Akka [2.2.3] Setting Actor names

[David Holtzhouser]

Just starting to learn Akka and really Scala as well...maybe not the smartest ordering of things.

I must be missing something very obvious, but I just can't seem to find it.

I'm trying to set the Actor's name when it is created, but the Info logging doesn't seem to be displaying it, instead using a system generated name:

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.747] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-4] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a] akka.actor.RepointableActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-8] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a/$a] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-7] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a/$b] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-4] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a/$c] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-2] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a/$e] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-6] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a/$f] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-2] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a/$g] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-7] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/$a/$d] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

Forgive the ugly, non-idiomatic Scala code below (remember, just learning here).

What is the proper way to name the runtime Actors, such that the logs look like:

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.747] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-4] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName] akka.actor.RepointableActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-8] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName/QualifierA] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-7] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName/QualifierB] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-4] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName/QualifierC] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-2] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName/QualifierD] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-6] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName/QualifierE] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-2] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName/QualifierF] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

[INFO] [11/14/2013 14:05:09.754] [BizRulesSystem-akka.actor.default-dispatcher-7] [akka://BizRulesSystem/user/SomeName/QualifierG] akka.actor.LocalActorRef receiving message

Qualifier.scala

trait Qualifier extends Actor with ActorLogging {

  def name : String

  def description: String

  def qualifierList: Vector[String]

}

Includes.scala

class Includes(val name: String, val description: String, val qualifierList: Vector[String]) extends Qualifier {

  def +> : Boolean = {

    true

  }

}

Excludes.scala

class Excludes(val name: String, val description: String, val qualifierList: Vector[String]) extends Qualifier {

  def +>(): Boolean = {

    true

  }

}

BaseBusinessRule.scala

class BaseBusinessRule private (val qualifiers: Vector[BizQualifier], val approvedTx: Vector[Long], val deniedTx: Vector[Long])

  extends BusinessRule  {

  def this(activityBusinessRuleName: String) = {

    this(Vector.empty, Vector.empty, Vector.empty)

    val qualSvc = new QualifierService

    val includes = qualSvc.getIncludeQualifers(activityBusinessRuleName)

    val excludes = qualSvc.getExcludeQualifiers(activityBusinessRuleName)

    val qualifiers = includes ++ excludes

    for (q <- qualifiers) {

      if (q.isInstanceOf[Includes]) {

        context.actorOf(Props(classOf[business_rules.actors.Includes], q.name, q.description, q.qualifierList))

      }

      if (q.isInstanceOf[Excludes]) {

        context.actorOf(Props(classOf[business_rules.actors.Excludes], q.name, q.description, q.qualifierList))

      }

    }

  }

'RunnerCode.scala'

object GreeterRunner extends App {

  runGreeter()

  def runGreeter() {

    // there is a third 'root guardian' that the system and user 

    // guardians 'report' to

    //implicit 'system guardian' of the entire actor system

    val system = ActorSystem("BizRulesSystem")

    // /user guardian actor

    val bizRuleActor = system.actorOf(Props(classOf[BaseBusinessRule], "SomeName"))

    bizRuleActor ! "test"

  }

}

Thank you for any assistance.

[Roland Kuhn]

Hi David,

you’re sooo close: just use the two-arg version of actorOf and don’t pass the name into the Actor—the constructor runs long after the name has been set in stone.

system.actorOf(Props[BaseBusinessRule], "SomeName") // you’ll have to make a no-arg constructor for this line to work

Regards,

Roland

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Dr. Roland Kuhn
Akka Tech Lead
Typesafe – Reactive apps on the JVM.
twitter: @rolandkuhn

[√iktor Ҡlang]

I think this example leaves a bit to be desired: http://doc.akka.io/docs/akka/2.2.3/scala/actors.html#Recommended_Practices

Cheers,

√

--

Cheers,

√

Viktor Klang
Director of Engineering

Typesafe

Twitter: @viktorklang

[David Holtzhouser]

Roland,

Thank you for your prompt reply.

I believe I have figured out what my issue was.

http://doc.akka.io/api/akka/2.2.3/#akka.actor.Props

val props = Props(classOf[MyActor], arg1, arg2)

newProps(deploy: Deploy, clazz: Class[_], args: Seq[Any])

The example from the Akka api docs didn't really make it clear (to a newbie) that I could do this:

val bizRuleActor = system.actorOf(Props(classOf[BaseBusinessRule],"SomeName"), "SomeName")

and

    for (q <- qualifiers) {

      if (q.isInstanceOf[com.maritz.qualifiers.Includes]) {

        context.actorOf(Props(classOf[business_rules.actors.Includes], q.qName, q.description, q.qualifierList), q.qName)

      }

      if (q.isInstanceOf[com.maritz.qualifiers.Excludes]) {

        context.actorOf(Props(classOf[business_rules.actors.Excludes], q.qName, q.description, q.qualifierList), q.qName)

      }

    }

where I now believe that the code in red is actually what is passed into the Actor constructor.  

Thanks,

Dave

[Roland Kuhn]

Yes, indeed, will fix.