Assuming you have a structure like this:
ch := make(chan string)
errCh := make(chan error)
go func() {
line, _, err := bufio.NewReader(r).ReadLine()
if err != nil {
errCh <- err
} else {
ch <- string(line)
}
}()
select {
case err := <-errCh:
return "", err
case line := <-ch:
return line, nil
case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
return "", TimeoutError
}
In the case of the 5 second timeout, the goroutine hangs until ReadLine returns, which may never happen. My project is a long-running server, so I don't want a buildup of stuck goroutines.
ReadLine will not return until either the process exits or the method reads a line. There's no deadline or timeout mechanism for pipes.
The goroutine will block if the call to ReadLine returns after the timeout. This can be fixed by using buffered channels:
ch := make(chan string, 1)
errCh := make(chan error, 1)
The application should call Wait to cleanup resources associated with the command. The goroutine is a good place to call it:
go func() {
line, _, err := bufio.NewReader(r).ReadLine()
if err != nil {
errCh <- err
} else {
ch <- string(line)
}
cmd.Wait() // <-- add this line
}()
This will cause the goroutine to block, the very thing you are trying to avoid. The alternative is that the application leaks resources for each command.