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Parallelism in Xircuits

Xircuits supports multithreading for parallel execution of workflows, particularly useful for I/O-heavy tasks. This guide will show you how to implement multithreading in your Xircuits workflows using the RunParallelThread and AwaitFutures components.

Introduction​

Multithreading in Xircuits allows for concurrent task execution, which is especially beneficial for operations like network requests or independent data processing.

Prerequisites​

  • Latest version of Xircuits
  • Updated base.py file in the xai_components directory

Implementing Multithreading​

Step 1: Set Up Your Workflow​

Create a new workflow or open an existing one where you want to use multithreading.

Step 2: Add Parallel Execution Components​

  1. Drag the RunParallelThread component into your workflow.
  2. Configure it to define the workflow segment for parallel execution.
  3. Connect the tasks you want to execute in parallel to the body flow execution of RunParallelThread.
  4. Add the AwaitFutures component in the main flow path.
  5. Connect the futures outPort of RunParallelThread to the futures inPort of AwaitFutures.

Parallel Execution Components

Step 3: Use Branch Components​

You will need to use Branch Components to separate the parallel execution from the main flow. The RunParallelThread should be in the body flow execution path of a branch component, while AwaitFutures remains in the main flow path.

Common branch components include:

  • ForEach: Iterates over a list of items
  • While: Looping based on a condition

Step 4: Example Workflow​

Let's look at the RunParallelExample.xircuits workflow:

RunParallelThread Example

In this example:

  1. We use a ForEach component as our branch.
  2. The RunParallelThread is placed in the body flow of the ForEach.
  3. The tasks to be executed in parallel (random sleep and print) are connected to the body flow of RunParallelThread.
  4. The AwaitFutures component is in the main flow path, after the ForEach.
  5. The futures outPort of RunParallelThread is connected to the futures inPort of AwaitFutures.

This setup allows each iteration of the ForEach loop to start a new thread, executing the sleep and print operations in parallel.

Step 5: Run the Workflow​

  1. Compile your workflow.
  2. Run it to observe the parallel execution in action.
Expected Output

======================================
__   __  ___                _ _
\ \  \ \/ (_)_ __ ___ _   _(_) |_ ___
 \ \  \  /| | '__/ __| | | | | __/ __|
 / /  /  \| | | | (__| |_| | | |_\__ \
/_/  /_/\_\_|_|  \___|\__,_|_|\__|___/

======================================

Xircuits is running...

Executing: RunParallelExample
Executing: RunParallelThread
Executing: GetRandomNumber
Executing: SleepComponent
Sleeping for 3 seconds.
...
Executing: AwaitFutures
Executing: RunParallelThread
Executing: Print
1
...
Executing: Print
4

Finished Executing

Conclusion​

By integrating multithreading into your Xircuits workflows, you can significantly improve efficiency for time-consuming operations. Use the RunParallelThread and AwaitFutures components in conjunction with branch components to leverage concurrent execution in your projects. Remember to keep RunParallelThread in the branch's body flow and AwaitFutures in the main flow for proper parallel execution.