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Comparing EV/EV.pm (file contents):
Revision 1.26 by root, Fri Nov 2 23:22:17 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.139 by root, Fri Mar 1 11:20:07 2013 UTC

2 2
3EV - perl interface to libev, a high performance full-featured event loop 3EV - perl interface to libev, a high performance full-featured event loop
4 4
5=head1 SYNOPSIS 5=head1 SYNOPSIS
6 6
7 use EV; 7 use EV;
8
9 # TIMERS
10
11 my $w = EV::timer 2, 0, sub {
12 warn "is called after 2s";
13 };
14
15 my $w = EV::timer 2, 2, sub {
16 warn "is called roughly every 2s (repeat = 2)";
17 };
18
19 undef $w; # destroy event watcher again
20
21 my $w = EV::periodic 0, 60, 0, sub {
22 warn "is called every minute, on the minute, exactly";
23 };
24
25 # IO
26
27 my $w = EV::io *STDIN, EV::READ, sub {
28 my ($w, $revents) = @_; # all callbacks receive the watcher and event mask
29 warn "stdin is readable, you entered: ", <STDIN>;
30 };
31
32 # SIGNALS
33
34 my $w = EV::signal 'QUIT', sub {
35 warn "sigquit received\n";
36 };
37
38 # CHILD/PID STATUS CHANGES
8 39
9 # TIMERS 40 my $w = EV::child 666, 0, sub {
41 my ($w, $revents) = @_;
42 my $status = $w->rstatus;
43 };
10 44
11 my $w = EV::timer 2, 0, sub { 45 # STAT CHANGES
12 warn "is called after 2s"; 46 my $w = EV::stat "/etc/passwd", 10, sub {
47 my ($w, $revents) = @_;
48 warn $w->path, " has changed somehow.\n";
13 }; 49 };
14 50
15 my $w = EV::timer 2, 1, sub {
16 warn "is called roughly every 2s (repeat = 1)";
17 };
18
19 undef $w; # destroy event watcher again
20
21 my $w = EV::periodic 0, 60, sub {
22 warn "is called every minute, on the minute, exactly";
23 };
24
25 # IO
26
27 my $w = EV::io *STDIN, EV::READ, sub {
28 my ($w, $revents) = @_; # all callbacks get the watcher object and event mask
29 warn "stdin is readable, you entered: ", <STDIN>;
30 };
31
32 # SIGNALS
33
34 my $w = EV::signal 'QUIT', sub {
35 warn "sigquit received\n";
36 };
37
38 my $w = EV::signal 3, sub {
39 warn "sigquit received (this is GNU/Linux, right?)\n";
40 };
41
42 # CHILD/PID STATUS CHANGES
43
44 my $w = EV::child 666, sub {
45 my ($w, $revents, $status) = @_;
46 };
47
48 # MAINLOOP 51 # MAINLOOP
49 EV::loop; # loop until EV::loop_done is called 52 EV::run; # loop until EV::unloop is called or all watchers stop
50 EV::loop EV::LOOP_ONESHOT; # block until at least one event could be handled 53 EV::run EV::RUN_ONCE; # block until at least one event could be handled
51 EV::loop EV::LOOP_NONBLOCK; # try to handle same events, but do not block 54 EV::run EV::RUN_NOWAIT; # try to handle same events, but do not block
55
56=head1 BEFORE YOU START USING THIS MODULE
57
58If you only need timer, I/O, signal, child and idle watchers and not the
59advanced functionality of this module, consider using L<AnyEvent> instead,
60specifically the simplified API described in L<AE>.
61
62When used with EV as backend, the L<AE> API is as fast as the native L<EV>
63API, but your programs/modules will still run with many other event loops.
52 64
53=head1 DESCRIPTION 65=head1 DESCRIPTION
54 66
55This module provides an interface to libev 67This module provides an interface to libev
56(L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/libev.html>). 68(L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/libev.html>). While the documentation
69below is comprehensive, one might also consult the documentation of
70libev itself (L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod> or
71F<perldoc EV::libev>) for more subtle details on watcher semantics or some
72discussion on the available backends, or how to force a specific backend
73with C<LIBEV_FLAGS>, or just about in any case because it has much more
74detailed information.
75
76This module is very fast and scalable. It is actually so fast that you
77can use it through the L<AnyEvent> module, stay portable to other event
78loops (if you don't rely on any watcher types not available through it)
79and still be faster than with any other event loop currently supported in
80Perl.
81
82=head2 PORTING FROM EV 3.X to 4.X
83
84EV version 4 introduces a number of incompatible changes summarised
85here. According to the depreciation strategy used by libev, there is a
86compatibility layer in place so programs should continue to run unchanged
87(the XS interface lacks this layer, so programs using that one need to be
88updated).
89
90This compatibility layer will be switched off in some future release.
91
92All changes relevant to Perl are renames of symbols, functions and
93methods:
94
95 EV::loop => EV::run
96 EV::LOOP_NONBLOCK => EV::RUN_NOWAIT
97 EV::LOOP_ONESHOT => EV::RUN_ONCE
98
99 EV::unloop => EV::break
100 EV::UNLOOP_CANCEL => EV::BREAK_CANCEL
101 EV::UNLOOP_ONE => EV::BREAK_ONE
102 EV::UNLOOP_ALL => EV::BREAK_ALL
103
104 EV::TIMEOUT => EV::TIMER
105
106 EV::loop_count => EV::iteration
107 EV::loop_depth => EV::depth
108 EV::loop_verify => EV::verify
109
110The loop object methods corresponding to the functions above have been
111similarly renamed.
112
113=head2 MODULE EXPORTS
114
115This module does not export any symbols.
57 116
58=cut 117=cut
59 118
60package EV; 119package EV;
61 120
62use strict; 121use common::sense;
63 122
64BEGIN { 123BEGIN {
65 our $VERSION = '0.5'; 124 our $VERSION = '4.15';
66 use XSLoader; 125 use XSLoader;
67 XSLoader::load "EV", $VERSION; 126 XSLoader::load "EV", $VERSION;
68} 127}
69 128
70@EV::Io::ISA = 129@EV::IO::ISA =
71@EV::Timer::ISA = 130@EV::Timer::ISA =
72@EV::Periodic::ISA = 131@EV::Periodic::ISA =
73@EV::Signal::ISA = 132@EV::Signal::ISA =
133@EV::Child::ISA =
134@EV::Stat::ISA =
74@EV::Idle::ISA = 135@EV::Idle::ISA =
75@EV::Prepare::ISA = 136@EV::Prepare::ISA =
76@EV::Check::ISA = 137@EV::Check::ISA =
77@EV::Child::ISA = "EV::Watcher"; 138@EV::Embed::ISA =
139@EV::Fork::ISA =
140@EV::Async::ISA =
141 "EV::Watcher";
142
143@EV::Loop::Default::ISA = "EV::Loop";
144
145=head1 EVENT LOOPS
146
147EV supports multiple event loops: There is a single "default event loop"
148that can handle everything including signals and child watchers, and any
149number of "dynamic event loops" that can use different backends (with
150various limitations), but no child and signal watchers.
151
152You do not have to do anything to create the default event loop: When
153the module is loaded a suitable backend is selected on the premise of
154selecting a working backend (which for example rules out kqueue on most
155BSDs). Modules should, unless they have "special needs" always use the
156default loop as this is fastest (perl-wise), best supported by other
157modules (e.g. AnyEvent or Coro) and most portable event loop.
158
159For specific programs you can create additional event loops dynamically.
160
161If you want to take advantage of kqueue (which often works properly for
162sockets only) even though the default loop doesn't enable it, you can
163I<embed> a kqueue loop into the default loop: running the default loop
164will then also service the kqueue loop to some extent. See the example in
165the section about embed watchers for an example on how to achieve that.
166
167=over 4
168
169=item $loop = new EV::Loop [$flags]
170
171Create a new event loop as per the specified flags. Please refer to
172the C<ev_loop_new ()> function description in the libev documentation
173(L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#GLOBAL_FUNCTIONS>,
174or locally-installed as F<EV::libev> manpage) for more info.
175
176The loop will automatically be destroyed when it is no longer referenced
177by any watcher and the loop object goes out of scope.
178
179If you are not embedding the loop, then Using C<EV::FLAG_FORKCHECK>
180is recommended, as only the default event loop is protected by this
181module. If you I<are> embedding this loop in the default loop, this is not
182necessary, as C<EV::embed> automatically does the right thing on fork.
183
184=item $loop->loop_fork
185
186Must be called after a fork in the child, before entering or continuing
187the event loop. An alternative is to use C<EV::FLAG_FORKCHECK> which calls
188this function automatically, at some performance loss (refer to the libev
189documentation).
190
191=item $loop->verify
192
193Calls C<ev_verify> to make internal consistency checks (for debugging
194libev) and abort the program if any data structures were found to be
195corrupted.
196
197=item $loop = EV::default_loop [$flags]
198
199Return the default loop (which is a singleton object). Since this module
200already creates the default loop with default flags, specifying flags here
201will not have any effect unless you destroy the default loop first, which
202isn't supported. So in short: don't do it, and if you break it, you get to
203keep the pieces.
204
205=back
206
78 207
79=head1 BASIC INTERFACE 208=head1 BASIC INTERFACE
80 209
81=over 4 210=over 4
82 211
83=item $EV::DIED 212=item $EV::DIED
84 213
85Must contain a reference to a function that is called when a callback 214Must contain a reference to a function that is called when a callback
86throws an exception (with $@ containing thr error). The default prints an 215throws an exception (with $@ containing the error). The default prints an
87informative message and continues. 216informative message and continues.
88 217
89If this callback throws an exception it will be silently ignored. 218If this callback throws an exception it will be silently ignored.
90 219
220=item $flags = EV::supported_backends
221
222=item $flags = EV::recommended_backends
223
224=item $flags = EV::embeddable_backends
225
226Returns the set (see C<EV::BACKEND_*> flags) of backends supported by this
227instance of EV, the set of recommended backends (supposed to be good) for
228this platform and the set of embeddable backends (see EMBED WATCHERS).
229
230=item EV::sleep $seconds
231
232Block the process for the given number of (fractional) seconds.
233
91=item $time = EV::time 234=item $time = EV::time
92 235
93Returns the current time in (fractional) seconds since the epoch. 236Returns the current time in (fractional) seconds since the epoch.
94 237
95=item $time = EV::now 238=item $time = EV::now
96 239
240=item $time = $loop->now
241
97Returns the time the last event loop iteration has been started. This 242Returns the time the last event loop iteration has been started. This
98is the time that (relative) timers are based on, and refering to it is 243is the time that (relative) timers are based on, and referring to it is
99usually faster then calling EV::time. 244usually faster then calling EV::time.
100 245
101=item $method = EV::ev_method 246=item EV::now_update
102 247
248=item $loop->now_update
249
250Establishes the current time by querying the kernel, updating the time
251returned by C<EV::now> in the progress. This is a costly operation and
252is usually done automatically within C<EV::loop>.
253
254This function is rarely useful, but when some event callback runs for a
255very long time without entering the event loop, updating libev's idea of
256the current time is a good idea.
257
258=item EV::suspend
259
260=item $loop->suspend
261
262=item EV::resume
263
264=item $loop->resume
265
266These two functions suspend and resume a loop, for use when the loop is
267not used for a while and timeouts should not be processed.
268
269A typical use case would be an interactive program such as a game: When
270the user presses C<^Z> to suspend the game and resumes it an hour later it
271would be best to handle timeouts as if no time had actually passed while
272the program was suspended. This can be achieved by calling C<suspend>
273in your C<SIGTSTP> handler, sending yourself a C<SIGSTOP> and calling
274C<resume> directly afterwards to resume timer processing.
275
276Effectively, all C<timer> watchers will be delayed by the time spend
277between C<suspend> and C<resume>, and all C<periodic> watchers
278will be rescheduled (that is, they will lose any events that would have
279occured while suspended).
280
281After calling C<suspend> you B<must not> call I<any> function on the given
282loop other than C<resume>, and you B<must not> call C<resume>
283without a previous call to C<suspend>.
284
285Calling C<suspend>/C<resume> has the side effect of updating the event
286loop time (see C<now_update>).
287
288=item $backend = EV::backend
289
290=item $backend = $loop->backend
291
103Returns an integer describing the backend used by libev (EV::METHOD_SELECT 292Returns an integer describing the backend used by libev (EV::BACKEND_SELECT
104or EV::METHOD_EPOLL). 293or EV::BACKEND_EPOLL).
105 294
106=item EV::loop [$flags] 295=item $active = EV::run [$flags]
296
297=item $active = $loop->run ([$flags])
107 298
108Begin checking for events and calling callbacks. It returns when a 299Begin checking for events and calling callbacks. It returns when a
109callback calls EV::loop_done. 300callback calls EV::unloop or the flasg are nonzero (in which case the
301return value is true) or when there are no active watchers which reference
302the loop (keepalive is true), in which case the return value will be
303false. The returnv alue can generally be interpreted as "if true, there is
304more work left to do".
110 305
111The $flags argument can be one of the following: 306The $flags argument can be one of the following:
112 307
113 0 as above 308 0 as above
114 EV::LOOP_ONESHOT block at most once (wait, but do not loop) 309 EV::RUN_ONCE block at most once (wait, but do not loop)
115 EV::LOOP_NONBLOCK do not block at all (fetch/handle events but do not wait) 310 EV::RUN_NOWAIT do not block at all (fetch/handle events but do not wait)
116 311
117=item EV::loop_done [$how] 312=item EV::break [$how]
118 313
314=item $loop->break ([$how])
315
119When called with no arguments or an argument of 1, makes the innermost 316When called with no arguments or an argument of EV::BREAK_ONE, makes the
120call to EV::loop return. 317innermost call to EV::loop return.
121 318
122When called with an agrument of 2, all calls to EV::loop will return as 319When called with an argument of EV::BREAK_ALL, all calls to EV::loop will
123fast as possible. 320return as fast as possible.
124 321
125=back 322When called with an argument of EV::BREAK_CANCEL, any pending break will
323be cancelled.
126 324
127=head2 WATCHER 325=item $count = EV::iteration
326
327=item $count = $loop->iteration
328
329Return the number of times the event loop has polled for new
330events. Sometimes useful as a generation counter.
331
332=item EV::once $fh_or_undef, $events, $timeout, $cb->($revents)
333
334=item $loop->once ($fh_or_undef, $events, $timeout, $cb->($revents))
335
336This function rolls together an I/O and a timer watcher for a single
337one-shot event without the need for managing a watcher object.
338
339If C<$fh_or_undef> is a filehandle or file descriptor, then C<$events>
340must be a bitset containing either C<EV::READ>, C<EV::WRITE> or C<EV::READ
341| EV::WRITE>, indicating the type of I/O event you want to wait for. If
342you do not want to wait for some I/O event, specify C<undef> for
343C<$fh_or_undef> and C<0> for C<$events>).
344
345If timeout is C<undef> or negative, then there will be no
346timeout. Otherwise a EV::timer with this value will be started.
347
348When an error occurs or either the timeout or I/O watcher triggers, then
349the callback will be called with the received event set (in general
350you can expect it to be a combination of C<EV::ERROR>, C<EV::READ>,
351C<EV::WRITE> and C<EV::TIMER>).
352
353EV::once doesn't return anything: the watchers stay active till either
354of them triggers, then they will be stopped and freed, and the callback
355invoked.
356
357=item EV::feed_fd_event $fd, $revents
358
359=item $loop->feed_fd_event ($fd, $revents)
360
361Feed an event on a file descriptor into EV. EV will react to this call as
362if the readyness notifications specified by C<$revents> (a combination of
363C<EV::READ> and C<EV::WRITE>) happened on the file descriptor C<$fd>.
364
365=item EV::feed_signal_event $signal
366
367Feed a signal event into the default loop. EV will react to this call as
368if the signal specified by C<$signal> had occured.
369
370=item EV::feed_signal $signal
371
372Feed a signal event into EV - unlike C<EV::feed_signal_event>, this works
373regardless of which loop has registered the signal, and is mainly useful
374fro custom signal implementations.
375
376=item EV::set_io_collect_interval $time
377
378=item $loop->set_io_collect_interval ($time)
379
380=item EV::set_timeout_collect_interval $time
381
382=item $loop->set_timeout_collect_interval ($time)
383
384These advanced functions set the minimum block interval when polling for I/O events and the minimum
385wait interval for timer events. See the libev documentation at
386L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#FUNCTIONS_CONTROLLING_THE_EVENT_LOOP>
387(locally installed as F<EV::libev>) for a more detailed discussion.
388
389=item $count = EV::pending_count
390
391=item $count = $loop->pending_count
392
393Returns the number of currently pending watchers.
394
395=item EV::invoke_pending
396
397=item $loop->invoke_pending
398
399Invoke all currently pending watchers.
400
401=back
402
403
404=head1 WATCHER OBJECTS
128 405
129A watcher is an object that gets created to record your interest in some 406A watcher is an object that gets created to record your interest in some
130event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to become readable, you 407event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to become readable, you
131would create an EV::io watcher for that: 408would create an EV::io watcher for that:
132 409
133 my $watcher = EV::io *STDIN, EV::READ, sub { 410 my $watcher = EV::io *STDIN, EV::READ, sub {
134 my ($watcher, $revents) = @_; 411 my ($watcher, $revents) = @_;
135 warn "yeah, STDIN should not be readable without blocking!\n" 412 warn "yeah, STDIN should now be readable without blocking!\n"
136 }; 413 };
137 414
138All watchers can be active (waiting for events) or inactive (paused). Only 415All watchers can be active (waiting for events) or inactive (paused). Only
139active watchers will have their callbacks invoked. All callbacks will be 416active watchers will have their callbacks invoked. All callbacks will be
140called with at least two arguments: the watcher and a bitmask of received 417called with at least two arguments: the watcher and a bitmask of received
141events. 418events.
142 419
143Each watcher type has its associated bit in revents, so you can use the 420Each watcher type has its associated bit in revents, so you can use the
144same callback for multiple watchers. The event mask is named after the 421same callback for multiple watchers. The event mask is named after the
145type, i..e. EV::child sets EV::CHILD, EV::prepare sets EV::PREPARE, 422type, i.e. EV::child sets EV::CHILD, EV::prepare sets EV::PREPARE,
146EV::periodic sets EV::PERIODIC and so on, with the exception of IO events 423EV::periodic sets EV::PERIODIC and so on, with the exception of I/O events
147(which can set both EV::READ and EV::WRITE bits), and EV::timer (which 424(which can set both EV::READ and EV::WRITE bits).
148uses EV::TIMEOUT).
149 425
150In the rare case where one wants to create a watcher but not start it at 426In the rare case where one wants to create a watcher but not start it at
151the same time, each constructor has a variant with a trailing C<_ns> in 427the same time, each constructor has a variant with a trailing C<_ns> in
152its name, e.g. EV::io has a non-starting variant EV::io_ns and so on. 428its name, e.g. EV::io has a non-starting variant EV::io_ns and so on.
153 429
157 433
158Also, all methods changing some aspect of a watcher (->set, ->priority, 434Also, all methods changing some aspect of a watcher (->set, ->priority,
159->fh and so on) automatically stop and start it again if it is active, 435->fh and so on) automatically stop and start it again if it is active,
160which means pending events get lost. 436which means pending events get lost.
161 437
162=head2 WATCHER TYPES 438=head2 COMMON WATCHER METHODS
163 439
164Now lets move to the existing watcher types and asociated methods. 440This section lists methods common to all watchers.
165
166The following methods are available for all watchers. Then followes a
167description of each watcher constructor (EV::io, EV::timer, EV::periodic,
168EV::signal, EV::child, EV::idle, EV::prepare and EV::check), followed by
169any type-specific methods (if any).
170 441
171=over 4 442=over 4
172 443
173=item $w->start 444=item $w->start
174 445
178 449
179=item $w->stop 450=item $w->stop
180 451
181Stop a watcher if it is active. Also clear any pending events (events that 452Stop a watcher if it is active. Also clear any pending events (events that
182have been received but that didn't yet result in a callback invocation), 453have been received but that didn't yet result in a callback invocation),
183regardless of wether the watcher was active or not. 454regardless of whether the watcher was active or not.
184 455
185=item $bool = $w->is_active 456=item $bool = $w->is_active
186 457
187Returns true if the watcher is active, false otherwise. 458Returns true if the watcher is active, false otherwise.
459
460=item $current_data = $w->data
461
462=item $old_data = $w->data ($new_data)
463
464Queries a freely usable data scalar on the watcher and optionally changes
465it. This is a way to associate custom data with a watcher:
466
467 my $w = EV::timer 60, 0, sub {
468 warn $_[0]->data;
469 };
470 $w->data ("print me!");
188 471
189=item $current_cb = $w->cb 472=item $current_cb = $w->cb
190 473
191=item $old_cb = $w->cb ($new_cb) 474=item $old_cb = $w->cb ($new_cb)
192 475
201watchers with higher priority will be invoked first. The valid range of 484watchers with higher priority will be invoked first. The valid range of
202priorities lies between EV::MAXPRI (default 2) and EV::MINPRI (default 485priorities lies between EV::MAXPRI (default 2) and EV::MINPRI (default
203-2). If the priority is outside this range it will automatically be 486-2). If the priority is outside this range it will automatically be
204normalised to the nearest valid priority. 487normalised to the nearest valid priority.
205 488
206The default priority of any newly-created weatcher is 0. 489The default priority of any newly-created watcher is 0.
207 490
491Note that the priority semantics have not yet been fleshed out and are
492subject to almost certain change.
493
208=item $w->trigger ($revents) 494=item $w->invoke ($revents)
209 495
210Call the callback *now* with the given event mask. 496Call the callback *now* with the given event mask.
211 497
498=item $w->feed_event ($revents)
499
500Feed some events on this watcher into EV. EV will react to this call as if
501the watcher had received the given C<$revents> mask.
502
503=item $revents = $w->clear_pending
504
505If the watcher is pending, this function clears its pending status and
506returns its C<$revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
507watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
508
509=item $previous_state = $w->keepalive ($bool)
510
511Normally, C<EV::loop> will return when there are no active watchers
512(which is a "deadlock" because no progress can be made anymore). This is
513convenient because it allows you to start your watchers (and your jobs),
514call C<EV::loop> once and when it returns you know that all your jobs are
515finished (or they forgot to register some watchers for their task :).
516
517Sometimes, however, this gets in your way, for example when the module
518that calls C<EV::loop> (usually the main program) is not the same module
519as a long-living watcher (for example a DNS client module written by
520somebody else even). Then you might want any outstanding requests to be
521handled, but you would not want to keep C<EV::loop> from returning just
522because you happen to have this long-running UDP port watcher.
523
524In this case you can clear the keepalive status, which means that even
525though your watcher is active, it won't keep C<EV::loop> from returning.
526
527The initial value for keepalive is true (enabled), and you can change it
528any time.
529
530Example: Register an I/O watcher for some UDP socket but do not keep the
531event loop from running just because of that watcher.
532
533 my $udp_socket = ...
534 my $udp_watcher = EV::io $udp_socket, EV::READ, sub { ... };
535 $udp_watcher->keepalive (0);
536
537=item $loop = $w->loop
538
539Return the loop that this watcher is attached to.
540
541=back
542
543
544=head1 WATCHER TYPES
545
546Each of the following subsections describes a single watcher type.
547
548=head3 I/O WATCHERS - is this file descriptor readable or writable?
549
550=over 4
212 551
213=item $w = EV::io $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback 552=item $w = EV::io $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback
214 553
215=item $w = EV::io_ns $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback 554=item $w = EV::io_ns $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback
216 555
556=item $w = $loop->io ($fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback)
557
558=item $w = $loop->io_ns ($fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback)
559
217As long as the returned watcher object is alive, call the C<$callback> 560As long as the returned watcher object is alive, call the C<$callback>
218when the events specified in C<$eventmask>. 561when at least one of events specified in C<$eventmask> occurs.
219 562
220The $eventmask can be one or more of these constants ORed together: 563The $eventmask can be one or more of these constants ORed together:
221 564
222 EV::READ wait until read() wouldn't block anymore 565 EV::READ wait until read() wouldn't block anymore
223 EV::WRITE wait until write() wouldn't block anymore 566 EV::WRITE wait until write() wouldn't block anymore
239 582
240=item $old_eventmask = $w->events ($new_eventmask) 583=item $old_eventmask = $w->events ($new_eventmask)
241 584
242Returns the previously set event mask and optionally set a new one. 585Returns the previously set event mask and optionally set a new one.
243 586
587=back
588
589
590=head3 TIMER WATCHERS - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
591
592=over 4
244 593
245=item $w = EV::timer $after, $repeat, $callback 594=item $w = EV::timer $after, $repeat, $callback
246 595
247=item $w = EV::timer_ns $after, $repeat, $callback 596=item $w = EV::timer_ns $after, $repeat, $callback
248 597
249Calls the callback after C<$after> seconds. If C<$repeat> is non-zero, 598=item $w = $loop->timer ($after, $repeat, $callback)
250the timer will be restarted (with the $repeat value as $after) after the 599
251callback returns. 600=item $w = $loop->timer_ns ($after, $repeat, $callback)
601
602Calls the callback after C<$after> seconds (which may be fractional). If
603C<$repeat> is non-zero, the timer will be restarted (with the $repeat
604value as $after) after the callback returns.
252 605
253This means that the callback would be called roughly after C<$after> 606This means that the callback would be called roughly after C<$after>
254seconds, and then every C<$repeat> seconds. "Roughly" because the time of 607seconds, and then every C<$repeat> seconds. The timer does his best not
255callback processing is not taken into account, so the timer will slowly 608to drift, but it will not invoke the timer more often then once per event
256drift. If that isn't acceptable, look at EV::periodic. 609loop iteration, and might drift in other cases. If that isn't acceptable,
610look at EV::periodic, which can provide long-term stable timers.
257 611
258The timer is based on a monotonic clock, that is if somebody is sitting 612The timer is based on a monotonic clock, that is, if somebody is sitting
259in front of the machine while the timer is running and changes the system 613in front of the machine while the timer is running and changes the system
260clock, the timer will nevertheless run (roughly) the same time. 614clock, the timer will nevertheless run (roughly) the same time.
261 615
262The C<timer_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 616The C<timer_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
263 617
264=item $w->set ($after, $repeat) 618=item $w->set ($after, $repeat)
265 619
266Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 620Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be called at
267any time. 621any time.
268 622
269=item $w->again 623=item $w->again
270 624
271Similar to the C<start> method, but has special semantics for repeating timers: 625Similar to the C<start> method, but has special semantics for repeating timers:
626
627If the timer is active and non-repeating, it will be stopped.
272 628
273If the timer is active and repeating, reset the timeout to occur 629If the timer is active and repeating, reset the timeout to occur
274C<$repeat> seconds after now. 630C<$repeat> seconds after now.
275 631
276If the timer is active and non-repeating, it will be stopped.
277
278If the timer is in active and repeating, start it. 632If the timer is inactive and repeating, start it using the repeat value.
279 633
280Otherwise do nothing. 634Otherwise do nothing.
281 635
282This behaviour is useful when you have a timeout for some IO 636This behaviour is useful when you have a timeout for some IO
283operation. You create a timer object with the same value for C<$after> and 637operation. You create a timer object with the same value for C<$after> and
284C<$repeat>, and then, in the read/write watcher, run the C<again> method 638C<$repeat>, and then, in the read/write watcher, run the C<again> method
285on the timeout. 639on the timeout.
286 640
641=back
287 642
643
644=head3 PERIODIC WATCHERS - to cron or not to cron?
645
646=over 4
647
288=item $w = EV::periodic $at, $interval, $callback 648=item $w = EV::periodic $at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback
289 649
290=item $w = EV::periodic_ns $at, $interval, $callback 650=item $w = EV::periodic_ns $at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback
291 651
292Similar to EV::timer, but the time is given as an absolute point in time 652=item $w = $loop->periodic ($at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback)
293(C<$at>), plus an optional C<$interval>.
294 653
295If the C<$interval> is zero, then the callback will be called at the time 654=item $w = $loop->periodic_ns ($at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback)
296C<$at> if that is in the future, or as soon as possible if it is in the
297past. It will not automatically repeat.
298 655
299If the C<$interval> is nonzero, then the watcher will always be scheduled 656Similar to EV::timer, but is not based on relative timeouts but on
300to time out at the next C<$at + N * $interval> time. 657absolute times. Apart from creating "simple" timers that trigger "at" the
658specified time, it can also be used for non-drifting absolute timers and
659more complex, cron-like, setups that are not adversely affected by time
660jumps (i.e. when the system clock is changed by explicit date -s or other
661means such as ntpd). It is also the most complex watcher type in EV.
301 662
302This can be used to schedule a callback to run at very regular intervals, 663It has three distinct "modes":
303as long as the processing time is less then the interval (otherwise 664
304obviously events will be skipped). 665=over 4
666
667=item * absolute timer ($interval = $reschedule_cb = 0)
668
669This time simply fires at the wallclock time C<$at> and doesn't repeat. It
670will not adjust when a time jump occurs, that is, if it is to be run
671at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the system time reaches or
672surpasses this time.
673
674=item * repeating interval timer ($interval > 0, $reschedule_cb = 0)
675
676In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the
677next C<$at + N * $interval> time (for some integer N) and then repeat,
678regardless of any time jumps.
679
680This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system
681time:
682
683 my $hourly = EV::periodic 0, 3600, 0, sub { print "once/hour\n" };
684
685That doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,
686but only that the the clalback will be called when the system time shows a
687full hour (UTC).
305 688
306Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that 689Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
307EV::periodic will try to run the callback at the next possible time where 690EV::periodic will try to run the callback in this mode at the next
308C<$time = $at (mod $interval)>, regardless of any time jumps. 691possible time where C<$time = $at (mod $interval)>, regardless of any time
692jumps.
309 693
310This periodic timer is based on "wallclock time", that is, if the clock 694=item * manual reschedule mode ($reschedule_cb = coderef)
311changes (C<ntp>, C<date -s> etc.), then the timer will nevertheless run at 695
312the specified time. This means it will never drift (it might jitter, but 696In this mode $interval and $at are both being ignored. Instead, each
313it will not drift). 697time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the reschedule callback
698($reschedule_cb) will be called with the watcher as first, and the current
699time as second argument.
700
701I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy this or any other periodic
702watcher, ever, and MUST NOT call any event loop functions or methods>. If
703you need to stop it, return 1e30 and stop it afterwards. You may create
704and start a C<EV::prepare> watcher for this task.
705
706It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value
707(that is, the lowest time value larger than or equal to to the second
708argument). It will usually be called just before the callback will be
709triggered, but might be called at other times, too.
710
711This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that
712triggers on each midnight, local time (actually 24 hours after the last
713midnight, to keep the example simple. If you know a way to do it correctly
714in about the same space (without requiring elaborate modules), drop me a
715note :):
716
717 my $daily = EV::periodic 0, 0, sub {
718 my ($w, $now) = @_;
719
720 use Time::Local ();
721 my (undef, undef, undef, $d, $m, $y) = localtime $now;
722 86400 + Time::Local::timelocal 0, 0, 0, $d, $m, $y
723 }, sub {
724 print "it's midnight or likely shortly after, now\n";
725 };
726
727=back
314 728
315The C<periodic_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 729The C<periodic_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
316 730
317=item $w->set ($at, $interval) 731=item $w->set ($at, $interval, $reschedule_cb)
318 732
319Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 733Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be called at
320any time. 734any time.
321 735
736=item $w->again
737
738Simply stops and starts the watcher again.
739
740=item $time = $w->at
741
742Return the time that the watcher is expected to trigger next.
743
744=back
745
746
747=head3 SIGNAL WATCHERS - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
748
749=over 4
322 750
323=item $w = EV::signal $signal, $callback 751=item $w = EV::signal $signal, $callback
324 752
325=item $w = EV::signal_ns $signal, $callback 753=item $w = EV::signal_ns $signal, $callback
326 754
755=item $w = $loop->signal ($signal, $callback)
756
757=item $w = $loop->signal_ns ($signal, $callback)
758
327Call the callback when $signal is received (the signal can be specified 759Call the callback when $signal is received (the signal can be specified by
328by number or by name, just as with kill or %SIG). 760number or by name, just as with C<kill> or C<%SIG>).
761
762Only one event loop can grab a given signal - attempting to grab the same
763signal from two EV loops will crash the program immediately or cause data
764corruption.
329 765
330EV will grab the signal for the process (the kernel only allows one 766EV will grab the signal for the process (the kernel only allows one
331component to receive a signal at a time) when you start a signal watcher, 767component to receive a signal at a time) when you start a signal watcher,
332and removes it again when you stop it. Perl does the same when you 768and removes it again when you stop it. Perl does the same when you
333add/remove callbacks to %SIG, so watch out. 769add/remove callbacks to C<%SIG>, so watch out.
334 770
335You can have as many signal watchers per signal as you want. 771You can have as many signal watchers per signal as you want.
336 772
337The C<signal_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 773The C<signal_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
338 774
339=item $w->set ($signal) 775=item $w->set ($signal)
340 776
341Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 777Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be
342any time. 778called at any time.
343 779
344=item $current_signum = $w->signal 780=item $current_signum = $w->signal
345 781
346=item $old_signum = $w->signal ($new_signal) 782=item $old_signum = $w->signal ($new_signal)
347 783
348Returns the previously set signal (always as a number not name) and 784Returns the previously set signal (always as a number not name) and
349optionally set a new one. 785optionally set a new one.
350 786
787=back
351 788
789
790=head3 CHILD WATCHERS - watch out for process status changes
791
792=over 4
793
352=item $w = EV::child $pid, $callback 794=item $w = EV::child $pid, $trace, $callback
353 795
354=item $w = EV::child_ns $pid, $callback 796=item $w = EV::child_ns $pid, $trace, $callback
797
798=item $w = $loop->child ($pid, $trace, $callback)
799
800=item $w = $loop->child_ns ($pid, $trace, $callback)
355 801
356Call the callback when a status change for pid C<$pid> (or any pid 802Call the callback when a status change for pid C<$pid> (or any pid
357if C<$pid> is 0) has been received. More precisely: when the process 803if C<$pid> is 0) has been received (a status change happens when the
804process terminates or is killed, or, when trace is true, additionally when
805it is stopped or continued). More precisely: when the process receives
358receives a SIGCHLD, EV will fetch the outstanding exit/wait status for all 806a C<SIGCHLD>, EV will fetch the outstanding exit/wait status for all
359changed/zombie children and call the callback. 807changed/zombie children and call the callback.
360 808
361Unlike all other callbacks, this callback will be called with an 809It is valid (and fully supported) to install a child watcher after a child
362additional third argument which is the exit status. See the C<waitpid> 810has exited but before the event loop has started its next iteration (for
363function for details. 811example, first you C<fork>, then the new child process might exit, and
812only then do you install a child watcher in the parent for the new pid).
364 813
814You can access both exit (or tracing) status and pid by using the
815C<rstatus> and C<rpid> methods on the watcher object.
816
365You can have as many pid watchers per pid as you want. 817You can have as many pid watchers per pid as you want, they will all be
818called.
366 819
367The C<child_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 820The C<child_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
368 821
369=item $w->set ($pid) 822=item $w->set ($pid, $trace)
370 823
371Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 824Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be called at
372any time. 825any time.
373 826
374=item $current_pid = $w->pid 827=item $current_pid = $w->pid
375 828
376=item $old_pid = $w->pid ($new_pid)
377
378Returns the previously set process id and optionally set a new one. 829Returns the previously set process id and optionally set a new one.
379 830
831=item $exit_status = $w->rstatus
832
833Return the exit/wait status (as returned by waitpid, see the waitpid entry
834in perlfunc).
835
836=item $pid = $w->rpid
837
838Return the pid of the awaited child (useful when you have installed a
839watcher for all pids).
840
841=back
842
843
844=head3 STAT WATCHERS - did the file attributes just change?
845
846=over 4
847
848=item $w = EV::stat $path, $interval, $callback
849
850=item $w = EV::stat_ns $path, $interval, $callback
851
852=item $w = $loop->stat ($path, $interval, $callback)
853
854=item $w = $loop->stat_ns ($path, $interval, $callback)
855
856Call the callback when a file status change has been detected on
857C<$path>. The C<$path> does not need to exist, changing from "path exists"
858to "path does not exist" is a status change like any other.
859
860The C<$interval> is a recommended polling interval for systems where
861OS-supported change notifications don't exist or are not supported. If
862you use C<0> then an unspecified default is used (which is highly
863recommended!), which is to be expected to be around five seconds usually.
864
865This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
866as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
867resource-intensive.
868
869The C<stat_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
870
871=item ... = $w->stat
872
873This call is very similar to the perl C<stat> built-in: It stats (using
874C<lstat>) the path specified in the watcher and sets perls stat cache (as
875well as EV's idea of the current stat values) to the values found.
876
877In scalar context, a boolean is return indicating success or failure of
878the stat. In list context, the same 13-value list as with stat is returned
879(except that the blksize and blocks fields are not reliable).
880
881In the case of an error, errno is set to C<ENOENT> (regardless of the
882actual error value) and the C<nlink> value is forced to zero (if the stat
883was successful then nlink is guaranteed to be non-zero).
884
885See also the next two entries for more info.
886
887=item ... = $w->attr
888
889Just like C<< $w->stat >>, but without the initial stat'ing: this returns
890the values most recently detected by EV. See the next entry for more info.
891
892=item ... = $w->prev
893
894Just like C<< $w->stat >>, but without the initial stat'ing: this returns
895the previous set of values, before the change.
896
897That is, when the watcher callback is invoked, C<< $w->prev >> will be set
898to the values found I<before> a change was detected, while C<< $w->attr >>
899returns the values found leading to the change detection. The difference (if any)
900between C<prev> and C<attr> is what triggered the callback.
901
902If you did something to the filesystem object and do not want to trigger
903yet another change, you can call C<stat> to update EV's idea of what the
904current attributes are.
905
906=item $w->set ($path, $interval)
907
908Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be
909called at any time.
910
911=item $current_path = $w->path
912
913=item $old_path = $w->path ($new_path)
914
915Returns the previously set path and optionally set a new one.
916
917=item $current_interval = $w->interval
918
919=item $old_interval = $w->interval ($new_interval)
920
921Returns the previously set interval and optionally set a new one. Can be
922used to query the actual interval used.
923
924=back
925
926
927=head3 IDLE WATCHERS - when you've got nothing better to do...
928
929=over 4
380 930
381=item $w = EV::idle $callback 931=item $w = EV::idle $callback
382 932
383=item $w = EV::idle_ns $callback 933=item $w = EV::idle_ns $callback
384 934
385Call the callback when there are no pending io, timer/periodic, signal or 935=item $w = $loop->idle ($callback)
386child events, i.e. when the process is idle. 936
937=item $w = $loop->idle_ns ($callback)
938
939Call the callback when there are no other pending watchers of the same or
940higher priority (excluding check, prepare and other idle watchers of the
941same or lower priority, of course). They are called idle watchers because
942when the watcher is the highest priority pending event in the process, the
943process is considered to be idle at that priority.
944
945If you want a watcher that is only ever called when I<no> other events are
946outstanding you have to set the priority to C<EV::MINPRI>.
387 947
388The process will not block as long as any idle watchers are active, and 948The process will not block as long as any idle watchers are active, and
389they will be called repeatedly until stopped. 949they will be called repeatedly until stopped.
390 950
951For example, if you have idle watchers at priority C<0> and C<1>, and
952an I/O watcher at priority C<0>, then the idle watcher at priority C<1>
953and the I/O watcher will always run when ready. Only when the idle watcher
954at priority C<1> is stopped and the I/O watcher at priority C<0> is not
955pending with the C<0>-priority idle watcher be invoked.
956
391The C<idle_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 957The C<idle_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
392 958
959=back
960
961
962=head3 PREPARE WATCHERS - customise your event loop!
963
964=over 4
393 965
394=item $w = EV::prepare $callback 966=item $w = EV::prepare $callback
395 967
396=item $w = EV::prepare_ns $callback 968=item $w = EV::prepare_ns $callback
969
970=item $w = $loop->prepare ($callback)
971
972=item $w = $loop->prepare_ns ($callback)
397 973
398Call the callback just before the process would block. You can still 974Call the callback just before the process would block. You can still
399create/modify any watchers at this point. 975create/modify any watchers at this point.
400 976
401See the EV::check watcher, below, for explanations and an example. 977See the EV::check watcher, below, for explanations and an example.
402 978
403The C<prepare_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 979The C<prepare_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
404 980
981=back
982
983
984=head3 CHECK WATCHERS - customise your event loop even more!
985
986=over 4
405 987
406=item $w = EV::check $callback 988=item $w = EV::check $callback
407 989
408=item $w = EV::check_ns $callback 990=item $w = EV::check_ns $callback
991
992=item $w = $loop->check ($callback)
993
994=item $w = $loop->check_ns ($callback)
409 995
410Call the callback just after the process wakes up again (after it has 996Call the callback just after the process wakes up again (after it has
411gathered events), but before any other callbacks have been invoked. 997gathered events), but before any other callbacks have been invoked.
412 998
413This is used to integrate other event-based software into the EV 999This can be used to integrate other event-based software into the EV
414mainloop: You register a prepare callback and in there, you create io and 1000mainloop: You register a prepare callback and in there, you create io and
415timer watchers as required by the other software. Here is a real-world 1001timer watchers as required by the other software. Here is a real-world
416example of integrating Net::SNMP (with some details left out): 1002example of integrating Net::SNMP (with some details left out):
417 1003
418 our @snmp_watcher; 1004 our @snmp_watcher;
421 # do nothing unless active 1007 # do nothing unless active
422 $dispatcher->{_event_queue_h} 1008 $dispatcher->{_event_queue_h}
423 or return; 1009 or return;
424 1010
425 # make the dispatcher handle any outstanding stuff 1011 # make the dispatcher handle any outstanding stuff
1012 ... not shown
426 1013
427 # create an IO watcher for each and every socket 1014 # create an I/O watcher for each and every socket
428 @snmp_watcher = ( 1015 @snmp_watcher = (
429 (map { EV::io $_, EV::READ, sub { } } 1016 (map { EV::io $_, EV::READ, sub { } }
430 keys %{ $dispatcher->{_descriptors} }), 1017 keys %{ $dispatcher->{_descriptors} }),
1018
1019 EV::timer +($event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_ACTIVE]
1020 ? $event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_TIME] - EV::now : 0),
1021 0, sub { },
431 ); 1022 );
432
433 # if there are any timeouts, also create a timer
434 push @snmp_watcher, EV::timer $event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_TIME] - EV::now, 0, sub { }
435 if $event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_ACTIVE];
436 }; 1023 };
437 1024
438The callbacks are irrelevant, the only purpose of those watchers is 1025The callbacks are irrelevant (and are not even being called), the
439to wake up the process as soon as one of those events occurs (socket 1026only purpose of those watchers is to wake up the process as soon as
440readable, or timer timed out). The corresponding EV::check watcher will then 1027one of those events occurs (socket readable, or timer timed out). The
441clean up: 1028corresponding EV::check watcher will then clean up:
442 1029
443 our $snmp_check = EV::check sub { 1030 our $snmp_check = EV::check sub {
444 # destroy all watchers 1031 # destroy all watchers
445 @snmp_watcher = (); 1032 @snmp_watcher = ();
446 1033
447 # make the dispatcher handle any new stuff 1034 # make the dispatcher handle any new stuff
1035 ... not shown
448 }; 1036 };
449 1037
450The callbacks of the created watchers will not be called as the watchers 1038The callbacks of the created watchers will not be called as the watchers
451are destroyed before this cna happen (remember EV::check gets called 1039are destroyed before this can happen (remember EV::check gets called
452first). 1040first).
453 1041
454The C<check_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 1042The C<check_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
455 1043
456=back 1044=item EV::CHECK constant issues
457 1045
1046Like all other watcher types, there is a bitmask constant for use in
1047C<$revents> and other places. The C<EV::CHECK> is special as it has
1048the same name as the C<CHECK> sub called by Perl. This doesn't cause
1049big issues on newer perls (beginning with 5.8.9), but it means thatthe
1050constant must be I<inlined>, i.e. runtime calls will not work. That means
1051that as long as you always C<use EV> and then C<EV::CHECK> you are on the
1052safe side.
1053
1054=back
1055
1056
1057=head3 FORK WATCHERS - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
1058
1059Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected. The invocation
1060is done before the event loop blocks next and before C<check> watchers
1061are being called, and only in the child after the fork.
1062
1063=over 4
1064
1065=item $w = EV::fork $callback
1066
1067=item $w = EV::fork_ns $callback
1068
1069=item $w = $loop->fork ($callback)
1070
1071=item $w = $loop->fork_ns ($callback)
1072
1073Call the callback before the event loop is resumed in the child process
1074after a fork.
1075
1076The C<fork_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
1077
1078=back
1079
1080
1081=head3 EMBED WATCHERS - when one backend isn't enough...
1082
1083This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
1084into another (currently only IO events are supported in the embedded
1085loop, other types of watchers might be handled in a delayed or incorrect
1086fashion and must not be used).
1087
1088See the libev documentation at
1089L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#code_ev_embed_code_when_one_backend_>
1090(locally installed as F<EV::libev>) for more details.
1091
1092In short, this watcher is most useful on BSD systems without working
1093kqueue to still be able to handle a large number of sockets:
1094
1095 my $socket_loop;
1096
1097 # check wether we use SELECT or POLL _and_ KQUEUE is supported
1098 if (
1099 (EV::backend & (EV::BACKEND_POLL | EV::BACKEND_SELECT))
1100 && (EV::supported_backends & EV::embeddable_backends & EV::BACKEND_KQUEUE)
1101 ) {
1102 # use kqueue for sockets
1103 $socket_loop = new EV::Loop EV::BACKEND_KQUEUE | EV::FLAG_NOENV;
1104 }
1105
1106 # use the default loop otherwise
1107 $socket_loop ||= EV::default_loop;
1108
1109=over 4
1110
1111=item $w = EV::embed $otherloop[, $callback]
1112
1113=item $w = EV::embed_ns $otherloop[, $callback]
1114
1115=item $w = $loop->embed ($otherloop[, $callback])
1116
1117=item $w = $loop->embed_ns ($otherloop[, $callback])
1118
1119Call the callback when the embedded event loop (C<$otherloop>) has any
1120I/O activity. The C<$callback> is optional: if it is missing, then the
1121embedded event loop will be managed automatically (which is recommended),
1122otherwise you have to invoke C<sweep> yourself.
1123
1124The C<embed_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
1125
1126=back
1127
1128=head3 ASYNC WATCHERS - how to wake up another event loop
1129
1130Async watchers are provided by EV, but have little use in perl directly,
1131as perl neither supports threads running in parallel nor direct access to
1132signal handlers or other contexts where they could be of value.
1133
1134It is, however, possible to use them from the XS level.
1135
1136Please see the libev documentation for further details.
1137
1138=over 4
1139
1140=item $w = EV::async $callback
1141
1142=item $w = EV::async_ns $callback
1143
1144=item $w = $loop->async ($callback)
1145
1146=item $w = $loop->async_ns ($callback)
1147
1148=item $w->send
1149
1150=item $bool = $w->async_pending
1151
1152=back
1153
1154=head3 CLEANUP WATCHERS - how to clean up when the event loop goes away
1155
1156Cleanup watchers are not supported on the Perl level, they can only be
1157used via XS currently.
1158
1159
1160=head1 PERL SIGNALS
1161
1162While Perl signal handling (C<%SIG>) is not affected by EV, the behaviour
1163with EV is as the same as any other C library: Perl-signals will only be
1164handled when Perl runs, which means your signal handler might be invoked
1165only the next time an event callback is invoked.
1166
1167The solution is to use EV signal watchers (see C<EV::signal>), which will
1168ensure proper operations with regards to other event watchers.
1169
1170If you cannot do this for whatever reason, you can also force a watcher
1171to be called on every event loop iteration by installing a C<EV::check>
1172watcher:
1173
1174 my $async_check = EV::check sub { };
1175
1176This ensures that perl gets into control for a short time to handle any
1177pending signals, and also ensures (slightly) slower overall operation.
1178
458=head1 THREADS 1179=head1 ITHREADS
459 1180
460Threads are not supported by this in any way. Perl pseudo-threads is evil 1181Ithreads are not supported by this module in any way. Perl pseudo-threads
461stuff and must die. 1182is evil stuff and must die. Real threads as provided by Coro are fully
1183supported (and enhanced support is available via L<Coro::EV>).
1184
1185=head1 FORK
1186
1187Most of the "improved" event delivering mechanisms of modern operating
1188systems have quite a few problems with fork(2) (to put it bluntly: it is
1189not supported and usually destructive). Libev makes it possible to work
1190around this by having a function that recreates the kernel state after
1191fork in the child.
1192
1193On non-win32 platforms, this module requires the pthread_atfork
1194functionality to do this automatically for you. This function is quite
1195buggy on most BSDs, though, so YMMV. The overhead for this is quite
1196negligible, because everything the function currently does is set a flag
1197that is checked only when the event loop gets used the next time, so when
1198you do fork but not use EV, the overhead is minimal.
1199
1200On win32, there is no notion of fork so all this doesn't apply, of course.
462 1201
463=cut 1202=cut
464 1203
465our $DIED = sub { 1204our $DIED = sub {
466 warn "EV: error in callback (ignoring): $@"; 1205 warn "EV: error in callback (ignoring): $@";
467}; 1206};
468 1207
469init 1208default_loop
470 or die 'EV: cannot initialise libev backend. bad $ENV{LIBEV_METHODS}?'; 1209 or die 'EV: cannot initialise libev backend. bad $ENV{LIBEV_FLAGS}?';
471
472push @AnyEvent::REGISTRY, [EV => "EV::AnyEvent"];
473 1210
4741; 12111;
475 1212
476=head1 SEE ALSO 1213=head1 SEE ALSO
477 1214
478 L<EV::DNS>, L<EV::AnyEvent>. 1215L<EV::MakeMaker> - MakeMaker interface to XS API, L<EV::ADNS>
1216(asynchronous DNS), L<Glib::EV> (makes Glib/Gtk2 use EV as event
1217loop), L<EV::Glib> (embed Glib into EV), L<Coro::EV> (efficient thread
1218integration), L<Net::SNMP::EV> (asynchronous SNMP), L<AnyEvent> for
1219event-loop agnostic and portable event driven programming.
479 1220
480=head1 AUTHOR 1221=head1 AUTHOR
481 1222
482 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1223 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
483 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1224 http://home.schmorp.de/
484 1225
485=cut 1226=cut
486 1227

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