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Revision 1.21 by root, Thu Nov 1 17:20:25 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.103 by root, Thu Oct 2 07:49:09 2008 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::loop; # 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::loop EV::LOOP_ONESHOT; # 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::loop EV::LOOP_NONBLOCK; # try to handle same events, but do not block
52 55
53=head1 DESCRIPTION 56=head1 DESCRIPTION
54 57
55This module provides an interface to libev 58This module provides an interface to libev
56(L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/libev.html>). 59(L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/libev.html>). While the documentation
60below is comprehensive, one might also consult the documentation of libev
61itself (L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod>) for more
62subtle details on watcher semantics or some discussion on the available
63backends, or how to force a specific backend with C<LIBEV_FLAGS>, or just
64about in any case because it has much more detailed information.
65
66This module is very fast and scalable. It is actually so fast that you
67can use it through the L<AnyEvent> module, stay portable to other event
68loops (if you don't rely on any watcher types not available through it)
69and still be faster than with any other event loop currently supported in
70Perl.
57 71
58=cut 72=cut
59 73
60package EV; 74package EV;
61 75
76no warnings;
62use strict; 77use strict;
63 78
64BEGIN { 79BEGIN {
65 our $VERSION = '0.1'; 80 our $VERSION = '3.44';
66 use XSLoader; 81 use XSLoader;
67 XSLoader::load "EV", $VERSION; 82 XSLoader::load "EV", $VERSION;
68} 83}
69 84
70@EV::Io::ISA = 85@EV::IO::ISA =
71@EV::Timer::ISA = 86@EV::Timer::ISA =
72@EV::Periodic::ISA = 87@EV::Periodic::ISA =
73@EV::Signal::ISA = 88@EV::Signal::ISA =
89@EV::Child::ISA =
90@EV::Stat::ISA =
74@EV::Idle::ISA = 91@EV::Idle::ISA =
75@EV::Prepare::ISA = 92@EV::Prepare::ISA =
76@EV::Check::ISA = 93@EV::Check::ISA =
77@EV::Child::ISA = "EV::Watcher"; 94@EV::Embed::ISA =
95@EV::Fork::ISA =
96@EV::Async::ISA =
97 "EV::Watcher";
98
99@EV::Loop::Default::ISA = "EV::Loop";
100
101=head1 EVENT LOOPS
102
103EV supports multiple event loops: There is a single "default event loop"
104that can handle everything including signals and child watchers, and any
105number of "dynamic event loops" that can use different backends (with
106various limitations), but no child and signal watchers.
107
108You do not have to do anything to create the default event loop: When
109the module is loaded a suitable backend is selected on the premise of
110selecting a working backend (which for example rules out kqueue on most
111BSDs). Modules should, unless they have "special needs" always use the
112default loop as this is fastest (perl-wise), best supported by other
113modules (e.g. AnyEvent or Coro) and most portable event loop.
114
115For specific programs you can create additional event loops dynamically.
116
117If you want to take avdantage of kqueue (which often works properly for
118sockets only) even though the default loop doesn't enable it, you can
119I<embed> a kqueue loop into the default loop: running the default loop
120will then also service the kqueue loop to some extent. See the example in
121the section about embed watchers for an example on how to achieve that.
122
123=over 4
124
125=item $loop = new EV::loop [$flags]
126
127Create a new event loop as per the specified flags. Please refer to the
128C<ev_loop_new ()> function description in the libev documentation
129(L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#GLOBAL_FUNCTIONS>)
130for more info.
131
132The loop will automatically be destroyed when it is no longer referenced
133by any watcher and the loop object goes out of scope.
134
135If you are not embedding the loop, then Using C<EV::FLAG_FORKCHECK>
136is recommended, as only the default event loop is protected by this
137module. If you I<are> embedding this loop in the default loop, this is not
138necessary, as C<EV::embed> automatically does the right thing on fork.
139
140=item $loop->loop_fork
141
142Must be called after a fork in the child, before entering or continuing
143the event loop. An alternative is to use C<EV::FLAG_FORKCHECK> which calls
144this function automatically, at some performance loss (refer to the libev
145documentation).
146
147=item $loop->loop_verify
148
149Calls C<ev_verify> to make internal consistency checks (for debugging
150libev) and abort the program if any data structures were found to be
151corrupted.
152
153=item $loop = EV::default_loop [$flags]
154
155Return the default loop (which is a singleton object). Since this module
156already creates the default loop with default flags, specifying flags here
157will not have any effect unless you destroy the default loop first, which
158isn't supported. So in short: don't do it, and if you break it, you get to
159keep the pieces.
160
161=back
162
78 163
79=head1 BASIC INTERFACE 164=head1 BASIC INTERFACE
80 165
81=over 4 166=over 4
82 167
83=item $EV::DIED 168=item $EV::DIED
84 169
85Must contain a reference to a function that is called when a callback 170Must contain a reference to a function that is called when a callback
86throws an exception (with $@ containing thr error). The default prints an 171throws an exception (with $@ containing the error). The default prints an
87informative message and continues. 172informative message and continues.
88 173
89If this callback throws an exception it will be silently ignored. 174If this callback throws an exception it will be silently ignored.
90 175
176=item $flags = EV::supported_backends
177
178=item $flags = EV::recommended_backends
179
180=item $flags = EV::embeddable_backends
181
182Returns the set (see C<EV::BACKEND_*> flags) of backends supported by this
183instance of EV, the set of recommended backends (supposed to be good) for
184this platform and the set of embeddable backends (see EMBED WATCHERS).
185
186=item EV::sleep $seconds
187
188Block the process for the given number of (fractional) seconds.
189
91=item $time = EV::time 190=item $time = EV::time
92 191
93Returns the current time in (fractional) seconds since the epoch. 192Returns the current time in (fractional) seconds since the epoch.
94 193
95=item $time = EV::now 194=item $time = EV::now
195
196=item $time = $loop->now
96 197
97Returns the time the last event loop iteration has been started. This 198Returns 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 199is the time that (relative) timers are based on, and refering to it is
99usually faster then calling EV::time. 200usually faster then calling EV::time.
100 201
101=item $method = EV::ev_method 202=item $backend = EV::backend
203
204=item $backend = $loop->backend
102 205
103Returns an integer describing the backend used by libev (EV::METHOD_SELECT 206Returns an integer describing the backend used by libev (EV::METHOD_SELECT
104or EV::METHOD_EPOLL). 207or EV::METHOD_EPOLL).
105 208
106=item EV::loop [$flags] 209=item EV::loop [$flags]
107 210
211=item $loop->loop ([$flags])
212
108Begin checking for events and calling callbacks. It returns when a 213Begin checking for events and calling callbacks. It returns when a
109callback calls EV::loop_done. 214callback calls EV::unloop.
110 215
111The $flags argument can be one of the following: 216The $flags argument can be one of the following:
112 217
113 0 as above 218 0 as above
114 EV::LOOP_ONESHOT block at most once (wait, but do not loop) 219 EV::LOOP_ONESHOT block at most once (wait, but do not loop)
115 EV::LOOP_NONBLOCK do not block at all (fetch/handle events but do not wait) 220 EV::LOOP_NONBLOCK do not block at all (fetch/handle events but do not wait)
116 221
117=item EV::loop_done [$how] 222=item EV::unloop [$how]
118 223
224=item $loop->unloop ([$how])
225
119When called with no arguments or an argument of 1, makes the innermost 226When called with no arguments or an argument of EV::UNLOOP_ONE, makes the
120call to EV::loop return. 227innermost call to EV::loop return.
121 228
122When called with an agrument of 2, all calls to EV::loop will return as 229When called with an argument of EV::UNLOOP_ALL, all calls to EV::loop will return as
123fast as possible. 230fast as possible.
124 231
125=back 232=item $count = EV::loop_count
126 233
127=head2 WATCHER 234=item $count = $loop->loop_count
235
236Return the number of times the event loop has polled for new
237events. Sometiems useful as a generation counter.
238
239=item EV::once $fh_or_undef, $events, $timeout, $cb->($revents)
240
241=item $loop->once ($fh_or_undef, $events, $timeout, $cb->($revents))
242
243This function rolls together an I/O and a timer watcher for a single
244one-shot event without the need for managing a watcher object.
245
246If C<$fh_or_undef> is a filehandle or file descriptor, then C<$events>
247must be a bitset containing either C<EV::READ>, C<EV::WRITE> or C<EV::READ
248| EV::WRITE>, indicating the type of I/O event you want to wait for. If
249you do not want to wait for some I/O event, specify C<undef> for
250C<$fh_or_undef> and C<0> for C<$events>).
251
252If timeout is C<undef> or negative, then there will be no
253timeout. Otherwise a EV::timer with this value will be started.
254
255When an error occurs or either the timeout or I/O watcher triggers, then
256the callback will be called with the received event set (in general
257you can expect it to be a combination of C<EV::ERROR>, C<EV::READ>,
258C<EV::WRITE> and C<EV::TIMEOUT>).
259
260EV::once doesn't return anything: the watchers stay active till either
261of them triggers, then they will be stopped and freed, and the callback
262invoked.
263
264=item EV::feed_fd_event ($fd, $revents)
265
266=item $loop->feed_fd_event ($fd, $revents)
267
268Feed an event on a file descriptor into EV. EV will react to this call as
269if the readyness notifications specified by C<$revents> (a combination of
270C<EV::READ> and C<EV::WRITE>) happened on the file descriptor C<$fd>.
271
272=item EV::feed_signal_event ($signal)
273
274Feed a signal event into EV. EV will react to this call as if the signal
275specified by C<$signal> had occured.
276
277=item EV::set_io_collect_interval $time
278
279=item $loop->set_io_collect_interval ($time)
280
281=item EV::set_timeout_collect_interval $time
282
283=item $loop->set_timeout_collect_interval ($time)
284
285These advanced functions set the minimum block interval when polling for I/O events and the minimum
286wait interval for timer events. See the libev documentation at
287L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#FUNCTIONS_CONTROLLING_THE_EVENT_LOOP> for
288a more detailed discussion.
289
290=back
291
292
293=head1 WATCHER OBJECTS
128 294
129A watcher is an object that gets created to record your interest in some 295A 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 296event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to become readable, you
131would create an EV::io watcher for that: 297would create an EV::io watcher for that:
132 298
133 my $watcher = EV::io *STDIN, EV::READ, sub { 299 my $watcher = EV::io *STDIN, EV::READ, sub {
134 my ($watcher, $revents) = @_; 300 my ($watcher, $revents) = @_;
135 warn "yeah, STDIN should not be readable without blocking!\n" 301 warn "yeah, STDIN should now be readable without blocking!\n"
136 }; 302 };
137 303
138All watchers can be active (waiting for events) or inactive (paused). Only 304All watchers can be active (waiting for events) or inactive (paused). Only
139active watchers will have their callbacks invoked. All callbacks will be 305active watchers will have their callbacks invoked. All callbacks will be
140called with at least two arguments: the watcher and a bitmask of received 306called with at least two arguments: the watcher and a bitmask of received
141events. 307events.
142 308
143Each watcher type has its associated bit in revents, so you can use the 309Each 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 310same callback for multiple watchers. The event mask is named after the
145type, i..e. EV::child sets EV::CHILD, EV::prepare sets EV::PREPARE, 311type, 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 312EV::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 313(which can set both EV::READ and EV::WRITE bits), and EV::timer (which
148uses EV::TIMEOUT). 314uses EV::TIMEOUT).
149 315
150In the rare case where one wants to create a watcher but not start it at 316In 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 317the 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. 318its name, e.g. EV::io has a non-starting variant EV::io_ns and so on.
153 319
154Please note that a watcher will automatically be stopped when the watcher 320Please note that a watcher will automatically be stopped when the watcher
155object is returned, so you I<need> to keep the watcher objects returned by 321object is destroyed, so you I<need> to keep the watcher objects returned by
156the constructors. 322the constructors.
157 323
158=head2 WATCHER TYPES 324Also, all methods changing some aspect of a watcher (->set, ->priority,
325->fh and so on) automatically stop and start it again if it is active,
326which means pending events get lost.
159 327
160Now lets move to the existing watcher types and asociated methods. 328=head2 COMMON WATCHER METHODS
161 329
162The following methods are available for all watchers. Then followes a 330This section lists methods common to all watchers.
163description of each watcher constructor (EV::io, EV::timer, EV::periodic,
164EV::signal, EV::child, EV::idle, EV::prepare and EV::check), followed by
165any type-specific methods (if any).
166 331
167=over 4 332=over 4
168 333
169=item $w->start 334=item $w->start
170 335
174 339
175=item $w->stop 340=item $w->stop
176 341
177Stop a watcher if it is active. Also clear any pending events (events that 342Stop a watcher if it is active. Also clear any pending events (events that
178have been received but that didn't yet result in a callback invocation), 343have been received but that didn't yet result in a callback invocation),
179regardless of wether the watcher was active or not. 344regardless of whether the watcher was active or not.
180 345
181=item $bool = $w->is_active 346=item $bool = $w->is_active
182 347
183Returns true if the watcher is active, false otherwise. 348Returns true if the watcher is active, false otherwise.
184 349
350=item $current_data = $w->data
351
352=item $old_data = $w->data ($new_data)
353
354Queries a freely usable data scalar on the watcher and optionally changes
355it. This is a way to associate custom data with a watcher:
356
357 my $w = EV::timer 60, 0, sub {
358 warn $_[0]->data;
359 };
360 $w->data ("print me!");
361
185=item $current_cb = $w->cb 362=item $current_cb = $w->cb
186 363
187=item $old_cb = $w->cb ($new_cb) 364=item $old_cb = $w->cb ($new_cb)
188 365
189Queries the callback on the watcher and optionally changes it. You cna do 366Queries the callback on the watcher and optionally changes it. You can do
190this at any time. 367this at any time without the watcher restarting.
191 368
369=item $current_priority = $w->priority
370
371=item $old_priority = $w->priority ($new_priority)
372
373Queries the priority on the watcher and optionally changes it. Pending
374watchers with higher priority will be invoked first. The valid range of
375priorities lies between EV::MAXPRI (default 2) and EV::MINPRI (default
376-2). If the priority is outside this range it will automatically be
377normalised to the nearest valid priority.
378
379The default priority of any newly-created watcher is 0.
380
381Note that the priority semantics have not yet been fleshed out and are
382subject to almost certain change.
383
192=item $w->trigger ($revents) 384=item $w->invoke ($revents)
193 385
194Call the callback *now* with the given event mask. 386Call the callback *now* with the given event mask.
195 387
388=item $w->feed_event ($revents)
389
390Feed some events on this watcher into EV. EV will react to this call as if
391the watcher had received the given C<$revents> mask.
392
393=item $revents = $w->clear_pending
394
395If the watcher is pending, this function clears its pending status and
396returns its C<$revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
397watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
398
399=item $previous_state = $w->keepalive ($bool)
400
401Normally, C<EV::loop> will return when there are no active watchers
402(which is a "deadlock" because no progress can be made anymore). This is
403convinient because it allows you to start your watchers (and your jobs),
404call C<EV::loop> once and when it returns you know that all your jobs are
405finished (or they forgot to register some watchers for their task :).
406
407Sometimes, however, this gets in your way, for example when the module
408that calls C<EV::loop> (usually the main program) is not the same module
409as a long-living watcher (for example a DNS client module written by
410somebody else even). Then you might want any outstanding requests to be
411handled, but you would not want to keep C<EV::loop> from returning just
412because you happen to have this long-running UDP port watcher.
413
414In this case you can clear the keepalive status, which means that even
415though your watcher is active, it won't keep C<EV::loop> from returning.
416
417The initial value for keepalive is true (enabled), and you cna change it
418any time.
419
420Example: Register an I/O watcher for some UDP socket but do not keep the
421event loop from running just because of that watcher.
422
423 my $udp_socket = ...
424 my $udp_watcher = EV::io $udp_socket, EV::READ, sub { ... };
425 $udp_watcher->keepalive (0);
426
427=item $loop = $w->loop
428
429Return the loop that this watcher is attached to.
430
431=back
432
433
434=head1 WATCHER TYPES
435
436Each of the following subsections describes a single watcher type.
437
438=head3 I/O WATCHERS - is this file descriptor readable or writable?
439
440=over 4
196 441
197=item $w = EV::io $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback 442=item $w = EV::io $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback
198 443
199=item $w = EV::io_ns $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback 444=item $w = EV::io_ns $fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback
200 445
446=item $w = $loop->io ($fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback)
447
448=item $w = $loop->io_ns ($fileno_or_fh, $eventmask, $callback)
449
201As long as the returned watcher object is alive, call the C<$callback> 450As long as the returned watcher object is alive, call the C<$callback>
202when the events specified in C<$eventmask>. 451when at least one of events specified in C<$eventmask> occurs.
203 452
204The $eventmask can be one or more of these constants ORed together: 453The $eventmask can be one or more of these constants ORed together:
205 454
206 EV::READ wait until read() wouldn't block anymore 455 EV::READ wait until read() wouldn't block anymore
207 EV::WRITE wait until write() wouldn't block anymore 456 EV::WRITE wait until write() wouldn't block anymore
223 472
224=item $old_eventmask = $w->events ($new_eventmask) 473=item $old_eventmask = $w->events ($new_eventmask)
225 474
226Returns the previously set event mask and optionally set a new one. 475Returns the previously set event mask and optionally set a new one.
227 476
477=back
478
479
480=head3 TIMER WATCHERS - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
481
482=over 4
228 483
229=item $w = EV::timer $after, $repeat, $callback 484=item $w = EV::timer $after, $repeat, $callback
230 485
231=item $w = EV::timer_ns $after, $repeat, $callback 486=item $w = EV::timer_ns $after, $repeat, $callback
232 487
233Calls the callback after C<$after> seconds. If C<$repeat> is non-zero, 488=item $w = $loop->timer ($after, $repeat, $callback)
234the timer will be restarted (with the $repeat value as $after) after the 489
235callback returns. 490=item $w = $loop->timer_ns ($after, $repeat, $callback)
491
492Calls the callback after C<$after> seconds (which may be fractional). If
493C<$repeat> is non-zero, the timer will be restarted (with the $repeat
494value as $after) after the callback returns.
236 495
237This means that the callback would be called roughly after C<$after> 496This means that the callback would be called roughly after C<$after>
238seconds, and then every C<$repeat> seconds. "Roughly" because the time of 497seconds, and then every C<$repeat> seconds. The timer does his best not
239callback processing is not taken into account, so the timer will slowly 498to drift, but it will not invoke the timer more often then once per event
240drift. If that isn't acceptable, look at EV::periodic. 499loop iteration, and might drift in other cases. If that isn't acceptable,
500look at EV::periodic, which can provide long-term stable timers.
241 501
242The timer is based on a monotonic clock, that is if somebody is sitting 502The timer is based on a monotonic clock, that is, if somebody is sitting
243in front of the machine while the timer is running and changes the system 503in front of the machine while the timer is running and changes the system
244clock, the timer will nevertheless run (roughly) the same time. 504clock, the timer will nevertheless run (roughly) the same time.
245 505
246The C<timer_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 506The C<timer_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
247 507
248=item $w->set ($after, $repeat) 508=item $w->set ($after, $repeat)
249 509
250Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 510Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be called at
251any time. 511any time.
252 512
253=item $w->again 513=item $w->again
254 514
255Similar to the C<start> method, but has special semantics for repeating timers: 515Similar to the C<start> method, but has special semantics for repeating timers:
516
517If the timer is active and non-repeating, it will be stopped.
256 518
257If the timer is active and repeating, reset the timeout to occur 519If the timer is active and repeating, reset the timeout to occur
258C<$repeat> seconds after now. 520C<$repeat> seconds after now.
259 521
260If the timer is active and non-repeating, it will be stopped.
261
262If the timer is in active and repeating, start it. 522If the timer is inactive and repeating, start it using the repeat value.
263 523
264Otherwise do nothing. 524Otherwise do nothing.
265 525
266This behaviour is useful when you have a timeout for some IO 526This behaviour is useful when you have a timeout for some IO
267operation. You create a timer object with the same value for C<$after> and 527operation. You create a timer object with the same value for C<$after> and
268C<$repeat>, and then, in the read/write watcher, run the C<again> method 528C<$repeat>, and then, in the read/write watcher, run the C<again> method
269on the timeout. 529on the timeout.
270 530
531=back
271 532
533
534=head3 PERIODIC WATCHERS - to cron or not to cron?
535
536=over 4
537
272=item $w = EV::periodic $at, $interval, $callback 538=item $w = EV::periodic $at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback
273 539
274=item $w = EV::periodic_ns $at, $interval, $callback 540=item $w = EV::periodic_ns $at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback
275 541
276Similar to EV::timer, but the time is given as an absolute point in time 542=item $w = $loop->periodic ($at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback)
277(C<$at>), plus an optional C<$interval>.
278 543
279If the C<$interval> is zero, then the callback will be called at the time 544=item $w = $loop->periodic_ns ($at, $interval, $reschedule_cb, $callback)
280C<$at> if that is in the future, or as soon as possible if it is in the
281past. It will not automatically repeat.
282 545
283If the C<$interval> is nonzero, then the watcher will always be scheduled 546Similar to EV::timer, but is not based on relative timeouts but on
284to time out at the next C<$at + N * $interval> time. 547absolute times. Apart from creating "simple" timers that trigger "at" the
548specified time, it can also be used for non-drifting absolute timers and
549more complex, cron-like, setups that are not adversely affected by time
550jumps (i.e. when the system clock is changed by explicit date -s or other
551means such as ntpd). It is also the most complex watcher type in EV.
285 552
286This can be used to schedule a callback to run at very regular intervals, 553It has three distinct "modes":
287as long as the processing time is less then the interval (otherwise 554
288obviously events will be skipped). 555=over 4
556
557=item * absolute timer ($interval = $reschedule_cb = 0)
558
559This time simply fires at the wallclock time C<$at> and doesn't repeat. It
560will not adjust when a time jump occurs, that is, if it is to be run
561at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the system time reaches or
562surpasses this time.
563
564=item * repeating interval timer ($interval > 0, $reschedule_cb = 0)
565
566In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the
567next C<$at + N * $interval> time (for some integer N) and then repeat,
568regardless of any time jumps.
569
570This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system
571time:
572
573 my $hourly = EV::periodic 0, 3600, 0, sub { print "once/hour\n" };
574
575That doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,
576but only that the the clalback will be called when the system time shows a
577full hour (UTC).
289 578
290Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that 579Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
291EV::periodic will try to run the callback at the next possible time where 580EV::periodic will try to run the callback in this mode at the next
292C<$time = $at (mod $interval)>, regardless of any time jumps. 581possible time where C<$time = $at (mod $interval)>, regardless of any time
582jumps.
293 583
294This periodic timer is based on "wallclock time", that is, if the clock 584=item * manual reschedule mode ($reschedule_cb = coderef)
295changes (C<ntp>, C<date -s> etc.), then the timer will nevertheless run at 585
296the specified time. This means it will never drift (it might jitter, but 586In this mode $interval and $at are both being ignored. Instead, each
297it will not drift). 587time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the reschedule callback
588($reschedule_cb) will be called with the watcher as first, and the current
589time as second argument.
590
591I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy this or any other periodic
592watcher, ever, and MUST NOT call any event loop functions or methods>. If
593you need to stop it, return 1e30 and stop it afterwards. You may create
594and start a C<EV::prepare> watcher for this task.
595
596It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value
597(that is, the lowest time value larger than or equal to to the second
598argument). It will usually be called just before the callback will be
599triggered, but might be called at other times, too.
600
601This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that
602triggers on each midnight, local time (actually 24 hours after the last
603midnight, to keep the example simple. If you know a way to do it correctly
604in about the same space (without requiring elaborate modules), drop me a
605note :):
606
607 my $daily = EV::periodic 0, 0, sub {
608 my ($w, $now) = @_;
609
610 use Time::Local ();
611 my (undef, undef, undef, $d, $m, $y) = localtime $now;
612 86400 + Time::Local::timelocal 0, 0, 0, $d, $m, $y
613 }, sub {
614 print "it's midnight or likely shortly after, now\n";
615 };
616
617=back
298 618
299The C<periodic_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 619The C<periodic_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
300 620
301=item $w->set ($at, $interval) 621=item $w->set ($at, $interval, $reschedule_cb)
302 622
303Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 623Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be called at
304any time. 624any time.
305 625
626=item $w->again
627
628Simply stops and starts the watcher again.
629
630=item $time = $w->at
631
632Return the time that the watcher is expected to trigger next.
633
634=back
635
636
637=head3 SIGNAL WATCHERS - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
638
639=over 4
306 640
307=item $w = EV::signal $signal, $callback 641=item $w = EV::signal $signal, $callback
308 642
309=item $w = EV::signal_ns $signal, $callback 643=item $w = EV::signal_ns $signal, $callback
310 644
311Call the callback when $signal is received (the signal can be specified 645Call the callback when $signal is received (the signal can be specified by
312by number or by name, just as with kill or %SIG). 646number or by name, just as with C<kill> or C<%SIG>).
313 647
314EV will grab the signal for the process (the kernel only allows one 648EV will grab the signal for the process (the kernel only allows one
315component to receive a signal at a time) when you start a signal watcher, 649component to receive a signal at a time) when you start a signal watcher,
316and removes it again when you stop it. Perl does the same when you 650and removes it again when you stop it. Perl does the same when you
317add/remove callbacks to %SIG, so watch out. 651add/remove callbacks to C<%SIG>, so watch out.
318 652
319You can have as many signal watchers per signal as you want. 653You can have as many signal watchers per signal as you want.
320 654
321The C<signal_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 655The C<signal_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
322 656
323=item $w->set ($signal) 657=item $w->set ($signal)
324 658
325Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 659Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be
660called at any time.
661
662=item $current_signum = $w->signal
663
664=item $old_signum = $w->signal ($new_signal)
665
666Returns the previously set signal (always as a number not name) and
667optionally set a new one.
668
669=back
670
671
672=head3 CHILD WATCHERS - watch out for process status changes
673
674=over 4
675
676=item $w = EV::child $pid, $trace, $callback
677
678=item $w = EV::child_ns $pid, $trace, $callback
679
680=item $w = $loop->child ($pid, $trace, $callback)
681
682=item $w = $loop->child_ns ($pid, $trace, $callback)
683
684Call the callback when a status change for pid C<$pid> (or any pid
685if C<$pid> is 0) has been received (a status change happens when the
686process terminates or is killed, or, when trace is true, additionally when
687it is stopped or continued). More precisely: when the process receives
688a C<SIGCHLD>, EV will fetch the outstanding exit/wait status for all
689changed/zombie children and call the callback.
690
691It is valid (and fully supported) to install a child watcher after a child
692has exited but before the event loop has started its next iteration (for
693example, first you C<fork>, then the new child process might exit, and
694only then do you install a child watcher in the parent for the new pid).
695
696You can access both exit (or tracing) status and pid by using the
697C<rstatus> and C<rpid> methods on the watcher object.
698
699You can have as many pid watchers per pid as you want, they will all be
700called.
701
702The C<child_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
703
704=item $w->set ($pid, $trace)
705
706Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be called at
326any time. 707any time.
327 708
709=item $current_pid = $w->pid
328 710
329=item $w = EV::child $pid, $callback 711Returns the previously set process id and optionally set a new one.
330 712
331=item $w = EV::child_ns $pid, $callback 713=item $exit_status = $w->rstatus
332 714
333Call the callback when a status change for pid C<$pid> (or any pid 715Return the exit/wait status (as returned by waitpid, see the waitpid entry
334if C<$pid> is 0) has been received. More precisely: when the process 716in perlfunc).
335receives a SIGCHLD, EV will fetch the outstanding exit/wait status for all
336changed/zombie children and call the callback.
337 717
338Unlike all other callbacks, this callback will be called with an 718=item $pid = $w->rpid
339additional third argument which is the exit status. See the C<waitpid>
340function for details.
341 719
342You can have as many pid watchers per pid as you want. 720Return the pid of the awaited child (useful when you have installed a
721watcher for all pids).
343 722
723=back
724
725
726=head3 STAT WATCHERS - did the file attributes just change?
727
728=over 4
729
730=item $w = EV::stat $path, $interval, $callback
731
732=item $w = EV::stat_ns $path, $interval, $callback
733
734=item $w = $loop->stat ($path, $interval, $callback)
735
736=item $w = $loop->stat_ns ($path, $interval, $callback)
737
738Call the callback when a file status change has been detected on
739C<$path>. The C<$path> does not need to exist, changing from "path exists"
740to "path does not exist" is a status change like any other.
741
742The C<$interval> is a recommended polling interval for systems where
743OS-supported change notifications don't exist or are not supported. If
744you use C<0> then an unspecified default is used (which is highly
745recommended!), which is to be expected to be around five seconds usually.
746
747This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
748as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
749resource-intensive.
750
344The C<child_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 751The C<stat_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
345 752
346=item $w->set ($pid) 753=item ... = $w->stat
347 754
755This call is very similar to the perl C<stat> built-in: It stats (using
756C<lstat>) the path specified in the watcher and sets perls stat cache (as
757well as EV's idea of the current stat values) to the values found.
758
759In scalar context, a boolean is return indicating success or failure of
760the stat. In list context, the same 13-value list as with stat is returned
761(except that the blksize and blocks fields are not reliable).
762
763In the case of an error, errno is set to C<ENOENT> (regardless of the
764actual error value) and the C<nlink> value is forced to zero (if the stat
765was successful then nlink is guaranteed to be non-zero).
766
767See also the next two entries for more info.
768
769=item ... = $w->attr
770
771Just like C<< $w->stat >>, but without the initial stat'ing: this returns
772the values most recently detected by EV. See the next entry for more info.
773
774=item ... = $w->prev
775
776Just like C<< $w->stat >>, but without the initial stat'ing: this returns
777the previous set of values, before the change.
778
779That is, when the watcher callback is invoked, C<< $w->prev >> will be set
780to the values found I<before> a change was detected, while C<< $w->attr >>
781returns the values found leading to the change detection. The difference (if any)
782between C<prev> and C<attr> is what triggered the callback.
783
784If you did something to the filesystem object and do not want to trigger
785yet another change, you can call C<stat> to update EV's idea of what the
786current attributes are.
787
788=item $w->set ($path, $interval)
789
348Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be at 790Reconfigures the watcher, see the constructor above for details. Can be
349any time. 791called at any time.
350 792
793=item $current_path = $w->path
794
795=item $old_path = $w->path ($new_path)
796
797Returns the previously set path and optionally set a new one.
798
799=item $current_interval = $w->interval
800
801=item $old_interval = $w->interval ($new_interval)
802
803Returns the previously set interval and optionally set a new one. Can be
804used to query the actual interval used.
805
806=back
807
808
809=head3 IDLE WATCHERS - when you've got nothing better to do...
810
811=over 4
351 812
352=item $w = EV::idle $callback 813=item $w = EV::idle $callback
353 814
354=item $w = EV::idle_ns $callback 815=item $w = EV::idle_ns $callback
355 816
356Call the callback when there are no pending io, timer/periodic, signal or 817=item $w = $loop->idle ($callback)
357child events, i.e. when the process is idle. 818
819=item $w = $loop->idle_ns ($callback)
820
821Call the callback when there are no other pending watchers of the same or
822higher priority (excluding check, prepare and other idle watchers of the
823same or lower priority, of course). They are called idle watchers because
824when the watcher is the highest priority pending event in the process, the
825process is considered to be idle at that priority.
826
827If you want a watcher that is only ever called when I<no> other events are
828outstanding you have to set the priority to C<EV::MINPRI>.
358 829
359The process will not block as long as any idle watchers are active, and 830The process will not block as long as any idle watchers are active, and
360they will be called repeatedly until stopped. 831they will be called repeatedly until stopped.
361 832
833For example, if you have idle watchers at priority C<0> and C<1>, and
834an I/O watcher at priority C<0>, then the idle watcher at priority C<1>
835and the I/O watcher will always run when ready. Only when the idle watcher
836at priority C<1> is stopped and the I/O watcher at priority C<0> is not
837pending with the C<0>-priority idle watcher be invoked.
838
362The C<idle_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 839The C<idle_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
363 840
841=back
842
843
844=head3 PREPARE WATCHERS - customise your event loop!
845
846=over 4
364 847
365=item $w = EV::prepare $callback 848=item $w = EV::prepare $callback
366 849
367=item $w = EV::prepare_ns $callback 850=item $w = EV::prepare_ns $callback
851
852=item $w = $loop->prepare ($callback)
853
854=item $w = $loop->prepare_ns ($callback)
368 855
369Call the callback just before the process would block. You can still 856Call the callback just before the process would block. You can still
370create/modify any watchers at this point. 857create/modify any watchers at this point.
371 858
372See the EV::check watcher, below, for explanations and an example. 859See the EV::check watcher, below, for explanations and an example.
373 860
374The C<prepare_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 861The C<prepare_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
375 862
863=back
864
865
866=head3 CHECK WATCHERS - customise your event loop even more!
867
868=over 4
376 869
377=item $w = EV::check $callback 870=item $w = EV::check $callback
378 871
379=item $w = EV::check_ns $callback 872=item $w = EV::check_ns $callback
873
874=item $w = $loop->check ($callback)
875
876=item $w = $loop->check_ns ($callback)
380 877
381Call the callback just after the process wakes up again (after it has 878Call the callback just after the process wakes up again (after it has
382gathered events), but before any other callbacks have been invoked. 879gathered events), but before any other callbacks have been invoked.
383 880
384This is used to integrate other event-based software into the EV 881This is used to integrate other event-based software into the EV
392 # do nothing unless active 889 # do nothing unless active
393 $dispatcher->{_event_queue_h} 890 $dispatcher->{_event_queue_h}
394 or return; 891 or return;
395 892
396 # make the dispatcher handle any outstanding stuff 893 # make the dispatcher handle any outstanding stuff
894 ... not shown
397 895
398 # create an IO watcher for each and every socket 896 # create an I/O watcher for each and every socket
399 @snmp_watcher = ( 897 @snmp_watcher = (
400 (map { EV::io $_, EV::READ, sub { } } 898 (map { EV::io $_, EV::READ, sub { } }
401 keys %{ $dispatcher->{_descriptors} }), 899 keys %{ $dispatcher->{_descriptors} }),
900
901 EV::timer +($event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_ACTIVE]
902 ? $event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_TIME] - EV::now : 0),
903 0, sub { },
402 ); 904 );
403
404 # if there are any timeouts, also create a timer
405 push @snmp_watcher, EV::timer $event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_TIME] - EV::now, 0, sub { }
406 if $event->[Net::SNMP::Dispatcher::_ACTIVE];
407 }; 905 };
408 906
409The callbacks are irrelevant, the only purpose of those watchers is 907The callbacks are irrelevant (and are not even being called), the
410to wake up the process as soon as one of those events occurs (socket 908only purpose of those watchers is to wake up the process as soon as
411readable, or timer timed out). The corresponding EV::check watcher will then 909one of those events occurs (socket readable, or timer timed out). The
412clean up: 910corresponding EV::check watcher will then clean up:
413 911
414 our $snmp_check = EV::check sub { 912 our $snmp_check = EV::check sub {
415 # destroy all watchers 913 # destroy all watchers
416 @snmp_watcher = (); 914 @snmp_watcher = ();
417 915
418 # make the dispatcher handle any new stuff 916 # make the dispatcher handle any new stuff
917 ... not shown
419 }; 918 };
420 919
421The callbacks of the created watchers will not be called as the watchers 920The callbacks of the created watchers will not be called as the watchers
422are destroyed before this cna happen (remember EV::check gets called 921are destroyed before this cna happen (remember EV::check gets called
423first). 922first).
424 923
425The C<check_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher. 924The C<check_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
426 925
427=back 926=back
428 927
928
929=head3 FORK WATCHERS - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
930
931Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected. The invocation
932is done before the event loop blocks next and before C<check> watchers
933are being called, and only in the child after the fork.
934
935=over 4
936
937=item $w = EV::fork $callback
938
939=item $w = EV::fork_ns $callback
940
941=item $w = $loop->fork ($callback)
942
943=item $w = $loop->fork_ns ($callback)
944
945Call the callback before the event loop is resumed in the child process
946after a fork.
947
948The C<fork_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
949
950=back
951
952
953=head3 EMBED WATCHERS - when one backend isn't enough...
954
955This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
956into another (currently only IO events are supported in the embedded
957loop, other types of watchers might be handled in a delayed or incorrect
958fashion and must not be used).
959
960See the libev documentation at
961L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod#code_ev_embed_code_when_one_backend_>
962for more details.
963
964In short, this watcher is most useful on BSD systems without working
965kqueue to still be able to handle a large number of sockets:
966
967 my $socket_loop;
968
969 # check wether we use SELECT or POLL _and_ KQUEUE is supported
970 if (
971 (EV::backend & (EV::BACKEND_POLL | EV::BACKEND_SELECT))
972 && (EV::supported_backends & EV::embeddable_backends & EV::BACKEND_KQUEUE)
973 ) {
974 # use kqueue for sockets
975 $socket_loop = new EV::Loop EV::BACKEND_KQUEUE | EV::FLAG_NOENV;
976 }
977
978 # use the default loop otherwise
979 $socket_loop ||= EV::default_loop;
980
981=over 4
982
983=item $w = EV::embed $otherloop[, $callback]
984
985=item $w = EV::embed_ns $otherloop[, $callback]
986
987=item $w = $loop->embed ($otherloop[, $callback])
988
989=item $w = $loop->embed_ns ($otherloop[, $callback])
990
991Call the callback when the embedded event loop (C<$otherloop>) has any
992I/O activity. The C<$callback> is optional: if it is missing, then the
993embedded event loop will be managed automatically (which is recommended),
994otherwise you have to invoke C<sweep> yourself.
995
996The C<embed_ns> variant doesn't start (activate) the newly created watcher.
997
998=back
999
1000=head3 ASYNC WATCHERS - how to wake up another event loop
1001
1002Async watchers are provided by EV, but have little use in perl directly, as perl
1003neither supports threads nor direct access to signal handlers or other
1004contexts where they could be of value.
1005
1006It is, however, possible to use them from the XS level.
1007
1008Please see the libev documentation for further details.
1009
1010=over 4
1011
1012=item $w = EV::async $callback
1013
1014=item $w = EV::async_ns $callback
1015
1016=item $w->send
1017
1018=item $bool = $w->async_pending
1019
1020=back
1021
1022
1023=head1 PERL SIGNALS
1024
1025While Perl signal handling (C<%SIG>) is not affected by EV, the behaviour
1026with EV is as the same as any other C library: Perl-signals will only be
1027handled when Perl runs, which means your signal handler might be invoked
1028only the next time an event callback is invoked.
1029
1030The solution is to use EV signal watchers (see C<EV::signal>), which will
1031ensure proper operations with regards to other event watchers.
1032
1033If you cannot do this for whatever reason, you can also force a watcher
1034to be called on every event loop iteration by installing a C<EV::check>
1035watcher:
1036
1037 my $async_check = EV::check sub { };
1038
1039This ensures that perl gets into control for a short time to handle any
1040pending signals, and also ensures (slightly) slower overall operation.
1041
429=head1 THREADS 1042=head1 THREADS
430 1043
431Threads are not supported by this in any way. Perl pseudo-threads is evil 1044Threads are not supported by this module in any way. Perl pseudo-threads
432stuff and must die. 1045is evil stuff and must die. As soon as Perl gains real threads I will work
1046on thread support for it.
1047
1048=head1 FORK
1049
1050Most of the "improved" event delivering mechanisms of modern operating
1051systems have quite a few problems with fork(2) (to put it bluntly: it is
1052not supported and usually destructive). Libev makes it possible to work
1053around this by having a function that recreates the kernel state after
1054fork in the child.
1055
1056On non-win32 platforms, this module requires the pthread_atfork
1057functionality to do this automatically for you. This function is quite
1058buggy on most BSDs, though, so YMMV. The overhead for this is quite
1059negligible, because everything the function currently does is set a flag
1060that is checked only when the event loop gets used the next time, so when
1061you do fork but not use EV, the overhead is minimal.
1062
1063On win32, there is no notion of fork so all this doesn't apply, of course.
433 1064
434=cut 1065=cut
435 1066
436our $DIED = sub { 1067our $DIED = sub {
437 warn "EV: error in callback (ignoring): $@"; 1068 warn "EV: error in callback (ignoring): $@";
438}; 1069};
439 1070
440init; 1071default_loop
441 1072 or die 'EV: cannot initialise libev backend. bad $ENV{LIBEV_FLAGS}?';
442push @AnyEvent::REGISTRY, [EV => "EV::AnyEvent"];
443 1073
4441; 10741;
445 1075
446=head1 SEE ALSO 1076=head1 SEE ALSO
447 1077
448 L<EV::DNS>, L<EV::AnyEvent>. 1078L<EV::ADNS> (asynchronous DNS), L<Glib::EV> (makes Glib/Gtk2 use EV as
1079event loop), L<EV::Glib> (embed Glib into EV), L<Coro::EV> (efficient
1080coroutines with EV), L<Net::SNMP::EV> (asynchronous SNMP), L<AnyEvent> for
1081event-loop agnostic and portable event driven programming.
449 1082
450=head1 AUTHOR 1083=head1 AUTHOR
451 1084
452 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de> 1085 Marc Lehmann <schmorp@schmorp.de>
453 http://home.schmorp.de/ 1086 http://home.schmorp.de/
454 1087
455=cut 1088=cut
456 1089

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