ///
   static bool IsRunningPrecompiledCode();
 
+  //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  /// @brief      The number of times the VM has been launched in the process.
+  ///             This call is inherently racy because the VM could be in the
+  ///             process of starting up on another thread between the time the
+  ///             caller makes this call and uses to result. For this purpose,
+  ///             this call is only meant to be used as a debugging aid and
+  ///             primarily only used in tests where the threading model is
+  ///             consistent.
+  ///
+  /// @return     The number of times the VM has been launched.
+  ///
   static size_t GetVMLaunchCount();
 
+  //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  /// @brief      The settings used to launch the running VM instance.
+  ///
+  /// @attention  Even though all callers that need to acquire a strong
+  ///             reference to a VM need to provide a valid settings object, the
+  ///             VM will only reference the settings used by the first caller
+  ///             that bootstraps the VM in the process.
+  ///
+  /// @return     A valid setting object.
+  ///
   const Settings& GetSettings() const;
 
+  //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  /// @brief      The VM and isolate snapshots used by this running Dart VM
+  ///             instance.
+  ///
+  /// @return     A valid VM data instance.
+  ///
   std::shared_ptr<const DartVMData> GetVMData() const;
 
+  //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  /// @brief      The service protocol instance associated with this running VM
+  ///             Dart VM instance. This object manages native handlers for
+  ///             engine vended service protocol methods.
+  ///
+  /// @return     The service protocol for this Dart VM instance.
+  ///
   std::shared_ptr<ServiceProtocol> GetServiceProtocol() const;
 
+  //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  /// @brief      The isolate name server for this running VM instance. The
+  ///             isolate name server maps names (strings) to Dart ports.
+  ///             Running isolates can discover and communicate with each other
+  ///             by advertising and resolving ports at well known names.
+  ///
+  /// @return     The isolate name server.
+  ///
   std::shared_ptr<IsolateNameServer> GetIsolateNameServer() const;
 
+  //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  /// @brief      The task runner whose tasks may may be executed concurrently
+  ///             on a pool of worker threads. All subsystems within a running
+  ///             shell instance use this worker pool for their concurrent
+  ///             tasks. This also means that the concurrent worker pool may
+  ///             service tasks from multiple shell instances. The number of
+  ///             workers in a concurrent worker pool depending on the hardware
+  ///             concurrency of the target device (usually equal to the number
+  ///             of logical CPU cores).
+  ///
+  ///
+  /// @attention  Even though concurrent task queue is associated with a running
+  ///             Dart VM instance, the worker pool used to by the Flutter
+  ///             engine is NOT shared with the Dart VM internal worker pool.
+  ///             The presence of this worker pool as member of the Dart VM is
+  ///             merely to utilize the strong thread safety guarantees around
+  ///             Dart VM lifecycle for the lifecycle of the concurrent worker
+  ///             pool as well.
+  ///
+  /// @return     The task runner for the concurrent worker thread pool.
+  ///
   std::shared_ptr<fml::ConcurrentTaskRunner> GetConcurrentWorkerTaskRunner()
       const;