python - Running an asynchronous function 'in the background'

Question

I have several asynchronous functions. If I call _main(), I can't use the second _check() function, because _main() runs continuously in a while loop. Can I run _main() 'in the background' to make the rest of the functions available?

import asyncio


async def _main(self):
    while True:
        ...
        Update database
        ...


async def _check(self):
    await self._confirm_update()


async def process(self):
    if self.command in ["main"]:
        await self._main()
    elif self.command in ["check"]:
        await self._check()

question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65904964/running-an-asynchronous-function-in-the-background

Answer 1

Can I run _main() 'in the background' to make the rest of the functions available?

Yes, you can replace await self._main() with asyncio.create_task(self._main()). That will spawn _main as a task that effectively runs in the background.