120Hz: fix the ALooper wake-fd race (root cause of slot drops) + phase-slip-robust referee

ROOT CAUSE of the 8-12% slot drops (uniform dec=1/0/1/0: locked, no wake
seen, dirty, no render): AOSP Looper::pollInner (system/core/libutils/
Looper.cpp) drains the wake fd in the SAME epoll batch (up to 16 fds) as
any ready input fd, and pollOnce returns the input's ident — the POLL_WAKE
result is a local that gets dropped. ALooper_wake's byte is consumed
WITHOUT PollEvent::Wake ever reaching Slint, unrecoverable. With motion
events arriving 1-4 ms after the edge (always for a real 120-240 Hz
finger; ~1 in 5 frames for 20 Hz adb input) the wake is lost and the
locked decision (saw_wake && slot-guard) drops the dirty frame for that
slot.

Fix (vendor backend): a dedicated eventfd registered with the MAIN looper
under ALOOPER_POLL_CALLBACK. The Looper invokes the C trampoline INSIDE
pollInner (before pollOnce returns, regardless of which ident is handed
back), so delivery can never be swallowed by a co-batched input response.
- frame_callback: note the edge, write the eventfd, then ALooper_wake
  (secondary). The fd is leaked: it belongs to the main looper for the
  process lifetime.
- trampoline: DRAINS the eventfd (level-triggered — without the drain the
  counter stays >0, the fd stays readable and the loop busy-spins on
  POLL_CALLBACK at ~10 kHz: 1812 spin iterations measured) and publishes
  the edge into delivered_edge.
- main loop: saw_wake |= (delivered_edge newer than last seen).
- DIRTY BACKSTOP: the 6 ms poll cap was never a backstop — timeout
  iterations have saw_wake=false so the locked decision never rendered
  (the 20-40 ms silences). Now: dirty && last render >= 2 slots old
  renders regardless of wake state.

Measured on the phone (Pixel 9 Pro, 120 Hz, sltest, identical capture):
  buildC (before): 127 drops + 12 stalls in 1142 frames
  buildE (after):    8 drops +  0 stalls in 1266 frames
Phase (p10-p90): 0.72-1.00 ms in all windows. Remaining 8/1266 (0.63%)
are slip-and-recover pairs where the UI thread is DESCHEDULED 6-8 ms
while sleeping in epoll (wakes arrive on time, cb-lat 0.5 ms) — EAS
scheduling variance, no app-side contention in sltest.

Referee fixes found while judging this data (tools/jank_eval.py):
- NEAREST-OBSERVED-EDGE slot grid: the 120 Hz panel clock phase-slips
  after idle blanking (re-locks at arbitrary phase), invalidating any
  grid anchored at ftns[0]. An entire drag window read late=230/
  dropped=24 while per-cycle tracing showed presents at edge+2.0 ms.
  slot_of_ftn assigns each present to the nearest observed hardware
  edge in a time-continuous slot domain (slip-immune: a constant delta
  shifts all slots, differences preserved; stall-accurate: ftn times
  are CLOCK_MONOTONIC).
- tools/jank_capture.py: capture is INVALID unless the screen is Awake
  AND the keyguard is down (a run on a sleeping phone silently injects
  no input: 49 IT lines, 1 present).
This commit is contained in:
Greg Pomerantz 2026-10-30 16:08:48 -04:00
parent b97b6515d5
commit 0a50f9b832
8 changed files with 241 additions and 21 deletions

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@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ LINE_RES = [
r"render=(\d+)us anim=(\d) to=(\d+)ms .*dec=([\d/]+) pcpu=(\d+)us "
r"rcpu=(\d+)us vsw=(\d+) nvol=(\d+)")),
("VSYNC", re.compile(r"^VSYNC ftn=(\d+) mon=(\d+)")),
("PRES", re.compile(r"^PRES f=(\d+)\w* mon=(\d+) pre_us=(\d+) precpu=(\d+)us")),
("PRES", re.compile(r"^PRES f=(\d+)\w* mon=(\d+) pre_us=(\d+)")),
("NOPRES",re.compile(r"^NOPRES f=(\d+) mon=(\d+) why=(\S+)")),
("EW", re.compile(r"^EW land=(-?\d+)ms")),
("SLOWEV",re.compile(r"^SLOWEV (\S+) (\d+)us cpu=(\d+)us")),
("FR", re.compile(r"^FR gap=([\d.]+) mon=(\d+)")),
@ -151,7 +152,9 @@ def miss_report(parsed, period_us, max_episodes=12, ctx_ms=33):
elif kind == "VSYNC":
tag = f"VSYNC ftn={grp[0]} (+{(mon - int(grp[0]))/1e6:.2f}ms cb latency)"
elif kind == "PRES":
tag = f"PRES f={grp[0]} pre={grp[2]} precpu={grp[3]}"
tag = f"PRES f={grp[0]} pre={grp[2]}us"
elif kind == "NOPRES":
tag = f"NOPRES f={grp[0]} why={grp[2]}"
elif kind == "FR":
tag = f"FR gap={grp[0]}ms"
elif kind == "SLOWEV":
@ -195,6 +198,7 @@ def capture(app, drags, tag, tag_file, outdir, settle_after):
time.sleep(3)
if not resumed(app, rpt):
rpt["valid"] = False
screen_awake(rpt) # before: screen must be Awake for input to land
if launch != "COLD":
rpt["notes"].append(f"launch was {launch}, not COLD (leftover process?)")
@ -210,6 +214,7 @@ def capture(app, drags, tag, tag_file, outdir, settle_after):
# 5. state + stop
resumed(app, rpt)
screen_awake(rpt)
adb_shell(f"am force-stop {app}")
time.sleep(1)
@ -232,6 +237,26 @@ def capture(app, drags, tag, tag_file, outdir, settle_after):
print(f" valid: {rpt['valid']}")
return 0 if rpt["valid"] else 1
def screen_awake(rpt):
"""The capture is INVALID unless the screen is Awake: with the screen
off, `input swipe` injects nothing and the app idles — a whole run can
be silently wasted (buildD 2026-10-30: 49 IT lines, 1 present, screen
asleep the entire time)."""
out = adb_shell("dumpsys power | grep -E 'mWakefulness=' | head -1").stdout.strip()
awake = "Awake" in out
kg = adb_shell("dumpsys window | grep -m1 'isKeyguardShowing'").stdout.strip()
keyguard_up = "true" in kg
key = "awake_after_run" if "awake_after_run" in rpt else "awake_before_run"
if keyguard_up:
rpt["valid"] = False
rpt["notes"].append(f"keyguard showing ({key}): input would be eaten by the lock screen")
return False
rpt[key] = awake
if not awake or keyguard_up:
rpt["valid"] = False
rpt["notes"].append(f"screen NOT awake ({key}): {out or 'no mWakefulness line'}")
return awake
def resumed(app, rpt):
out = adb_shell("dumpsys activity activities | grep ResumedActivity").stdout
ok = app in out

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@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Exit: 0 = PASS, 1 = FAIL, 2 = no usable data.
Self-test: --selftest (synthesizes log FILES and runs the same main()
path end-to-end; the tool must classify each case or exit non-zero).
"""
import argparse, math, os, re, sys, tempfile
import argparse, bisect, math, os, re, sys, tempfile
from collections import defaultdict
PRES_RE = re.compile(r"^PRES f=(\d+)\w* mon=(\d+)")
@ -82,6 +82,38 @@ def anchor_phase(monots, period):
if ang < 0: ang += 2*math.pi
return int(ang/(2*math.pi)*period)
def slot_of_ftn(m, ftns, P):
"""Assign a present to the slot of the NEAREST OBSERVED hardware edge,
in a TIME-CONTINUOUS slot domain. (2026-10-30: the cumulative grid
anchored at ftns[0] is WRONG after a display phase-slip — the 120 Hz
panel clock re-locks at an arbitrary phase after idle blanking, so every
present after the slip measures ~5-6 ms 'late' against the stale grid
while landing perfectly against the real edges. Measured on the phone:
an entire drag window (w1) read late=230/dropped=24 while per-cycle
tracing showed presents at edge +2.0 ms.)
The slot of present m is: round((ftn_i − ftns[0])/P) where ftn_i is the
nearest observed edge before m (plus one when m is in that edge's second
half). A phase-slip Δ<P shifts EVERY ftn by the same Δ, so it only adds
a constant to all slots — drops/doubles (slot DIFFERENCES) are immune,
and the phase reported is m − ftn_i (true distance from the hardware
edge). Stalls are time-accurate because ftn times are CLOCK_MONOTONIC.
When no edge was observed within the last P (chain off), extrapolate on
the plain time grid from ftns[0] (same slot domain: round-based)."""
i = bisect.bisect_right(ftns, m) - 1
if i < 0:
i = 0
d = m - ftns[i]
if d > P:
x = (m - ftns[0]) / P
s = int(x + 0.5) if x >= 0 else -int(-x + 0.5)
return s, (m - ftns[0]) - s * P
base = (ftns[i] - ftns[0]) / P
s = int(base + 0.5) if base >= 0 else -int(-base + 0.5)
if d >= P / 2:
s += 1
return s, d
def slot_of(m, P, grid):
"""grid = ('edge', ftn0) or ('anchor', anchor). Returns (slot, phase_ns).
edge: phase in [0, P) from the vsync edge (hardware truth)
@ -148,11 +180,15 @@ def explicit_windows(pres, t0, spec):
out.append((name or f"w{len(out)}", idx0, idx1))
return out
def evaluate(pres, P, grid, windows, suspect=False):
def evaluate(pres, P, grid, windows, suspect=False, ftns=None):
"""suspect=True (fitted grid, no VSYNC edges): drops/doubles are reported
for information but excluded from the verdict — a fitted grid can't prove
them. Stalls and late-phase remain meaningful."""
them. Stalls and late-phase remain meaningful.
ftns: observed hardware vsync edges — when given, slots/phases are
assigned relative to the NEAREST observed edge (phase-slip robust); see
slot_of_ftn."""
t0 = pres[0][1]
use_ftn = ftns is not None and len(ftns) > 10
any_fail = False
total = 0
for name, i0, i1 in windows:
@ -167,7 +203,10 @@ def evaluate(pres, P, grid, windows, suspect=False):
phases = []
for k in range(len(seg)):
f, m = seg[k]
s, p = slot_of(m, P, grid)
if use_ftn:
s, p = slot_of_ftn(m, ftns, P)
else:
s, p = slot_of(m, P, grid)
phases.append(p)
if prev_s is not None:
gap = s - prev_s
@ -304,7 +343,7 @@ def run_file(path, period_ms, windows_spec):
wins = explicit_windows(pres, t0, windows_spec) if windows_spec else auto_windows(pres, P)
if not wins:
print("no active windows found"); return False, suspect
return evaluate(pres, P, grid, wins, suspect=suspect), suspect
return evaluate(pres, P, grid, wins, suspect=suspect, ftns=ftns or None), suspect
def main():
ap = argparse.ArgumentParser()

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@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ default-features = false
[target.'cfg(target_os = "android")'.dependencies.jni]
version = "0.22"
# eventfd for the vsync delivery fd (vsync.rs wake-fd-race fix)
[target.'cfg(target_os = "android")'.dependencies.libc]
version = "0.2"
[target.'cfg(target_os = "android")'.dependencies.ndk-08]
version = "0.8.0"
features = ["rwh_06"]

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@ -126,6 +126,11 @@ impl i_slint_core::platform::Platform for AndroidPlatform {
// the frame held by the render-ahead pipeline (otherwise the last
// content change would never be displayed).
let mut prev_locked = false;
// Edge (ns) of the last vsync delivered to this thread via the
// eventfd trampoline (vsync.rs). A value newer than this at
// decision time means a wake was delivered THIS iteration — immune
// to the ALooper wake-fd swallow (see vsync.rs note).
let mut last_delivered_edge = 0u64;
loop {
let mut timeout = ctx.duration_until_next_timer_update();
// While animating, the vsync thread wakes this loop at each display refresh
@ -260,6 +265,17 @@ impl i_slint_core::platform::Platform for AndroidPlatform {
let t_poll1 = stg::now_us();
let __poll_cpu = stg::thread_cpu_us().saturating_sub(__cpu_p0);
let lv1 = stg::lv_snapshot();
// Wake-fd-race fix (2026-10-30): the ALooper wake byte can be
// CONSUMED by Looper::pollInner while pollOnce returns a
// co-batched input ident (system/core/libutils/Looper.cpp — the
// POLL_WAKE result is a dropped local; see vsync.rs). The
// dedicated eventfd trampoline runs inside poll_events and
// publishes the delivered edge there — check it NOW, after.
let __delivered = vsync.take_delivered_edge();
if __delivered > last_delivered_edge {
saw_wake = true;
last_delivered_edge = __delivered;
}
// Unconditionally update timers and animations on every event-loop wakeup
ctx.update_timers_and_animations();
@ -328,7 +344,16 @@ impl i_slint_core::platform::Platform for AndroidPlatform {
__now_ns.saturating_sub(__e) / 1000,
__now_ns.saturating_sub(__last) / 1000);
}
let __accept = saw_wake && (__p == 0 || __sw > __sn);
// DIRTY BACKSTOP (2026-10-30): the 6 ms poll cap exists to
// bound chain-breaks — but a timeout iteration has
// saw_wake=false, so `saw_wake && guard` never rendered and
// the "backstop" backstopped nothing (the 20-40 ms silences).
// If the window is dirty and the last render is >=2 slots
// old, render NOW regardless of wake state.
let __dirty = self.window.pending_redraw.get();
let __age = __now_ns.saturating_sub(__last);
let __backstop = __dirty && __last != 0 && __p != 0 && __age >= 2 * __p;
let __accept = (saw_wake && (__p == 0 || __sw > __sn)) || __backstop;
if __accept {
i_slint_renderer_skia::wgpu_30_surface::vkprobe::LAST_RENDER_START_NS
.store(__now_ns, std::sync::atomic::Ordering::Relaxed);

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@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
//! Optimized for ultra-low latency: self-re-entrant Choreographer callbacks wake
//! the main loop directly on vsync without thread round-trip serialization delay.
use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
use std::os::fd::FromRawFd;
use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicI32, AtomicU64, Ordering};
use std::sync::{Arc, Condvar, Mutex};
use std::thread::JoinHandle;
@ -13,13 +14,22 @@ use crate::android_activity::AndroidAppWaker;
use crate::ndk::looper::{ForeignLooper, ThreadLooper};
mod ffi {
use core::ffi::{c_long, c_void};
use core::ffi::{c_int, c_long, c_void};
#[repr(C)]
pub struct AChoreographer {
_unused: [u8; 0],
}
#[repr(C)]
pub struct ALooper {
_unused: [u8; 0],
}
pub type FrameCallback = unsafe extern "C" fn(frame_time_nanos: c_long, data: *mut c_void);
pub type FdCallback =
unsafe extern "C" fn(fd: c_int, events: c_int, data: *mut c_void) -> c_int;
pub const ALOOPER_POLL_CALLBACK: c_int = -1;
pub const ALOOPER_EVENT_INPUT: c_int = 0x0001;
#[link(name = "android")]
unsafe extern "C" {
@ -29,9 +39,36 @@ mod ffi {
callback: FrameCallback,
data: *mut c_void,
);
pub fn ALooper_forThread() -> *mut ALooper;
pub fn ALooper_addFd(
looper: *mut ALooper,
fd: c_int,
ident: c_int,
events: c_int,
callback: Option<FdCallback>,
data: *mut c_void,
) -> c_int;
}
}
/// ALooper wake-fd race (2026-10-30, ROOT CAUSE of the 120 Hz slot drops):
/// `Looper::pollInner` (system/core/libutils/Looper.cpp) drains the wake fd
/// in the SAME epoll batch as any ready input fd, and `pollOnce` returns the
/// input's ident — the `POLL_WAKE` result is a local that gets dropped. The
/// `ALooper_wake` byte is consumed WITHOUT `PollEvent::Wake` ever reaching
/// Slint, and it cannot be recovered (the byte is gone). With motion events
/// arriving 1-4 ms after the edge (always, for a real finger at 120-240 Hz
/// input rate; ~1 in 5 frames for 20 Hz adb input) the wake is lost and the
/// locked render decision (`saw_wake && slot-guard`) drops the dirty frame
/// for that slot — measured: 8-12% of slots dropped, uniform `dec=1/0/1/0`.
///
/// Fix: a dedicated eventfd registered with the main looper under
/// `ALOOPER_POLL_CALLBACK`. The Looper invokes its C callback INSIDE
/// `pollInner` (before pollOnce returns, and regardless of which ident
/// pollOnce hands back), so the delivery can never be swallowed by an input
/// response. The trampoline publishes the edge ns into `delivered_edge`; the
/// main loop treats "new edge delivered" exactly like `saw_wake`.
struct Shared {
state: Mutex<State>,
cond: Condvar,
@ -39,6 +76,35 @@ struct Shared {
looper: Mutex<Option<ForeignLooper>>,
main_waker: AndroidAppWaker,
choreographer: *mut ffi::AChoreographer,
/// Dedicated vsync-delivery eventfd (see the wake-fd race note above).
/// Raw fd (>=0 once registered; -1 = unavailable). The fd is leaked on
/// purpose: it is registered with the MAIN looper, which outlives the
/// driver (same lifetime convention as the forgotten Timer).
evfd_raw: AtomicI32,
/// Edge (CLOCK_MONOTONIC ns) of the latest vsync DELIVERED to the main
/// thread via the eventfd trampoline. The main loop swaps it out each
/// iteration; a value > last-seen means "saw a wake this iteration" —
/// immune to the ALooper wake-fd swallow.
delivered_edge: AtomicU64,
}
/// Trampoline: runs on the MAIN thread inside ALooper_pollOnce (see the
/// race note above). Publishes the edge that `frame_callback` just wrote.
unsafe extern "C" fn vsync_fd_trampoline(fd: i32, _events: i32, data: *mut core::ffi::c_void) -> i32 {
// DRAIN FIRST (level-triggered): the eventfd is a counter; if we never
// read it, it stays readable forever and ALooper_pollOnce returns
// POLL_CALLBACK on EVERY poll — the main loop busy-spins at ~10 kHz
// (measured: 1812 spin iterations per run, wake→render latency stretched
// to +5.5 ms phase in the affected window).
let mut counter: u64 = 0;
libc::read(fd, &mut counter as *mut u64 as *mut core::ffi::c_void, 8);
let shared = &*(data as *const Shared);
let edge = i_slint_renderer_skia::wgpu_30_surface::vkprobe::VSYNC_EDGE_NS
.load(Ordering::Acquire);
if edge > 0 {
shared.delivered_edge.store(edge, Ordering::Release);
}
1 // keep the fd registered
}
unsafe impl Send for Shared {}
@ -76,7 +142,36 @@ impl VsyncDriver {
looper: Mutex::new(None),
main_waker: main_waker.clone(),
choreographer: std::ptr::null_mut(),
evfd_raw: AtomicI32::new(-1),
delivered_edge: AtomicU64::new(0),
});
// Register the delivery eventfd with the MAIN looper (this runs on
// the main thread, from run_event_loop). ALOOPER_POLL_CALLBACK makes
// the Looper invoke the trampoline itself inside pollInner.
unsafe {
let evfd = libc::eventfd(0, libc::EFD_NONBLOCK);
if evfd >= 0 {
let looper = ffi::ALooper_forThread();
let r = ffi::ALooper_addFd(
looper,
evfd,
ffi::ALOOPER_POLL_CALLBACK,
ffi::ALOOPER_EVENT_INPUT,
Some(vsync_fd_trampoline),
Arc::as_ptr(&shared) as *mut core::ffi::c_void,
);
if r >= 0 {
log::info!("VSYNC EVFD registered fd={evfd}");
shared.evfd_raw.store(evfd, Ordering::Release);
// Leak: the fd belongs to the main looper for the life of
// the process (the driver's drop must not close it).
std::mem::forget(std::os::fd::OwnedFd::from_raw_fd(evfd));
} else {
log::error!("VSYNC EVFD ALooper_addFd failed");
libc::close(evfd);
}
}
}
let handle = std::thread::Builder::new()
.name("slint vsync".into())
.spawn({
@ -112,6 +207,15 @@ impl VsyncDriver {
self.shared.driving.load(Ordering::Acquire)
}
/// Consume the latest vsync edge delivered to the main thread via the
/// eventfd trampoline (0 = nothing new this iteration). Call ONCE per
/// main-loop iteration, after poll_events.
pub fn take_delivered_edge(&self) -> u64 {
self.shared.delivered_edge.swap(0, Ordering::AcqRel)
}
/// (edge delivery happens in `frame_callback`, which owns &Shared)
/// Push (animating, dirty) into the driver every main-loop iteration.
/// The vsync thread re-posts the first Choreographer callback, and
/// `frame_callback` re-posts the chain, while `animating || dirty`.
@ -259,17 +363,29 @@ unsafe extern "C" fn frame_callback(
data: *mut core::ffi::c_void,
) {
let shared = &*(data as *const Shared);
// CRITICAL PATH: wake the main loop FIRST. The VSYNC log line below is
// a file write (50-200us typical, worse under I/O pressure) — doing it
// before the wake would push the main loop's render start (and thus the
// present phase) later in the slot.
shared.main_waker.wake();
// PRESENT GATE: publish the exact vsync edge (CLOCK_MONOTONIC ns — the
// same epoch as `mon_ns()` above) so the renderer can quantize its
// `Queue::present` to the vsync grid (wgpu_30_surface::vkprobe).
// Publish the exact vsync edge (CLOCK_MONOTONIC ns — the same epoch as
// `mon_ns()` above) FIRST: the trampoline reads VSYNC_EDGE_NS, and the
// slot guard in the event loop keys off it.
i_slint_renderer_skia::wgpu_30_surface::vkprobe::note_vsync_edge(
frame_time_nanos as u64,
);
// CRITICAL PATH: deliver the edge to the main loop. (1) the dedicated
// eventfd — its trampoline runs inside ALooper_pollOnce and CANNOT be
// swallowed by a co-batched input response (the wake-fd race); (2)
// ALooper_wake as secondary (still the normal PollEvent::Wake path when
// no other fd is ready in the batch). The VSYNC log line below is a
// file write (50-200us typical) — kept after both wakes so it cannot
// push the main loop's render start later in the slot.
let evfd = shared.evfd_raw.load(Ordering::Acquire);
if evfd >= 0 {
let one: u64 = 1;
libc::write(
evfd,
&one as *const u64 as *const core::ffi::c_void,
core::mem::size_of::<u64>(),
);
}
shared.main_waker.wake();
let mon = unsafe { mon_ns() };
if mon > 0 {
log::info!("VSYNC ftn={} mon={}", frame_time_nanos, mon);

View File

@ -617,10 +617,21 @@ impl crate::Surface for WGPUSurface {
}
let __cpu0 = vkprobe::thread_cpu_ns();
let __t_acq = vkprobe::now_us();
// NOPRES log (2026-10-30): an early return here leaves pending_frame
// EMPTY (the held frame was already presented at the top of this
// call), so the NEXT draw has nothing to present — one display slot
// vanishes with no PRES line. The cause is logged HERE, at the
// failing draw. Balance check: #FR == #PRES + #NOPRES + first-draw.
let __nopres = |why: &str| {
let mon = vkprobe::monotonic_ns();
if mon > 0 {
log::info!("NOPRES f={} mon={} why={}", __f, mon, why);
}
};
let frame = match surface.get_current_texture() {
wgpu::CurrentSurfaceTexture::Success(t) => t,
wgpu::CurrentSurfaceTexture::Occluded => return Ok(DrawOutcome::Occluded),
wgpu::CurrentSurfaceTexture::Timeout => return Ok(DrawOutcome::Timeout),
wgpu::CurrentSurfaceTexture::Occluded => { __nopres("occluded"); return Ok(DrawOutcome::Occluded); },
wgpu::CurrentSurfaceTexture::Timeout => { __nopres("timeout"); return Ok(DrawOutcome::Timeout); },
wgpu::CurrentSurfaceTexture::Validation => {
return Err("WGPU surface validation error in get_current_texture".into());
}
@ -636,7 +647,7 @@ impl crate::Surface for WGPUSurface {
surface.configure(&self.wgpu.device, surface_config);
match surface.get_current_texture() {
wgpu::CurrentSurfaceTexture::Success(t) => t,
_ => return Ok(DrawOutcome::Occluded),
_ => { __nopres("reconfig"); return Ok(DrawOutcome::Occluded); },
}
}
};