ViewVC Help

View File | Revision Log | Show Annotations | Download File

/cvs/libev/ev.pod

Comparing libev/ev.pod (file contents):
Revision 1.117 by root, Wed Jan 9 04:15:39 2008 UTC vs.
Revision 1.388 by root, Tue Dec 20 04:08:35 2011 UTC

…		…
2		2
3	libev - a high performance full-featured event loop written in C	3	libev - a high performance full-featured event loop written in C
4		4
5	=head1 SYNOPSIS	5	=head1 SYNOPSIS
6		6
7	#include <ev.h>	7	#include <ev.h>
8		8
9	=head2 EXAMPLE PROGRAM	9	=head2 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
10		10
		11	// a single header file is required
11	#include <ev.h>	12	#include <ev.h>
12		13
		14	#include <stdio.h> // for puts
		15
		16	// every watcher type has its own typedef'd struct
		17	// with the name ev_TYPE
13	ev_io stdin_watcher;	18	ev_io stdin_watcher;
14	ev_timer timeout_watcher;	19	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
15		20
16	/* called when data readable on stdin */	21	// all watcher callbacks have a similar signature
		22	// this callback is called when data is readable on stdin
17	static void	23	static void
18	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)	24	stdin_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
19	{	25	{
20	/* puts ("stdin ready"); */	26	puts ("stdin ready");
21	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w); /* just a syntax example */	27	// for one-shot events, one must manually stop the watcher
22	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL); /* leave all loop calls */	28	// with its corresponding stop function.
		29	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		30
		31	// this causes all nested ev_run's to stop iterating
		32	ev_break (EV_A_ EVBREAK_ALL);
23	}	33	}
24		34
		35	// another callback, this time for a time-out
25	static void	36	static void
26	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	37	timeout_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
27	{	38	{
28	/* puts ("timeout"); */	39	puts ("timeout");
29	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE); /* leave one loop call */	40	// this causes the innermost ev_run to stop iterating
		41	ev_break (EV_A_ EVBREAK_ONE);
30	}	42	}
31		43
32	int	44	int
33	main (void)	45	main (void)
34	{	46	{
35	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	47	// use the default event loop unless you have special needs
		48	struct ev_loop *loop = EV_DEFAULT;
36		49
37	/* initialise an io watcher, then start it */	50	// initialise an io watcher, then start it
		51	// this one will watch for stdin to become readable
38	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /*STDIN_FILENO*/ 0, EV_READ);	52	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /*STDIN_FILENO*/ 0, EV_READ);
39	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	53	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
40		54
		55	// initialise a timer watcher, then start it
41	/* simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout */	56	// simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout
42	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);	57	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
43	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);	58	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);
44		59
45	/* loop till timeout or data ready */	60	// now wait for events to arrive
46	ev_loop (loop, 0);	61	ev_run (loop, 0);
47		62
		63	// break was called, so exit
48	return 0;	64	return 0;
49	}	65	}
50		66
51	=head1 DESCRIPTION	67	=head1 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
52		68
		69	This document documents the libev software package.
		70
53	The newest version of this document is also available as a html-formatted	71	The newest version of this document is also available as an html-formatted
54	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first	72	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first
55	time: L<http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.html>.	73	time: L<http://pod.tst.eu/http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.pod>.
		74
		75	While this document tries to be as complete as possible in documenting
		76	libev, its usage and the rationale behind its design, it is not a tutorial
		77	on event-based programming, nor will it introduce event-based programming
		78	with libev.
		79
		80	Familiarity with event based programming techniques in general is assumed
		81	throughout this document.
		82
		83	=head1 WHAT TO READ WHEN IN A HURRY
		84
		85	This manual tries to be very detailed, but unfortunately, this also makes
		86	it very long. If you just want to know the basics of libev, I suggest
		87	reading L<ANATOMY OF A WATCHER>, then the L<EXAMPLE PROGRAM> above and
		88	look up the missing functions in L<GLOBAL FUNCTIONS> and the C<ev_io> and
		89	C<ev_timer> sections in L<WATCHER TYPES>.
		90
		91	=head1 ABOUT LIBEV
56		92
57	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	93	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
58	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage	94	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage
59	these event sources and provide your program with events.	95	these event sources and provide your program with events.
60		96
…		…
70	=head2 FEATURES	106	=head2 FEATURES
71		107
72	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the	108	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
73	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms	109	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
74	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface	110	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
75	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers	111	(for C<ev_stat>), Linux eventfd/signalfd (for faster and cleaner
76	with customised rescheduling (C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals	112	inter-thread wakeup (C<ev_async>)/signal handling (C<ev_signal>)) relative
77	(C<ev_signal>), process status change events (C<ev_child>), and event	113	timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers with customised rescheduling
78	watchers dealing with the event loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>,	114	(C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals (C<ev_signal>), process status
79	C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> watchers) as well as	115	change events (C<ev_child>), and event watchers dealing with the event
80	file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even limited support for fork events	116	loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>, C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and
81	(C<ev_fork>).	117	C<ev_check> watchers) as well as file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even
		118	limited support for fork events (C<ev_fork>).
82		119
83	It also is quite fast (see this	120	It also is quite fast (see this
84	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent	121	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
85	for example).	122	for example).
86		123
87	=head2 CONVENTIONS	124	=head2 CONVENTIONS
88		125
89	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration will	126	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default (and most common)
90	be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info about	127	configuration will be described, which supports multiple event loops. For
91	various configuration options please have a look at B<EMBED> section in	128	more info about various configuration options please have a look at
92	this manual. If libev was configured without support for multiple event	129	B<EMBED> section in this manual. If libev was configured without support
93	loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of name C<loop>	130	for multiple event loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of
94	(which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have this argument.	131	name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have
		132	this argument.
95		133
96	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION	134	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION
97		135
98	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	136	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing
99	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	137	the (fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (in practice
100	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	138	somewhere near the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't
101	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	139	ask). This type is called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use
102	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on	140	too. It usually aliases to the C<double> type in C. When you need to do
103	it, you should treat it as some floatingpoint value. Unlike the name	141	any calculations on it, you should treat it as some floating point value.
		142
104	component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for time differences	143	Unlike the name component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for
105	throughout libev.	144	time differences (e.g. delays) throughout libev.
		145
		146	=head1 ERROR HANDLING
		147
		148	Libev knows three classes of errors: operating system errors, usage errors
		149	and internal errors (bugs).
		150
		151	When libev catches an operating system error it cannot handle (for example
		152	a system call indicating a condition libev cannot fix), it calls the callback
		153	set via C<ev_set_syserr_cb>, which is supposed to fix the problem or
		154	abort. The default is to print a diagnostic message and to call C<abort
		155	()>.
		156
		157	When libev detects a usage error such as a negative timer interval, then
		158	it will print a diagnostic message and abort (via the C<assert> mechanism,
		159	so C<NDEBUG> will disable this checking): these are programming errors in
		160	the libev caller and need to be fixed there.
		161
		162	Libev also has a few internal error-checking C<assert>ions, and also has
		163	extensive consistency checking code. These do not trigger under normal
		164	circumstances, as they indicate either a bug in libev or worse.
		165
106		166
107	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	167	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
108		168
109	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	169	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
110	library in any way.	170	library in any way.
…		…
113		173
114	=item ev_tstamp ev_time ()	174	=item ev_tstamp ev_time ()
115		175
116	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the	176	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the
117	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp	177	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp
118	you actually want to know.	178	you actually want to know. Also interesting is the combination of
		179	C<ev_now_update> and C<ev_now>.
119		180
120	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)	181	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)
121		182
122	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until	183	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked
123	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically	184	until either it is interrupted or the given time interval has
		185	passed (approximately - it might return a bit earlier even if not
		186	interrupted). Returns immediately if C<< interval <= 0 >>.
		187
124	this is a subsecond-resolution C<sleep ()>.	188	Basically this is a sub-second-resolution C<sleep ()>.
		189
		190	The range of the C<interval> is limited - libev only guarantees to work
		191	with sleep times of up to one day (C<< interval <= 86400 >>).
125		192
126	=item int ev_version_major ()	193	=item int ev_version_major ()
127		194
128	=item int ev_version_minor ()	195	=item int ev_version_minor ()
129		196
…		…
140	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	207	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
141	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	208	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
142	not a problem.	209	not a problem.
143		210
144	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong	211	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong
145	version.	212	version (note, however, that this will not detect other ABI mismatches,
		213	such as LFS or reentrancy).
146		214
147	assert (("libev version mismatch",	215	assert (("libev version mismatch",
148	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR	216	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR
149	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));	217	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));
150		218
151	=item unsigned int ev_supported_backends ()	219	=item unsigned int ev_supported_backends ()
152		220
153	Return the set of all backends (i.e. their corresponding C<EV_BACKEND_*>	221	Return the set of all backends (i.e. their corresponding C<EV_BACKEND_*>
154	value) compiled into this binary of libev (independent of their	222	value) compiled into this binary of libev (independent of their
…		…
156	a description of the set values.	224	a description of the set values.
157		225
158	Example: make sure we have the epoll method, because yeah this is cool and	226	Example: make sure we have the epoll method, because yeah this is cool and
159	a must have and can we have a torrent of it please!!!11	227	a must have and can we have a torrent of it please!!!11
160		228
161	assert (("sorry, no epoll, no sex",	229	assert (("sorry, no epoll, no sex",
162	ev_supported_backends () & EVBACKEND_EPOLL));	230	ev_supported_backends () & EVBACKEND_EPOLL));
163		231
164	=item unsigned int ev_recommended_backends ()	232	=item unsigned int ev_recommended_backends ()
165		233
166	Return the set of all backends compiled into this binary of libev and also	234	Return the set of all backends compiled into this binary of libev and
167	recommended for this platform. This set is often smaller than the one	235	also recommended for this platform, meaning it will work for most file
		236	descriptor types. This set is often smaller than the one returned by
168	returned by C<ev_supported_backends>, as for example kqueue is broken on	237	C<ev_supported_backends>, as for example kqueue is broken on most BSDs
169	most BSDs and will not be autodetected unless you explicitly request it	238	and will not be auto-detected unless you explicitly request it (assuming
170	(assuming you know what you are doing). This is the set of backends that	239	you know what you are doing). This is the set of backends that libev will
171	libev will probe for if you specify no backends explicitly.	240	probe for if you specify no backends explicitly.
172		241
173	=item unsigned int ev_embeddable_backends ()	242	=item unsigned int ev_embeddable_backends ()
174		243
175	Returns the set of backends that are embeddable in other event loops. This	244	Returns the set of backends that are embeddable in other event loops. This
176	is the theoretical, all-platform, value. To find which backends	245	value is platform-specific but can include backends not available on the
177	might be supported on the current system, you would need to look at	246	current system. To find which embeddable backends might be supported on
178	C<ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for	247	the current system, you would need to look at C<ev_embeddable_backends ()
179	recommended ones.	248	& ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for recommended ones.
180		249
181	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	250	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
182		251
183	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))	252	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))
184		253
185	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the	254	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the
186	semantics is identical - to the realloc C function). It is used to	255	semantics are identical to the C<realloc> C89/SuS/POSIX function). It is
187	allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when	256	used to allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero
188	memory needs to be allocated, the library might abort or take some	257	when memory needs to be allocated (C<size != 0>), the library might abort
189	potentially destructive action. The default is your system realloc	258	or take some potentially destructive action.
190	function.	259
		260	Since some systems (at least OpenBSD and Darwin) fail to implement
		261	correct C<realloc> semantics, libev will use a wrapper around the system
		262	C<realloc> and C<free> functions by default.
191		263
192	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,	264	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,
193	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,	265	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,
194	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.	266	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.
195		267
196	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then	268	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then
197	retries).	269	retries (example requires a standards-compliant C<realloc>).
198		270
199	static void *	271	static void *
200	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)	272	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
201	{	273	{
202	for (;;)	274	for (;;)
…		…
211	}	283	}
212		284
213	...	285	...
214	ev_set_allocator (persistent_realloc);	286	ev_set_allocator (persistent_realloc);
215		287
216	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg));	288	=item ev_set_syserr_cb (void (*cb)(const char *msg))
217		289
218	Set the callback function to call on a retryable syscall error (such	290	Set the callback function to call on a retryable system call error (such
219	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string	291	as failed select, poll, epoll_wait). The message is a printable string
220	indicating the system call or subsystem causing the problem. If this	292	indicating the system call or subsystem causing the problem. If this
221	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no	293	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the situation, no
222	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the	294	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the
223	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff	295	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff
224	(such as abort).	296	(such as abort).
225		297
226	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.	298	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.
…		…
233	}	305	}
234		306
235	...	307	...
236	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);	308	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);
237		309
		310	=item ev_feed_signal (int signum)
		311
		312	This function can be used to "simulate" a signal receive. It is completely
		313	safe to call this function at any time, from any context, including signal
		314	handlers or random threads.
		315
		316	Its main use is to customise signal handling in your process, especially
		317	in the presence of threads. For example, you could block signals
		318	by default in all threads (and specifying C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK> when
		319	creating any loops), and in one thread, use C<sigwait> or any other
		320	mechanism to wait for signals, then "deliver" them to libev by calling
		321	C<ev_feed_signal>.
		322
238	=back	323	=back
239		324
240	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING THE EVENT LOOP	325	=head1 FUNCTIONS CONTROLLING EVENT LOOPS
241		326
242	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *>. The library knows two	327	An event loop is described by a C<struct ev_loop *> (the C<struct> is
243	types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which supports signals and child	328	I<not> optional in this case unless libev 3 compatibility is disabled, as
244	events, and dynamically created loops which do not.	329	libev 3 had an C<ev_loop> function colliding with the struct name).
245		330
246	If you use threads, a common model is to run the default event loop	331	The library knows two types of such loops, the I<default> loop, which
247	in your main thread (or in a separate thread) and for each thread you	332	supports child process events, and dynamically created event loops which
248	create, you also create another event loop. Libev itself does no locking	333	do not.
249	whatsoever, so if you mix calls to the same event loop in different
250	threads, make sure you lock (this is usually a bad idea, though, even if
251	done correctly, because it's hideous and inefficient).
252		334
253	=over 4	335	=over 4
254		336
255	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)	337	=item struct ev_loop *ev_default_loop (unsigned int flags)
256		338
257	This will initialise the default event loop if it hasn't been initialised	339	This returns the "default" event loop object, which is what you should
258	yet and return it. If the default loop could not be initialised, returns	340	normally use when you just need "the event loop". Event loop objects and
259	false. If it already was initialised it simply returns it (and ignores the	341	the C<flags> parameter are described in more detail in the entry for
260	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	342	C<ev_loop_new>.
		343
		344	If the default loop is already initialised then this function simply
		345	returns it (and ignores the flags. If that is troubling you, check
		346	C<ev_backend ()> afterwards). Otherwise it will create it with the given
		347	flags, which should almost always be C<0>, unless the caller is also the
		348	one calling C<ev_run> or otherwise qualifies as "the main program".
261		349
262	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	350	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
263	function.	351	function (or via the C<EV_DEFAULT> macro).
		352
		353	Note that this function is I<not> thread-safe, so if you want to use it
		354	from multiple threads, you have to employ some kind of mutex (note also
		355	that this case is unlikely, as loops cannot be shared easily between
		356	threads anyway).
		357
		358	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_child> watchers,
		359	and to do this, it always registers a handler for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is
		360	a problem for your application you can either create a dynamic loop with
		361	C<ev_loop_new> which doesn't do that, or you can simply overwrite the
		362	C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling C<ev_default_init>.
		363
		364	Example: This is the most typical usage.
		365
		366	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
		367	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
		368
		369	Example: Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow
		370	environment settings to be taken into account:
		371
		372	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);
		373
		374	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)
		375
		376	This will create and initialise a new event loop object. If the loop
		377	could not be initialised, returns false.
		378
		379	This function is thread-safe, and one common way to use libev with
		380	threads is indeed to create one loop per thread, and using the default
		381	loop in the "main" or "initial" thread.
264		382
265	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	383	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
266	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).	384	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
267		385
268	The following flags are supported:	386	The following flags are supported:
…		…
274	The default flags value. Use this if you have no clue (it's the right	392	The default flags value. Use this if you have no clue (it's the right
275	thing, believe me).	393	thing, believe me).
276		394
277	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>	395	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>
278		396
279	If this flag bit is ored into the flag value (or the program runs setuid	397	If this flag bit is or'ed into the flag value (or the program runs setuid
280	or setgid) then libev will I<not> look at the environment variable	398	or setgid) then libev will I<not> look at the environment variable
281	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will	399	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will
282	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is	400	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is
283	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work	401	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work
284	around bugs.	402	around bugs.
285		403
286	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>	404	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>
287		405
288	Instead of calling C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork> manually after	406	Instead of calling C<ev_loop_fork> manually after a fork, you can also
289	a fork, you can also make libev check for a fork in each iteration by	407	make libev check for a fork in each iteration by enabling this flag.
290	enabling this flag.
291		408
292	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,	409	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,
293	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop	410	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop
294	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my	411	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my
295	Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence	412	GNU/Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence
296	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my Linux system also has	413	without a system call and thus I<very> fast, but my GNU/Linux system also has
297	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).	414	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
298		415
299	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and	416	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and
300	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this	417	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this
301	flag.	418	flag.
302		419
303	This flag setting cannot be overriden or specified in the C<LIBEV_FLAGS>	420	This flag setting cannot be overridden or specified in the C<LIBEV_FLAGS>
304	environment variable.	421	environment variable.
		422
		423	=item C<EVFLAG_NOINOTIFY>
		424
		425	When this flag is specified, then libev will not attempt to use the
		426	I<inotify> API for its C<ev_stat> watchers. Apart from debugging and
		427	testing, this flag can be useful to conserve inotify file descriptors, as
		428	otherwise each loop using C<ev_stat> watchers consumes one inotify handle.
		429
		430	=item C<EVFLAG_SIGNALFD>
		431
		432	When this flag is specified, then libev will attempt to use the
		433	I<signalfd> API for its C<ev_signal> (and C<ev_child>) watchers. This API
		434	delivers signals synchronously, which makes it both faster and might make
		435	it possible to get the queued signal data. It can also simplify signal
		436	handling with threads, as long as you properly block signals in your
		437	threads that are not interested in handling them.
		438
		439	Signalfd will not be used by default as this changes your signal mask, and
		440	there are a lot of shoddy libraries and programs (glib's threadpool for
		441	example) that can't properly initialise their signal masks.
		442
		443	=item C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK>
		444
		445	When this flag is specified, then libev will avoid to modify the signal
		446	mask. Specifically, this means you have to make sure signals are unblocked
		447	when you want to receive them.
		448
		449	This behaviour is useful when you want to do your own signal handling, or
		450	want to handle signals only in specific threads and want to avoid libev
		451	unblocking the signals.
		452
		453	It's also required by POSIX in a threaded program, as libev calls
		454	C<sigprocmask>, whose behaviour is officially unspecified.
		455
		456	This flag's behaviour will become the default in future versions of libev.
305		457
306	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	458	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
307		459
308	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	460	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
309	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	461	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
310	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	462	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
311	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its	463	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
312	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.	464	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
313		465
314	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of	466	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of
315	parallelity (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are	467	parallelism (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are
316	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many	468	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many
317	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have	469	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have
318	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of	470	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
319	readyness notifications you get per iteration.	471	readiness notifications you get per iteration.
		472
		473	This backend maps C<EV_READ> to the C<readfds> set and C<EV_WRITE> to the
		474	C<writefds> set (and to work around Microsoft Windows bugs, also onto the
		475	C<exceptfds> set on that platform).
320		476
321	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	477	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
322		478
323	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated	479	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated
324	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial	480	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
325	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down	481	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down
326	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,	482	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,
327	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for	483	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for
328	performance tips.	484	performance tips.
329		485
		486	This backend maps C<EV_READ> to C<POLLIN | POLLERR | POLLHUP>, and
		487	C<EV_WRITE> to C<POLLOUT | POLLERR | POLLHUP>.
		488
330	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	489	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
331		490
		491	Use the linux-specific epoll(7) interface (for both pre- and post-2.6.9
		492	kernels).
		493
332	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	494	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select, but
333	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale	495	it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like
334	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),	496	O(total_fds) where total_fds is the total number of fds (or the highest
335	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds). The epoll design has a number	497	fd), epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds).
336	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect	498
337	cases and rewiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad	499	The epoll mechanism deserves honorable mention as the most misdesigned
338	support for dup.	500	of the more advanced event mechanisms: mere annoyances include silently
		501	dropping file descriptors, requiring a system call per change per file
		502	descriptor (and unnecessary guessing of parameters), problems with dup,
		503	returning before the timeout value, resulting in additional iterations
		504	(and only giving 5ms accuracy while select on the same platform gives
		505	0.1ms) and so on. The biggest issue is fork races, however - if a program
		506	forks then I<both> parent and child process have to recreate the epoll
		507	set, which can take considerable time (one syscall per file descriptor)
		508	and is of course hard to detect.
		509
		510	Epoll is also notoriously buggy - embedding epoll fds I<should> work,
		511	but of course I<doesn't>, and epoll just loves to report events for
		512	totally I<different> file descriptors (even already closed ones, so
		513	one cannot even remove them from the set) than registered in the set
		514	(especially on SMP systems). Libev tries to counter these spurious
		515	notifications by employing an additional generation counter and comparing
		516	that against the events to filter out spurious ones, recreating the set
		517	when required. Epoll also erroneously rounds down timeouts, but gives you
		518	no way to know when and by how much, so sometimes you have to busy-wait
		519	because epoll returns immediately despite a nonzero timeout. And last
		520	not least, it also refuses to work with some file descriptors which work
		521	perfectly fine with C<select> (files, many character devices...).
		522
		523	Epoll is truly the train wreck among event poll mechanisms, a frankenpoll,
		524	cobbled together in a hurry, no thought to design or interaction with
		525	others. Oh, the pain, will it ever stop...
339		526
340	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration	527	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
341	will result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	528	will result in some caching, there is still a system call per such
342	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	529	incident (because the same I<file descriptor> could point to a different
343	best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors might not work	530	I<file description> now), so its best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed
344	very well if you register events for both fds.	531	file descriptors might not work very well if you register events for both
345		532	file descriptors.
346	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
347	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
348	(or space) is available.
349		533
350	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all	534	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
351	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible, i.e.	535	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible,
352	keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times.	536	i.e. keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times. Stopping and
		537	starting a watcher (without re-setting it) also usually doesn't cause
		538	extra overhead. A fork can both result in spurious notifications as well
		539	as in libev having to destroy and recreate the epoll object, which can
		540	take considerable time and thus should be avoided.
353		541
		542	All this means that, in practice, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> can be as fast or
		543	faster than epoll for maybe up to a hundred file descriptors, depending on
		544	the usage. So sad.
		545
354	While nominally embeddeble in other event loops, this feature is broken in	546	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this feature is broken in
355	all kernel versions tested so far.	547	all kernel versions tested so far.
		548
		549	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as
		550	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
356		551
357	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	552	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
358		553
359	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	554	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
360	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably	555	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably
361	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course	556	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
362	it's completely useless). For this reason it's not being "autodetected"	557	it's completely useless). Unlike epoll, however, whose brokenness
		558	is by design, these kqueue bugs can (and eventually will) be fixed
		559	without API changes to existing programs. For this reason it's not being
363	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using	560	"auto-detected" unless you explicitly specify it in the flags (i.e. using
364	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)	561	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
365	system like NetBSD.	562	system like NetBSD.
366		563
367	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it	564	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it
368	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on	565	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on
369	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	566	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
370		567
371	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	568	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
372	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	569	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
373	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never	570	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never
374	cause an extra syscall as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to	571	cause an extra system call as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
375	two event changes per incident, support for C<fork ()> is very bad and it	572	two event changes per incident. Support for C<fork ()> is very bad (but
376	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.	573	sane, unlike epoll) and it drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect
		574	cases
377		575
378	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.	576	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
379		577
380	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work	578	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
381	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken	579	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken
382	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets	580	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets
383	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop	581	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop
384	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>) and using it only for	582	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (but C<poll> is of course
385	sockets.	583	also broken on OS X)) and, did I mention it, using it only for sockets.
		584
		585	This backend maps C<EV_READ> into an C<EVFILT_READ> kevent with
		586	C<NOTE_EOF>, and C<EV_WRITE> into an C<EVFILT_WRITE> kevent with
		587	C<NOTE_EOF>.
386		588
387	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	589	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
388		590
389	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an	591	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an
390	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets	592	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
…		…
394	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	596	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
395		597
396	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	598	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
397	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	599	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
398		600
399	Please note that solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
400	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
401	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
402
403	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active	601	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
404	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file	602	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
405	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend	603	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
406	might perform better.	604	might perform better.
407		605
408	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readyness notifications, this	606	On the positive side, this backend actually performed fully to
409	backend actually performed to specification in all tests and is fully	607	specification in all tests and is fully embeddable, which is a rare feat
410	embeddable, which is a rare feat among the OS-specific backends.	608	among the OS-specific backends (I vastly prefer correctness over speed
		609	hacks).
		610
		611	On the negative side, the interface is I<bizarre> - so bizarre that
		612	even sun itself gets it wrong in their code examples: The event polling
		613	function sometimes returns events to the caller even though an error
		614	occurred, but with no indication whether it has done so or not (yes, it's
		615	even documented that way) - deadly for edge-triggered interfaces where you
		616	absolutely have to know whether an event occurred or not because you have
		617	to re-arm the watcher.
		618
		619	Fortunately libev seems to be able to work around these idiocies.
		620
		621	This backend maps C<EV_READ> and C<EV_WRITE> in the same way as
		622	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
411		623
412	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	624	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
413		625
414	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	626	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
415	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	627	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
416	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	628	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
417		629
418	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.	630	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag, use whatever
		631	C<ev_recommended_backends ()> returns, or simply do not specify a backend
		632	at all.
		633
		634	=item C<EVBACKEND_MASK>
		635
		636	Not a backend at all, but a mask to select all backend bits from a
		637	C<flags> value, in case you want to mask out any backends from a flags
		638	value (e.g. when modifying the C<LIBEV_FLAGS> environment variable).
419		639
420	=back	640	=back
421		641
422	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	642	If one or more of the backend flags are or'ed into the flags value,
423	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed here). If none are	643	then only these backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed
424	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.	644	here). If none are specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends
425		645	()> will be tried.
426	The most typical usage is like this:
427
428	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
429	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
430
431	Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow
432	environment settings to be taken into account:
433
434	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);
435
436	Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is used if
437	available (warning, breaks stuff, best use only with your own private
438	event loop and only if you know the OS supports your types of fds):
439
440	ev_default_loop (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);
441
442	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)
443
444	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
445	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
446	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
447	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
448		646
449	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.	647	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
450		648
451	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	649	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
452	if (!epoller)	650	if (!epoller)
453	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");	651	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");
454		652
		653	Example: Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is
		654	used if available.
		655
		656	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_loop_new (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);
		657
455	=item ev_default_destroy ()	658	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
456		659
457	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	660	Destroys an event loop object (frees all memory and kernel state
458	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal	661	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
459	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your	662	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
460	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>	663	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yourself I<before>
461	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually	664	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
462	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them	665	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
463	for example).	666	for example).
464		667
465	Note that certain global state, such as signal state, will not be freed by	668	Note that certain global state, such as signal state (and installed signal
466	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)	669	handlers), will not be freed by this function, and related watchers (such
467	would need to be stopped manually.	670	as signal and child watchers) would need to be stopped manually.
468		671
469	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the	672	This function is normally used on loop objects allocated by
470	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling	673	C<ev_loop_new>, but it can also be used on the default loop returned by
		674	C<ev_default_loop>, in which case it is not thread-safe.
		675
		676	Note that it is not advisable to call this function on the default loop
		677	except in the rare occasion where you really need to free its resources.
471	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use	678	If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use C<ev_loop_new>
472	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).	679	and C<ev_loop_destroy>.
473		680
474	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	681	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
475		682
476	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	683	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_run> iterations to
477	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
478
479	=item ev_default_fork ()
480
481	This function reinitialises the kernel state for backends that have	684	reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
482	one. Despite the name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense	685	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
483	after forking, in either the parent or child process (or both, but that	686	the child process. You I<must> call it (or use C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>) in the
484	again makes little sense).	687	child before resuming or calling C<ev_run>.
485		688
486	You I<must> call this function in the child process after forking if and	689	Again, you I<have> to call it on I<any> loop that you want to re-use after
487	only if you want to use the event library in both processes. If you just	690	a fork, I<even if you do not plan to use the loop in the parent>. This is
488	fork+exec, you don't have to call it.	691	because some kernel interfaces *cough* I<kqueue> *cough* do funny things
		692	during fork.
		693
		694	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
		695	process if and only if you want to use the event loop in the child. If
		696	you just fork+exec or create a new loop in the child, you don't have to
		697	call it at all (in fact, C<epoll> is so badly broken that it makes a
		698	difference, but libev will usually detect this case on its own and do a
		699	costly reset of the backend).
489		700
490	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	701	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call
491	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	702	it just in case after a fork.
492	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
493		703
		704	Example: Automate calling C<ev_loop_fork> on the default loop when
		705	using pthreads.
		706
		707	static void
		708	post_fork_child (void)
		709	{
		710	ev_loop_fork (EV_DEFAULT);
		711	}
		712
		713	...
494	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	714	pthread_atfork (0, 0, post_fork_child);
495		715
496	At the moment, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL> are safe to use	716	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
497	without calling this function, so if you force one of those backends you
498	do not need to care.
499		717
500	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	718	Returns true when the given loop is, in fact, the default loop, and false
		719	otherwise.
501		720
502	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
503	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
504	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
505
506	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)	721	=item unsigned int ev_iteration (loop)
507		722
508	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to	723	Returns the current iteration count for the event loop, which is identical
509	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and	724	to the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0>
510	happily wraps around with enough iterations.	725	and happily wraps around with enough iterations.
511		726
512	This value can sometimes be useful as a generation counter of sorts (it	727	This value can sometimes be useful as a generation counter of sorts (it
513	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with	728	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with
514	C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> calls.	729	C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> calls - and is incremented between the
		730	prepare and check phases.
		731
		732	=item unsigned int ev_depth (loop)
		733
		734	Returns the number of times C<ev_run> was entered minus the number of
		735	times C<ev_run> was exited normally, in other words, the recursion depth.
		736
		737	Outside C<ev_run>, this number is zero. In a callback, this number is
		738	C<1>, unless C<ev_run> was invoked recursively (or from another thread),
		739	in which case it is higher.
		740
		741	Leaving C<ev_run> abnormally (setjmp/longjmp, cancelling the thread,
		742	throwing an exception etc.), doesn't count as "exit" - consider this
		743	as a hint to avoid such ungentleman-like behaviour unless it's really
		744	convenient, in which case it is fully supported.
515		745
516	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)	746	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)
517		747
518	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in	748	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in
519	use.	749	use.
…		…
524	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	754	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
525	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base	755	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
526	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the	756	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
527	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	757	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
528		758
		759	=item ev_now_update (loop)
		760
		761	Establishes the current time by querying the kernel, updating the time
		762	returned by C<ev_now ()> in the progress. This is a costly operation and
		763	is usually done automatically within C<ev_run ()>.
		764
		765	This function is rarely useful, but when some event callback runs for a
		766	very long time without entering the event loop, updating libev's idea of
		767	the current time is a good idea.
		768
		769	See also L<The special problem of time updates> in the C<ev_timer> section.
		770
		771	=item ev_suspend (loop)
		772
		773	=item ev_resume (loop)
		774
		775	These two functions suspend and resume an event loop, for use when the
		776	loop is not used for a while and timeouts should not be processed.
		777
		778	A typical use case would be an interactive program such as a game: When
		779	the user presses C<^Z> to suspend the game and resumes it an hour later it
		780	would be best to handle timeouts as if no time had actually passed while
		781	the program was suspended. This can be achieved by calling C<ev_suspend>
		782	in your C<SIGTSTP> handler, sending yourself a C<SIGSTOP> and calling
		783	C<ev_resume> directly afterwards to resume timer processing.
		784
		785	Effectively, all C<ev_timer> watchers will be delayed by the time spend
		786	between C<ev_suspend> and C<ev_resume>, and all C<ev_periodic> watchers
		787	will be rescheduled (that is, they will lose any events that would have
		788	occurred while suspended).
		789
		790	After calling C<ev_suspend> you B<must not> call I<any> function on the
		791	given loop other than C<ev_resume>, and you B<must not> call C<ev_resume>
		792	without a previous call to C<ev_suspend>.
		793
		794	Calling C<ev_suspend>/C<ev_resume> has the side effect of updating the
		795	event loop time (see C<ev_now_update>).
		796
529	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	797	=item ev_run (loop, int flags)
530		798
531	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	799	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
532	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	800	after you have initialised all your watchers and you want to start
533	events.	801	handling events. It will ask the operating system for any new events, call
		802	the watcher callbacks, an then repeat the whole process indefinitely: This
		803	is why event loops are called I<loops>.
534		804
535	If the flags argument is specified as C<0>, it will not return until	805	If the flags argument is specified as C<0>, it will keep handling events
536	either no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_unloop> was called.	806	until either no event watchers are active anymore or C<ev_break> was
		807	called.
537		808
538	Please note that an explicit C<ev_unloop> is usually better than	809	Please note that an explicit C<ev_break> is usually better than
539	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has	810	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has
540	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program that	811	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program
541	automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue of	812	that automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue
542	relying on its watchers stopping correctly is a thing of beauty.	813	of relying on its watchers stopping correctly, that is truly a thing of
		814	beauty.
543		815
		816	This function is also I<mostly> exception-safe - you can break out of
		817	a C<ev_run> call by calling C<longjmp> in a callback, throwing a C++
		818	exception and so on. This does not decrement the C<ev_depth> value, nor
		819	will it clear any outstanding C<EVBREAK_ONE> breaks.
		820
544	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_NONBLOCK> will look for new events, will handle	821	A flags value of C<EVRUN_NOWAIT> will look for new events, will handle
545	those events and any outstanding ones, but will not block your process in	822	those events and any already outstanding ones, but will not wait and
546	case there are no events and will return after one iteration of the loop.	823	block your process in case there are no events and will return after one
		824	iteration of the loop. This is sometimes useful to poll and handle new
		825	events while doing lengthy calculations, to keep the program responsive.
547		826
548	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_ONESHOT> will look for new events (waiting if	827	A flags value of C<EVRUN_ONCE> will look for new events (waiting if
549	neccessary) and will handle those and any outstanding ones. It will block	828	necessary) and will handle those and any already outstanding ones. It
550	your process until at least one new event arrives, and will return after	829	will block your process until at least one new event arrives (which could
551	one iteration of the loop. This is useful if you are waiting for some	830	be an event internal to libev itself, so there is no guarantee that a
552	external event in conjunction with something not expressible using other	831	user-registered callback will be called), and will return after one
		832	iteration of the loop.
		833
		834	This is useful if you are waiting for some external event in conjunction
		835	with something not expressible using other libev watchers (i.e. "roll your
553	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is	836	own C<ev_run>"). However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
554	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	837	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
555		838
556	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	839	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_run> does (this is for your
		840	understanding, not a guarantee that things will work exactly like this in
		841	future versions):
557		842
		843	- Increment loop depth.
		844	- Reset the ev_break status.
558	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.	845	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
		846	LOOP:
559	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.	847	- If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
560	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.	848	- If a fork was detected (by any means), queue and call all fork watchers.
561	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.	849	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
		850	- If ev_break was called, goto FINISH.
562	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	851	- If we have been forked, detach and recreate the kernel state
		852	as to not disturb the other process.
563	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	853	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
564	- Update the "event loop time".	854	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()).
565	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all	855	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
566	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having	856	(active idle watchers, EVRUN_NOWAIT or not having
567	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).	857	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
568	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.	858	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
		859	- Increment loop iteration counter.
569	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	860	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
570	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	861	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
571	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	862	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()), and do time jump adjustments.
572	- Queue all outstanding timers.	863	- Queue all expired timers.
573	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	864	- Queue all expired periodics.
574	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	865	- Queue all idle watchers with priority higher than that of pending events.
575	- Queue all check watchers.	866	- Queue all check watchers.
576	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	867	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
577	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	868	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
578	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	869	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
579	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	870	- If ev_break has been called, or EVRUN_ONCE or EVRUN_NOWAIT
580	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise	871	were used, or there are no active watchers, goto FINISH, otherwise
581	continue with step *.	872	continue with step LOOP.
		873	FINISH:
		874	- Reset the ev_break status iff it was EVBREAK_ONE.
		875	- Decrement the loop depth.
		876	- Return.
582		877
583	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding	878	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
584	anymore.	879	anymore.
585		880
586	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	881	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
587	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	882	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
588	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	883	ev_run (my_loop, 0);
589	... jobs done. yeah!	884	... jobs done or somebody called break. yeah!
590		885
591	=item ev_unloop (loop, how)	886	=item ev_break (loop, how)
592		887
593	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	888	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_run> return early (but only after it
594	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	889	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
595	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	890	C<EVBREAK_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_run> call return, or
596	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	891	C<EVBREAK_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_run> calls return.
597		892
598	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.	893	This "break state" will be cleared on the next call to C<ev_run>.
		894
		895	It is safe to call C<ev_break> from outside any C<ev_run> calls, too, in
		896	which case it will have no effect.
599		897
600	=item ev_ref (loop)	898	=item ev_ref (loop)
601		899
602	=item ev_unref (loop)	900	=item ev_unref (loop)
603		901
604	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event	902	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event
605	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference	903	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference
606	count is nonzero, C<ev_loop> will not return on its own. If you have	904	count is nonzero, C<ev_run> will not return on its own.
607	a watcher you never unregister that should not keep C<ev_loop> from	905
608	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	906	This is useful when you have a watcher that you never intend to
		907	unregister, but that nevertheless should not keep C<ev_run> from
		908	returning. In such a case, call C<ev_unref> after starting, and C<ev_ref>
		909	before stopping it.
		910
609	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	911	As an example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It
610	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	912	is not visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_run> from
611	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	913	exiting if no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an
612	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	914	excellent way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within
613	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>	915	third-party libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref
614	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,	916	before stop> (but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active
615	respectively).	917	before, respectively. Note also that libev might stop watchers itself
		918	(e.g. non-repeating timers) in which case you have to C<ev_ref>
		919	in the callback).
616		920
617	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	921	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_run>
618	running when nothing else is active.	922	running when nothing else is active.
619		923
620	struct ev_signal exitsig;	924	ev_signal exitsig;
621	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);	925	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
622	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);	926	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
623	evf_unref (loop);	927	ev_unref (loop);
624		928
625	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	929	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
626		930
627	ev_ref (loop);	931	ev_ref (loop);
628	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	932	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
629		933
630	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)	934	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
631		935
632	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)	936	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
633		937
634	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting	938	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
635	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to	939	for events. Both time intervals are by default C<0>, meaning that libev
636	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.	940	will try to invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum
		941	latency.
637		942
638	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)	943	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
639	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to	944	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks
640	increase efficiency of loop iterations.	945	to increase efficiency of loop iterations (or to increase power-saving
		946	opportunities).
641		947
642	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to	948	The idea is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to handle
643	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes	949	one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes the
644	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new	950	program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
645	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high	951	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
646	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.	952	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
647		953
648	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more	954	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
649	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,	955	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
650	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and	956	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
651	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will	957	C<ev_timer>) will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
652	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.	958	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations. The
		959	sleep time ensures that libev will not poll for I/O events more often then
		960	once per this interval, on average (as long as the host time resolution is
		961	good enough).
653		962
654	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev	963	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
655	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased	964	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
656	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers	965	latency/jitter/inexactness (the watcher callback will be called
657	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce	966	later). C<ev_io> watchers will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null
658	any overhead in libev.	967	value will not introduce any overhead in libev.
659		968
660	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect	969	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the I/O collect
661	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for	970	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
662	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It	971	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
663	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,	972	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
664	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.	973	as this approaches the timing granularity of most systems. Note that if
		974	you do transactions with the outside world and you can't increase the
		975	parallelity, then this setting will limit your transaction rate (if you
		976	need to poll once per transaction and the I/O collect interval is 0.01,
		977	then you can't do more than 100 transactions per second).
		978
		979	Setting the I<timeout collect interval> can improve the opportunity for
		980	saving power, as the program will "bundle" timer callback invocations that
		981	are "near" in time together, by delaying some, thus reducing the number of
		982	times the process sleeps and wakes up again. Another useful technique to
		983	reduce iterations/wake-ups is to use C<ev_periodic> watchers and make sure
		984	they fire on, say, one-second boundaries only.
		985
		986	Example: we only need 0.1s timeout granularity, and we wish not to poll
		987	more often than 100 times per second:
		988
		989	ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.1);
		990	ev_set_io_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.01);
		991
		992	=item ev_invoke_pending (loop)
		993
		994	This call will simply invoke all pending watchers while resetting their
		995	pending state. Normally, C<ev_run> does this automatically when required,
		996	but when overriding the invoke callback this call comes handy. This
		997	function can be invoked from a watcher - this can be useful for example
		998	when you want to do some lengthy calculation and want to pass further
		999	event handling to another thread (you still have to make sure only one
		1000	thread executes within C<ev_invoke_pending> or C<ev_run> of course).
		1001
		1002	=item int ev_pending_count (loop)
		1003
		1004	Returns the number of pending watchers - zero indicates that no watchers
		1005	are pending.
		1006
		1007	=item ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (loop, void (*invoke_pending_cb)(EV_P))
		1008
		1009	This overrides the invoke pending functionality of the loop: Instead of
		1010	invoking all pending watchers when there are any, C<ev_run> will call
		1011	this callback instead. This is useful, for example, when you want to
		1012	invoke the actual watchers inside another context (another thread etc.).
		1013
		1014	If you want to reset the callback, use C<ev_invoke_pending> as new
		1015	callback.
		1016
		1017	=item ev_set_loop_release_cb (loop, void (*release)(EV_P), void (*acquire)(EV_P))
		1018
		1019	Sometimes you want to share the same loop between multiple threads. This
		1020	can be done relatively simply by putting mutex_lock/unlock calls around
		1021	each call to a libev function.
		1022
		1023	However, C<ev_run> can run an indefinite time, so it is not feasible
		1024	to wait for it to return. One way around this is to wake up the event
		1025	loop via C<ev_break> and C<ev_async_send>, another way is to set these
		1026	I<release> and I<acquire> callbacks on the loop.
		1027
		1028	When set, then C<release> will be called just before the thread is
		1029	suspended waiting for new events, and C<acquire> is called just
		1030	afterwards.
		1031
		1032	Ideally, C<release> will just call your mutex_unlock function, and
		1033	C<acquire> will just call the mutex_lock function again.
		1034
		1035	While event loop modifications are allowed between invocations of
		1036	C<release> and C<acquire> (that's their only purpose after all), no
		1037	modifications done will affect the event loop, i.e. adding watchers will
		1038	have no effect on the set of file descriptors being watched, or the time
		1039	waited. Use an C<ev_async> watcher to wake up C<ev_run> when you want it
		1040	to take note of any changes you made.
		1041
		1042	In theory, threads executing C<ev_run> will be async-cancel safe between
		1043	invocations of C<release> and C<acquire>.
		1044
		1045	See also the locking example in the C<THREADS> section later in this
		1046	document.
		1047
		1048	=item ev_set_userdata (loop, void *data)
		1049
		1050	=item void *ev_userdata (loop)
		1051
		1052	Set and retrieve a single C<void *> associated with a loop. When
		1053	C<ev_set_userdata> has never been called, then C<ev_userdata> returns
		1054	C<0>.
		1055
		1056	These two functions can be used to associate arbitrary data with a loop,
		1057	and are intended solely for the C<invoke_pending_cb>, C<release> and
		1058	C<acquire> callbacks described above, but of course can be (ab-)used for
		1059	any other purpose as well.
		1060
		1061	=item ev_verify (loop)
		1062
		1063	This function only does something when C<EV_VERIFY> support has been
		1064	compiled in, which is the default for non-minimal builds. It tries to go
		1065	through all internal structures and checks them for validity. If anything
		1066	is found to be inconsistent, it will print an error message to standard
		1067	error and call C<abort ()>.
		1068
		1069	This can be used to catch bugs inside libev itself: under normal
		1070	circumstances, this function will never abort as of course libev keeps its
		1071	data structures consistent.
665		1072
666	=back	1073	=back
667		1074
668		1075
669	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	1076	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
670		1077
		1078	In the following description, uppercase C<TYPE> in names stands for the
		1079	watcher type, e.g. C<ev_TYPE_start> can mean C<ev_timer_start> for timer
		1080	watchers and C<ev_io_start> for I/O watchers.
		1081
671	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your	1082	A watcher is an opaque structure that you allocate and register to record
672	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to	1083	your interest in some event. To make a concrete example, imagine you want
673	become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher for that:	1084	to wait for STDIN to become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher
		1085	for that:
674		1086
675	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1087	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
676	{	1088	{
677	ev_io_stop (w);	1089	ev_io_stop (w);
678	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1090	ev_break (loop, EVBREAK_ALL);
679	}	1091	}
680		1092
681	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	1093	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
		1094
682	struct ev_io stdin_watcher;	1095	ev_io stdin_watcher;
		1096
683	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);	1097	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);
684	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1098	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
685	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	1099	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
		1100
686	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1101	ev_run (loop, 0);
687		1102
688	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your	1103	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your
689	watcher structures (and it is usually a bad idea to do this on the stack,	1104	watcher structures (and it is I<usually> a bad idea to do this on the
690	although this can sometimes be quite valid).	1105	stack).
691		1106
		1107	Each watcher has an associated watcher structure (called C<struct ev_TYPE>
		1108	or simply C<ev_TYPE>, as typedefs are provided for all watcher structs).
		1109
692	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init	1110	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init (watcher
693	(watcher *, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This	1111	*, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This callback is
694	callback gets invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of io	1112	invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of I/O watchers, each
695	watchers, each time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given	1113	time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given is readable
696	is readable and/or writable).	1114	and/or writable).
697		1115
698	Each watcher type has its own C<< ev_<type>_set (watcher *, ...) >> macro	1116	Each watcher type further has its own C<< ev_TYPE_set (watcher *, ...) >>
699	with arguments specific to this watcher type. There is also a macro	1117	macro to configure it, with arguments specific to the watcher type. There
700	to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<< ev_<type>_init	1118	is also a macro to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<<
701	(watcher *, callback, ...) >>.	1119	ev_TYPE_init (watcher *, callback, ...) >>.
702		1120
703	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it	1121	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it
704	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_<type>_start (loop, watcher	1122	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_TYPE_start (loop, watcher
705	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the	1123	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the
706	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.	1124	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_TYPE_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.
707		1125
708	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you	1126	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you
709	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never	1127	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never
710	reinitialise it or call its C<set> macro.	1128	reinitialise it or call its C<ev_TYPE_set> macro.
711		1129
712	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the	1130	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the
713	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as	1131	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as
714	third argument.	1132	third argument.
715		1133
…		…
724	=item C<EV_WRITE>	1142	=item C<EV_WRITE>
725		1143
726	The file descriptor in the C<ev_io> watcher has become readable and/or	1144	The file descriptor in the C<ev_io> watcher has become readable and/or
727	writable.	1145	writable.
728		1146
729	=item C<EV_TIMEOUT>	1147	=item C<EV_TIMER>
730		1148
731	The C<ev_timer> watcher has timed out.	1149	The C<ev_timer> watcher has timed out.
732		1150
733	=item C<EV_PERIODIC>	1151	=item C<EV_PERIODIC>
734		1152
…		…
752		1170
753	=item C<EV_PREPARE>	1171	=item C<EV_PREPARE>
754		1172
755	=item C<EV_CHECK>	1173	=item C<EV_CHECK>
756		1174
757	All C<ev_prepare> watchers are invoked just I<before> C<ev_loop> starts	1175	All C<ev_prepare> watchers are invoked just I<before> C<ev_run> starts
758	to gather new events, and all C<ev_check> watchers are invoked just after	1176	to gather new events, and all C<ev_check> watchers are invoked just after
759	C<ev_loop> has gathered them, but before it invokes any callbacks for any	1177	C<ev_run> has gathered them, but before it invokes any callbacks for any
760	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as	1178	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as
761	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account	1179	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account
762	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep	1180	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep
763	C<ev_loop> from blocking).	1181	C<ev_run> from blocking).
764		1182
765	=item C<EV_EMBED>	1183	=item C<EV_EMBED>
766		1184
767	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.	1185	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.
768		1186
769	=item C<EV_FORK>	1187	=item C<EV_FORK>
770		1188
771	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	1189	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
772	C<ev_fork>).	1190	C<ev_fork>).
773		1191
		1192	=item C<EV_CLEANUP>
		1193
		1194	The event loop is about to be destroyed (see C<ev_cleanup>).
		1195
		1196	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
		1197
		1198	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
		1199
		1200	=item C<EV_CUSTOM>
		1201
		1202	Not ever sent (or otherwise used) by libev itself, but can be freely used
		1203	by libev users to signal watchers (e.g. via C<ev_feed_event>).
		1204
774	=item C<EV_ERROR>	1205	=item C<EV_ERROR>
775		1206
776	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	1207	An unspecified error has occurred, the watcher has been stopped. This might
777	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	1208	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
778	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other	1209	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other
		1210	problem. Libev considers these application bugs.
		1211
779	problem. You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping	1212	You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping with the
780	with the watcher being stopped.	1213	watcher being stopped. Note that well-written programs should not receive
		1214	an error ever, so when your watcher receives it, this usually indicates a
		1215	bug in your program.
781		1216
782	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error,	1217	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error, for
783	for example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if	1218	example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if your
784	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope	1219	callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope with
785	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded	1220	the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multi-threaded
786	programs, though, so beware.	1221	programs, though, as the fd could already be closed and reused for another
		1222	thing, so beware.
787		1223
788	=back	1224	=back
789		1225
790	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS	1226	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS
791
792	In the following description, C<TYPE> stands for the watcher type,
793	e.g. C<timer> for C<ev_timer> watchers and C<io> for C<ev_io> watchers.
794		1227
795	=over 4	1228	=over 4
796		1229
797	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1230	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
798		1231
…		…
804	which rolls both calls into one.	1237	which rolls both calls into one.
805		1238
806	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped	1239	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped
807	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.	1240	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.
808		1241
809	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,	1242	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,
810	int revents)>.	1243	int revents)>.
811		1244
		1245	Example: Initialise an C<ev_io> watcher in two steps.
		1246
		1247	ev_io w;
		1248	ev_init (&w, my_cb);
		1249	ev_io_set (&w, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1250
812	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *, [args])	1251	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *watcher, [args])
813		1252
814	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to	1253	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to
815	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can	1254	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can
816	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this	1255	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this
817	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a	1256	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a
818	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).	1257	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).
819		1258
820	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments	1259	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments
821	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.	1260	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.
822		1261
		1262	See C<ev_init>, above, for an example.
		1263
823	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])	1264	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])
824		1265
825	This convinience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro	1266	This convenience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro
826	calls into a single call. This is the most convinient method to initialise	1267	calls into a single call. This is the most convenient method to initialise
827	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.	1268	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.
828		1269
		1270	Example: Initialise and set an C<ev_io> watcher in one step.
		1271
		1272	ev_io_init (&w, my_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1273
829	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1274	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
830		1275
831	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive	1276	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive
832	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.	1277	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.
833		1278
		1279	Example: Start the C<ev_io> watcher that is being abused as example in this
		1280	whole section.
		1281
		1282	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_UC, &w);
		1283
834	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1284	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
835		1285
836	Stops the given watcher again (if active) and clears the pending	1286	Stops the given watcher if active, and clears the pending status (whether
		1287	the watcher was active or not).
		1288
837	status. It is possible that stopped watchers are pending (for example,	1289	It is possible that stopped watchers are pending - for example,
838	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending), but	1290	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending - but
839	C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor pending. If	1291	calling C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor
840	you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is therefore a	1292	pending. If you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is
841	good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.	1293	therefore a good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.
842		1294
843	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1295	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)
844		1296
845	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started	1297	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started
846	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify	1298	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify
…		…
862	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1314	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
863		1315
864	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time	1316	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time
865	(modulo threads).	1317	(modulo threads).
866		1318
867	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, priority)	1319	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, int priority)
868		1320
869	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1321	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)
870		1322
871	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small	1323	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small
872	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>	1324	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>
873	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked	1325	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked
874	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers	1326	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers
875	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).	1327	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).
876		1328
877	This means that priorities are I<only> used for ordering callback
878	invocation after new events have been received. This is useful, for
879	example, to reduce latency after idling, or more often, to bind two
880	watchers on the same event and make sure one is called first.
881
882	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending	1329	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending
883	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.	1330	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.
884		1331
885	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or	1332	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or
886	pending.	1333	pending.
887		1334
		1335	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is
		1336	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might
		1337	or might not have been clamped to the valid range.
		1338
888	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is	1339	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is
889	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).	1340	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).
890		1341
891	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is	1342	See L<WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS>, below, for a more thorough treatment of
892	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might	1343	priorities.
893	or might not have been adjusted to be within valid range.
894		1344
895	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)	1345	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
896		1346
897	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither	1347	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither
898	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback	1348	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback
899	can deal with that fact.	1349	can deal with that fact, as both are simply passed through to the
		1350	callback.
900		1351
901	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1352	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
902		1353
903	If the watcher is pending, this function returns clears its pending status	1354	If the watcher is pending, this function clears its pending status and
904	and returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the	1355	returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
905	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.	1356	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
906		1357
		1358	Sometimes it can be useful to "poll" a watcher instead of waiting for its
		1359	callback to be invoked, which can be accomplished with this function.
		1360
		1361	=item ev_feed_event (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
		1362
		1363	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
		1364	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
		1365	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher). Obviously you must
		1366	not free the watcher as long as it has pending events.
		1367
		1368	Stopping the watcher, letting libev invoke it, or calling
		1369	C<ev_clear_pending> will clear the pending event, even if the watcher was
		1370	not started in the first place.
		1371
		1372	See also C<ev_feed_fd_event> and C<ev_feed_signal_event> for related
		1373	functions that do not need a watcher.
		1374
907	=back	1375	=back
908		1376
		1377	See also the L<ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER> and L<BUILDING YOUR
		1378	OWN COMPOSITE WATCHERS> idioms.
909		1379
910	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	1380	=head2 WATCHER STATES
911		1381
912	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change	1382	There are various watcher states mentioned throughout this manual -
913	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used	1383	active, pending and so on. In this section these states and the rules to
914	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and	1384	transition between them will be described in more detail - and while these
915	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data	1385	rules might look complicated, they usually do "the right thing".
916	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
917	data:
918		1386
919	struct my_io	1387	=over 4
920	{
921	struct ev_io io;
922	int otherfd;
923	void *somedata;
924	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
925	}
926		1388
927	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you	1389	=item initialiased
928	can cast it back to your own type:
929		1390
930	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w_, int revents)	1391	Before a watcher can be registered with the event loop it has to be
931	{	1392	initialised. This can be done with a call to C<ev_TYPE_init>, or calls to
932	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;	1393	C<ev_init> followed by the watcher-specific C<ev_TYPE_set> function.
933	...
934	}
935		1394
936	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type	1395	In this state it is simply some block of memory that is suitable for
937	instead have been omitted.	1396	use in an event loop. It can be moved around, freed, reused etc. at
		1397	will - as long as you either keep the memory contents intact, or call
		1398	C<ev_TYPE_init> again.
938		1399
939	Another common scenario is having some data structure with multiple	1400	=item started/running/active
940	watchers:
941		1401
942	struct my_biggy	1402	Once a watcher has been started with a call to C<ev_TYPE_start> it becomes
943	{	1403	property of the event loop, and is actively waiting for events. While in
944	int some_data;	1404	this state it cannot be accessed (except in a few documented ways), moved,
945	ev_timer t1;	1405	freed or anything else - the only legal thing is to keep a pointer to it,
946	ev_timer t2;	1406	and call libev functions on it that are documented to work on active watchers.
947	}
948		1407
949	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more complicated,	1408	=item pending
950	you need to use C<offsetof>:
951		1409
952	#include <stddef.h>	1410	If a watcher is active and libev determines that an event it is interested
		1411	in has occurred (such as a timer expiring), it will become pending. It will
		1412	stay in this pending state until either it is stopped or its callback is
		1413	about to be invoked, so it is not normally pending inside the watcher
		1414	callback.
953		1415
		1416	The watcher might or might not be active while it is pending (for example,
		1417	an expired non-repeating timer can be pending but no longer active). If it
		1418	is stopped, it can be freely accessed (e.g. by calling C<ev_TYPE_set>),
		1419	but it is still property of the event loop at this time, so cannot be
		1420	moved, freed or reused. And if it is active the rules described in the
		1421	previous item still apply.
		1422
		1423	It is also possible to feed an event on a watcher that is not active (e.g.
		1424	via C<ev_feed_event>), in which case it becomes pending without being
		1425	active.
		1426
		1427	=item stopped
		1428
		1429	A watcher can be stopped implicitly by libev (in which case it might still
		1430	be pending), or explicitly by calling its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function. The
		1431	latter will clear any pending state the watcher might be in, regardless
		1432	of whether it was active or not, so stopping a watcher explicitly before
		1433	freeing it is often a good idea.
		1434
		1435	While stopped (and not pending) the watcher is essentially in the
		1436	initialised state, that is, it can be reused, moved, modified in any way
		1437	you wish (but when you trash the memory block, you need to C<ev_TYPE_init>
		1438	it again).
		1439
		1440	=back
		1441
		1442	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS
		1443
		1444	Many event loops support I<watcher priorities>, which are usually small
		1445	integers that influence the ordering of event callback invocation
		1446	between watchers in some way, all else being equal.
		1447
		1448	In libev, Watcher priorities can be set using C<ev_set_priority>. See its
		1449	description for the more technical details such as the actual priority
		1450	range.
		1451
		1452	There are two common ways how these these priorities are being interpreted
		1453	by event loops:
		1454
		1455	In the more common lock-out model, higher priorities "lock out" invocation
		1456	of lower priority watchers, which means as long as higher priority
		1457	watchers receive events, lower priority watchers are not being invoked.
		1458
		1459	The less common only-for-ordering model uses priorities solely to order
		1460	callback invocation within a single event loop iteration: Higher priority
		1461	watchers are invoked before lower priority ones, but they all get invoked
		1462	before polling for new events.
		1463
		1464	Libev uses the second (only-for-ordering) model for all its watchers
		1465	except for idle watchers (which use the lock-out model).
		1466
		1467	The rationale behind this is that implementing the lock-out model for
		1468	watchers is not well supported by most kernel interfaces, and most event
		1469	libraries will just poll for the same events again and again as long as
		1470	their callbacks have not been executed, which is very inefficient in the
		1471	common case of one high-priority watcher locking out a mass of lower
		1472	priority ones.
		1473
		1474	Static (ordering) priorities are most useful when you have two or more
		1475	watchers handling the same resource: a typical usage example is having an
		1476	C<ev_io> watcher to receive data, and an associated C<ev_timer> to handle
		1477	timeouts. Under load, data might be received while the program handles
		1478	other jobs, but since timers normally get invoked first, the timeout
		1479	handler will be executed before checking for data. In that case, giving
		1480	the timer a lower priority than the I/O watcher ensures that I/O will be
		1481	handled first even under adverse conditions (which is usually, but not
		1482	always, what you want).
		1483
		1484	Since idle watchers use the "lock-out" model, meaning that idle watchers
		1485	will only be executed when no same or higher priority watchers have
		1486	received events, they can be used to implement the "lock-out" model when
		1487	required.
		1488
		1489	For example, to emulate how many other event libraries handle priorities,
		1490	you can associate an C<ev_idle> watcher to each such watcher, and in
		1491	the normal watcher callback, you just start the idle watcher. The real
		1492	processing is done in the idle watcher callback. This causes libev to
		1493	continuously poll and process kernel event data for the watcher, but when
		1494	the lock-out case is known to be rare (which in turn is rare :), this is
		1495	workable.
		1496
		1497	Usually, however, the lock-out model implemented that way will perform
		1498	miserably under the type of load it was designed to handle. In that case,
		1499	it might be preferable to stop the real watcher before starting the
		1500	idle watcher, so the kernel will not have to process the event in case
		1501	the actual processing will be delayed for considerable time.
		1502
		1503	Here is an example of an I/O watcher that should run at a strictly lower
		1504	priority than the default, and which should only process data when no
		1505	other events are pending:
		1506
		1507	ev_idle idle; // actual processing watcher
		1508	ev_io io; // actual event watcher
		1509
954	static void	1510	static void
955	t1_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1511	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
956	{	1512	{
957	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1513	// stop the I/O watcher, we received the event, but
958	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));	1514	// are not yet ready to handle it.
		1515	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1516
		1517	// start the idle watcher to handle the actual event.
		1518	// it will not be executed as long as other watchers
		1519	// with the default priority are receiving events.
		1520	ev_idle_start (EV_A_ &idle);
959	}	1521	}
960		1522
961	static void	1523	static void
962	t2_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1524	idle_cb (EV_P_ ev_idle *w, int revents)
963	{	1525	{
964	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1526	// actual processing
965	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));	1527	read (STDIN_FILENO, ...);
		1528
		1529	// have to start the I/O watcher again, as
		1530	// we have handled the event
		1531	ev_io_start (EV_P_ &io);
966	}	1532	}
		1533
		1534	// initialisation
		1535	ev_idle_init (&idle, idle_cb);
		1536	ev_io_init (&io, io_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1537	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &io);
		1538
		1539	In the "real" world, it might also be beneficial to start a timer, so that
		1540	low-priority connections can not be locked out forever under load. This
		1541	enables your program to keep a lower latency for important connections
		1542	during short periods of high load, while not completely locking out less
		1543	important ones.
967		1544
968		1545
969	=head1 WATCHER TYPES	1546	=head1 WATCHER TYPES
970		1547
971	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat	1548	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat
…		…
995	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1572	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
996	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1573	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
997	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1574	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
998	required if you know what you are doing).	1575	required if you know what you are doing).
999		1576
1000	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
1001	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
1002	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
1003
1004	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1577	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
1005	receive "spurious" readyness notifications, that is your callback might	1578	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is, your callback might
1006	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block	1579	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block
1007	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a	1580	because there is no data. It is very easy to get into this situation even
1008	lot of those (for example solaris ports), it is very easy to get into	1581	with a relatively standard program structure. Thus it is best to always
1009	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus	1582	use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning C<EAGAIN> is far
1010	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
1011	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.	1583	preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
1012		1584
1013	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not	1585	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should
1014	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test	1586	not play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to separately
1015	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface	1587	re-test whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good
1016	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1588	interface such as poll (fortunately in the case of Xlib, it already does
1017	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1589	this on its own, so its quite safe to use). Some people additionally
		1590	use C<SIGALRM> and an interval timer, just to be sure you won't block
		1591	indefinitely.
		1592
		1593	But really, best use non-blocking mode.
1018		1594
1019	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors	1595	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
1020		1596
1021	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file	1597	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
1022	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,	1598	descriptor (either due to calling C<close> explicitly or any other means,
1023	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file	1599	such as C<dup2>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
1024	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop	1600	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
1025	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is	1601	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
1026	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in	1602	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
1027	fact, a different file descriptor.	1603	fact, a different file descriptor.
1028		1604
…		…
1046		1622
1047	There is no workaround possible except not registering events	1623	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
1048	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to	1624	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
1049	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.	1625	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1050		1626
		1627	=head3 The special problem of files
		1628
		1629	Many people try to use C<select> (or libev) on file descriptors
		1630	representing files, and expect it to become ready when their program
		1631	doesn't block on disk accesses (which can take a long time on their own).
		1632
		1633	However, this cannot ever work in the "expected" way - you get a readiness
		1634	notification as soon as the kernel knows whether and how much data is
		1635	there, and in the case of open files, that's always the case, so you
		1636	always get a readiness notification instantly, and your read (or possibly
		1637	write) will still block on the disk I/O.
		1638
		1639	Another way to view it is that in the case of sockets, pipes, character
		1640	devices and so on, there is another party (the sender) that delivers data
		1641	on its own, but in the case of files, there is no such thing: the disk
		1642	will not send data on its own, simply because it doesn't know what you
		1643	wish to read - you would first have to request some data.
		1644
		1645	Since files are typically not-so-well supported by advanced notification
		1646	mechanism, libev tries hard to emulate POSIX behaviour with respect
		1647	to files, even though you should not use it. The reason for this is
		1648	convenience: sometimes you want to watch STDIN or STDOUT, which is
		1649	usually a tty, often a pipe, but also sometimes files or special devices
		1650	(for example, C<epoll> on Linux works with F</dev/random> but not with
		1651	F</dev/urandom>), and even though the file might better be served with
		1652	asynchronous I/O instead of with non-blocking I/O, it is still useful when
		1653	it "just works" instead of freezing.
		1654
		1655	So avoid file descriptors pointing to files when you know it (e.g. use
		1656	libeio), but use them when it is convenient, e.g. for STDIN/STDOUT, or
		1657	when you rarely read from a file instead of from a socket, and want to
		1658	reuse the same code path.
		1659
1051	=head3 The special problem of fork	1660	=head3 The special problem of fork
1052		1661
1053	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit	1662	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
1054	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about	1663	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
1055	it in the child.	1664	it in the child if you want to continue to use it in the child.
1056		1665
1057	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call	1666	To support fork in your child processes, you have to call C<ev_loop_fork
1058	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,	1667	()> after a fork in the child, enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to
1059	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or	1668	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1060	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1061		1669
		1670	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
		1671
		1672	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about C<SIGPIPE>:
		1673	when writing to a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program gets
		1674	sent a SIGPIPE, which, by default, aborts your program. For most programs
		1675	this is sensible behaviour, for daemons, this is usually undesirable.
		1676
		1677	So when you encounter spurious, unexplained daemon exits, make sure you
		1678	ignore SIGPIPE (and maybe make sure you log the exit status of your daemon
		1679	somewhere, as that would have given you a big clue).
		1680
		1681	=head3 The special problem of accept()ing when you can't
		1682
		1683	Many implementations of the POSIX C<accept> function (for example,
		1684	found in post-2004 Linux) have the peculiar behaviour of not removing a
		1685	connection from the pending queue in all error cases.
		1686
		1687	For example, larger servers often run out of file descriptors (because
		1688	of resource limits), causing C<accept> to fail with C<ENFILE> but not
		1689	rejecting the connection, leading to libev signalling readiness on
		1690	the next iteration again (the connection still exists after all), and
		1691	typically causing the program to loop at 100% CPU usage.
		1692
		1693	Unfortunately, the set of errors that cause this issue differs between
		1694	operating systems, there is usually little the app can do to remedy the
		1695	situation, and no known thread-safe method of removing the connection to
		1696	cope with overload is known (to me).
		1697
		1698	One of the easiest ways to handle this situation is to just ignore it
		1699	- when the program encounters an overload, it will just loop until the
		1700	situation is over. While this is a form of busy waiting, no OS offers an
		1701	event-based way to handle this situation, so it's the best one can do.
		1702
		1703	A better way to handle the situation is to log any errors other than
		1704	C<EAGAIN> and C<EWOULDBLOCK>, making sure not to flood the log with such
		1705	messages, and continue as usual, which at least gives the user an idea of
		1706	what could be wrong ("raise the ulimit!"). For extra points one could stop
		1707	the C<ev_io> watcher on the listening fd "for a while", which reduces CPU
		1708	usage.
		1709
		1710	If your program is single-threaded, then you could also keep a dummy file
		1711	descriptor for overload situations (e.g. by opening F</dev/null>), and
		1712	when you run into C<ENFILE> or C<EMFILE>, close it, run C<accept>,
		1713	close that fd, and create a new dummy fd. This will gracefully refuse
		1714	clients under typical overload conditions.
		1715
		1716	The last way to handle it is to simply log the error and C<exit>, as
		1717	is often done with C<malloc> failures, but this results in an easy
		1718	opportunity for a DoS attack.
1062		1719
1063	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions	1720	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
1064		1721
1065	=over 4	1722	=over 4
1066		1723
1067	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1724	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
1068		1725
1069	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	1726	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
1070		1727
1071	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to	1728	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to
1072	rceeive events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or	1729	receive events for and C<events> is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or
1073	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.	1730	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE>, to express the desire to receive the given events.
1074		1731
1075	=item int fd [read-only]	1732	=item int fd [read-only]
1076		1733
1077	The file descriptor being watched.	1734	The file descriptor being watched.
1078		1735
…		…
1086		1743
1087	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1744	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
1088	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1745	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
1089	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.	1746	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
1090		1747
1091	static void	1748	static void
1092	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1749	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1093	{	1750	{
1094	ev_io_stop (loop, w);	1751	ev_io_stop (loop, w);
1095	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and haqndle any I/O errors	1752	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and handle any I/O errors
1096	}	1753	}
1097		1754
1098	...	1755	...
1099	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);	1756	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
1100	struct ev_io stdin_readable;	1757	ev_io stdin_readable;
1101	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1758	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
1102	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);	1759	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);
1103	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1760	ev_run (loop, 0);
1104		1761
1105		1762
1106	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts	1763	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
1107		1764
1108	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a	1765	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a
1109	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.	1766	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.
1110		1767
1111	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that	1768	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that
1112	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to last years	1769	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to January last
1113	time, it will still time out after (roughly) and hour. "Roughly" because	1770	year, it will still time out after (roughly) one hour. "Roughly" because
1114	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the	1771	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the
1115	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).	1772	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).
		1773
		1774	The callback is guaranteed to be invoked only I<after> its timeout has
		1775	passed (not I<at>, so on systems with very low-resolution clocks this
		1776	might introduce a small delay, see "the special problem of being too
		1777	early", below). If multiple timers become ready during the same loop
		1778	iteration then the ones with earlier time-out values are invoked before
		1779	ones of the same priority with later time-out values (but this is no
		1780	longer true when a callback calls C<ev_run> recursively).
		1781
		1782	=head3 Be smart about timeouts
		1783
		1784	Many real-world problems involve some kind of timeout, usually for error
		1785	recovery. A typical example is an HTTP request - if the other side hangs,
		1786	you want to raise some error after a while.
		1787
		1788	What follows are some ways to handle this problem, from obvious and
		1789	inefficient to smart and efficient.
		1790
		1791	In the following, a 60 second activity timeout is assumed - a timeout that
		1792	gets reset to 60 seconds each time there is activity (e.g. each time some
		1793	data or other life sign was received).
		1794
		1795	=over 4
		1796
		1797	=item 1. Use a timer and stop, reinitialise and start it on activity.
		1798
		1799	This is the most obvious, but not the most simple way: In the beginning,
		1800	start the watcher:
		1801
		1802	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 60., 0.);
		1803	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1804
		1805	Then, each time there is some activity, C<ev_timer_stop> it, initialise it
		1806	and start it again:
		1807
		1808	ev_timer_stop (loop, timer);
		1809	ev_timer_set (timer, 60., 0.);
		1810	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1811
		1812	This is relatively simple to implement, but means that each time there is
		1813	some activity, libev will first have to remove the timer from its internal
		1814	data structure and then add it again. Libev tries to be fast, but it's
		1815	still not a constant-time operation.
		1816
		1817	=item 2. Use a timer and re-start it with C<ev_timer_again> inactivity.
		1818
		1819	This is the easiest way, and involves using C<ev_timer_again> instead of
		1820	C<ev_timer_start>.
		1821
		1822	To implement this, configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value
		1823	of C<60> and then call C<ev_timer_again> at start and each time you
		1824	successfully read or write some data. If you go into an idle state where
		1825	you do not expect data to travel on the socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop>
		1826	the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will automatically restart it if need be.
		1827
		1828	That means you can ignore both the C<ev_timer_start> function and the
		1829	C<after> argument to C<ev_timer_set>, and only ever use the C<repeat>
		1830	member and C<ev_timer_again>.
		1831
		1832	At start:
		1833
		1834	ev_init (timer, callback);
		1835	timer->repeat = 60.;
		1836	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1837
		1838	Each time there is some activity:
		1839
		1840	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1841
		1842	It is even possible to change the time-out on the fly, regardless of
		1843	whether the watcher is active or not:
		1844
		1845	timer->repeat = 30.;
		1846	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1847
		1848	This is slightly more efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time
		1849	you want to modify its timeout value, as libev does not have to completely
		1850	remove and re-insert the timer from/into its internal data structure.
		1851
		1852	It is, however, even simpler than the "obvious" way to do it.
		1853
		1854	=item 3. Let the timer time out, but then re-arm it as required.
		1855
		1856	This method is more tricky, but usually most efficient: Most timeouts are
		1857	relatively long compared to the intervals between other activity - in
		1858	our example, within 60 seconds, there are usually many I/O events with
		1859	associated activity resets.
		1860
		1861	In this case, it would be more efficient to leave the C<ev_timer> alone,
		1862	but remember the time of last activity, and check for a real timeout only
		1863	within the callback:
		1864
		1865	ev_tstamp timeout = 60.;
		1866	ev_tstamp last_activity; // time of last activity
		1867	ev_timer timer;
		1868
		1869	static void
		1870	callback (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1871	{
		1872	// calculate when the timeout would happen
		1873	ev_tstamp after = last_activity - ev_now (EV_A) + timeout;
		1874
		1875	// if negative, it means we the timeout already occured
		1876	if (after < 0.)
		1877	{
		1878	// timeout occurred, take action
		1879	}
		1880	else
		1881	{
		1882	// callback was invoked, but there was some recent
		1883	// activity. simply restart the timer to time out
		1884	// after "after" seconds, which is the earliest time
		1885	// the timeout can occur.
		1886	ev_timer_set (w, after, 0.);
		1887	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ w);
		1888	}
		1889	}
		1890
		1891	To summarise the callback: first calculate in how many seconds the
		1892	timeout will occur (by calculating the absolute time when it would occur,
		1893	C<last_activity + timeout>, and subtracting the current time, C<ev_now
		1894	(EV_A)> from that).
		1895
		1896	If this value is negative, then we are already past the timeout, i.e. we
		1897	timed out, and need to do whatever is needed in this case.
		1898
		1899	Otherwise, we now the earliest time at which the timeout would trigger,
		1900	and simply start the timer with this timeout value.
		1901
		1902	In other words, each time the callback is invoked it will check whether
		1903	the timeout cocured. If not, it will simply reschedule itself to check
		1904	again at the earliest time it could time out. Rinse. Repeat.
		1905
		1906	This scheme causes more callback invocations (about one every 60 seconds
		1907	minus half the average time between activity), but virtually no calls to
		1908	libev to change the timeout.
		1909
		1910	To start the machinery, simply initialise the watcher and set
		1911	C<last_activity> to the current time (meaning there was some activity just
		1912	now), then call the callback, which will "do the right thing" and start
		1913	the timer:
		1914
		1915	last_activity = ev_now (EV_A);
		1916	ev_init (&timer, callback);
		1917	callback (EV_A_ &timer, 0);
		1918
		1919	When there is some activity, simply store the current time in
		1920	C<last_activity>, no libev calls at all:
		1921
		1922	if (activity detected)
		1923	last_activity = ev_now (EV_A);
		1924
		1925	When your timeout value changes, then the timeout can be changed by simply
		1926	providing a new value, stopping the timer and calling the callback, which
		1927	will agaion do the right thing (for example, time out immediately :).
		1928
		1929	timeout = new_value;
		1930	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &timer);
		1931	callback (EV_A_ &timer, 0);
		1932
		1933	This technique is slightly more complex, but in most cases where the
		1934	time-out is unlikely to be triggered, much more efficient.
		1935
		1936	=item 4. Wee, just use a double-linked list for your timeouts.
		1937
		1938	If there is not one request, but many thousands (millions...), all
		1939	employing some kind of timeout with the same timeout value, then one can
		1940	do even better:
		1941
		1942	When starting the timeout, calculate the timeout value and put the timeout
		1943	at the I<end> of the list.
		1944
		1945	Then use an C<ev_timer> to fire when the timeout at the I<beginning> of
		1946	the list is expected to fire (for example, using the technique #3).
		1947
		1948	When there is some activity, remove the timer from the list, recalculate
		1949	the timeout, append it to the end of the list again, and make sure to
		1950	update the C<ev_timer> if it was taken from the beginning of the list.
		1951
		1952	This way, one can manage an unlimited number of timeouts in O(1) time for
		1953	starting, stopping and updating the timers, at the expense of a major
		1954	complication, and having to use a constant timeout. The constant timeout
		1955	ensures that the list stays sorted.
		1956
		1957	=back
		1958
		1959	So which method the best?
		1960
		1961	Method #2 is a simple no-brain-required solution that is adequate in most
		1962	situations. Method #3 requires a bit more thinking, but handles many cases
		1963	better, and isn't very complicated either. In most case, choosing either
		1964	one is fine, with #3 being better in typical situations.
		1965
		1966	Method #1 is almost always a bad idea, and buys you nothing. Method #4 is
		1967	rather complicated, but extremely efficient, something that really pays
		1968	off after the first million or so of active timers, i.e. it's usually
		1969	overkill :)
		1970
		1971	=head3 The special problem of being too early
		1972
		1973	If you ask a timer to call your callback after three seconds, then
		1974	you expect it to be invoked after three seconds - but of course, this
		1975	cannot be guaranteed to infinite precision. Less obviously, it cannot be
		1976	guaranteed to any precision by libev - imagine somebody suspending the
		1977	process with a STOP signal for a few hours for example.
		1978
		1979	So, libev tries to invoke your callback as soon as possible I<after> the
		1980	delay has occurred, but cannot guarantee this.
		1981
		1982	A less obvious failure mode is calling your callback too early: many event
		1983	loops compare timestamps with a "elapsed delay >= requested delay", but
		1984	this can cause your callback to be invoked much earlier than you would
		1985	expect.
		1986
		1987	To see why, imagine a system with a clock that only offers full second
		1988	resolution (think windows if you can't come up with a broken enough OS
		1989	yourself). If you schedule a one-second timer at the time 500.9, then the
		1990	event loop will schedule your timeout to elapse at a system time of 500
		1991	(500.9 truncated to the resolution) + 1, or 501.
		1992
		1993	If an event library looks at the timeout 0.1s later, it will see "501 >=
		1994	501" and invoke the callback 0.1s after it was started, even though a
		1995	one-second delay was requested - this is being "too early", despite best
		1996	intentions.
		1997
		1998	This is the reason why libev will never invoke the callback if the elapsed
		1999	delay equals the requested delay, but only when the elapsed delay is
		2000	larger than the requested delay. In the example above, libev would only invoke
		2001	the callback at system time 502, or 1.1s after the timer was started.
		2002
		2003	So, while libev cannot guarantee that your callback will be invoked
		2004	exactly when requested, it I<can> and I<does> guarantee that the requested
		2005	delay has actually elapsed, or in other words, it always errs on the "too
		2006	late" side of things.
		2007
		2008	=head3 The special problem of time updates
		2009
		2010	Establishing the current time is a costly operation (it usually takes
		2011	at least one system call): EV therefore updates its idea of the current
		2012	time only before and after C<ev_run> collects new events, which causes a
		2013	growing difference between C<ev_now ()> and C<ev_time ()> when handling
		2014	lots of events in one iteration.
1116		2015
1117	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>	2016	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>
1118	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time	2017	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time
1119	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If	2018	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If
1120	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the timeout	2019	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the
1121	on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:	2020	timeout on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:
1122		2021
1123	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);	2022	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);
1124		2023
1125	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	2024	If the event loop is suspended for a long time, you can also force an
1126	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	2025	update of the time returned by C<ev_now ()> by calling C<ev_now_update
1127	order of execution is undefined.	2026	()>.
		2027
		2028	=head3 The special problem of unsynchronised clocks
		2029
		2030	Modern systems have a variety of clocks - libev itself uses the normal
		2031	"wall clock" clock and, if available, the monotonic clock (to avoid time
		2032	jumps).
		2033
		2034	Neither of these clocks is synchronised with each other or any other clock
		2035	on the system, so C<ev_time ()> might return a considerably different time
		2036	than C<gettimeofday ()> or C<time ()>. On a GNU/Linux system, for example,
		2037	a call to C<gettimeofday> might return a second count that is one higher
		2038	than a directly following call to C<time>.
		2039
		2040	The moral of this is to only compare libev-related timestamps with
		2041	C<ev_time ()> and C<ev_now ()>, at least if you want better precision than
		2042	a second or so.
		2043
		2044	One more problem arises due to this lack of synchronisation: if libev uses
		2045	the system monotonic clock and you compare timestamps from C<ev_time>
		2046	or C<ev_now> from when you started your timer and when your callback is
		2047	invoked, you will find that sometimes the callback is a bit "early".
		2048
		2049	This is because C<ev_timer>s work in real time, not wall clock time, so
		2050	libev makes sure your callback is not invoked before the delay happened,
		2051	I<measured according to the real time>, not the system clock.
		2052
		2053	If your timeouts are based on a physical timescale (e.g. "time out this
		2054	connection after 100 seconds") then this shouldn't bother you as it is
		2055	exactly the right behaviour.
		2056
		2057	If you want to compare wall clock/system timestamps to your timers, then
		2058	you need to use C<ev_periodic>s, as these are based on the wall clock
		2059	time, where your comparisons will always generate correct results.
		2060
		2061	=head3 The special problems of suspended animation
		2062
		2063	When you leave the server world it is quite customary to hit machines that
		2064	can suspend/hibernate - what happens to the clocks during such a suspend?
		2065
		2066	Some quick tests made with a Linux 2.6.28 indicate that a suspend freezes
		2067	all processes, while the clocks (C<times>, C<CLOCK_MONOTONIC>) continue
		2068	to run until the system is suspended, but they will not advance while the
		2069	system is suspended. That means, on resume, it will be as if the program
		2070	was frozen for a few seconds, but the suspend time will not be counted
		2071	towards C<ev_timer> when a monotonic clock source is used. The real time
		2072	clock advanced as expected, but if it is used as sole clocksource, then a
		2073	long suspend would be detected as a time jump by libev, and timers would
		2074	be adjusted accordingly.
		2075
		2076	I would not be surprised to see different behaviour in different between
		2077	operating systems, OS versions or even different hardware.
		2078
		2079	The other form of suspend (job control, or sending a SIGSTOP) will see a
		2080	time jump in the monotonic clocks and the realtime clock. If the program
		2081	is suspended for a very long time, and monotonic clock sources are in use,
		2082	then you can expect C<ev_timer>s to expire as the full suspension time
		2083	will be counted towards the timers. When no monotonic clock source is in
		2084	use, then libev will again assume a timejump and adjust accordingly.
		2085
		2086	It might be beneficial for this latter case to call C<ev_suspend>
		2087	and C<ev_resume> in code that handles C<SIGTSTP>, to at least get
		2088	deterministic behaviour in this case (you can do nothing against
		2089	C<SIGSTOP>).
1128		2090
1129	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2091	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1130		2092
1131	=over 4	2093	=over 4
1132		2094
1133	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	2095	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
1134		2096
1135	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	2097	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
1136		2098
1137	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat> is	2099	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat>
1138	C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped. If it is positive, then the	2100	is C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped once the timeout is
1139	timer will automatically be configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds	2101	reached. If it is positive, then the timer will automatically be
1140	later, again, and again, until stopped manually.	2102	configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds later, again, and again,
		2103	until stopped manually.
1141		2104
1142	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if you	2105	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if
1143	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at	2106	you configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will normally
1144	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with	2107	trigger at exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot
1145	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the	2108	keep up with the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to
1146	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.	2109	do stuff) the timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.
1147		2110
1148	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	2111	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)
1149		2112
1150	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	2113	This will act as if the timer timed out and restarts it again if it is
1151	repeating. The exact semantics are:	2114	repeating. The exact semantics are:
1152		2115
1153	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.	2116	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
1154		2117
1155	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it (as if it timed out).	2118	If the timer is started but non-repeating, stop it (as if it timed out).
1156		2119
1157	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the	2120	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the
1158	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.	2121	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.
1159		2122
1160	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical	2123	This sounds a bit complicated, see L<Be smart about timeouts>, above, for a
1161	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called idle	2124	usage example.
1162	timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been, say, 60
1163	seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do this is to
1164	configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value of C<60> and then call
1165	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If
1166	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the
1167	socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop> the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will
1168	automatically restart it if need be.
1169		2125
1170	That means you can ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start>	2126	=item ev_tstamp ev_timer_remaining (loop, ev_timer *)
1171	altogether and only ever use the C<repeat> value and C<ev_timer_again>:
1172		2127
1173	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);	2128	Returns the remaining time until a timer fires. If the timer is active,
1174	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);	2129	then this time is relative to the current event loop time, otherwise it's
1175	...	2130	the timeout value currently configured.
1176	timer->again = 17.;
1177	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
1178	...
1179	timer->again = 10.;
1180	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
1181		2131
1182	This is more slightly efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time	2132	That is, after an C<ev_timer_set (w, 5, 7)>, C<ev_timer_remaining> returns
1183	you want to modify its timeout value.	2133	C<5>. When the timer is started and one second passes, C<ev_timer_remaining>
		2134	will return C<4>. When the timer expires and is restarted, it will return
		2135	roughly C<7> (likely slightly less as callback invocation takes some time,
		2136	too), and so on.
1184		2137
1185	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]	2138	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]
1186		2139
1187	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out	2140	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out
1188	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	2141	or C<ev_timer_again> is called, and determines the next timeout (if any),
1189	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	2142	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
1190		2143
1191	=back	2144	=back
1192		2145
1193	=head3 Examples	2146	=head3 Examples
1194		2147
1195	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	2148	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
1196		2149
1197	static void	2150	static void
1198	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	2151	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
1199	{	2152	{
1200	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here	2153	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here
1201	}	2154	}
1202		2155
1203	struct ev_timer mytimer;	2156	ev_timer mytimer;
1204	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);	2157	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);
1205	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);	2158	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);
1206		2159
1207	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of	2160	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of
1208	inactivity.	2161	inactivity.
1209		2162
1210	static void	2163	static void
1211	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	2164	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
1212	{	2165	{
1213	.. ten seconds without any activity	2166	.. ten seconds without any activity
1214	}	2167	}
1215		2168
1216	struct ev_timer mytimer;	2169	ev_timer mytimer;
1217	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */	2170	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */
1218	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */	2171	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */
1219	ev_loop (loop, 0);	2172	ev_run (loop, 0);
1220		2173
1221	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":	2174	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":
1222	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds	2175	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds
1223	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);	2176	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);
1224		2177
1225		2178
1226	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?	2179	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?
1227		2180
1228	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile	2181	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile
1229	(and unfortunately a bit complex).	2182	(and unfortunately a bit complex).
1230		2183
1231	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)	2184	Unlike C<ev_timer>, periodic watchers are not based on real time (or
1232	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	2185	relative time, the physical time that passes) but on wall clock time
1233	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	2186	(absolute time, the thing you can read on your calender or clock). The
1234	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()	2187	difference is that wall clock time can run faster or slower than real
1235	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	2188	time, and time jumps are not uncommon (e.g. when you adjust your
1236	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	2189	wrist-watch).
1237	roughly 10 seconds later).
1238		2190
1239	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as	2191	You can tell a periodic watcher to trigger after some specific point
1240	triggering an event on each midnight, local time or other, complicated,	2192	in time: for example, if you tell a periodic watcher to trigger "in 10
1241	rules.	2193	seconds" (by specifying e.g. C<ev_now () + 10.>, that is, an absolute time
		2194	not a delay) and then reset your system clock to January of the previous
		2195	year, then it will take a year or more to trigger the event (unlike an
		2196	C<ev_timer>, which would still trigger roughly 10 seconds after starting
		2197	it, as it uses a relative timeout).
1242		2198
		2199	C<ev_periodic> watchers can also be used to implement vastly more complex
		2200	timers, such as triggering an event on each "midnight, local time", or
		2201	other complicated rules. This cannot be done with C<ev_timer> watchers, as
		2202	those cannot react to time jumps.
		2203
1243	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	2204	As with timers, the callback is guaranteed to be invoked only when the
1244	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	2205	point in time where it is supposed to trigger has passed. If multiple
1245	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	2206	timers become ready during the same loop iteration then the ones with
		2207	earlier time-out values are invoked before ones with later time-out values
		2208	(but this is no longer true when a callback calls C<ev_run> recursively).
1246		2209
1247	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2210	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1248		2211
1249	=over 4	2212	=over 4
1250		2213
1251	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	2214	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1252		2215
1253	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	2216	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1254		2217
1255	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of	2218	Lots of arguments, let's sort it out... There are basically three modes of
1256	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:	2219	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to most complex:
1257		2220
1258	=over 4	2221	=over 4
1259		2222
1260	=item * absolute timer (at = time, interval = reschedule_cb = 0)	2223	=item * absolute timer (offset = absolute time, interval = 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1261		2224
1262	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	2225	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event after the wall clock
1263	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	2226	time C<offset> has passed. It will not repeat and will not adjust when a
1264	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	2227	time jump occurs, that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it
1265	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	2228	will be stopped and invoked when the system clock reaches or surpasses
		2229	this point in time.
1266		2230
1267	=item * non-repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	2231	=item * repeating interval timer (offset = offset within interval, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1268		2232
1269	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	2233	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
1270	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)	2234	C<offset + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be
1271	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.	2235	negative) and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps. The C<offset>
		2236	argument is merely an offset into the C<interval> periods.
1272		2237
1273	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system	2238	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to the
1274	time:	2239	system clock, for example, here is an C<ev_periodic> that triggers each
		2240	hour, on the hour (with respect to UTC):
1275		2241
1276	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);	2242	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);
1277		2243
1278	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,	2244	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,
1279	but only that the the callback will be called when the system time shows a	2245	but only that the callback will be called when the system time shows a
1280	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible	2246	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible
1281	by 3600.	2247	by 3600.
1282		2248
1283	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that	2249	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
1284	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible	2250	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible
1285	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.	2251	time where C<time = offset (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.
1286		2252
1287	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<at> value is near	2253	The C<interval> I<MUST> be positive, and for numerical stability, the
1288	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for	2254	interval value should be higher than C<1/8192> (which is around 100
1289	this value.	2255	microseconds) and C<offset> should be higher than C<0> and should have
		2256	at most a similar magnitude as the current time (say, within a factor of
		2257	ten). Typical values for offset are, in fact, C<0> or something between
		2258	C<0> and C<interval>, which is also the recommended range.
1290		2259
		2260	Note also that there is an upper limit to how often a timer can fire (CPU
		2261	speed for example), so if C<interval> is very small then timing stability
		2262	will of course deteriorate. Libev itself tries to be exact to be about one
		2263	millisecond (if the OS supports it and the machine is fast enough).
		2264
1291	=item * manual reschedule mode (at and interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)	2265	=item * manual reschedule mode (offset ignored, interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)
1292		2266
1293	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being	2267	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<offset> are both being
1294	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the	2268	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the
1295	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the	2269	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the
1296	current time as second argument.	2270	current time as second argument.
1297		2271
1298	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,	2272	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher, ever,
1299	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,	2273	or make ANY other event loop modifications whatsoever, unless explicitly
1300	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by	2274	allowed by documentation here>.
1301	starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is legal).
1302		2275
		2276	If you need to stop it, return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop
		2277	it afterwards (e.g. by starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is the
		2278	only event loop modification you are allowed to do).
		2279
1303	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,	2280	The callback prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic
1304	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:	2281	*w, ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:
1305		2282
		2283	static ev_tstamp
1306	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2284	my_rescheduler (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1307	{	2285	{
1308	return now + 60.;	2286	return now + 60.;
1309	}	2287	}
1310		2288
1311	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value	2289	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value
1312	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It	2290	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It
1313	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but	2291	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but
1314	might be called at other times, too.	2292	might be called at other times, too.
1315		2293
1316	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is later than the	2294	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is higher than or
1317	passed C<now> value >>. Not even C<now> itself will do, it I<must> be larger.	2295	equal to the passed C<now> value >>.
1318		2296
1319	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that	2297	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that
1320	triggers on each midnight, local time. To do this, you would calculate the	2298	triggers on "next midnight, local time". To do this, you would calculate the
1321	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How	2299	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How
1322	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main	2300	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main
1323	reason I omitted it as an example).	2301	reason I omitted it as an example).
1324		2302
1325	=back	2303	=back
…		…
1329	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful	2307	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful
1330	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return	2308	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return
1331	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	2309	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
1332	program when the crontabs have changed).	2310	program when the crontabs have changed).
1333		2311
		2312	=item ev_tstamp ev_periodic_at (ev_periodic *)
		2313
		2314	When active, returns the absolute time that the watcher is supposed
		2315	to trigger next. This is not the same as the C<offset> argument to
		2316	C<ev_periodic_set>, but indeed works even in interval and manual
		2317	rescheduling modes.
		2318
1334	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]	2319	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]
1335		2320
1336	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the	2321	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the
1337	absolute point in time (the C<at> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>).	2322	absolute point in time (the C<offset> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>,
		2323	although libev might modify this value for better numerical stability).
1338		2324
1339	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic	2325	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic
1340	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	2326	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1341		2327
1342	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]	2328	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
1343		2329
1344	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only	2330	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
1345	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being	2331	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
1346	called.	2332	called.
1347		2333
1348	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]	2334	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]
1349		2335
1350	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	2336	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1351	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	2337	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1352	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	2338	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1353		2339
1354	=item ev_tstamp at [read-only]
1355
1356	When active, contains the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to
1357	trigger next.
1358
1359	=back	2340	=back
1360		2341
1361	=head3 Examples	2342	=head3 Examples
1362		2343
1363	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	2344	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1364	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	2345	system time is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1365	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	2346	potentially a lot of jitter, but good long-term stability.
1366		2347
1367	static void	2348	static void
1368	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	2349	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_periodic *w, int revents)
1369	{	2350	{
1370	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)	2351	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)
1371	}	2352	}
1372		2353
1373	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2354	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1374	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);	2355	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);
1375	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2356	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1376		2357
1377	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:	2358	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:
1378		2359
1379	#include <math.h>	2360	#include <math.h>
1380		2361
1381	static ev_tstamp	2362	static ev_tstamp
1382	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2363	my_scheduler_cb (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1383	{	2364	{
1384	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;	2365	return now + (3600. - fmod (now, 3600.));
1385	}	2366	}
1386		2367
1387	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);	2368	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);
1388		2369
1389	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:	2370	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:
1390		2371
1391	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2372	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1392	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,	2373	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,
1393	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);	2374	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);
1394	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2375	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1395		2376
1396		2377
1397	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!	2378	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
1398		2379
1399	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific	2380	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific
1400	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev	2381	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev
1401	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the	2382	will try its best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the
1402	normal event processing, like any other event.	2383	normal event processing, like any other event.
1403		2384
		2385	If you want signals to be delivered truly asynchronously, just use
		2386	C<sigaction> as you would do without libev and forget about sharing
		2387	the signal. You can even use C<ev_async> from a signal handler to
		2388	synchronously wake up an event loop.
		2389
1404	You can configure as many watchers as you like per signal. Only when the	2390	You can configure as many watchers as you like for the same signal, but
		2391	only within the same loop, i.e. you can watch for C<SIGINT> in your
		2392	default loop and for C<SIGIO> in another loop, but you cannot watch for
		2393	C<SIGINT> in both the default loop and another loop at the same time. At
		2394	the moment, C<SIGCHLD> is permanently tied to the default loop.
		2395
1405	first watcher gets started will libev actually register a signal watcher	2396	When the first watcher gets started will libev actually register something
1406	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	2397	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long as
1407	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	2398	you don't register any with libev for the same signal).
1408	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	2399
1409	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	2400	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with
		2401	C<SA_RESTART> (or equivalent) behaviour enabled, so system calls should
		2402	not be unduly interrupted. If you have a problem with system calls getting
		2403	interrupted by signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher
		2404	and unblock them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.
		2405
		2406	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over fork/execve/pthread_create
		2407
		2408	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition
		2409	(C<sigaction>) are unspecified after starting a signal watcher (and after
		2410	stopping it again), that is, libev might or might not block the signal,
		2411	and might or might not set or restore the installed signal handler (but
		2412	see C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK>).
		2413
		2414	While this does not matter for the signal disposition (libev never
		2415	sets signals to C<SIG_IGN>, so handlers will be reset to C<SIG_DFL> on
		2416	C<execve>), this matters for the signal mask: many programs do not expect
		2417	certain signals to be blocked.
		2418
		2419	This means that before calling C<exec> (from the child) you should reset
		2420	the signal mask to whatever "default" you expect (all clear is a good
		2421	choice usually).
		2422
		2423	The simplest way to ensure that the signal mask is reset in the child is
		2424	to install a fork handler with C<pthread_atfork> that resets it. That will
		2425	catch fork calls done by libraries (such as the libc) as well.
		2426
		2427	In current versions of libev, the signal will not be blocked indefinitely
		2428	unless you use the C<signalfd> API (C<EV_SIGNALFD>). While this reduces
		2429	the window of opportunity for problems, it will not go away, as libev
		2430	I<has> to modify the signal mask, at least temporarily.
		2431
		2432	So I can't stress this enough: I<If you do not reset your signal mask when
		2433	you expect it to be empty, you have a race condition in your code>. This
		2434	is not a libev-specific thing, this is true for most event libraries.
		2435
		2436	=head3 The special problem of threads signal handling
		2437
		2438	POSIX threads has problematic signal handling semantics, specifically,
		2439	a lot of functionality (sigfd, sigwait etc.) only really works if all
		2440	threads in a process block signals, which is hard to achieve.
		2441
		2442	When you want to use sigwait (or mix libev signal handling with your own
		2443	for the same signals), you can tackle this problem by globally blocking
		2444	all signals before creating any threads (or creating them with a fully set
		2445	sigprocmask) and also specifying the C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK> when creating
		2446	loops. Then designate one thread as "signal receiver thread" which handles
		2447	these signals. You can pass on any signals that libev might be interested
		2448	in by calling C<ev_feed_signal>.
1410		2449
1411	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2450	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1412		2451
1413	=over 4	2452	=over 4
1414		2453
…		…
1423		2462
1424	The signal the watcher watches out for.	2463	The signal the watcher watches out for.
1425		2464
1426	=back	2465	=back
1427		2466
		2467	=head3 Examples
		2468
		2469	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT.
		2470
		2471	static void
		2472	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_signal *w, int revents)
		2473	{
		2474	ev_break (loop, EVBREAK_ALL);
		2475	}
		2476
		2477	ev_signal signal_watcher;
		2478	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
		2479	ev_signal_start (loop, &signal_watcher);
		2480
1428		2481
1429	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	2482	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1430		2483
1431	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	2484	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1432	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	2485	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies or
		2486	exits). It is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child
		2487	has been forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long
		2488	as the event loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher), i.e.,
		2489	forking and then immediately registering a watcher for the child is fine,
		2490	but forking and registering a watcher a few event loop iterations later or
		2491	in the next callback invocation is not.
		2492
		2493	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore
		2494	you can only register child watchers in the default event loop.
		2495
		2496	Due to some design glitches inside libev, child watchers will always be
		2497	handled at maximum priority (their priority is set to C<EV_MAXPRI> by
		2498	libev)
		2499
		2500	=head3 Process Interaction
		2501
		2502	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is
		2503	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if the
		2504	first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurrence
		2505	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done
		2506	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all
		2507	children, even ones not watched.
		2508
		2509	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing
		2510
		2511	Libev offers no special support for overriding the built-in child
		2512	processing, but if your application collides with libev's default child
		2513	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for
		2514	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the
		2515	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an
		2516	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for
		2517	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.
		2518
		2519	=head3 Stopping the Child Watcher
		2520
		2521	Currently, the child watcher never gets stopped, even when the
		2522	child terminates, so normally one needs to stop the watcher in the
		2523	callback. Future versions of libev might stop the watcher automatically
		2524	when a child exit is detected (calling C<ev_child_stop> twice is not a
		2525	problem).
1433		2526
1434	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2527	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1435		2528
1436	=over 4	2529	=over 4
1437		2530
1438	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid)	2531	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid, int trace)
1439		2532
1440	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid)	2533	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid, int trace)
1441		2534
1442	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or	2535	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or
1443	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look	2536	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look
1444	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	2537	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
1445	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	2538	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
1446	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	2539	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
1447	process causing the status change.	2540	process causing the status change. C<trace> must be either C<0> (only
		2541	activate the watcher when the process terminates) or C<1> (additionally
		2542	activate the watcher when the process is stopped or continued).
1448		2543
1449	=item int pid [read-only]	2544	=item int pid [read-only]
1450		2545
1451	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.	2546	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
1452		2547
…		…
1461		2556
1462	=back	2557	=back
1463		2558
1464	=head3 Examples	2559	=head3 Examples
1465		2560
1466	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	2561	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for
		2562	its completion.
1467		2563
		2564	ev_child cw;
		2565
1468	static void	2566	static void
1469	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	2567	child_cb (EV_P_ ev_child *w, int revents)
1470	{	2568	{
1471	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	2569	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);
		2570	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);
1472	}	2571	}
1473		2572
1474	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	2573	pid_t pid = fork ();
1475	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	2574
1476	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	2575	if (pid < 0)
		2576	// error
		2577	else if (pid == 0)
		2578	{
		2579	// the forked child executes here
		2580	exit (1);
		2581	}
		2582	else
		2583	{
		2584	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);
		2585	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);
		2586	}
1477		2587
1478		2588
1479	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?	2589	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
1480		2590
1481	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls	2591	This watches a file system path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
1482	C<stat> regularly (or when the OS says it changed) and sees if it changed	2592	C<stat> on that path in regular intervals (or when the OS says it changed)
1483	compared to the last time, invoking the callback if it did.	2593	and sees if it changed compared to the last time, invoking the callback if
		2594	it did.
1484		2595
1485	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does	2596	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does
1486	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does	2597	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does not
1487	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is	2598	exist" (or more correctly "path cannot be stat'ed") is signified by the
1488	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of	2599	C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is otherwise always forced to be at
1489	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.	2600	least one) and all the other fields of the stat buffer having unspecified
		2601	contents.
1490		2602
1491	The path I<should> be absolute and I<must not> end in a slash. If it is	2603	The path I<must not> end in a slash or contain special components such as
		2604	C<.> or C<..>. The path I<should> be absolute: If it is relative and
1492	relative and your working directory changes, the behaviour is undefined.	2605	your working directory changes, then the behaviour is undefined.
1493		2606
1494	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply	2607	Since there is no portable change notification interface available, the
1495	calls C<stat (2)> regularly on the path to see if it changed somehow. You	2608	portable implementation simply calls C<stat(2)> regularly on the path
1496	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify	2609	to see if it changed somehow. You can specify a recommended polling
1497	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,	2610	interval for this case. If you specify a polling interval of C<0> (highly
1498	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around	2611	recommended!) then a I<suitable, unspecified default> value will be used
1499	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also	2612	(which you can expect to be around five seconds, although this might
1500	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats	2613	change dynamically). Libev will also impose a minimum interval which is
1501	usually overkill.	2614	currently around C<0.1>, but that's usually overkill.
1502		2615
1503	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,	2616	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
1504	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be	2617	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
1505	resource-intensive.	2618	resource-intensive.
1506		2619
1507	At the time of this writing, only the Linux inotify interface is	2620	At the time of this writing, the only OS-specific interface implemented
1508	implemented (implementing kqueue support is left as an exercise for the	2621	is the Linux inotify interface (implementing kqueue support is left as an
1509	reader). Inotify will be used to give hints only and should not change the	2622	exercise for the reader. Note, however, that the author sees no way of
1510	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs	2623	implementing C<ev_stat> semantics with kqueue, except as a hint).
1511	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
1512	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
1513	polling.
1514		2624
1515	=head3 Inotify	2625	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)
1516		2626
		2627	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default
		2628	compilation environment, which means that on systems with large file
		2629	support disabled by default, you get the 32 bit version of the stat
		2630	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to
		2631	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to
		2632	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is
		2633	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is
		2634	most noticeably displayed with ev_stat and large file support.
		2635
		2636	The solution for this is to lobby your distribution maker to make large
		2637	file interfaces available by default (as e.g. FreeBSD does) and not
		2638	optional. Libev cannot simply switch on large file support because it has
		2639	to exchange stat structures with application programs compiled using the
		2640	default compilation environment.
		2641
		2642	=head3 Inotify and Kqueue
		2643
1517	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only	2644	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev and present at
1518	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up	2645	runtime, it will be used to speed up change detection where possible. The
1519	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily	2646	inotify descriptor will be created lazily when the first C<ev_stat>
1520	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.	2647	watcher is being started.
1521		2648
1522	Inotify presense does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers	2649	Inotify presence does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
1523	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid	2650	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
1524	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presense of inotify support	2651	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presence of inotify support
1525	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.	2652	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling,
		2653	but as long as kernel 2.6.25 or newer is used (2.6.24 and older have too
		2654	many bugs), the path exists (i.e. stat succeeds), and the path resides on
		2655	a local filesystem (libev currently assumes only ext2/3, jfs, reiserfs and
		2656	xfs are fully working) libev usually gets away without polling.
1526		2657
1527	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to	2658	There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
1528	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file	2659	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
1529	descriptor open on the object at all times).	2660	descriptor open on the object at all times, and detecting renames, unlinks
		2661	etc. is difficult.
		2662
		2663	=head3 C<stat ()> is a synchronous operation
		2664
		2665	Libev doesn't normally do any kind of I/O itself, and so is not blocking
		2666	the process. The exception are C<ev_stat> watchers - those call C<stat
		2667	()>, which is a synchronous operation.
		2668
		2669	For local paths, this usually doesn't matter: unless the system is very
		2670	busy or the intervals between stat's are large, a stat call will be fast,
		2671	as the path data is usually in memory already (except when starting the
		2672	watcher).
		2673
		2674	For networked file systems, calling C<stat ()> can block an indefinite
		2675	time due to network issues, and even under good conditions, a stat call
		2676	often takes multiple milliseconds.
		2677
		2678	Therefore, it is best to avoid using C<ev_stat> watchers on networked
		2679	paths, although this is fully supported by libev.
1530		2680
1531	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution	2681	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
1532		2682
1533	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and	2683	The C<stat ()> system call only supports full-second resolution portably,
1534	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still	2684	and even on systems where the resolution is higher, most file systems
1535	only support whole seconds.	2685	still only support whole seconds.
1536		2686
1537	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you might	2687	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you can
1538	miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and calls	2688	easily miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and
1539	your callback, which does something. When there is another update within	2689	calls your callback, which does something. When there is another update
1540	the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it.	2690	within the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect unless the
		2691	stat data does change in other ways (e.g. file size).
1541		2692
1542	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for a second (or till	2693	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for slightly more
1543	the next second boundary), using a roughly one-second delay C<ev_timer>	2694	than a second (or till slightly after the next full second boundary), using
1544	(C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.01); ev_timer_again (loop, w)>). The C<.01>	2695	a roughly one-second-delay C<ev_timer> (e.g. C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.02);
1545	is added to work around small timing inconsistencies of some operating	2696	ev_timer_again (loop, w)>).
1546	systems.	2697
		2698	The C<.02> offset is added to work around small timing inconsistencies
		2699	of some operating systems (where the second counter of the current time
		2700	might be be delayed. One such system is the Linux kernel, where a call to
		2701	C<gettimeofday> might return a timestamp with a full second later than
		2702	a subsequent C<time> call - if the equivalent of C<time ()> is used to
		2703	update file times then there will be a small window where the kernel uses
		2704	the previous second to update file times but libev might already execute
		2705	the timer callback).
1547		2706
1548	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2707	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1549		2708
1550	=over 4	2709	=over 4
1551		2710
…		…
1557	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to	2716	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to
1558	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose	2717	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose
1559	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same	2718	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same
1560	path for as long as the watcher is active.	2719	path for as long as the watcher is active.
1561		2720
1562	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,	2721	The callback will receive an C<EV_STAT> event when a change was detected,
1563	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the	2722	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
1564	last change was detected).	2723	last change was detected).
1565		2724
1566	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)	2725	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)
1567		2726
1568	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the	2727	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
1569	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid	2728	watched path in your callback, you could call this function to avoid
1570	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be	2729	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition if you are not
1571	useful simply to find out the new values.	2730	the only one changing the path). Can also be useful simply to find out the
		2731	new values.
1572		2732
1573	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]	2733	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]
1574		2734
1575	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is of	2735	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is
1576	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types	2736	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types
1577	suitable for your system. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there	2737	suitable for your system, but you can only rely on the POSIX-standardised
		2738	members to be present. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there was
1578	was some error while C<stat>ing the file.	2739	some error while C<stat>ing the file.
1579		2740
1580	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]	2741	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]
1581		2742
1582	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever	2743	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever
1583	C<prev> != C<attr>.	2744	C<prev> != C<attr>, or, more precisely, one or more of these members
		2745	differ: C<st_dev>, C<st_ino>, C<st_mode>, C<st_nlink>, C<st_uid>,
		2746	C<st_gid>, C<st_rdev>, C<st_size>, C<st_atime>, C<st_mtime>, C<st_ctime>.
1584		2747
1585	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]	2748	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]
1586		2749
1587	The specified interval.	2750	The specified interval.
1588		2751
1589	=item const char *path [read-only]	2752	=item const char *path [read-only]
1590		2753
1591	The filesystem path that is being watched.	2754	The file system path that is being watched.
1592		2755
1593	=back	2756	=back
1594		2757
1595	=head3 Examples	2758	=head3 Examples
1596		2759
1597	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	2760	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1598		2761
1599	static void	2762	static void
1600	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)	2763	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
1601	{	2764	{
1602	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */	2765	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */
1603	if (w->attr.st_nlink)	2766	if (w->attr.st_nlink)
1604	{	2767	{
1605	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);	2768	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);
1606	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2769	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1607	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2770	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1608	}	2771	}
1609	else	2772	else
1610	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */	2773	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */
1611	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "	2774	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "
1612	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");	2775	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");
1613	}	2776	}
1614		2777
1615	...	2778	...
1616	ev_stat passwd;	2779	ev_stat passwd;
1617		2780
1618	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);	2781	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1619	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	2782	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
1620		2783
1621	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not	2784	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
1622	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so	2785	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
1623	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on	2786	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
1624	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).	2787	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
1625		2788
1626	static ev_stat passwd;	2789	static ev_stat passwd;
1627	static ev_timer timer;	2790	static ev_timer timer;
1628		2791
1629	static void	2792	static void
1630	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	2793	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1631	{	2794	{
1632	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);	2795	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
1633		2796
1634	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */	2797	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
1635	}	2798	}
1636		2799
1637	static void	2800	static void
1638	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)	2801	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
1639	{	2802	{
1640	/* reset the one-second timer */	2803	/* reset the one-second timer */
1641	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);	2804	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
1642	}	2805	}
1643		2806
1644	...	2807	...
1645	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);	2808	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1646	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	2809	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
1647	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.01);	2810	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.02);
1648		2811
1649		2812
1650	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	2813	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1651		2814
1652	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher	2815	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
1653	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not	2816	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count
1654	count).	2817	as receiving "events").
1655		2818
1656	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts	2819	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts
1657	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be	2820	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be
1658	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers	2821	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers
1659	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop	2822	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop
…		…
1670		2833
1671	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2834	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1672		2835
1673	=over 4	2836	=over 4
1674		2837
1675	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2838	=item ev_idle_init (ev_idle *, callback)
1676		2839
1677	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	2840	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1678	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2841	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1679	believe me.	2842	believe me.
1680		2843
…		…
1683	=head3 Examples	2846	=head3 Examples
1684		2847
1685	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the	2848	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1686	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.	2849	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1687		2850
1688	static void	2851	static void
1689	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	2852	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_idle *w, int revents)
1690	{	2853	{
1691	free (w);	2854	free (w);
1692	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	2855	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1693	// no longer asnything immediate to do.	2856	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1694	}	2857	}
1695		2858
1696	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	2859	ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (ev_idle));
1697	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	2860	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1698	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	2861	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_watcher);
1699		2862
1700		2863
1701	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!	2864	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!
1702		2865
1703	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:	2866	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in pairs:
1704	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers	2867	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers
1705	afterwards.	2868	afterwards.
1706		2869
1707	You I<must not> call C<ev_loop> or similar functions that enter	2870	You I<must not> call C<ev_run> or similar functions that enter
1708	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>	2871	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>
1709	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The	2872	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The
1710	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in	2873	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in
1711	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,	2874	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,
1712	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be	2875	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be
1713	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.	2876	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.
1714		2877
1715	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and	2878	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and
1716	their use is somewhat advanced. This could be used, for example, to track	2879	their use is somewhat advanced. They could be used, for example, to track
1717	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a	2880	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a
1718	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if	2881	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if
1719	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,	2882	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,
1720	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>	2883	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>
1721	watcher).	2884	watcher).
1722		2885
1723	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need	2886	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors
1724	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for	2887	need to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers
1725	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries	2888	for them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many
1726	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for	2889	libraries provide exactly this functionality). Then, in the check watcher,
1727	any events that occured (by checking the pending status of all watchers	2890	you check for any events that occurred (by checking the pending status
1728	and stopping them) and call back into the library. The I/O and timer	2891	of all watchers and stopping them) and call back into the library. The
1729	callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid nevertheless,	2892	I/O and timer callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid
1730	because you never know, you know?).	2893	nevertheless, because you never know, you know?).
1731		2894
1732	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate	2895	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate
1733	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines	2896	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines
1734	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines	2897	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines
1735	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines	2898	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines
…		…
1738	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping	2901	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping
1739	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).	2902	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).
1740		2903
1741	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)	2904	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
1742	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers	2905	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
		2906	after the poll (this doesn't matter for C<ev_prepare> watchers).
		2907
1743	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,	2908	Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers, too) should not
1744	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully	2909	activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully supports this, they
1745	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers	2910	might get executed before other C<ev_check> watchers did their job. As
1746	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other	2911	C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other (non-libev) event
1747	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable	2912	loops those other event loops might be in an unusable state until their
1748	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to	2913	C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to coexist peacefully with
1749	coexist peacefully with others).	2914	others).
1750		2915
1751	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2916	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1752		2917
1753	=over 4	2918	=over 4
1754		2919
…		…
1756		2921
1757	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)	2922	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)
1758		2923
1759	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no	2924	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no
1760	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	2925	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1761	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	2926	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly, utterly and completely
		2927	pointless.
1762		2928
1763	=back	2929	=back
1764		2930
1765	=head3 Examples	2931	=head3 Examples
1766		2932
1767	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules	2933	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
1768	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev	2934	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
1769	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could	2935	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
1770	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>	2936	use as a working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib> embeds a
1771	embeds a Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV	2937	Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV into the
1772	into the Glib event loop).	2938	Glib event loop).
1773		2939
1774	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,	2940	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,
1775	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows	2941	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows
1776	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low	2942	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low
1777	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as	2943	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as
1778	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.	2944	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.
1779		2945
1780	static ev_io iow [nfd];	2946	static ev_io iow [nfd];
1781	static ev_timer tw;	2947	static ev_timer tw;
1782		2948
1783	static void	2949	static void
1784	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)	2950	io_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1785	{	2951	{
1786	}	2952	}
1787		2953
1788	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking	2954	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
1789	static void	2955	static void
1790	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)	2956	adns_prepare_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)
1791	{	2957	{
1792	int timeout = 3600000;	2958	int timeout = 3600000;
1793	struct pollfd fds [nfd];	2959	struct pollfd fds [nfd];
1794	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.	2960	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.
1795	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));	2961	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));
1796		2962
1797	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */	2963	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
1798	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);	2964	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3, 0.);
1799	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);	2965	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
1800		2966
1801	// create one ev_io per pollfd	2967	// create one ev_io per pollfd
1802	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	2968	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1803	{	2969	{
1804	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,	2970	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
1805	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)	2971	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
1806	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));	2972	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
1807		2973
1808	fds [i].revents = 0;	2974	fds [i].revents = 0;
1809	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);	2975	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
1810	}	2976	}
1811	}	2977	}
1812		2978
1813	// stop all watchers after blocking	2979	// stop all watchers after blocking
1814	static void	2980	static void
1815	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)	2981	adns_check_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)
1816	{	2982	{
1817	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);	2983	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
1818		2984
1819	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	2985	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1820	{	2986	{
1821	// set the relevant poll flags	2987	// set the relevant poll flags
1822	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here	2988	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
1823	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;	2989	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;
1824	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);	2990	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);
1825	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;	2991	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
1826	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;	2992	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
1827		2993
1828	// now stop the watcher	2994	// now stop the watcher
1829	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);	2995	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
1830	}	2996	}
1831		2997
1832	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));	2998	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
1833	}	2999	}
1834		3000
1835	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>	3001	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>
1836	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.	3002	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.
1837		3003
1838	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event	3004	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event
1839	notification (adns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher	3005	notification (libadns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher
1840	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.	3006	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.
1841		3007
1842	static void	3008	static void
1843	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	3009	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1844	{	3010	{
1845	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;	3011	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
1846	update_now (EV_A);	3012	update_now (EV_A);
1847		3013
1848	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);	3014	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);
1849	}	3015	}
1850		3016
1851	static void	3017	static void
1852	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)	3018	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
1853	{	3019	{
1854	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;	3020	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
1855	update_now (EV_A);	3021	update_now (EV_A);
1856		3022
1857	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);	3023	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
1858	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);	3024	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
1859	}	3025	}
1860		3026
1861	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll	3027	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll
1862		3028
1863	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you	3029	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you
1864	want to embed is too inflexible to support it. Instead, youc na override	3030	want to embed is not flexible enough to support it. Instead, you can
1865	their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the main	3031	override their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the
1866	loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module does	3032	main loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module uses
1867	this.	3033	this approach, effectively embedding EV as a client into the horrible
		3034	libglib event loop.
1868		3035
1869	static gint	3036	static gint
1870	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)	3037	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)
1871	{	3038	{
1872	int got_events = 0;	3039	int got_events = 0;
1873		3040
1874	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)	3041	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
1875	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events	3042	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events
1876		3043
1877	if (timeout >= 0)	3044	if (timeout >= 0)
1878	// create/start timer	3045	// create/start timer
1879		3046
1880	// poll	3047	// poll
1881	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);	3048	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
1882		3049
1883	// stop timer again	3050	// stop timer again
1884	if (timeout >= 0)	3051	if (timeout >= 0)
1885	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);	3052	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);
1886		3053
1887	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set	3054	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set
1888	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)	3055	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
1889	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);	3056	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);
1890		3057
1891	return got_events;	3058	return got_events;
1892	}	3059	}
1893		3060
1894		3061
1895	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...	3062	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
1896		3063
1897	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop	3064	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
…		…
1903	prioritise I/O.	3070	prioritise I/O.
1904		3071
1905	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support	3072	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support
1906	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you	3073	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you
1907	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales	3074	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales
1908	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed it	3075	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed
1909	into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation will	3076	it into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation
1910	be a bit slower because first libev has to poll and then call kevent, but	3077	will be a bit slower because first libev has to call C<poll> and then
1911	at least you can use both at what they are best.	3078	C<kevent>, but at least you can use both mechanisms for what they are
		3079	best: C<kqueue> for scalable sockets and C<poll> if you want it to work :)
1912		3080
1913	As for prioritising I/O: rarely you have the case where some fds have	3081	As for prioritising I/O: under rare circumstances you have the case where
1914	to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency), and even	3082	some fds have to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency),
1915	priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In this case	3083	and even priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In
1916	you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all the rest in	3084	this case you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all
1917	a second one, and embed the second one in the first.	3085	the rest in a second one, and embed the second one in the first.
1918		3086
1919	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every time	3087	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every
1920	there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback must then	3088	time there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback
1921	call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single sweep and invoke	3089	must then call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single
1922	their callbacks (you could also start an idle watcher to give the embedded	3090	sweep and invoke their callbacks (the callback doesn't need to invoke the
1923	loop strictly lower priority for example). You can also set the callback	3091	C<ev_embed_sweep> function directly, it could also start an idle watcher
1924	to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher will automatically execute the	3092	to give the embedded loop strictly lower priority for example).
1925	embedded loop sweep.
1926		3093
1927	As long as the watcher is started it will automatically handle events. The	3094	You can also set the callback to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher
1928	callback will be invoked whenever some events have been handled. You can	3095	will automatically execute the embedded loop sweep whenever necessary.
1929	set the callback to C<0> to avoid having to specify one if you are not
1930	interested in that.
1931		3096
1932	Also, there have not currently been made special provisions for forking:	3097	Fork detection will be handled transparently while the C<ev_embed> watcher
1933	when you fork, you not only have to call C<ev_loop_fork> on both loops,	3098	is active, i.e., the embedded loop will automatically be forked when the
1934	but you will also have to stop and restart any C<ev_embed> watchers	3099	embedding loop forks. In other cases, the user is responsible for calling
1935	yourself.	3100	C<ev_loop_fork> on the embedded loop.
1936		3101
1937	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable, only the ones returned by	3102	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable: only the ones returned by
1938	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any	3103	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any
1939	portable one.	3104	portable one.
1940		3105
1941	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	3106	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1942	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	3107	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1943	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	3108	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1944	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.	3109	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
1945		3110
		3111	=head3 C<ev_embed> and fork
		3112
		3113	While the C<ev_embed> watcher is running, forks in the embedding loop will
		3114	automatically be applied to the embedded loop as well, so no special
		3115	fork handling is required in that case. When the watcher is not running,
		3116	however, it is still the task of the libev user to call C<ev_loop_fork ()>
		3117	as applicable.
		3118
1946	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	3119	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1947		3120
1948	=over 4	3121	=over 4
1949		3122
1950	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	3123	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
…		…
1953		3126
1954	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	3127	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
1955	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be	3128	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
1956	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback	3129	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
1957	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,	3130	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
1958	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).	3131	if you do not want that, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
1959		3132
1960	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)	3133	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
1961		3134
1962	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works	3135	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
1963	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most	3136	similarly to C<ev_run (embedded_loop, EVRUN_NOWAIT)>, but in the most
1964	apropriate way for embedded loops.	3137	appropriate way for embedded loops.
1965		3138
1966	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]	3139	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
1967		3140
1968	The embedded event loop.	3141	The embedded event loop.
1969		3142
…		…
1971		3144
1972	=head3 Examples	3145	=head3 Examples
1973		3146
1974	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default	3147	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
1975	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default	3148	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
1976	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in	3149	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the embeddable loop is stored in
1977	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be	3150	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the case no embeddable loop can be
1978	used).	3151	used).
1979		3152
1980	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	3153	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
1981	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	3154	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1982	struct ev_embed embed;	3155	ev_embed embed;
1983		3156
1984	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works	3157	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works
1985	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)	3158	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)
1986	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()	3159	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()
1987	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())	3160	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())
1988	: 0;	3161	: 0;
1989		3162
1990	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi	3163	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi
1991	if (loop_lo)	3164	if (loop_lo)
1992	{	3165	{
1993	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);	3166	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);
1994	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	3167	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
1995	}	3168	}
1996	else	3169	else
1997	loop_lo = loop_hi;	3170	loop_lo = loop_hi;
1998		3171
1999	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create	3172	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
2000	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any	3173	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
2001	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in	3174	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
2002	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).	3175	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
2003		3176
2004	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);	3177	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
2005	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;	3178	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
2006	struct ev_embed embed;	3179	ev_embed embed;
2007		3180
2008	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)	3181	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
2009	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))	3182	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
2010	{	3183	{
2011	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);	3184	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
2012	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);	3185	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
2013	}	3186	}
2014		3187
2015	if (!loop_socket)	3188	if (!loop_socket)
2016	loop_socket = loop;	3189	loop_socket = loop;
2017		3190
2018	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else	3191	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
2019		3192
2020		3193
2021	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	3194	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
2022		3195
2023	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	3196	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
…		…
2026	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	3199	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
2027	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	3200	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
2028	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	3201	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
2029	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	3202	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
2030		3203
		3204	=head3 The special problem of life after fork - how is it possible?
		3205
		3206	Most uses of C<fork()> consist of forking, then some simple calls to set
		3207	up/change the process environment, followed by a call to C<exec()>. This
		3208	sequence should be handled by libev without any problems.
		3209
		3210	This changes when the application actually wants to do event handling
		3211	in the child, or both parent in child, in effect "continuing" after the
		3212	fork.
		3213
		3214	The default mode of operation (for libev, with application help to detect
		3215	forks) is to duplicate all the state in the child, as would be expected
		3216	when I<either> the parent I<or> the child process continues.
		3217
		3218	When both processes want to continue using libev, then this is usually the
		3219	wrong result. In that case, usually one process (typically the parent) is
		3220	supposed to continue with all watchers in place as before, while the other
		3221	process typically wants to start fresh, i.e. without any active watchers.
		3222
		3223	The cleanest and most efficient way to achieve that with libev is to
		3224	simply create a new event loop, which of course will be "empty", and
		3225	use that for new watchers. This has the advantage of not touching more
		3226	memory than necessary, and thus avoiding the copy-on-write, and the
		3227	disadvantage of having to use multiple event loops (which do not support
		3228	signal watchers).
		3229
		3230	When this is not possible, or you want to use the default loop for
		3231	other reasons, then in the process that wants to start "fresh", call
		3232	C<ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT)> followed by C<ev_default_loop (...)>.
		3233	Destroying the default loop will "orphan" (not stop) all registered
		3234	watchers, so you have to be careful not to execute code that modifies
		3235	those watchers. Note also that in that case, you have to re-register any
		3236	signal watchers.
		3237
2031	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	3238	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
2032		3239
2033	=over 4	3240	=over 4
2034		3241
2035	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	3242	=item ev_fork_init (ev_fork *, callback)
2036		3243
2037	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	3244	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
2038	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	3245	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
2039	believe me.	3246	really.
2040		3247
2041	=back	3248	=back
2042		3249
2043		3250
		3251	=head2 C<ev_cleanup> - even the best things end
		3252
		3253	Cleanup watchers are called just before the event loop is being destroyed
		3254	by a call to C<ev_loop_destroy>.
		3255
		3256	While there is no guarantee that the event loop gets destroyed, cleanup
		3257	watchers provide a convenient method to install cleanup hooks for your
		3258	program, worker threads and so on - you just to make sure to destroy the
		3259	loop when you want them to be invoked.
		3260
		3261	Cleanup watchers are invoked in the same way as any other watcher. Unlike
		3262	all other watchers, they do not keep a reference to the event loop (which
		3263	makes a lot of sense if you think about it). Like all other watchers, you
		3264	can call libev functions in the callback, except C<ev_cleanup_start>.
		3265
		3266	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		3267
		3268	=over 4
		3269
		3270	=item ev_cleanup_init (ev_cleanup *, callback)
		3271
		3272	Initialises and configures the cleanup watcher - it has no parameters of
		3273	any kind. There is a C<ev_cleanup_set> macro, but using it is utterly
		3274	pointless, I assure you.
		3275
		3276	=back
		3277
		3278	Example: Register an atexit handler to destroy the default loop, so any
		3279	cleanup functions are called.
		3280
		3281	static void
		3282	program_exits (void)
		3283	{
		3284	ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT_UC);
		3285	}
		3286
		3287	...
		3288	atexit (program_exits);
		3289
		3290
		3291	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up an event loop
		3292
		3293	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
		3294	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
		3295	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
		3296
		3297	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up an event loop you do not control,
		3298	for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what C<ev_async>
		3299	watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you can signal
		3300	it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal safe.
		3301
		3302	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
		3303	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
		3304	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
		3305	C<ev_async_sent> calls). In fact, you could use signal watchers as a kind
		3306	of "global async watchers" by using a watcher on an otherwise unused
		3307	signal, and C<ev_feed_signal> to signal this watcher from another thread,
		3308	even without knowing which loop owns the signal.
		3309
		3310	=head3 Queueing
		3311
		3312	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
		3313	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
		3314	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
		3315	need elaborate support such as pthreads or unportable memory access
		3316	semantics.
		3317
		3318	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
		3319	queue. But at least I can tell you how to implement locking around your
		3320	queue:
		3321
		3322	=over 4
		3323
		3324	=item queueing from a signal handler context
		3325
		3326	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
		3327	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is
		3328	an example that does that for some fictitious SIGUSR1 handler:
		3329
		3330	static ev_async mysig;
		3331
		3332	static void
		3333	sigusr1_handler (void)
		3334	{
		3335	sometype data;
		3336
		3337	// no locking etc.
		3338	queue_put (data);
		3339	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		3340	}
		3341
		3342	static void
		3343	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		3344	{
		3345	sometype data;
		3346	sigset_t block, prev;
		3347
		3348	sigemptyset (&block);
		3349	sigaddset (&block, SIGUSR1);
		3350	sigprocmask (SIG_BLOCK, &block, &prev);
		3351
		3352	while (queue_get (&data))
		3353	process (data);
		3354
		3355	if (sigismember (&prev, SIGUSR1)
		3356	sigprocmask (SIG_UNBLOCK, &block, 0);
		3357	}
		3358
		3359	(Note: pthreads in theory requires you to use C<pthread_setmask>
		3360	instead of C<sigprocmask> when you use threads, but libev doesn't do it
		3361	either...).
		3362
		3363	=item queueing from a thread context
		3364
		3365	The strategy for threads is different, as you cannot (easily) block
		3366	threads but you can easily preempt them, so to queue safely you need to
		3367	employ a traditional mutex lock, such as in this pthread example:
		3368
		3369	static ev_async mysig;
		3370	static pthread_mutex_t mymutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
		3371
		3372	static void
		3373	otherthread (void)
		3374	{
		3375	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation
		3376	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		3377	queue_put (data);
		3378	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		3379
		3380	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		3381	}
		3382
		3383	static void
		3384	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		3385	{
		3386	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		3387
		3388	while (queue_get (&data))
		3389	process (data);
		3390
		3391	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		3392	}
		3393
		3394	=back
		3395
		3396
		3397	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		3398
		3399	=over 4
		3400
		3401	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
		3402
		3403	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
		3404	kind. There is a C<ev_async_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		3405	trust me.
		3406
		3407	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
		3408
		3409	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
		3410	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop, and instantly
		3411	returns.
		3412
		3413	Unlike C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do from other threads,
		3414	signal or similar contexts (see the discussion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the
		3415	embedding section below on what exactly this means).
		3416
		3417	Note that, as with other watchers in libev, multiple events might get
		3418	compressed into a single callback invocation (another way to look at
		3419	this is that C<ev_async> watchers are level-triggered: they are set on
		3420	C<ev_async_send>, reset when the event loop detects that).
		3421
		3422	This call incurs the overhead of at most one extra system call per event
		3423	loop iteration, if the event loop is blocked, and no syscall at all if
		3424	the event loop (or your program) is processing events. That means that
		3425	repeated calls are basically free (there is no need to avoid calls for
		3426	performance reasons) and that the overhead becomes smaller (typically
		3427	zero) under load.
		3428
		3429	=item bool = ev_async_pending (ev_async *)
		3430
		3431	Returns a non-zero value when C<ev_async_send> has been called on the
		3432	watcher but the event has not yet been processed (or even noted) by the
		3433	event loop.
		3434
		3435	C<ev_async_send> sets a flag in the watcher and wakes up the loop. When
		3436	the loop iterates next and checks for the watcher to have become active,
		3437	it will reset the flag again. C<ev_async_pending> can be used to very
		3438	quickly check whether invoking the loop might be a good idea.
		3439
		3440	Not that this does I<not> check whether the watcher itself is pending,
		3441	only whether it has been requested to make this watcher pending: there
		3442	is a time window between the event loop checking and resetting the async
		3443	notification, and the callback being invoked.
		3444
		3445	=back
		3446
		3447
2044	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	3448	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
2045		3449
2046	There are some other functions of possible interest. Described. Here. Now.	3450	There are some other functions of possible interest. Described. Here. Now.
2047		3451
2048	=over 4	3452	=over 4
2049		3453
2050	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)	3454	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)
2051		3455
2052	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your	3456	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your
2053	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stop both	3457	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stops both
2054	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd	3458	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd
2055	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or	3459	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or
2056	more watchers yourself.	3460	more watchers yourself.
2057		3461
2058	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and events	3462	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and the
2059	is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for the given C<fd> and	3463	C<events> argument is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for
2060	C<events> set will be craeted and started.	3464	the given C<fd> and C<events> set will be created and started.
2061		3465
2062	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be	3466	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be
2063	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and	3467	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and
2064	repeat = 0) will be started. While C<0> is a valid timeout, it is of	3468	repeat = 0) will be started. C<0> is a valid timeout.
2065	dubious value.
2066		3469
2067	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and gets	3470	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and is
2068	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of	3471	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of
2069	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMEOUT>) and the C<arg>	3472	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMER>) and the C<arg>
2070	value passed to C<ev_once>:	3473	value passed to C<ev_once>. Note that it is possible to receive I<both>
		3474	a timeout and an io event at the same time - you probably should give io
		3475	events precedence.
2071		3476
		3477	Example: wait up to ten seconds for data to appear on STDIN_FILENO.
		3478
2072	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)	3479	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)
		3480	{
		3481	if (revents & EV_READ)
		3482	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
		3483	else if (revents & EV_TIMER)
		3484	/* doh, nothing entered */;
		3485	}
		3486
		3487	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);
		3488
		3489	=item ev_feed_fd_event (loop, int fd, int revents)
		3490
		3491	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected
		3492	the given events.
		3493
		3494	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)
		3495
		3496	Feed an event as if the given signal occurred. See also C<ev_feed_signal>,
		3497	which is async-safe.
		3498
		3499	=back
		3500
		3501
		3502	=head1 COMMON OR USEFUL IDIOMS (OR BOTH)
		3503
		3504	This section explains some common idioms that are not immediately
		3505	obvious. Note that examples are sprinkled over the whole manual, and this
		3506	section only contains stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else.
		3507
		3508	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
		3509
		3510	Each watcher has, by default, a C<void *data> member that you can read
		3511	or modify at any time: libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
		3512	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and
		3513	don't want to allocate memory separately and store a pointer to it in that
		3514	data member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
		3515	data:
		3516
		3517	struct my_io
		3518	{
		3519	ev_io io;
		3520	int otherfd;
		3521	void *somedata;
		3522	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
		3523	};
		3524
		3525	...
		3526	struct my_io w;
		3527	ev_io_init (&w.io, my_cb, fd, EV_READ);
		3528
		3529	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you
		3530	can cast it back to your own type:
		3531
		3532	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w_, int revents)
		3533	{
		3534	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;
		3535	...
		3536	}
		3537
		3538	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback
		3539	function type instead have been omitted.
		3540
		3541	=head2 BUILDING YOUR OWN COMPOSITE WATCHERS
		3542
		3543	Another common scenario is to use some data structure with multiple
		3544	embedded watchers, in effect creating your own watcher that combines
		3545	multiple libev event sources into one "super-watcher":
		3546
		3547	struct my_biggy
		3548	{
		3549	int some_data;
		3550	ev_timer t1;
		3551	ev_timer t2;
		3552	}
		3553
		3554	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more
		3555	complicated: Either you store the address of your C<my_biggy> struct in
		3556	the C<data> member of the watcher (for woozies or C++ coders), or you need
		3557	to use some pointer arithmetic using C<offsetof> inside your watchers (for
		3558	real programmers):
		3559
		3560	#include <stddef.h>
		3561
		3562	static void
		3563	t1_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		3564	{
		3565	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
		3566	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
		3567	}
		3568
		3569	static void
		3570	t2_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		3571	{
		3572	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
		3573	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
		3574	}
		3575
		3576	=head2 AVOIDING FINISHING BEFORE RETURNING
		3577
		3578	Often you have structures like this in event-based programs:
		3579
		3580	callback ()
2073	{	3581	{
2074	if (revents & EV_TIMEOUT)	3582	free (request);
2075	/* doh, nothing entered */;
2076	else if (revents & EV_READ)
2077	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
2078	}	3583	}
2079		3584
2080	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);	3585	request = start_new_request (..., callback);
2081		3586
2082	=item ev_feed_event (ev_loop *, watcher *, int revents)	3587	The intent is to start some "lengthy" operation. The C<request> could be
		3588	used to cancel the operation, or do other things with it.
2083		3589
2084	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event	3590	It's not uncommon to have code paths in C<start_new_request> that
2085	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an	3591	immediately invoke the callback, for example, to report errors. Or you add
2086	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).	3592	some caching layer that finds that it can skip the lengthy aspects of the
		3593	operation and simply invoke the callback with the result.
2087		3594
2088	=item ev_feed_fd_event (ev_loop *, int fd, int revents)	3595	The problem here is that this will happen I<before> C<start_new_request>
		3596	has returned, so C<request> is not set.
2089		3597
2090	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected	3598	Even if you pass the request by some safer means to the callback, you
2091	the given events it.	3599	might want to do something to the request after starting it, such as
		3600	canceling it, which probably isn't working so well when the callback has
		3601	already been invoked.
2092		3602
2093	=item ev_feed_signal_event (ev_loop *loop, int signum)	3603	A common way around all these issues is to make sure that
		3604	C<start_new_request> I<always> returns before the callback is invoked. If
		3605	C<start_new_request> immediately knows the result, it can artificially
		3606	delay invoking the callback by e.g. using a C<prepare> or C<idle> watcher
		3607	for example, or more sneakily, by reusing an existing (stopped) watcher
		3608	and pushing it into the pending queue:
2094		3609
2095	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (C<loop> must be the default	3610	ev_set_cb (watcher, callback);
2096	loop!).	3611	ev_feed_event (EV_A_ watcher, 0);
2097		3612
2098	=back	3613	This way, C<start_new_request> can safely return before the callback is
		3614	invoked, while not delaying callback invocation too much.
		3615
		3616	=head2 MODEL/NESTED EVENT LOOP INVOCATIONS AND EXIT CONDITIONS
		3617
		3618	Often (especially in GUI toolkits) there are places where you have
		3619	I<modal> interaction, which is most easily implemented by recursively
		3620	invoking C<ev_run>.
		3621
		3622	This brings the problem of exiting - a callback might want to finish the
		3623	main C<ev_run> call, but not the nested one (e.g. user clicked "Quit", but
		3624	a modal "Are you sure?" dialog is still waiting), or just the nested one
		3625	and not the main one (e.g. user clocked "Ok" in a modal dialog), or some
		3626	other combination: In these cases, C<ev_break> will not work alone.
		3627
		3628	The solution is to maintain "break this loop" variable for each C<ev_run>
		3629	invocation, and use a loop around C<ev_run> until the condition is
		3630	triggered, using C<EVRUN_ONCE>:
		3631
		3632	// main loop
		3633	int exit_main_loop = 0;
		3634
		3635	while (!exit_main_loop)
		3636	ev_run (EV_DEFAULT_ EVRUN_ONCE);
		3637
		3638	// in a model watcher
		3639	int exit_nested_loop = 0;
		3640
		3641	while (!exit_nested_loop)
		3642	ev_run (EV_A_ EVRUN_ONCE);
		3643
		3644	To exit from any of these loops, just set the corresponding exit variable:
		3645
		3646	// exit modal loop
		3647	exit_nested_loop = 1;
		3648
		3649	// exit main program, after modal loop is finished
		3650	exit_main_loop = 1;
		3651
		3652	// exit both
		3653	exit_main_loop = exit_nested_loop = 1;
		3654
		3655	=head2 THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE
		3656
		3657	Here is a fictitious example of how to run an event loop in a different
		3658	thread from where callbacks are being invoked and watchers are
		3659	created/added/removed.
		3660
		3661	For a real-world example, see the C<EV::Loop::Async> perl module,
		3662	which uses exactly this technique (which is suited for many high-level
		3663	languages).
		3664
		3665	The example uses a pthread mutex to protect the loop data, a condition
		3666	variable to wait for callback invocations, an async watcher to notify the
		3667	event loop thread and an unspecified mechanism to wake up the main thread.
		3668
		3669	First, you need to associate some data with the event loop:
		3670
		3671	typedef struct {
		3672	mutex_t lock; /* global loop lock */
		3673	ev_async async_w;
		3674	thread_t tid;
		3675	cond_t invoke_cv;
		3676	} userdata;
		3677
		3678	void prepare_loop (EV_P)
		3679	{
		3680	// for simplicity, we use a static userdata struct.
		3681	static userdata u;
		3682
		3683	ev_async_init (&u->async_w, async_cb);
		3684	ev_async_start (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		3685
		3686	pthread_mutex_init (&u->lock, 0);
		3687	pthread_cond_init (&u->invoke_cv, 0);
		3688
		3689	// now associate this with the loop
		3690	ev_set_userdata (EV_A_ u);
		3691	ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (EV_A_ l_invoke);
		3692	ev_set_loop_release_cb (EV_A_ l_release, l_acquire);
		3693
		3694	// then create the thread running ev_run
		3695	pthread_create (&u->tid, 0, l_run, EV_A);
		3696	}
		3697
		3698	The callback for the C<ev_async> watcher does nothing: the watcher is used
		3699	solely to wake up the event loop so it takes notice of any new watchers
		3700	that might have been added:
		3701
		3702	static void
		3703	async_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		3704	{
		3705	// just used for the side effects
		3706	}
		3707
		3708	The C<l_release> and C<l_acquire> callbacks simply unlock/lock the mutex
		3709	protecting the loop data, respectively.
		3710
		3711	static void
		3712	l_release (EV_P)
		3713	{
		3714	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3715	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3716	}
		3717
		3718	static void
		3719	l_acquire (EV_P)
		3720	{
		3721	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3722	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3723	}
		3724
		3725	The event loop thread first acquires the mutex, and then jumps straight
		3726	into C<ev_run>:
		3727
		3728	void *
		3729	l_run (void *thr_arg)
		3730	{
		3731	struct ev_loop *loop = (struct ev_loop *)thr_arg;
		3732
		3733	l_acquire (EV_A);
		3734	pthread_setcanceltype (PTHREAD_CANCEL_ASYNCHRONOUS, 0);
		3735	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
		3736	l_release (EV_A);
		3737
		3738	return 0;
		3739	}
		3740
		3741	Instead of invoking all pending watchers, the C<l_invoke> callback will
		3742	signal the main thread via some unspecified mechanism (signals? pipe
		3743	writes? C<Async::Interrupt>?) and then waits until all pending watchers
		3744	have been called (in a while loop because a) spurious wakeups are possible
		3745	and b) skipping inter-thread-communication when there are no pending
		3746	watchers is very beneficial):
		3747
		3748	static void
		3749	l_invoke (EV_P)
		3750	{
		3751	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3752
		3753	while (ev_pending_count (EV_A))
		3754	{
		3755	wake_up_other_thread_in_some_magic_or_not_so_magic_way ();
		3756	pthread_cond_wait (&u->invoke_cv, &u->lock);
		3757	}
		3758	}
		3759
		3760	Now, whenever the main thread gets told to invoke pending watchers, it
		3761	will grab the lock, call C<ev_invoke_pending> and then signal the loop
		3762	thread to continue:
		3763
		3764	static void
		3765	real_invoke_pending (EV_P)
		3766	{
		3767	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3768
		3769	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3770	ev_invoke_pending (EV_A);
		3771	pthread_cond_signal (&u->invoke_cv);
		3772	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3773	}
		3774
		3775	Whenever you want to start/stop a watcher or do other modifications to an
		3776	event loop, you will now have to lock:
		3777
		3778	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
		3779	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3780
		3781	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
		3782
		3783	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3784	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ &timeout_watcher);
		3785	ev_async_send (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		3786	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3787
		3788	Note that sending the C<ev_async> watcher is required because otherwise
		3789	an event loop currently blocking in the kernel will have no knowledge
		3790	about the newly added timer. By waking up the loop it will pick up any new
		3791	watchers in the next event loop iteration.
		3792
		3793	=head2 THREADS, COROUTINES, CONTINUATIONS, QUEUES... INSTEAD OF CALLBACKS
		3794
		3795	While the overhead of a callback that e.g. schedules a thread is small, it
		3796	is still an overhead. If you embed libev, and your main usage is with some
		3797	kind of threads or coroutines, you might want to customise libev so that
		3798	doesn't need callbacks anymore.
		3799
		3800	Imagine you have coroutines that you can switch to using a function
		3801	C<switch_to (coro)>, that libev runs in a coroutine called C<libev_coro>
		3802	and that due to some magic, the currently active coroutine is stored in a
		3803	global called C<current_coro>. Then you can build your own "wait for libev
		3804	event" primitive by changing C<EV_CB_DECLARE> and C<EV_CB_INVOKE> (note
		3805	the differing C<;> conventions):
		3806
		3807	#define EV_CB_DECLARE(type) struct my_coro *cb;
		3808	#define EV_CB_INVOKE(watcher) switch_to ((watcher)->cb)
		3809
		3810	That means instead of having a C callback function, you store the
		3811	coroutine to switch to in each watcher, and instead of having libev call
		3812	your callback, you instead have it switch to that coroutine.
		3813
		3814	A coroutine might now wait for an event with a function called
		3815	C<wait_for_event>. (the watcher needs to be started, as always, but it doesn't
		3816	matter when, or whether the watcher is active or not when this function is
		3817	called):
		3818
		3819	void
		3820	wait_for_event (ev_watcher *w)
		3821	{
		3822	ev_cb_set (w) = current_coro;
		3823	switch_to (libev_coro);
		3824	}
		3825
		3826	That basically suspends the coroutine inside C<wait_for_event> and
		3827	continues the libev coroutine, which, when appropriate, switches back to
		3828	this or any other coroutine. I am sure if you sue this your own :)
		3829
		3830	You can do similar tricks if you have, say, threads with an event queue -
		3831	instead of storing a coroutine, you store the queue object and instead of
		3832	switching to a coroutine, you push the watcher onto the queue and notify
		3833	any waiters.
		3834
		3835	To embed libev, see L<EMBEDDING>, but in short, it's easiest to create two
		3836	files, F<my_ev.h> and F<my_ev.c> that include the respective libev files:
		3837
		3838	// my_ev.h
		3839	#define EV_CB_DECLARE(type) struct my_coro *cb;
		3840	#define EV_CB_INVOKE(watcher) switch_to ((watcher)->cb);
		3841	#include "../libev/ev.h"
		3842
		3843	// my_ev.c
		3844	#define EV_H "my_ev.h"
		3845	#include "../libev/ev.c"
		3846
		3847	And then use F<my_ev.h> when you would normally use F<ev.h>, and compile
		3848	F<my_ev.c> into your project. When properly specifying include paths, you
		3849	can even use F<ev.h> as header file name directly.
2099		3850
2100		3851
2101	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION	3852	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION
2102		3853
2103	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot	3854	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot
2104	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:	3855	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:
2105		3856
2106	=over 4	3857	=over 4
		3858
		3859	=item * Only the libevent-1.4.1-beta API is being emulated.
		3860
		3861	This was the newest libevent version available when libev was implemented,
		3862	and is still mostly unchanged in 2010.
2107		3863
2108	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.	3864	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.
2109		3865
2110	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,	3866	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,
2111	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.	3867	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.
…		…
2116		3872
2117	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities	3873	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities
2118	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there	3874	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there
2119	is an ev_pri field.	3875	is an ev_pri field.
2120		3876
		3877	=item * In libevent, the last base created gets the signals, in libev, the
		3878	base that registered the signal gets the signals.
		3879
2121	=item * Other members are not supported.	3880	=item * Other members are not supported.
2122		3881
2123	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need	3882	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need
2124	to use the libev header file and library.	3883	to use the libev header file and library.
2125		3884
2126	=back	3885	=back
2127		3886
2128	=head1 C++ SUPPORT	3887	=head1 C++ SUPPORT
2129		3888
2130	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow	3889	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow
2131	you to use some convinience methods to start/stop watchers and also change	3890	you to use some convenience methods to start/stop watchers and also change
2132	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.	3891	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.
2133		3892
2134	To use it,	3893	To use it,
2135		3894
2136	#include <ev++.h>	3895	#include <ev++.h>
2137		3896
2138	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many	3897	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many
2139	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are	3898	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are
2140	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding	3899	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding
2141	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.	3900	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.
…		…
2143	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++	3902	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++
2144	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer	3903	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer
2145	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if	3904	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if
2146	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).	3905	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).
2147		3906
2148	Currently, functions, and static and non-static member functions can be	3907	Currently, functions, static and non-static member functions and classes
2149	used as callbacks. Other types should be easy to add as long as they only	3908	with C<operator ()> can be used as callbacks. Other types should be easy
2150	need one additional pointer for context. If you need support for other	3909	to add as long as they only need one additional pointer for context. If
2151	types of functors please contact the author (preferably after implementing	3910	you need support for other types of functors please contact the author
2152	it).	3911	(preferably after implementing it).
2153		3912
2154	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:	3913	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:
2155		3914
2156	=over 4	3915	=over 4
2157		3916
…		…
2175		3934
2176	=over 4	3935	=over 4
2177		3936
2178	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()	3937	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()
2179		3938
2180	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (struct ev_loop *)	3939	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (loop)
2181		3940
2182	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE	3941	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE
2183		3942
2184	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher	3943	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher
2185	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.	3944	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.
…		…
2208	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the	3967	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the
2209	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.	3968	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.
2210		3969
2211	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation	3970	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation
2212		3971
2213	struct myclass	3972	struct myclass
2214	{	3973	{
2215	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }	3974	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
2216	}	3975	}
2217		3976
2218	myclass obj;	3977	myclass obj;
2219	ev::io iow;	3978	ev::io iow;
2220	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);	3979	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);
		3980
		3981	=item w->set (object *)
		3982
		3983	This is a variation of a method callback - leaving out the method to call
		3984	will default the method to C<operator ()>, which makes it possible to use
		3985	functor objects without having to manually specify the C<operator ()> all
		3986	the time. Incidentally, you can then also leave out the template argument
		3987	list.
		3988
		3989	The C<operator ()> method prototype must be C<void operator ()(watcher &w,
		3990	int revents)>.
		3991
		3992	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		3993
		3994	Example: use a functor object as callback.
		3995
		3996	struct myfunctor
		3997	{
		3998	void operator() (ev::io &w, int revents)
		3999	{
		4000	...
		4001	}
		4002	}
		4003
		4004	myfunctor f;
		4005
		4006	ev::io w;
		4007	w.set (&f);
2221		4008
2222	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)	4009	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)
2223		4010
2224	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as	4011	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as
2225	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's	4012	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's
…		…
2227		4014
2228	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.	4015	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.
2229		4016
2230	See the method-C<set> above for more details.	4017	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
2231		4018
2232	Example:	4019	Example: Use a plain function as callback.
2233		4020
2234	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }	4021	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
2235	iow.set <io_cb> ();	4022	iow.set <io_cb> ();
2236		4023
2237	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)	4024	=item w->set (loop)
2238		4025
2239	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only	4026	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
2240	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).	4027	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
2241		4028
2242	=item w->set ([args])	4029	=item w->set ([arguments])
2243		4030
2244	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be	4031	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same arguments. Either this
2245	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets	4032	method or a suitable start method must be called at least once. Unlike the
2246	automatically stopped and restarted when reconfiguring it with this	4033	C counterpart, an active watcher gets automatically stopped and restarted
2247	method.	4034	when reconfiguring it with this method.
2248		4035
2249	=item w->start ()	4036	=item w->start ()
2250		4037
2251	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the	4038	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the
2252	constructor already stores the event loop.	4039	constructor already stores the event loop.
2253		4040
		4041	=item w->start ([arguments])
		4042
		4043	Instead of calling C<set> and C<start> methods separately, it is often
		4044	convenient to wrap them in one call. Uses the same type of arguments as
		4045	the configure C<set> method of the watcher.
		4046
2254	=item w->stop ()	4047	=item w->stop ()
2255		4048
2256	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	4049	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
2257		4050
2258	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)	4051	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
…		…
2270		4063
2271	=back	4064	=back
2272		4065
2273	=back	4066	=back
2274		4067
2275	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	4068	Example: Define a class with two I/O and idle watchers, start the I/O
2276	the constructor.	4069	watchers in the constructor.
2277		4070
2278	class myclass	4071	class myclass
2279	{	4072	{
2280	ev_io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	4073	ev::io io ; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
		4074	ev::io io2 ; void io2_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
2281	ev_idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	4075	ev::idle idle; void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
2282		4076
2283	myclass ();	4077	myclass (int fd)
2284	}	4078	{
2285
2286	myclass::myclass (int fd)
2287	{
2288	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);	4079	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
		4080	io2 .set <myclass, &myclass::io2_cb > (this);
2289	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);	4081	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
2290		4082
2291	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	4083	io.set (fd, ev::WRITE); // configure the watcher
		4084	io.start (); // start it whenever convenient
		4085
		4086	io2.start (fd, ev::READ); // set + start in one call
		4087	}
2292	}	4088	};
		4089
		4090
		4091	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS
		4092
		4093	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a
		4094	number of languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know
		4095	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop
		4096	me a note.
		4097
		4098	=over 4
		4099
		4100	=item Perl
		4101
		4102	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test
		4103	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,
		4104	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces
		4105	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>, but C<AnyEvent::DNS> is preferred nowadays),
		4106	C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV>
		4107	and C<EV::Glib>).
		4108
		4109	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is at
		4110	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.
		4111
		4112	=item Python
		4113
		4114	Python bindings can be found at L<http://code.google.com/p/pyev/>. It
		4115	seems to be quite complete and well-documented.
		4116
		4117	=item Ruby
		4118
		4119	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset
		4120	of the libev API and adds file handle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and
		4121	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at
		4122	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.
		4123
		4124	Roger Pack reports that using the link order C<-lws2_32 -lmsvcrt-ruby-190>
		4125	makes rev work even on mingw.
		4126
		4127	=item Haskell
		4128
		4129	A haskell binding to libev is available at
		4130	L<http://hackage.haskell.org/cgi-bin/hackage-scripts/package/hlibev>.
		4131
		4132	=item D
		4133
		4134	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to
		4135	be found at L<http://www.llucax.com.ar/proj/ev.d/index.html>.
		4136
		4137	=item Ocaml
		4138
		4139	Erkki Seppala has written Ocaml bindings for libev, to be found at
		4140	L<http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~flux/software/ocaml-ev/>.
		4141
		4142	=item Lua
		4143
		4144	Brian Maher has written a partial interface to libev for lua (at the
		4145	time of this writing, only C<ev_io> and C<ev_timer>), to be found at
		4146	L<http://github.com/brimworks/lua-ev>.
		4147
		4148	=back
2293		4149
2294		4150
2295	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	4151	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
2296		4152
2297	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal	4153	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamental
2298	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)	4154	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
2299	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	4155	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
2300		4156
2301	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	4157	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
2302	following macros are defined:	4158	following macros are defined:
…		…
2307		4163
2308	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev	4164	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev
2309	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,	4165	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,
2310	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:	4166	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:
2311		4167
2312	ev_unref (EV_A);	4168	ev_unref (EV_A);
2313	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);	4169	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);
2314	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);	4170	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
2315		4171
2316	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,	4172	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,
2317	which is often provided by the following macro.	4173	which is often provided by the following macro.
2318		4174
2319	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>	4175	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>
2320		4176
2321	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev	4177	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev
2322	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,	4178	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,
2323	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:	4179	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:
2324		4180
2325	// this is how ev_unref is being declared	4181	// this is how ev_unref is being declared
2326	static void ev_unref (EV_P);	4182	static void ev_unref (EV_P);
2327		4183
2328	// this is how you can declare your typical callback	4184	// this is how you can declare your typical callback
2329	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	4185	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
2330		4186
2331	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite	4187	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite
2332	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.	4188	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.
2333		4189
2334	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>	4190	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>
2335		4191
2336	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default	4192	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default
2337	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").	4193	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default"). The default loop
		4194	will be initialised if it isn't already initialised.
		4195
		4196	For non-multiplicity builds, these macros do nothing, so you always have
		4197	to initialise the loop somewhere.
		4198
		4199	=item C<EV_DEFAULT_UC>, C<EV_DEFAULT_UC_>
		4200
		4201	Usage identical to C<EV_DEFAULT> and C<EV_DEFAULT_>, but requires that the
		4202	default loop has been initialised (C<UC> == unchecked). Their behaviour
		4203	is undefined when the default loop has not been initialised by a previous
		4204	execution of C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_> or C<ev_default_init (...)>.
		4205
		4206	It is often prudent to use C<EV_DEFAULT> when initialising the first
		4207	watcher in a function but use C<EV_DEFAULT_UC> afterwards.
2338		4208
2339	=back	4209	=back
2340		4210
2341	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above	4211	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above
2342	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported	4212	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported
2343	or not.	4213	or not.
2344		4214
2345	static void	4215	static void
2346	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	4216	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
2347	{	4217	{
2348	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);	4218	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);
2349	}	4219	}
2350		4220
2351	ev_check check;	4221	ev_check check;
2352	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);	4222	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);
2353	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);	4223	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);
2354	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);	4224	ev_run (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);
2355		4225
2356	=head1 EMBEDDING	4226	=head1 EMBEDDING
2357		4227
2358	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	4228	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
2359	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	4229	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
…		…
2366	libev somewhere in your source tree).	4236	libev somewhere in your source tree).
2367		4237
2368	=head2 FILESETS	4238	=head2 FILESETS
2369		4239
2370	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files	4240	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files
2371	in your app.	4241	in your application.
2372		4242
2373	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP	4243	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP
2374		4244
2375	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual	4245	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual
2376	configuration (no autoconf):	4246	configuration (no autoconf):
2377		4247
2378	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	4248	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
2379	#include "ev.c"	4249	#include "ev.c"
2380		4250
2381	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a	4251	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a
2382	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use	4252	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use
2383	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best	4253	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best
2384	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and	4254	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and
2385	where you can put other configuration options):	4255	where you can put other configuration options):
2386		4256
2387	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	4257	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
2388	#include "ev.h"	4258	#include "ev.h"
2389		4259
2390	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++	4260	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++
2391	compiler (at least, thats a stated goal, and breakage will be treated	4261	compiler (at least, that's a stated goal, and breakage will be treated
2392	as a bug).	4262	as a bug).
2393		4263
2394	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory	4264	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory
2395	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):	4265	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):
2396		4266
2397	ev.h	4267	ev.h
2398	ev.c	4268	ev.c
2399	ev_vars.h	4269	ev_vars.h
2400	ev_wrap.h	4270	ev_wrap.h
2401		4271
2402	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only	4272	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only
2403		4273
2404	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)	4274	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)
2405	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4275	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2406	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4276	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2407	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4277	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2408	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4278	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2409		4279
2410	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need	4280	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need
2411	to compile this single file.	4281	to compile this single file.
2412		4282
2413	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API	4283	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API
2414		4284
2415	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:	4285	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:
2416		4286
2417	#include "event.c"	4287	#include "event.c"
2418		4288
2419	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:	4289	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:
2420		4290
2421	#include "event.h"	4291	#include "event.h"
2422		4292
2423	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.	4293	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.
2424		4294
2425	You need the following additional files for this:	4295	You need the following additional files for this:
2426		4296
2427	event.h	4297	event.h
2428	event.c	4298	event.c
2429		4299
2430	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT	4300	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT
2431		4301
2432	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your config in	4302	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your configuration in
2433	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your	4303	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your
2434	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then	4304	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then
2435	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.	4305	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.
2436		4306
2437	For this of course you need the m4 file:	4307	For this of course you need the m4 file:
2438		4308
2439	libev.m4	4309	libev.m4
2440		4310
2441	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS	4311	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS
2442		4312
2443	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to define	4313	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to
2444	before including any of its files. The default is not to build for multiplicity	4314	define before including (or compiling) any of its files. The default in
2445	and only include the select backend.	4315	the absence of autoconf is documented for every option.
		4316
		4317	Symbols marked with "(h)" do not change the ABI, and can have different
		4318	values when compiling libev vs. including F<ev.h>, so it is permissible
		4319	to redefine them before including F<ev.h> without breaking compatibility
		4320	to a compiled library. All other symbols change the ABI, which means all
		4321	users of libev and the libev code itself must be compiled with compatible
		4322	settings.
2446		4323
2447	=over 4	4324	=over 4
2448		4325
		4326	=item EV_COMPAT3 (h)
		4327
		4328	Backwards compatibility is a major concern for libev. This is why this
		4329	release of libev comes with wrappers for the functions and symbols that
		4330	have been renamed between libev version 3 and 4.
		4331
		4332	You can disable these wrappers (to test compatibility with future
		4333	versions) by defining C<EV_COMPAT3> to C<0> when compiling your
		4334	sources. This has the additional advantage that you can drop the C<struct>
		4335	from C<struct ev_loop> declarations, as libev will provide an C<ev_loop>
		4336	typedef in that case.
		4337
		4338	In some future version, the default for C<EV_COMPAT3> will become C<0>,
		4339	and in some even more future version the compatibility code will be
		4340	removed completely.
		4341
2449	=item EV_STANDALONE	4342	=item EV_STANDALONE (h)
2450		4343
2451	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which	4344	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which
2452	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy	4345	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy
2453	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not	4346	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not
2454	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in	4347	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in
2455	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.	4348	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.
2456		4349
		4350	In standalone mode, libev will still try to automatically deduce the
		4351	configuration, but has to be more conservative.
		4352
		4353	=item EV_USE_FLOOR
		4354
		4355	If defined to be C<1>, libev will use the C<floor ()> function for its
		4356	periodic reschedule calculations, otherwise libev will fall back on a
		4357	portable (slower) implementation. If you enable this, you usually have to
		4358	link against libm or something equivalent. Enabling this when the C<floor>
		4359	function is not available will fail, so the safe default is to not enable
		4360	this.
		4361
2457	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC	4362	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC
2458		4363
2459	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	4364	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2460	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	4365	monotonic clock option at both compile time and runtime. Otherwise no
2461	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	4366	use of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this,
2462	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	4367	you usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it
2463	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have	4368	when the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
2464	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	4369	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
2465	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	4370	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>). See also C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
2466		4371
2467	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	4372	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
2468		4373
2469	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	4374	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2470	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	4375	real-time clock option at compile time (and assume its availability
2471	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	4376	at runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the real-time clock
2472	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	4377	option will be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday>
2473	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the	4378	by C<clock_get (CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect
2474	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	4379	correctness. See the note about libraries in the description of
		4380	C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though. Defaults to the opposite value of
		4381	C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
		4382
		4383	=item EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL
		4384
		4385	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to use a direct syscall instead
		4386	of calling the system-provided C<clock_gettime> function. This option
		4387	exists because on GNU/Linux, C<clock_gettime> is in C<librt>, but C<librt>
		4388	unconditionally pulls in C<libpthread>, slowing down single-threaded
		4389	programs needlessly. Using a direct syscall is slightly slower (in
		4390	theory), because no optimised vdso implementation can be used, but avoids
		4391	the pthread dependency. Defaults to C<1> on GNU/Linux with glibc 2.x or
		4392	higher, as it simplifies linking (no need for C<-lrt>).
2475		4393
2476	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP	4394	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
2477		4395
2478	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available	4396	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
2479	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.	4397	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
2480		4398
		4399	=item EV_USE_EVENTFD
		4400
		4401	If defined to be C<1>, then libev will assume that C<eventfd ()> is
		4402	available and will probe for kernel support at runtime. This will improve
		4403	C<ev_signal> and C<ev_async> performance and reduce resource consumption.
		4404	If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc
		4405	2.7 or newer, otherwise disabled.
		4406
2481	=item EV_USE_SELECT	4407	=item EV_USE_SELECT
2482		4408
2483	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	4409	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
2484	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	4410	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at auto-detection will be done: if no
2485	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend	4411	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend
2486	will not be compiled in.	4412	will not be compiled in.
2487		4413
2488	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET	4414	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET
2489		4415
2490	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>	4416	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>
2491	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing	4417	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing
2492	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it misguesses the bitset layout on	4418	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it mis-guesses the bitset layout
2493	exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to some	4419	on exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to
2494	low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket only	4420	some low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket
2495	allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation, might	4421	only allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation,
2496	influence the size of the C<fd_set> used.	4422	configures the maximum size of the C<fd_set>.
2497		4423
2498	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET	4424	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET
2499		4425
2500	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that	4426	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that
2501	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but	4427	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but
…		…
2503	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	4429	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
2504	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	4430	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
2505	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	4431	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
2506	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	4432	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
2507		4433
2508	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE	4434	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE(fd)
2509		4435
2510	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map	4436	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
2511	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the	4437	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
2512	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually	4438	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
2513	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,	4439	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
2514	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.	4440	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
2515		4441
		4442	=item EV_WIN32_HANDLE_TO_FD(handle)
		4443
		4444	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> then libev maps handles to file descriptors
		4445	using the standard C<_open_osfhandle> function. For programs implementing
		4446	their own fd to handle mapping, overwriting this function makes it easier
		4447	to do so. This can be done by defining this macro to an appropriate value.
		4448
		4449	=item EV_WIN32_CLOSE_FD(fd)
		4450
		4451	If programs implement their own fd to handle mapping on win32, then this
		4452	macro can be used to override the C<close> function, useful to unregister
		4453	file descriptors again. Note that the replacement function has to close
		4454	the underlying OS handle.
		4455
2516	=item EV_USE_POLL	4456	=item EV_USE_POLL
2517		4457
2518	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	4458	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
2519	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	4459	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
2520	takes precedence over select.	4460	takes precedence over select.
2521		4461
2522	=item EV_USE_EPOLL	4462	=item EV_USE_EPOLL
2523		4463
2524	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux	4464	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux
2525	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,	4465	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
2526	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the	4466	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
2527	preferred backend for GNU/Linux systems.	4467	backend for GNU/Linux systems. If undefined, it will be enabled if the
		4468	headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
2528		4469
2529	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE	4470	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE
2530		4471
2531	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style	4472	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style
2532	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,	4473	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,
…		…
2545	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred	4486	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
2546	backend for Solaris 10 systems.	4487	backend for Solaris 10 systems.
2547		4488
2548	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL	4489	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL
2549		4490
2550	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.	4491	Reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.
2551		4492
2552	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY	4493	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
2553		4494
2554	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify	4495	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
2555	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will	4496	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
2556	be detected at runtime.	4497	be detected at runtime. If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers
		4498	indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
2557		4499
		4500	=item EV_ATOMIC_T
		4501
		4502	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose
		4503	access is atomic and serialised with respect to other threads or signal
		4504	contexts. No such type is easily found in the C language, so you can
		4505	provide your own type that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used
		4506	both for signal handler "locking" as well as for signal and thread safety
		4507	in C<ev_async> watchers.
		4508
		4509	In the absence of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
		4510	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms,
		4511	although strictly speaking using a type that also implies a memory fence
		4512	is required.
		4513
2558	=item EV_H	4514	=item EV_H (h)
2559		4515
2560	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	4516	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
2561	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h> and F<ev.c>. This can be used to	4517	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
2562	virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	4518	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
2563		4519
2564	=item EV_CONFIG_H	4520	=item EV_CONFIG_H (h)
2565		4521
2566	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	4522	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
2567	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	4523	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
2568	C<EV_H>, above.	4524	C<EV_H>, above.
2569		4525
2570	=item EV_EVENT_H	4526	=item EV_EVENT_H (h)
2571		4527
2572	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	4528	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
2573	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the dfeault is C<"event.h">.	4529	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
2574		4530
2575	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	4531	=item EV_PROTOTYPES (h)
2576		4532
2577	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	4533	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2578	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	4534	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
2579	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions	4535	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions
2580	around libev functions.	4536	around libev functions.
…		…
2585	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create	4541	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create
2586	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support	4542	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support
2587	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer	4543	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer
2588	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.	4544	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.
2589		4545
		4546	Note that C<EV_DEFAULT> and C<EV_DEFAULT_> will no longer provide a
		4547	default loop when multiplicity is switched off - you always have to
		4548	initialise the loop manually in this case.
		4549
2590	=item EV_MINPRI	4550	=item EV_MINPRI
2591		4551
2592	=item EV_MAXPRI	4552	=item EV_MAXPRI
2593		4553
2594	The range of allowed priorities. C<EV_MINPRI> must be smaller or equal to	4554	The range of allowed priorities. C<EV_MINPRI> must be smaller or equal to
…		…
2599	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search	4559	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search
2600	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space	4560	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space
2601	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually	4561	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually
2602	fine.	4562	fine.
2603		4563
2604	If your embedding app does not need any priorities, defining these both to	4564	If your embedding application does not need any priorities, defining these
2605	C<0> will save some memory and cpu.	4565	both to C<0> will save some memory and CPU.
2606		4566
2607	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE	4567	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE, EV_IDLE_ENABLE, EV_EMBED_ENABLE, EV_STAT_ENABLE,
		4568	EV_PREPARE_ENABLE, EV_CHECK_ENABLE, EV_FORK_ENABLE, EV_SIGNAL_ENABLE,
		4569	EV_ASYNC_ENABLE, EV_CHILD_ENABLE.
2608		4570
2609	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If	4571	If undefined or defined to be C<1> (and the platform supports it), then
2610	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of	4572	the respective watcher type is supported. If defined to be C<0>, then it
2611	code.	4573	is not. Disabling watcher types mainly saves code size.
2612		4574
2613	=item EV_IDLE_ENABLE	4575	=item EV_FEATURES
2614
2615	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then idle watchers are supported. If
2616	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
2617	code.
2618
2619	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE
2620
2621	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If
2622	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2623
2624	=item EV_STAT_ENABLE
2625
2626	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then stat watchers are supported. If
2627	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2628
2629	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2630
2631	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
2632	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2633
2634	=item EV_MINIMAL
2635		4576
2636	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	4577	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
2637	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override	4578	speed (but with the full API), you can define this symbol to request
2638	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.	4579	certain subsets of functionality. The default is to enable all features
		4580	that can be enabled on the platform.
		4581
		4582	A typical way to use this symbol is to define it to C<0> (or to a bitset
		4583	with some broad features you want) and then selectively re-enable
		4584	additional parts you want, for example if you want everything minimal,
		4585	but multiple event loop support, async and child watchers and the poll
		4586	backend, use this:
		4587
		4588	#define EV_FEATURES 0
		4589	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 1
		4590	#define EV_USE_POLL 1
		4591	#define EV_CHILD_ENABLE 1
		4592	#define EV_ASYNC_ENABLE 1
		4593
		4594	The actual value is a bitset, it can be a combination of the following
		4595	values:
		4596
		4597	=over 4
		4598
		4599	=item C<1> - faster/larger code
		4600
		4601	Use larger code to speed up some operations.
		4602
		4603	Currently this is used to override some inlining decisions (enlarging the
		4604	code size by roughly 30% on amd64).
		4605
		4606	When optimising for size, use of compiler flags such as C<-Os> with
		4607	gcc is recommended, as well as C<-DNDEBUG>, as libev contains a number of
		4608	assertions.
		4609
		4610	=item C<2> - faster/larger data structures
		4611
		4612	Replaces the small 2-heap for timer management by a faster 4-heap, larger
		4613	hash table sizes and so on. This will usually further increase code size
		4614	and can additionally have an effect on the size of data structures at
		4615	runtime.
		4616
		4617	=item C<4> - full API configuration
		4618
		4619	This enables priorities (sets C<EV_MAXPRI>=2 and C<EV_MINPRI>=-2), and
		4620	enables multiplicity (C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>=1).
		4621
		4622	=item C<8> - full API
		4623
		4624	This enables a lot of the "lesser used" API functions. See C<ev.h> for
		4625	details on which parts of the API are still available without this
		4626	feature, and do not complain if this subset changes over time.
		4627
		4628	=item C<16> - enable all optional watcher types
		4629
		4630	Enables all optional watcher types. If you want to selectively enable
		4631	only some watcher types other than I/O and timers (e.g. prepare,
		4632	embed, async, child...) you can enable them manually by defining
		4633	C<EV_watchertype_ENABLE> to C<1> instead.
		4634
		4635	=item C<32> - enable all backends
		4636
		4637	This enables all backends - without this feature, you need to enable at
		4638	least one backend manually (C<EV_USE_SELECT> is a good choice).
		4639
		4640	=item C<64> - enable OS-specific "helper" APIs
		4641
		4642	Enable inotify, eventfd, signalfd and similar OS-specific helper APIs by
		4643	default.
		4644
		4645	=back
		4646
		4647	Compiling with C<gcc -Os -DEV_STANDALONE -DEV_USE_EPOLL=1 -DEV_FEATURES=0>
		4648	reduces the compiled size of libev from 24.7Kb code/2.8Kb data to 6.5Kb
		4649	code/0.3Kb data on my GNU/Linux amd64 system, while still giving you I/O
		4650	watchers, timers and monotonic clock support.
		4651
		4652	With an intelligent-enough linker (gcc+binutils are intelligent enough
		4653	when you use C<-Wl,--gc-sections -ffunction-sections>) functions unused by
		4654	your program might be left out as well - a binary starting a timer and an
		4655	I/O watcher then might come out at only 5Kb.
		4656
		4657	=item EV_API_STATIC
		4658
		4659	If this symbol is defined (by default it is not), then all identifiers
		4660	will have static linkage. This means that libev will not export any
		4661	identifiers, and you cannot link against libev anymore. This can be useful
		4662	when you embed libev, only want to use libev functions in a single file,
		4663	and do not want its identifiers to be visible.
		4664
		4665	To use this, define C<EV_API_STATIC> and include F<ev.c> in the file that
		4666	wants to use libev.
		4667
		4668	=item EV_AVOID_STDIO
		4669
		4670	If this is set to C<1> at compiletime, then libev will avoid using stdio
		4671	functions (printf, scanf, perror etc.). This will increase the code size
		4672	somewhat, but if your program doesn't otherwise depend on stdio and your
		4673	libc allows it, this avoids linking in the stdio library which is quite
		4674	big.
		4675
		4676	Note that error messages might become less precise when this option is
		4677	enabled.
		4678
		4679	=item EV_NSIG
		4680
		4681	The highest supported signal number, +1 (or, the number of
		4682	signals): Normally, libev tries to deduce the maximum number of signals
		4683	automatically, but sometimes this fails, in which case it can be
		4684	specified. Also, using a lower number than detected (C<32> should be
		4685	good for about any system in existence) can save some memory, as libev
		4686	statically allocates some 12-24 bytes per signal number.
2639		4687
2640	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE	4688	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE
2641		4689
2642	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	4690	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2643	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more	4691	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_FEATURES> disabled),
2644	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	4692	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you
2645	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).	4693	might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
2646		4694
2647	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE	4695	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
2648		4696
2649	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	4697	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2650	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),	4698	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_FEATURES>
2651	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>	4699	disabled), usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of
2652	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of	4700	C<ev_stat> watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a
2653	two).	4701	power of two).
		4702
		4703	=item EV_USE_4HEAP
		4704
		4705	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
		4706	timer and periodics heaps, libev uses a 4-heap when this symbol is defined
		4707	to C<1>. The 4-heap uses more complicated (longer) code but has noticeably
		4708	faster performance with many (thousands) of watchers.
		4709
		4710	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
		4711	will be C<0>.
		4712
		4713	=item EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT
		4714
		4715	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
		4716	timer and periodics heaps, libev can cache the timestamp (I<at>) within
		4717	the heap structure (selected by defining C<EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT> to C<1>),
		4718	which uses 8-12 bytes more per watcher and a few hundred bytes more code,
		4719	but avoids random read accesses on heap changes. This improves performance
		4720	noticeably with many (hundreds) of watchers.
		4721
		4722	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
		4723	will be C<0>.
		4724
		4725	=item EV_VERIFY
		4726
		4727	Controls how much internal verification (see C<ev_verify ()>) will
		4728	be done: If set to C<0>, no internal verification code will be compiled
		4729	in. If set to C<1>, then verification code will be compiled in, but not
		4730	called. If set to C<2>, then the internal verification code will be
		4731	called once per loop, which can slow down libev. If set to C<3>, then the
		4732	verification code will be called very frequently, which will slow down
		4733	libev considerably.
		4734
		4735	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
		4736	will be C<0>.
2654		4737
2655	=item EV_COMMON	4738	=item EV_COMMON
2656		4739
2657	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining	4740	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining
2658	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of	4741	this macro to something else you can include more and other types of
2659	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,	4742	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,
2660	though, and it must be identical each time.	4743	though, and it must be identical each time.
2661		4744
2662	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:	4745	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:
2663		4746
2664	#define EV_COMMON \	4747	#define EV_COMMON \
2665	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \	4748	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \
2666	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */	4749	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */
2667		4750
2668	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)	4751	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)
2669		4752
2670	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)	4753	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)
2671		4754
…		…
2676	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for	4759	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
2677	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	4760	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
2678	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	4761	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
2679	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	4762	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
2680		4763
		4764	=back
		4765
2681	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS	4766	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
2682		4767
2683	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of	4768	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a DLL) and you need a list of
2684	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list	4769	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
2685	all public symbols, one per line:	4770	all public symbols, one per line:
2686		4771
2687	Symbols.ev for libev proper	4772	Symbols.ev for libev proper
2688	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation	4773	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
2689		4774
2690	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with	4775	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
2691	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in	4776	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
2692	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).	4777	itself, but sometimes it is inconvenient to avoid this).
2693		4778
2694	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to	4779	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
2695	include before including F<ev.h>:	4780	include before including F<ev.h>:
2696		4781
2697	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h	4782	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
…		…
2714	file.	4799	file.
2715		4800
2716	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file	4801	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file
2717	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:	4802	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:
2718		4803
2719	#define EV_MINIMAL 1	4804	#define EV_FEATURES 8
2720	#define EV_USE_POLL 0	4805	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
2721	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0
2722	#define EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE 0	4806	#define EV_PREPARE_ENABLE 1
		4807	#define EV_IDLE_ENABLE 1
2723	#define EV_STAT_ENABLE 0	4808	#define EV_SIGNAL_ENABLE 1
2724	#define EV_FORK_ENABLE 0	4809	#define EV_CHILD_ENABLE 1
		4810	#define EV_USE_STDEXCEPT 0
2725	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>	4811	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>
2726	#define EV_MINPRI 0
2727	#define EV_MAXPRI 0
2728		4812
2729	#include "ev++.h"	4813	#include "ev++.h"
2730		4814
2731	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:	4815	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
2732		4816
2733	#include "ev_cpp.h"	4817	#include "ev_cpp.h"
2734	#include "ev.c"	4818	#include "ev.c"
2735		4819
		4820	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS, LIBRARIES OR THE ENVIRONMENT
2736		4821
2737	=head1 COMPLEXITIES	4822	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES
2738		4823
2739	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside	4824	=head3 THREADS
2740	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the
2741	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
2742		4825
2743	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be	4826	All libev functions are reentrant and thread-safe unless explicitly
2744	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this	4827	documented otherwise, but libev implements no locking itself. This means
2745	happens asymptotically never with higher number of elements, so O(1) might	4828	that you can use as many loops as you want in parallel, as long as there
2746	mean it might do a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on average	4829	are no concurrent calls into any libev function with the same loop
2747	it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.	4830	parameter (C<ev_default_*> calls have an implicit default loop parameter,
		4831	of course): libev guarantees that different event loops share no data
		4832	structures that need any locking.
		4833
		4834	Or to put it differently: calls with different loop parameters can be done
		4835	concurrently from multiple threads, calls with the same loop parameter
		4836	must be done serially (but can be done from different threads, as long as
		4837	only one thread ever is inside a call at any point in time, e.g. by using
		4838	a mutex per loop).
		4839
		4840	Specifically to support threads (and signal handlers), libev implements
		4841	so-called C<ev_async> watchers, which allow some limited form of
		4842	concurrency on the same event loop, namely waking it up "from the
		4843	outside".
		4844
		4845	If you want to know which design (one loop, locking, or multiple loops
		4846	without or something else still) is best for your problem, then I cannot
		4847	help you, but here is some generic advice:
2748		4848
2749	=over 4	4849	=over 4
2750		4850
2751	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	4851	=item * most applications have a main thread: use the default libev loop
		4852	in that thread, or create a separate thread running only the default loop.
2752		4853
2753	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and	4854	This helps integrating other libraries or software modules that use libev
2754	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will	4855	themselves and don't care/know about threading.
2755	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
2756		4856
2757	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	4857	=item * one loop per thread is usually a good model.
2758		4858
2759	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them	4859	Doing this is almost never wrong, sometimes a better-performance model
2760	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.	4860	exists, but it is always a good start.
2761		4861
2762	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)	4862	=item * other models exist, such as the leader/follower pattern, where one
		4863	loop is handed through multiple threads in a kind of round-robin fashion.
2763		4864
2764	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.	4865	Choosing a model is hard - look around, learn, know that usually you can do
		4866	better than you currently do :-)
2765		4867
2766	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)	4868	=item * often you need to talk to some other thread which blocks in the
		4869	event loop.
2767		4870
2768	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))	4871	C<ev_async> watchers can be used to wake them up from other threads safely
		4872	(or from signal contexts...).
2769		4873
2770	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the	4874	An example use would be to communicate signals or other events that only
2771	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually	4875	work in the default loop by registering the signal watcher with the
2772	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).	4876	default loop and triggering an C<ev_async> watcher from the default loop
2773		4877	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.
2774	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
2775
2776	By virtue of using a binary heap, the next timer is always found at the
2777	beginning of the storage array.
2778
2779	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
2780
2781	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
2782	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
2783	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
2784
2785	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
2786
2787	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
2788
2789	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
2790	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
2791	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
2792	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. prioritiy handling.
2793		4878
2794	=back	4879	=back
2795		4880
		4881	See also L<THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE>.
2796		4882
2797	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds	4883	=head3 COROUTINES
		4884
		4885	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):
		4886	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different
		4887	coroutines (e.g. you can call C<ev_run> on the same loop from two
		4888	different coroutines, and switch freely between both coroutines running
		4889	the loop, as long as you don't confuse yourself). The only exception is
		4890	that you must not do this from C<ev_periodic> reschedule callbacks.
		4891
		4892	Care has been taken to ensure that libev does not keep local state inside
		4893	C<ev_run>, and other calls do not usually allow for coroutine switches as
		4894	they do not call any callbacks.
		4895
		4896	=head2 COMPILER WARNINGS
		4897
		4898	Depending on your compiler and compiler settings, you might get no or a
		4899	lot of warnings when compiling libev code. Some people are apparently
		4900	scared by this.
		4901
		4902	However, these are unavoidable for many reasons. For one, each compiler
		4903	has different warnings, and each user has different tastes regarding
		4904	warning options. "Warn-free" code therefore cannot be a goal except when
		4905	targeting a specific compiler and compiler-version.
		4906
		4907	Another reason is that some compiler warnings require elaborate
		4908	workarounds, or other changes to the code that make it less clear and less
		4909	maintainable.
		4910
		4911	And of course, some compiler warnings are just plain stupid, or simply
		4912	wrong (because they don't actually warn about the condition their message
		4913	seems to warn about). For example, certain older gcc versions had some
		4914	warnings that resulted in an extreme number of false positives. These have
		4915	been fixed, but some people still insist on making code warn-free with
		4916	such buggy versions.
		4917
		4918	While libev is written to generate as few warnings as possible,
		4919	"warn-free" code is not a goal, and it is recommended not to build libev
		4920	with any compiler warnings enabled unless you are prepared to cope with
		4921	them (e.g. by ignoring them). Remember that warnings are just that:
		4922	warnings, not errors, or proof of bugs.
		4923
		4924
		4925	=head2 VALGRIND
		4926
		4927	Valgrind has a special section here because it is a popular tool that is
		4928	highly useful. Unfortunately, valgrind reports are very hard to interpret.
		4929
		4930	If you think you found a bug (memory leak, uninitialised data access etc.)
		4931	in libev, then check twice: If valgrind reports something like:
		4932
		4933	==2274== definitely lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		4934	==2274== possibly lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		4935	==2274== still reachable: 256 bytes in 1 blocks.
		4936
		4937	Then there is no memory leak, just as memory accounted to global variables
		4938	is not a memleak - the memory is still being referenced, and didn't leak.
		4939
		4940	Similarly, under some circumstances, valgrind might report kernel bugs
		4941	as if it were a bug in libev (e.g. in realloc or in the poll backend,
		4942	although an acceptable workaround has been found here), or it might be
		4943	confused.
		4944
		4945	Keep in mind that valgrind is a very good tool, but only a tool. Don't
		4946	make it into some kind of religion.
		4947
		4948	If you are unsure about something, feel free to contact the mailing list
		4949	with the full valgrind report and an explanation on why you think this
		4950	is a bug in libev (best check the archives, too :). However, don't be
		4951	annoyed when you get a brisk "this is no bug" answer and take the chance
		4952	of learning how to interpret valgrind properly.
		4953
		4954	If you need, for some reason, empty reports from valgrind for your project
		4955	I suggest using suppression lists.
		4956
		4957
		4958	=head1 PORTABILITY NOTES
		4959
		4960	=head2 GNU/LINUX 32 BIT LIMITATIONS
		4961
		4962	GNU/Linux is the only common platform that supports 64 bit file/large file
		4963	interfaces but I<disables> them by default.
		4964
		4965	That means that libev compiled in the default environment doesn't support
		4966	files larger than 2GiB or so, which mainly affects C<ev_stat> watchers.
		4967
		4968	Unfortunately, many programs try to work around this GNU/Linux issue
		4969	by enabling the large file API, which makes them incompatible with the
		4970	standard libev compiled for their system.
		4971
		4972	Likewise, libev cannot enable the large file API itself as this would
		4973	suddenly make it incompatible to the default compile time environment,
		4974	i.e. all programs not using special compile switches.
		4975
		4976	=head2 OS/X AND DARWIN BUGS
		4977
		4978	The whole thing is a bug if you ask me - basically any system interface
		4979	you touch is broken, whether it is locales, poll, kqueue or even the
		4980	OpenGL drivers.
		4981
		4982	=head3 C<kqueue> is buggy
		4983
		4984	The kqueue syscall is broken in all known versions - most versions support
		4985	only sockets, many support pipes.
		4986
		4987	Libev tries to work around this by not using C<kqueue> by default on this
		4988	rotten platform, but of course you can still ask for it when creating a
		4989	loop - embedding a socket-only kqueue loop into a select-based one is
		4990	probably going to work well.
		4991
		4992	=head3 C<poll> is buggy
		4993
		4994	Instead of fixing C<kqueue>, Apple replaced their (working) C<poll>
		4995	implementation by something calling C<kqueue> internally around the 10.5.6
		4996	release, so now C<kqueue> I<and> C<poll> are broken.
		4997
		4998	Libev tries to work around this by not using C<poll> by default on
		4999	this rotten platform, but of course you can still ask for it when creating
		5000	a loop.
		5001
		5002	=head3 C<select> is buggy
		5003
		5004	All that's left is C<select>, and of course Apple found a way to fuck this
		5005	one up as well: On OS/X, C<select> actively limits the number of file
		5006	descriptors you can pass in to 1024 - your program suddenly crashes when
		5007	you use more.
		5008
		5009	There is an undocumented "workaround" for this - defining
		5010	C<_DARWIN_UNLIMITED_SELECT>, which libev tries to use, so select I<should>
		5011	work on OS/X.
		5012
		5013	=head2 SOLARIS PROBLEMS AND WORKAROUNDS
		5014
		5015	=head3 C<errno> reentrancy
		5016
		5017	The default compile environment on Solaris is unfortunately so
		5018	thread-unsafe that you can't even use components/libraries compiled
		5019	without C<-D_REENTRANT> in a threaded program, which, of course, isn't
		5020	defined by default. A valid, if stupid, implementation choice.
		5021
		5022	If you want to use libev in threaded environments you have to make sure
		5023	it's compiled with C<_REENTRANT> defined.
		5024
		5025	=head3 Event port backend
		5026
		5027	The scalable event interface for Solaris is called "event
		5028	ports". Unfortunately, this mechanism is very buggy in all major
		5029	releases. If you run into high CPU usage, your program freezes or you get
		5030	a large number of spurious wakeups, make sure you have all the relevant
		5031	and latest kernel patches applied. No, I don't know which ones, but there
		5032	are multiple ones to apply, and afterwards, event ports actually work
		5033	great.
		5034
		5035	If you can't get it to work, you can try running the program by setting
		5036	the environment variable C<LIBEV_FLAGS=3> to only allow C<poll> and
		5037	C<select> backends.
		5038
		5039	=head2 AIX POLL BUG
		5040
		5041	AIX unfortunately has a broken C<poll.h> header. Libev works around
		5042	this by trying to avoid the poll backend altogether (i.e. it's not even
		5043	compiled in), which normally isn't a big problem as C<select> works fine
		5044	with large bitsets on AIX, and AIX is dead anyway.
		5045
		5046	=head2 WIN32 PLATFORM LIMITATIONS AND WORKAROUNDS
		5047
		5048	=head3 General issues
2798		5049
2799	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev	5050	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
2800	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX	5051	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
2801	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in	5052	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
2802	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket	5053	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
2803	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using	5054	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
2804	e.g. cygwin.	5055	e.g. cygwin. Actually, it only applies to the microsofts own compilers,
		5056	as every compiler comes with a slightly differently broken/incompatible
		5057	environment.
		5058
		5059	Lifting these limitations would basically require the full
		5060	re-implementation of the I/O system. If you are into this kind of thing,
		5061	then note that glib does exactly that for you in a very portable way (note
		5062	also that glib is the slowest event library known to man).
2805		5063
2806	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except	5064	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
2807	embedding it into other applications.	5065	embedding it into other applications.
2808		5066
		5067	Sensible signal handling is officially unsupported by Microsoft - libev
		5068	tries its best, but under most conditions, signals will simply not work.
		5069
		5070	Not a libev limitation but worth mentioning: windows apparently doesn't
		5071	accept large writes: instead of resulting in a partial write, windows will
		5072	either accept everything or return C<ENOBUFS> if the buffer is too large,
		5073	so make sure you only write small amounts into your sockets (less than a
		5074	megabyte seems safe, but this apparently depends on the amount of memory
		5075	available).
		5076
2809	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and the	5077	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and
2810	abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets is not	5078	the abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets
2811	recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use more than	5079	is not recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use
2812	a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally different	5080	more than a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally
2813	implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX model, which cannot	5081	different implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX readiness
2814	be implemented efficiently on windows (microsoft monopoly games).	5082	notification model, which cannot be implemented efficiently on windows
		5083	(due to Microsoft monopoly games).
2815		5084
2816	=over 4	5085	A typical way to use libev under windows is to embed it (see the embedding
		5086	section for details) and use the following F<evwrap.h> header file instead
		5087	of F<ev.h>:
2817		5088
		5089	#define EV_STANDALONE /* keeps ev from requiring config.h */
		5090	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* configure libev for windows select */
		5091
		5092	#include "ev.h"
		5093
		5094	And compile the following F<evwrap.c> file into your project (make sure
		5095	you do I<not> compile the F<ev.c> or any other embedded source files!):
		5096
		5097	#include "evwrap.h"
		5098	#include "ev.c"
		5099
2818	=item The winsocket select function	5100	=head3 The winsocket C<select> function
2819		5101
2820	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires	5102	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it
2821	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select	5103	requires socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors> (it is
2822	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors	5104	also extremely buggy). This makes select very inefficient, and also
2823	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,	5105	requires a mapping from file descriptors to socket handles (the Microsoft
2824	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor	5106	C runtime provides the function C<_open_osfhandle> for this). See the
2825	symbols for more info.	5107	discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>, C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and
		5108	C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor symbols for more info.
2826		5109
2827	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime	5110	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the Microsoft runtime
2828	libraries and raw winsocket select is:	5111	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
2829		5112
2830	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1	5113	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
2831	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */	5114	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
2832		5115
2833	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a	5116	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
2834	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.	5117	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
2835		5118
2836	=item Limited number of file descriptors	5119	=head3 Limited number of file descriptors
2837		5120
2838	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things. Early versions	5121	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things.
2839	of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a max. of C<64> handles	5122
		5123	Early versions of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a maximum
2840	(probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels can only wait for	5124	of C<64> handles (probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels
2841	C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft recommends spawning a	5125	can only wait for C<64> things at the same time internally; Microsoft
2842	chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the previous thread in each).	5126	recommends spawning a chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the
		5127	previous thread in each. Sounds great!).
2843		5128
2844	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>	5129	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
2845	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select	5130	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
2846	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own	5131	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl and many
2847	select emulation on windows).	5132	other interpreters do their own select emulation on windows).
2848		5133
2849	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime	5134	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the Microsoft runtime
2850	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish	5135	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64>
2851	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling	5136	fetish or something like this inside Microsoft). You can increase this
2852	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another	5137	by calling C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048>
2853	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime	5138	(another arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the Microsoft
2854	libraries.
2855
2856	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on	5139	runtime libraries. This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets
2857	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to	5140	(depending on windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more,
2858	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of	5141	you need to wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but
2859	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.	5142	the cost of calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		5143
		5144	=head2 PORTABILITY REQUIREMENTS
		5145
		5146	In addition to a working ISO-C implementation and of course the
		5147	backend-specific APIs, libev relies on a few additional extensions:
		5148
		5149	=over 4
		5150
		5151	=item C<void (*)(ev_watcher_type *, int revents)> must have compatible
		5152	calling conventions regardless of C<ev_watcher_type *>.
		5153
		5154	Libev assumes not only that all watcher pointers have the same internal
		5155	structure (guaranteed by POSIX but not by ISO C for example), but it also
		5156	assumes that the same (machine) code can be used to call any watcher
		5157	callback: The watcher callbacks have different type signatures, but libev
		5158	calls them using an C<ev_watcher *> internally.
		5159
		5160	=item pointer accesses must be thread-atomic
		5161
		5162	Accessing a pointer value must be atomic, it must both be readable and
		5163	writable in one piece - this is the case on all current architectures.
		5164
		5165	=item C<sig_atomic_t volatile> must be thread-atomic as well
		5166
		5167	The type C<sig_atomic_t volatile> (or whatever is defined as
		5168	C<EV_ATOMIC_T>) must be atomic with respect to accesses from different
		5169	threads. This is not part of the specification for C<sig_atomic_t>, but is
		5170	believed to be sufficiently portable.
		5171
		5172	=item C<sigprocmask> must work in a threaded environment
		5173
		5174	Libev uses C<sigprocmask> to temporarily block signals. This is not
		5175	allowed in a threaded program (C<pthread_sigmask> has to be used). Typical
		5176	pthread implementations will either allow C<sigprocmask> in the "main
		5177	thread" or will block signals process-wide, both behaviours would
		5178	be compatible with libev. Interaction between C<sigprocmask> and
		5179	C<pthread_sigmask> could complicate things, however.
		5180
		5181	The most portable way to handle signals is to block signals in all threads
		5182	except the initial one, and run the default loop in the initial thread as
		5183	well.
		5184
		5185	=item C<long> must be large enough for common memory allocation sizes
		5186
		5187	To improve portability and simplify its API, libev uses C<long> internally
		5188	instead of C<size_t> when allocating its data structures. On non-POSIX
		5189	systems (Microsoft...) this might be unexpectedly low, but is still at
		5190	least 31 bits everywhere, which is enough for hundreds of millions of
		5191	watchers.
		5192
		5193	=item C<double> must hold a time value in seconds with enough accuracy
		5194
		5195	The type C<double> is used to represent timestamps. It is required to
		5196	have at least 51 bits of mantissa (and 9 bits of exponent), which is
		5197	good enough for at least into the year 4000 with millisecond accuracy
		5198	(the design goal for libev). This requirement is overfulfilled by
		5199	implementations using IEEE 754, which is basically all existing ones.
		5200
		5201	With IEEE 754 doubles, you get microsecond accuracy until at least the
		5202	year 2255 (and millisecond accuracy till the year 287396 - by then, libev
		5203	is either obsolete or somebody patched it to use C<long double> or
		5204	something like that, just kidding).
2860		5205
2861	=back	5206	=back
2862		5207
		5208	If you know of other additional requirements drop me a note.
		5209
		5210
		5211	=head1 ALGORITHMIC COMPLEXITIES
		5212
		5213	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
		5214	libev will be documented. For complexity discussions about backends see
		5215	the documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
		5216
		5217	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be
		5218	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this
		5219	happens asymptotically rarer with higher number of elements, so O(1) might
		5220	mean that libev does a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on
		5221	average it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.
		5222
		5223	=over 4
		5224
		5225	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
		5226
		5227	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
		5228	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that, then inserting will
		5229	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
		5230
		5231	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
		5232
		5233	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them,
		5234	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
		5235
		5236	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
		5237
		5238	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		5239
		5240	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
		5241
		5242	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
		5243
		5244	These watchers are stored in lists, so they need to be walked to find the
		5245	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
		5246	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal: one is typical, two
		5247	is rare).
		5248
		5249	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		5250
		5251	By virtue of using a binary or 4-heap, the next timer is always found at a
		5252	fixed position in the storage array.
		5253
		5254	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
		5255
		5256	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
		5257	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		5258	on backend and whether C<ev_io_set> was used).
		5259
		5260	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
		5261
		5262	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
		5263
		5264	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
		5265	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
		5266	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		5267	watchers becomes O(1) with respect to priority handling.
		5268
		5269	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		5270
		5271	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		5272
		5273	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		5274
		5275	Sending involves a system call I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		5276	calls in the current loop iteration and the loop is currently
		5277	blocked. Checking for async and signal events involves iterating over all
		5278	running async watchers or all signal numbers.
		5279
		5280	=back
		5281
		5282
		5283	=head1 PORTING FROM LIBEV 3.X TO 4.X
		5284
		5285	The major version 4 introduced some incompatible changes to the API.
		5286
		5287	At the moment, the C<ev.h> header file provides compatibility definitions
		5288	for all changes, so most programs should still compile. The compatibility
		5289	layer might be removed in later versions of libev, so better update to the
		5290	new API early than late.
		5291
		5292	=over 4
		5293
		5294	=item C<EV_COMPAT3> backwards compatibility mechanism
		5295
		5296	The backward compatibility mechanism can be controlled by
		5297	C<EV_COMPAT3>. See L<PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS> in the L<EMBEDDING>
		5298	section.
		5299
		5300	=item C<ev_default_destroy> and C<ev_default_fork> have been removed
		5301
		5302	These calls can be replaced easily by their C<ev_loop_xxx> counterparts:
		5303
		5304	ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT_UC);
		5305	ev_loop_fork (EV_DEFAULT);
		5306
		5307	=item function/symbol renames
		5308
		5309	A number of functions and symbols have been renamed:
		5310
		5311	ev_loop => ev_run
		5312	EVLOOP_NONBLOCK => EVRUN_NOWAIT
		5313	EVLOOP_ONESHOT => EVRUN_ONCE
		5314
		5315	ev_unloop => ev_break
		5316	EVUNLOOP_CANCEL => EVBREAK_CANCEL
		5317	EVUNLOOP_ONE => EVBREAK_ONE
		5318	EVUNLOOP_ALL => EVBREAK_ALL
		5319
		5320	EV_TIMEOUT => EV_TIMER
		5321
		5322	ev_loop_count => ev_iteration
		5323	ev_loop_depth => ev_depth
		5324	ev_loop_verify => ev_verify
		5325
		5326	Most functions working on C<struct ev_loop> objects don't have an
		5327	C<ev_loop_> prefix, so it was removed; C<ev_loop>, C<ev_unloop> and
		5328	associated constants have been renamed to not collide with the C<struct
		5329	ev_loop> anymore and C<EV_TIMER> now follows the same naming scheme
		5330	as all other watcher types. Note that C<ev_loop_fork> is still called
		5331	C<ev_loop_fork> because it would otherwise clash with the C<ev_fork>
		5332	typedef.
		5333
		5334	=item C<EV_MINIMAL> mechanism replaced by C<EV_FEATURES>
		5335
		5336	The preprocessor symbol C<EV_MINIMAL> has been replaced by a different
		5337	mechanism, C<EV_FEATURES>. Programs using C<EV_MINIMAL> usually compile
		5338	and work, but the library code will of course be larger.
		5339
		5340	=back
		5341
		5342
		5343	=head1 GLOSSARY
		5344
		5345	=over 4
		5346
		5347	=item active
		5348
		5349	A watcher is active as long as it has been started and not yet stopped.
		5350	See L<WATCHER STATES> for details.
		5351
		5352	=item application
		5353
		5354	In this document, an application is whatever is using libev.
		5355
		5356	=item backend
		5357
		5358	The part of the code dealing with the operating system interfaces.
		5359
		5360	=item callback
		5361
		5362	The address of a function that is called when some event has been
		5363	detected. Callbacks are being passed the event loop, the watcher that
		5364	received the event, and the actual event bitset.
		5365
		5366	=item callback/watcher invocation
		5367
		5368	The act of calling the callback associated with a watcher.
		5369
		5370	=item event
		5371
		5372	A change of state of some external event, such as data now being available
		5373	for reading on a file descriptor, time having passed or simply not having
		5374	any other events happening anymore.
		5375
		5376	In libev, events are represented as single bits (such as C<EV_READ> or
		5377	C<EV_TIMER>).
		5378
		5379	=item event library
		5380
		5381	A software package implementing an event model and loop.
		5382
		5383	=item event loop
		5384
		5385	An entity that handles and processes external events and converts them
		5386	into callback invocations.
		5387
		5388	=item event model
		5389
		5390	The model used to describe how an event loop handles and processes
		5391	watchers and events.
		5392
		5393	=item pending
		5394
		5395	A watcher is pending as soon as the corresponding event has been
		5396	detected. See L<WATCHER STATES> for details.
		5397
		5398	=item real time
		5399
		5400	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)
		5401
		5402	=item wall-clock time
		5403
		5404	The time and date as shown on clocks. Unlike real time, it can actually
		5405	be wrong and jump forwards and backwards, e.g. when you adjust your
		5406	clock.
		5407
		5408	=item watcher
		5409
		5410	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need
		5411	to be started (attached to an event loop) before they can receive events.
		5412
		5413	=back
2863		5414
2864	=head1 AUTHOR	5415	=head1 AUTHOR
2865		5416
2866	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	5417	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael
		5418	Magnusson and Emanuele Giaquinta, and minor corrections by many others.
2867		5419

Diff Legend

–	Removed lines
+	Added lines
<	Changed lines
>	Changed lines