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Describe arguments of the HTTP handler callbacks
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essen committed Mar 2, 2013
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23 changes: 16 additions & 7 deletions guide/http_handlers.md
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Expand Up @@ -10,17 +10,26 @@ Usage
-----

You need to implement three callbacks for HTTP handlers. The first,
`init/3`, is common to all handlers. In the context of HTTP handlers
this should be used for any initialization needs.
`init/3`, is common to all handlers. It receives three arguments:
a tuple containing the transport and protocol in use, the `Req` object
and the handler options you defined in the routes. In the context of
HTTP handlers this should be used for any initialization needs. For
example you can initialize here the `State` variable that will be
passed to the following functions.

The second callback, `handle/2`, is where most of your code should
be. As the name explains, this is where you handle the request.
be. It receives two arguments: the `Req` object and the `State`
previously defined. As the name explains, this is where you handle
the request.

The last callback, `terminate/3`, will be empty most of the time.
It's used for any needed cleanup. If you used the process dictionary,
timers, monitors then you most likely want to stop them in this
callback, as Cowboy might end up reusing this process for subsequent
requests. Please see the Internals chapter for more information.
It receives three arguments: the `Reason` for termination, the `Req`
object and the `State` previously defined. This callback should be
used strictly for cleaning up. Replying using the `Req` is disallowed.
If you used the process dictionary, timers, monitors then you most
likely want to stop them in this callback, as Cowboy might end up
reusing this process for subsequent requests. Please see the
Internals chapter for more information.

Of course the general advice is to not use the process dictionary,
and that any operation requiring reception of messages should be
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6 changes: 4 additions & 2 deletions guide/introduction.md
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Expand Up @@ -108,8 +108,10 @@ handlers, Websocket handlers, REST handlers and static handlers. Their
usage is documented in the respective sections of the guide.

Most applications use the plain HTTP handler, which has three callback
functions: init/3, handle/2 and terminate/3. Following is an example of
a simple handler module.
functions: init/3, handle/2 and terminate/3. You can find more information
about the arguments and possible return values of these callbacks in the
HTTP handlers section of this guide. Following is an example of a simple
HTTP handler module.

``` erlang
-module(my_handler).
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