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Revision 1.130 by root, Wed Feb 6 18:34:24 2008 UTC vs.
Revision 1.422 by root, Thu Nov 15 01:39:45 2012 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) throw ())
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) throw ())
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).
264		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
265	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and	358	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_child> watchers,
266	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler	359	and to do this, it always registers a handler for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is
267	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your app you can either	360	a problem for your application you can either create a dynamic loop with
268	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you	361	C<ev_loop_new> which doesn't do that, or you can simply overwrite the
269	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling	362	C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling C<ev_default_init>.
270	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.
271		382
272	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
273	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>).
274		385
275	The following flags are supported:	386	The following flags are supported:
…		…
281	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
282	thing, believe me).	393	thing, believe me).
283		394
284	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>	395	=item C<EVFLAG_NOENV>
285		396
286	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
287	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
288	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will	399	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will
289	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
290	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
291	around bugs.	402	around bugs.
292		403
293	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>	404	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>
294		405
295	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
296	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.
297	enabling this flag.
298		408
299	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,
300	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
301	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
302	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
303	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
304	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).	414	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
305		415
306	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
307	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
308	flag.	418	flag.
309		419
310	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>
311	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.
312		457
313	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	458	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
314		459
315	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
316	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,
317	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
318	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
319	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.
320		465
321	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
322	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
323	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
324	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
325	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
326	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).
327		476
328	=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)
329		478
330	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
331	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial	480	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
332	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
333	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,
334	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
335	performance tips.	484	performance tips.
336		485
		486	This backend maps C<EV_READ> to C<POLLIN | POLLERR | POLLHUP>, and
		487	C<EV_WRITE> to C<POLLOUT | POLLERR | POLLHUP>.
		488
337	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	489	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
338		490
		491	Use the linux-specific epoll(7) interface (for both pre- and post-2.6.9
		492	kernels).
		493
339	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
340	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale	495	it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like
341	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
342	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).
343	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect	498
344	cases and rewiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad	499	The epoll mechanism deserves honorable mention as the most misdesigned
345	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...
346		526
347	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
348	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
349	(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
350	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
351	very well if you register events for both fds.	531	file descriptors might not work very well if you register events for both
352		532	file descriptors.
353	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
354	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
355	(or space) is available.
356		533
357	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all	534	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
358	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,
359	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.
360		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
361	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
362	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>.
363		551
364	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	552	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
365		553
366	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
367	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
368	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
369	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
370	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
371	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)
372	system like NetBSD.	562	system like NetBSD.
373		563
374	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
375	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
376	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	566	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
377		567
378	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
379	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
380	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
381	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
382	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 (you
		573	might have to leak fd's on fork, but it's more sane than epoll) and it
383	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.	574	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.
384		575
385	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.	576	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
386		577
387	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work	578	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
388	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
389	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
390	(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
391	(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
392	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>.
393		588
394	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	589	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
395		590
396	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
397	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets	592	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
…		…
401	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	596	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
402		597
403	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,
404	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)).
405		600
406	Please note that solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
407	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
408	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
409
410	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
411	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
412	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend	603	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
413	might perform better.	604	might perform better.
414		605
415	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readyness notifications, this	606	On the positive side, this backend actually performed fully to
416	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
417	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>.
418		623
419	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	624	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
420		625
421	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
422	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
423	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	628	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
424		629
425	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).
426		639
427	=back	640	=back
428		641
429	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,
430	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
431	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.	644	here). If none are specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends
432		645	()> will be tried.
433	The most typical usage is like this:
434
435	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
436	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
437
438	Restrict libev to the select and poll backends, and do not allow
439	environment settings to be taken into account:
440
441	ev_default_loop (EVBACKEND_POLL | EVBACKEND_SELECT | EVFLAG_NOENV);
442
443	Use whatever libev has to offer, but make sure that kqueue is used if
444	available (warning, breaks stuff, best use only with your own private
445	event loop and only if you know the OS supports your types of fds):
446
447	ev_default_loop (ev_recommended_backends () | EVBACKEND_KQUEUE);
448
449	=item struct ev_loop *ev_loop_new (unsigned int flags)
450
451	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
452	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
453	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
454	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
455		646
456	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.
457		648
458	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	649	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
459	if (!epoller)	650	if (!epoller)
460	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");	651	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");
461		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
462	=item ev_default_destroy ()	658	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
463		659
464	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	660	Destroys an event loop object (frees all memory and kernel state
465	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
466	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
467	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>	663	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yourself I<before>
468	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
469	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
470	for example).	666	for example).
471		667
472	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
473	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)	669	handlers), will not be freed by this function, and related watchers (such
474	would need to be stopped manually.	670	as signal and child watchers) would need to be stopped manually.
475		671
476	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the	672	This function is normally used on loop objects allocated by
477	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.
478	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>
479	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).	679	and C<ev_loop_destroy>.
480		680
481	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	681	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
482		682
483	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
484	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
485
486	=item ev_default_fork ()
487
488	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations	683	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_run> iterations to
489	to reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the	684	reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
490	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in	685	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
491	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little	686	the child process. You I<must> call it (or use C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>) in the
492	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev	687	child before resuming or calling C<ev_run>.
493	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.	688
		689	Again, you I<have> to call it on I<any> loop that you want to re-use after
		690	a fork, I<even if you do not plan to use the loop in the parent>. This is
		691	because some kernel interfaces *cough* I<kqueue> *cough* do funny things
		692	during fork.
494		693
495	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child	694	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
496	process if and only if you want to use the event library in the child. If	695	process if and only if you want to use the event loop in the child. If
497	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.	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).
498		700
499	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
500	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	702	it just in case after a fork.
501	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
502		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	...
503	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	714	pthread_atfork (0, 0, post_fork_child);
504		715
505	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	716	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
506		717
507	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	718	Returns true when the given loop is, in fact, the default loop, and false
508	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop	719	otherwise.
509	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
510		720
511	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)	721	=item unsigned int ev_iteration (loop)
512		722
513	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
514	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>
515	happily wraps around with enough iterations.	725	and happily wraps around with enough iterations.
516		726
517	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
518	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with	728	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with
519	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.
520		745
521	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)	746	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)
522		747
523	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
524	use.	749	use.
…		…
529	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	754	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
530	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
531	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
532	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	757	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
533		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
534	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	797	=item bool ev_run (loop, int flags)
535		798
536	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
537	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
538	events.	801	handling events. It will ask the operating system for any new events, call
		802	the watcher callbacks, and then repeat the whole process indefinitely: This
		803	is why event loops are called I<loops>.
539		804
540	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
541	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.
542		808
		809	The return value is false if there are no more active watchers (which
		810	usually means "all jobs done" or "deadlock"), and true in all other cases
		811	(which usually means " you should call C<ev_run> again").
		812
543	Please note that an explicit C<ev_unloop> is usually better than	813	Please note that an explicit C<ev_break> is usually better than
544	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has	814	relying on all watchers to be stopped when deciding when a program has
545	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program that	815	finished (especially in interactive programs), but having a program
546	automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue of	816	that automatically loops as long as it has to and no longer by virtue
547	relying on its watchers stopping correctly is a thing of beauty.	817	of relying on its watchers stopping correctly, that is truly a thing of
		818	beauty.
548		819
		820	This function is I<mostly> exception-safe - you can break out of a
		821	C<ev_run> call by calling C<longjmp> in a callback, throwing a C++
		822	exception and so on. This does not decrement the C<ev_depth> value, nor
		823	will it clear any outstanding C<EVBREAK_ONE> breaks.
		824
549	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_NONBLOCK> will look for new events, will handle	825	A flags value of C<EVRUN_NOWAIT> will look for new events, will handle
550	those events and any outstanding ones, but will not block your process in	826	those events and any already outstanding ones, but will not wait and
551	case there are no events and will return after one iteration of the loop.	827	block your process in case there are no events and will return after one
		828	iteration of the loop. This is sometimes useful to poll and handle new
		829	events while doing lengthy calculations, to keep the program responsive.
552		830
553	A flags value of C<EVLOOP_ONESHOT> will look for new events (waiting if	831	A flags value of C<EVRUN_ONCE> will look for new events (waiting if
554	neccessary) and will handle those and any outstanding ones. It will block	832	necessary) and will handle those and any already outstanding ones. It
555	your process until at least one new event arrives, and will return after	833	will block your process until at least one new event arrives (which could
556	one iteration of the loop. This is useful if you are waiting for some	834	be an event internal to libev itself, so there is no guarantee that a
557	external event in conjunction with something not expressible using other	835	user-registered callback will be called), and will return after one
		836	iteration of the loop.
		837
		838	This is useful if you are waiting for some external event in conjunction
		839	with something not expressible using other libev watchers (i.e. "roll your
558	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is	840	own C<ev_run>"). However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
559	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	841	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
560		842
561	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	843	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_run> does (this is for your
		844	understanding, not a guarantee that things will work exactly like this in
		845	future versions):
562		846
		847	- Increment loop depth.
		848	- Reset the ev_break status.
563	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.	849	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
		850	LOOP:
564	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.	851	- If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
565	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.	852	- If a fork was detected (by any means), queue and call all fork watchers.
566	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.	853	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
		854	- If ev_break was called, goto FINISH.
567	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	855	- If we have been forked, detach and recreate the kernel state
		856	as to not disturb the other process.
568	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	857	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
569	- Update the "event loop time".	858	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()).
570	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all	859	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
571	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having	860	(active idle watchers, EVRUN_NOWAIT or not having
572	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).	861	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
573	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.	862	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
		863	- Increment loop iteration counter.
574	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	864	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
575	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	865	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
576	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	866	- Update the "event loop time" (ev_now ()), and do time jump adjustments.
577	- Queue all outstanding timers.	867	- Queue all expired timers.
578	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	868	- Queue all expired periodics.
579	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	869	- Queue all idle watchers with priority higher than that of pending events.
580	- Queue all check watchers.	870	- Queue all check watchers.
581	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	871	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
582	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	872	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
583	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	873	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
584	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	874	- If ev_break has been called, or EVRUN_ONCE or EVRUN_NOWAIT
585	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise	875	were used, or there are no active watchers, goto FINISH, otherwise
586	continue with step *.	876	continue with step LOOP.
		877	FINISH:
		878	- Reset the ev_break status iff it was EVBREAK_ONE.
		879	- Decrement the loop depth.
		880	- Return.
587		881
588	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding	882	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
589	anymore.	883	anymore.
590		884
591	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	885	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
592	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	886	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
593	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	887	ev_run (my_loop, 0);
594	... jobs done. yeah!	888	... jobs done or somebody called break. yeah!
595		889
596	=item ev_unloop (loop, how)	890	=item ev_break (loop, how)
597		891
598	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	892	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_run> return early (but only after it
599	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	893	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
600	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	894	C<EVBREAK_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_run> call return, or
601	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	895	C<EVBREAK_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_run> calls return.
602		896
603	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.	897	This "break state" will be cleared on the next call to C<ev_run>.
		898
		899	It is safe to call C<ev_break> from outside any C<ev_run> calls, too, in
		900	which case it will have no effect.
604		901
605	=item ev_ref (loop)	902	=item ev_ref (loop)
606		903
607	=item ev_unref (loop)	904	=item ev_unref (loop)
608		905
609	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event	906	Ref/unref can be used to add or remove a reference count on the event
610	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference	907	loop: Every watcher keeps one reference, and as long as the reference
611	count is nonzero, C<ev_loop> will not return on its own. If you have	908	count is nonzero, C<ev_run> will not return on its own.
612	a watcher you never unregister that should not keep C<ev_loop> from	909
613	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	910	This is useful when you have a watcher that you never intend to
		911	unregister, but that nevertheless should not keep C<ev_run> from
		912	returning. In such a case, call C<ev_unref> after starting, and C<ev_ref>
		913	before stopping it.
		914
614	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	915	As an example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It
615	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	916	is not visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_run> from
616	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	917	exiting if no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an
617	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	918	excellent way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within
618	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>	919	third-party libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref
619	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,	920	before stop> (but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active
620	respectively).	921	before, respectively. Note also that libev might stop watchers itself
		922	(e.g. non-repeating timers) in which case you have to C<ev_ref>
		923	in the callback).
621		924
622	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	925	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_run>
623	running when nothing else is active.	926	running when nothing else is active.
624		927
625	struct ev_signal exitsig;	928	ev_signal exitsig;
626	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);	929	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
627	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);	930	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
628	evf_unref (loop);	931	ev_unref (loop);
629		932
630	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	933	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
631		934
632	ev_ref (loop);	935	ev_ref (loop);
633	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	936	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
634		937
635	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)	938	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
636		939
637	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)	940	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
638		941
639	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting	942	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
640	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to	943	for events. Both time intervals are by default C<0>, meaning that libev
641	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.	944	will try to invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum
		945	latency.
642		946
643	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)	947	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
644	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to	948	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks
645	increase efficiency of loop iterations.	949	to increase efficiency of loop iterations (or to increase power-saving
		950	opportunities).
646		951
647	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to	952	The idea is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to handle
648	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes	953	one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes the
649	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new	954	program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
650	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high	955	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
651	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.	956	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
652		957
653	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more	958	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
654	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,	959	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
655	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and	960	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
656	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will	961	C<ev_timer>) will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
657	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.	962	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations. The
		963	sleep time ensures that libev will not poll for I/O events more often then
		964	once per this interval, on average (as long as the host time resolution is
		965	good enough).
658		966
659	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev	967	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
660	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased	968	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
661	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers	969	latency/jitter/inexactness (the watcher callback will be called
662	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce	970	later). C<ev_io> watchers will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null
663	any overhead in libev.	971	value will not introduce any overhead in libev.
664		972
665	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect	973	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the I/O collect
666	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for	974	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
667	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It	975	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
668	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,	976	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
669	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.	977	as this approaches the timing granularity of most systems. Note that if
		978	you do transactions with the outside world and you can't increase the
		979	parallelity, then this setting will limit your transaction rate (if you
		980	need to poll once per transaction and the I/O collect interval is 0.01,
		981	then you can't do more than 100 transactions per second).
		982
		983	Setting the I<timeout collect interval> can improve the opportunity for
		984	saving power, as the program will "bundle" timer callback invocations that
		985	are "near" in time together, by delaying some, thus reducing the number of
		986	times the process sleeps and wakes up again. Another useful technique to
		987	reduce iterations/wake-ups is to use C<ev_periodic> watchers and make sure
		988	they fire on, say, one-second boundaries only.
		989
		990	Example: we only need 0.1s timeout granularity, and we wish not to poll
		991	more often than 100 times per second:
		992
		993	ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.1);
		994	ev_set_io_collect_interval (EV_DEFAULT_UC_ 0.01);
		995
		996	=item ev_invoke_pending (loop)
		997
		998	This call will simply invoke all pending watchers while resetting their
		999	pending state. Normally, C<ev_run> does this automatically when required,
		1000	but when overriding the invoke callback this call comes handy. This
		1001	function can be invoked from a watcher - this can be useful for example
		1002	when you want to do some lengthy calculation and want to pass further
		1003	event handling to another thread (you still have to make sure only one
		1004	thread executes within C<ev_invoke_pending> or C<ev_run> of course).
		1005
		1006	=item int ev_pending_count (loop)
		1007
		1008	Returns the number of pending watchers - zero indicates that no watchers
		1009	are pending.
		1010
		1011	=item ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (loop, void (*invoke_pending_cb)(EV_P))
		1012
		1013	This overrides the invoke pending functionality of the loop: Instead of
		1014	invoking all pending watchers when there are any, C<ev_run> will call
		1015	this callback instead. This is useful, for example, when you want to
		1016	invoke the actual watchers inside another context (another thread etc.).
		1017
		1018	If you want to reset the callback, use C<ev_invoke_pending> as new
		1019	callback.
		1020
		1021	=item ev_set_loop_release_cb (loop, void (*release)(EV_P) throw (), void (*acquire)(EV_P) throw ())
		1022
		1023	Sometimes you want to share the same loop between multiple threads. This
		1024	can be done relatively simply by putting mutex_lock/unlock calls around
		1025	each call to a libev function.
		1026
		1027	However, C<ev_run> can run an indefinite time, so it is not feasible
		1028	to wait for it to return. One way around this is to wake up the event
		1029	loop via C<ev_break> and C<ev_async_send>, another way is to set these
		1030	I<release> and I<acquire> callbacks on the loop.
		1031
		1032	When set, then C<release> will be called just before the thread is
		1033	suspended waiting for new events, and C<acquire> is called just
		1034	afterwards.
		1035
		1036	Ideally, C<release> will just call your mutex_unlock function, and
		1037	C<acquire> will just call the mutex_lock function again.
		1038
		1039	While event loop modifications are allowed between invocations of
		1040	C<release> and C<acquire> (that's their only purpose after all), no
		1041	modifications done will affect the event loop, i.e. adding watchers will
		1042	have no effect on the set of file descriptors being watched, or the time
		1043	waited. Use an C<ev_async> watcher to wake up C<ev_run> when you want it
		1044	to take note of any changes you made.
		1045
		1046	In theory, threads executing C<ev_run> will be async-cancel safe between
		1047	invocations of C<release> and C<acquire>.
		1048
		1049	See also the locking example in the C<THREADS> section later in this
		1050	document.
		1051
		1052	=item ev_set_userdata (loop, void *data)
		1053
		1054	=item void *ev_userdata (loop)
		1055
		1056	Set and retrieve a single C<void *> associated with a loop. When
		1057	C<ev_set_userdata> has never been called, then C<ev_userdata> returns
		1058	C<0>.
		1059
		1060	These two functions can be used to associate arbitrary data with a loop,
		1061	and are intended solely for the C<invoke_pending_cb>, C<release> and
		1062	C<acquire> callbacks described above, but of course can be (ab-)used for
		1063	any other purpose as well.
		1064
		1065	=item ev_verify (loop)
		1066
		1067	This function only does something when C<EV_VERIFY> support has been
		1068	compiled in, which is the default for non-minimal builds. It tries to go
		1069	through all internal structures and checks them for validity. If anything
		1070	is found to be inconsistent, it will print an error message to standard
		1071	error and call C<abort ()>.
		1072
		1073	This can be used to catch bugs inside libev itself: under normal
		1074	circumstances, this function will never abort as of course libev keeps its
		1075	data structures consistent.
670		1076
671	=back	1077	=back
672		1078
673		1079
674	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	1080	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
675		1081
		1082	In the following description, uppercase C<TYPE> in names stands for the
		1083	watcher type, e.g. C<ev_TYPE_start> can mean C<ev_timer_start> for timer
		1084	watchers and C<ev_io_start> for I/O watchers.
		1085
676	A watcher is a structure that you create and register to record your	1086	A watcher is an opaque structure that you allocate and register to record
677	interest in some event. For instance, if you want to wait for STDIN to	1087	your interest in some event. To make a concrete example, imagine you want
678	become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher for that:	1088	to wait for STDIN to become readable, you would create an C<ev_io> watcher
		1089	for that:
679		1090
680	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1091	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
681	{	1092	{
682	ev_io_stop (w);	1093	ev_io_stop (w);
683	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1094	ev_break (loop, EVBREAK_ALL);
684	}	1095	}
685		1096
686	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	1097	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
		1098
687	struct ev_io stdin_watcher;	1099	ev_io stdin_watcher;
		1100
688	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);	1101	ev_init (&stdin_watcher, my_cb);
689	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1102	ev_io_set (&stdin_watcher, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
690	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	1103	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
		1104
691	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1105	ev_run (loop, 0);
692		1106
693	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your	1107	As you can see, you are responsible for allocating the memory for your
694	watcher structures (and it is usually a bad idea to do this on the stack,	1108	watcher structures (and it is I<usually> a bad idea to do this on the
695	although this can sometimes be quite valid).	1109	stack).
696		1110
		1111	Each watcher has an associated watcher structure (called C<struct ev_TYPE>
		1112	or simply C<ev_TYPE>, as typedefs are provided for all watcher structs).
		1113
697	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init	1114	Each watcher structure must be initialised by a call to C<ev_init (watcher
698	(watcher *, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This	1115	*, callback)>, which expects a callback to be provided. This callback is
699	callback gets invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of io	1116	invoked each time the event occurs (or, in the case of I/O watchers, each
700	watchers, each time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given	1117	time the event loop detects that the file descriptor given is readable
701	is readable and/or writable).	1118	and/or writable).
702		1119
703	Each watcher type has its own C<< ev_<type>_set (watcher *, ...) >> macro	1120	Each watcher type further has its own C<< ev_TYPE_set (watcher *, ...) >>
704	with arguments specific to this watcher type. There is also a macro	1121	macro to configure it, with arguments specific to the watcher type. There
705	to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<< ev_<type>_init	1122	is also a macro to combine initialisation and setting in one call: C<<
706	(watcher *, callback, ...) >>.	1123	ev_TYPE_init (watcher *, callback, ...) >>.
707		1124
708	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it	1125	To make the watcher actually watch out for events, you have to start it
709	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_<type>_start (loop, watcher	1126	with a watcher-specific start function (C<< ev_TYPE_start (loop, watcher
710	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the	1127	*) >>), and you can stop watching for events at any time by calling the
711	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_<type>_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.	1128	corresponding stop function (C<< ev_TYPE_stop (loop, watcher *) >>.
712		1129
713	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you	1130	As long as your watcher is active (has been started but not stopped) you
714	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never	1131	must not touch the values stored in it. Most specifically you must never
715	reinitialise it or call its C<set> macro.	1132	reinitialise it or call its C<ev_TYPE_set> macro.
716		1133
717	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the	1134	Each and every callback receives the event loop pointer as first, the
718	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as	1135	registered watcher structure as second, and a bitset of received events as
719	third argument.	1136	third argument.
720		1137
…		…
729	=item C<EV_WRITE>	1146	=item C<EV_WRITE>
730		1147
731	The file descriptor in the C<ev_io> watcher has become readable and/or	1148	The file descriptor in the C<ev_io> watcher has become readable and/or
732	writable.	1149	writable.
733		1150
734	=item C<EV_TIMEOUT>	1151	=item C<EV_TIMER>
735		1152
736	The C<ev_timer> watcher has timed out.	1153	The C<ev_timer> watcher has timed out.
737		1154
738	=item C<EV_PERIODIC>	1155	=item C<EV_PERIODIC>
739		1156
…		…
757		1174
758	=item C<EV_PREPARE>	1175	=item C<EV_PREPARE>
759		1176
760	=item C<EV_CHECK>	1177	=item C<EV_CHECK>
761		1178
762	All C<ev_prepare> watchers are invoked just I<before> C<ev_loop> starts	1179	All C<ev_prepare> watchers are invoked just I<before> C<ev_run> starts to
763	to gather new events, and all C<ev_check> watchers are invoked just after	1180	gather new events, and all C<ev_check> watchers are queued (not invoked)
764	C<ev_loop> has gathered them, but before it invokes any callbacks for any	1181	just after C<ev_run> has gathered them, but before it queues any callbacks
		1182	for any received events. That means C<ev_prepare> watchers are the last
		1183	watchers invoked before the event loop sleeps or polls for new events, and
		1184	C<ev_check> watchers will be invoked before any other watchers of the same
		1185	or lower priority within an event loop iteration.
		1186
765	received events. Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as	1187	Callbacks of both watcher types can start and stop as many watchers as
766	many watchers as they want, and all of them will be taken into account	1188	they want, and all of them will be taken into account (for example, a
767	(for example, a C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep	1189	C<ev_prepare> watcher might start an idle watcher to keep C<ev_run> from
768	C<ev_loop> from blocking).	1190	blocking).
769		1191
770	=item C<EV_EMBED>	1192	=item C<EV_EMBED>
771		1193
772	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.	1194	The embedded event loop specified in the C<ev_embed> watcher needs attention.
773		1195
774	=item C<EV_FORK>	1196	=item C<EV_FORK>
775		1197
776	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	1198	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
777	C<ev_fork>).	1199	C<ev_fork>).
778		1200
		1201	=item C<EV_CLEANUP>
		1202
		1203	The event loop is about to be destroyed (see C<ev_cleanup>).
		1204
779	=item C<EV_ASYNC>	1205	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
780		1206
781	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).	1207	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
782		1208
		1209	=item C<EV_CUSTOM>
		1210
		1211	Not ever sent (or otherwise used) by libev itself, but can be freely used
		1212	by libev users to signal watchers (e.g. via C<ev_feed_event>).
		1213
783	=item C<EV_ERROR>	1214	=item C<EV_ERROR>
784		1215
785	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	1216	An unspecified error has occurred, the watcher has been stopped. This might
786	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	1217	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
787	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other	1218	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other
		1219	problem. Libev considers these application bugs.
		1220
788	problem. You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping	1221	You best act on it by reporting the problem and somehow coping with the
789	with the watcher being stopped.	1222	watcher being stopped. Note that well-written programs should not receive
		1223	an error ever, so when your watcher receives it, this usually indicates a
		1224	bug in your program.
790		1225
791	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error,	1226	Libev will usually signal a few "dummy" events together with an error, for
792	for example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if	1227	example it might indicate that a fd is readable or writable, and if your
793	your callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope	1228	callbacks is well-written it can just attempt the operation and cope with
794	with the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multithreaded	1229	the error from read() or write(). This will not work in multi-threaded
795	programs, though, so beware.	1230	programs, though, as the fd could already be closed and reused for another
		1231	thing, so beware.
796		1232
797	=back	1233	=back
798		1234
799	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS	1235	=head2 GENERIC WATCHER FUNCTIONS
800
801	In the following description, C<TYPE> stands for the watcher type,
802	e.g. C<timer> for C<ev_timer> watchers and C<io> for C<ev_io> watchers.
803		1236
804	=over 4	1237	=over 4
805		1238
806	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1239	=item C<ev_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
807		1240
…		…
813	which rolls both calls into one.	1246	which rolls both calls into one.
814		1247
815	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped	1248	You can reinitialise a watcher at any time as long as it has been stopped
816	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.	1249	(or never started) and there are no pending events outstanding.
817		1250
818	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,	1251	The callback is always of type C<void (*)(struct ev_loop *loop, ev_TYPE *watcher,
819	int revents)>.	1252	int revents)>.
820		1253
		1254	Example: Initialise an C<ev_io> watcher in two steps.
		1255
		1256	ev_io w;
		1257	ev_init (&w, my_cb);
		1258	ev_io_set (&w, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1259
821	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *, [args])	1260	=item C<ev_TYPE_set> (ev_TYPE *watcher, [args])
822		1261
823	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to	1262	This macro initialises the type-specific parts of a watcher. You need to
824	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can	1263	call C<ev_init> at least once before you call this macro, but you can
825	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this	1264	call C<ev_TYPE_set> any number of times. You must not, however, call this
826	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a	1265	macro on a watcher that is active (it can be pending, however, which is a
827	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).	1266	difference to the C<ev_init> macro).
828		1267
829	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments	1268	Although some watcher types do not have type-specific arguments
830	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.	1269	(e.g. C<ev_prepare>) you still need to call its C<set> macro.
831		1270
		1271	See C<ev_init>, above, for an example.
		1272
832	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])	1273	=item C<ev_TYPE_init> (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback, [args])
833		1274
834	This convinience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro	1275	This convenience macro rolls both C<ev_init> and C<ev_TYPE_set> macro
835	calls into a single call. This is the most convinient method to initialise	1276	calls into a single call. This is the most convenient method to initialise
836	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.	1277	a watcher. The same limitations apply, of course.
837		1278
		1279	Example: Initialise and set an C<ev_io> watcher in one step.
		1280
		1281	ev_io_init (&w, my_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1282
838	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1283	=item C<ev_TYPE_start> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
839		1284
840	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive	1285	Starts (activates) the given watcher. Only active watchers will receive
841	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.	1286	events. If the watcher is already active nothing will happen.
842		1287
		1288	Example: Start the C<ev_io> watcher that is being abused as example in this
		1289	whole section.
		1290
		1291	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_UC, &w);
		1292
843	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop *, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1293	=item C<ev_TYPE_stop> (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
844		1294
845	Stops the given watcher again (if active) and clears the pending	1295	Stops the given watcher if active, and clears the pending status (whether
		1296	the watcher was active or not).
		1297
846	status. It is possible that stopped watchers are pending (for example,	1298	It is possible that stopped watchers are pending - for example,
847	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending), but	1299	non-repeating timers are being stopped when they become pending - but
848	C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor pending. If	1300	calling C<ev_TYPE_stop> ensures that the watcher is neither active nor
849	you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is therefore a	1301	pending. If you want to free or reuse the memory used by the watcher it is
850	good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.	1302	therefore a good idea to always call its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function.
851		1303
852	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1304	=item bool ev_is_active (ev_TYPE *watcher)
853		1305
854	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started	1306	Returns a true value iff the watcher is active (i.e. it has been started
855	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify	1307	and not yet been stopped). As long as a watcher is active you must not modify
…		…
866		1318
867	=item callback ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1319	=item callback ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)
868		1320
869	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.	1321	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.
870		1322
871	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	1323	=item ev_set_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
872		1324
873	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time	1325	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time
874	(modulo threads).	1326	(modulo threads).
875		1327
876	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, priority)	1328	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, int priority)
877		1329
878	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)	1330	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)
879		1331
880	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small	1332	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small
881	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>	1333	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>
882	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked	1334	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked
883	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers	1335	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers
884	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).	1336	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).
885		1337
886	This means that priorities are I<only> used for ordering callback
887	invocation after new events have been received. This is useful, for
888	example, to reduce latency after idling, or more often, to bind two
889	watchers on the same event and make sure one is called first.
890
891	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending	1338	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending
892	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.	1339	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.
893		1340
894	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or	1341	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or
895	pending.	1342	pending.
896		1343
		1344	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is
		1345	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might
		1346	or might not have been clamped to the valid range.
		1347
897	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is	1348	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is
898	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).	1349	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).
899		1350
900	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is	1351	See L</WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS>, below, for a more thorough treatment of
901	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might	1352	priorities.
902	or might not have been adjusted to be within valid range.
903		1353
904	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)	1354	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
905		1355
906	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither	1356	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither
907	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback	1357	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback
908	can deal with that fact.	1358	can deal with that fact, as both are simply passed through to the
		1359	callback.
909		1360
910	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)	1361	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
911		1362
912	If the watcher is pending, this function returns clears its pending status	1363	If the watcher is pending, this function clears its pending status and
913	and returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the	1364	returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
914	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.	1365	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
915		1366
		1367	Sometimes it can be useful to "poll" a watcher instead of waiting for its
		1368	callback to be invoked, which can be accomplished with this function.
		1369
		1370	=item ev_feed_event (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
		1371
		1372	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event
		1373	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an
		1374	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher). Obviously you must
		1375	not free the watcher as long as it has pending events.
		1376
		1377	Stopping the watcher, letting libev invoke it, or calling
		1378	C<ev_clear_pending> will clear the pending event, even if the watcher was
		1379	not started in the first place.
		1380
		1381	See also C<ev_feed_fd_event> and C<ev_feed_signal_event> for related
		1382	functions that do not need a watcher.
		1383
916	=back	1384	=back
917		1385
		1386	See also the L</ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER> and L</BUILDING YOUR
		1387	OWN COMPOSITE WATCHERS> idioms.
918		1388
919	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	1389	=head2 WATCHER STATES
920		1390
921	Each watcher has, by default, a member C<void *data> that you can change	1391	There are various watcher states mentioned throughout this manual -
922	and read at any time, libev will completely ignore it. This can be used	1392	active, pending and so on. In this section these states and the rules to
923	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and	1393	transition between them will be described in more detail - and while these
924	don't want to allocate memory and store a pointer to it in that data	1394	rules might look complicated, they usually do "the right thing".
925	member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
926	data:
927		1395
928	struct my_io	1396	=over 4
929	{
930	struct ev_io io;
931	int otherfd;
932	void *somedata;
933	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
934	}
935		1397
936	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you	1398	=item initialised
937	can cast it back to your own type:
938		1399
939	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w_, int revents)	1400	Before a watcher can be registered with the event loop it has to be
940	{	1401	initialised. This can be done with a call to C<ev_TYPE_init>, or calls to
941	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;	1402	C<ev_init> followed by the watcher-specific C<ev_TYPE_set> function.
942	...
943	}
944		1403
945	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type	1404	In this state it is simply some block of memory that is suitable for
946	instead have been omitted.	1405	use in an event loop. It can be moved around, freed, reused etc. at
		1406	will - as long as you either keep the memory contents intact, or call
		1407	C<ev_TYPE_init> again.
947		1408
948	Another common scenario is having some data structure with multiple	1409	=item started/running/active
949	watchers:
950		1410
951	struct my_biggy	1411	Once a watcher has been started with a call to C<ev_TYPE_start> it becomes
952	{	1412	property of the event loop, and is actively waiting for events. While in
953	int some_data;	1413	this state it cannot be accessed (except in a few documented ways), moved,
954	ev_timer t1;	1414	freed or anything else - the only legal thing is to keep a pointer to it,
955	ev_timer t2;	1415	and call libev functions on it that are documented to work on active watchers.
956	}
957		1416
958	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more complicated,	1417	=item pending
959	you need to use C<offsetof>:
960		1418
961	#include <stddef.h>	1419	If a watcher is active and libev determines that an event it is interested
		1420	in has occurred (such as a timer expiring), it will become pending. It will
		1421	stay in this pending state until either it is stopped or its callback is
		1422	about to be invoked, so it is not normally pending inside the watcher
		1423	callback.
962		1424
		1425	The watcher might or might not be active while it is pending (for example,
		1426	an expired non-repeating timer can be pending but no longer active). If it
		1427	is stopped, it can be freely accessed (e.g. by calling C<ev_TYPE_set>),
		1428	but it is still property of the event loop at this time, so cannot be
		1429	moved, freed or reused. And if it is active the rules described in the
		1430	previous item still apply.
		1431
		1432	It is also possible to feed an event on a watcher that is not active (e.g.
		1433	via C<ev_feed_event>), in which case it becomes pending without being
		1434	active.
		1435
		1436	=item stopped
		1437
		1438	A watcher can be stopped implicitly by libev (in which case it might still
		1439	be pending), or explicitly by calling its C<ev_TYPE_stop> function. The
		1440	latter will clear any pending state the watcher might be in, regardless
		1441	of whether it was active or not, so stopping a watcher explicitly before
		1442	freeing it is often a good idea.
		1443
		1444	While stopped (and not pending) the watcher is essentially in the
		1445	initialised state, that is, it can be reused, moved, modified in any way
		1446	you wish (but when you trash the memory block, you need to C<ev_TYPE_init>
		1447	it again).
		1448
		1449	=back
		1450
		1451	=head2 WATCHER PRIORITY MODELS
		1452
		1453	Many event loops support I<watcher priorities>, which are usually small
		1454	integers that influence the ordering of event callback invocation
		1455	between watchers in some way, all else being equal.
		1456
		1457	In libev, Watcher priorities can be set using C<ev_set_priority>. See its
		1458	description for the more technical details such as the actual priority
		1459	range.
		1460
		1461	There are two common ways how these these priorities are being interpreted
		1462	by event loops:
		1463
		1464	In the more common lock-out model, higher priorities "lock out" invocation
		1465	of lower priority watchers, which means as long as higher priority
		1466	watchers receive events, lower priority watchers are not being invoked.
		1467
		1468	The less common only-for-ordering model uses priorities solely to order
		1469	callback invocation within a single event loop iteration: Higher priority
		1470	watchers are invoked before lower priority ones, but they all get invoked
		1471	before polling for new events.
		1472
		1473	Libev uses the second (only-for-ordering) model for all its watchers
		1474	except for idle watchers (which use the lock-out model).
		1475
		1476	The rationale behind this is that implementing the lock-out model for
		1477	watchers is not well supported by most kernel interfaces, and most event
		1478	libraries will just poll for the same events again and again as long as
		1479	their callbacks have not been executed, which is very inefficient in the
		1480	common case of one high-priority watcher locking out a mass of lower
		1481	priority ones.
		1482
		1483	Static (ordering) priorities are most useful when you have two or more
		1484	watchers handling the same resource: a typical usage example is having an
		1485	C<ev_io> watcher to receive data, and an associated C<ev_timer> to handle
		1486	timeouts. Under load, data might be received while the program handles
		1487	other jobs, but since timers normally get invoked first, the timeout
		1488	handler will be executed before checking for data. In that case, giving
		1489	the timer a lower priority than the I/O watcher ensures that I/O will be
		1490	handled first even under adverse conditions (which is usually, but not
		1491	always, what you want).
		1492
		1493	Since idle watchers use the "lock-out" model, meaning that idle watchers
		1494	will only be executed when no same or higher priority watchers have
		1495	received events, they can be used to implement the "lock-out" model when
		1496	required.
		1497
		1498	For example, to emulate how many other event libraries handle priorities,
		1499	you can associate an C<ev_idle> watcher to each such watcher, and in
		1500	the normal watcher callback, you just start the idle watcher. The real
		1501	processing is done in the idle watcher callback. This causes libev to
		1502	continuously poll and process kernel event data for the watcher, but when
		1503	the lock-out case is known to be rare (which in turn is rare :), this is
		1504	workable.
		1505
		1506	Usually, however, the lock-out model implemented that way will perform
		1507	miserably under the type of load it was designed to handle. In that case,
		1508	it might be preferable to stop the real watcher before starting the
		1509	idle watcher, so the kernel will not have to process the event in case
		1510	the actual processing will be delayed for considerable time.
		1511
		1512	Here is an example of an I/O watcher that should run at a strictly lower
		1513	priority than the default, and which should only process data when no
		1514	other events are pending:
		1515
		1516	ev_idle idle; // actual processing watcher
		1517	ev_io io; // actual event watcher
		1518
963	static void	1519	static void
964	t1_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1520	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
965	{	1521	{
966	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1522	// stop the I/O watcher, we received the event, but
967	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));	1523	// are not yet ready to handle it.
		1524	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1525
		1526	// start the idle watcher to handle the actual event.
		1527	// it will not be executed as long as other watchers
		1528	// with the default priority are receiving events.
		1529	ev_idle_start (EV_A_ &idle);
968	}	1530	}
969		1531
970	static void	1532	static void
971	t2_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1533	idle_cb (EV_P_ ev_idle *w, int revents)
972	{	1534	{
973	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *	1535	// actual processing
974	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));	1536	read (STDIN_FILENO, ...);
		1537
		1538	// have to start the I/O watcher again, as
		1539	// we have handled the event
		1540	ev_io_start (EV_P_ &io);
975	}	1541	}
		1542
		1543	// initialisation
		1544	ev_idle_init (&idle, idle_cb);
		1545	ev_io_init (&io, io_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
		1546	ev_io_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &io);
		1547
		1548	In the "real" world, it might also be beneficial to start a timer, so that
		1549	low-priority connections can not be locked out forever under load. This
		1550	enables your program to keep a lower latency for important connections
		1551	during short periods of high load, while not completely locking out less
		1552	important ones.
976		1553
977		1554
978	=head1 WATCHER TYPES	1555	=head1 WATCHER TYPES
979		1556
980	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat	1557	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat
…		…
1004	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1581	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
1005	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1582	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
1006	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1583	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
1007	required if you know what you are doing).	1584	required if you know what you are doing).
1008		1585
1009	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
1010	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
1011	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
1012
1013	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1586	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
1014	receive "spurious" readyness notifications, that is your callback might	1587	receive "spurious" readiness notifications, that is, your callback might
1015	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block	1588	be called with C<EV_READ> but a subsequent C<read>(2) will actually block
1016	because there is no data. Not only are some backends known to create a	1589	because there is no data. It is very easy to get into this situation even
1017	lot of those (for example solaris ports), it is very easy to get into	1590	with a relatively standard program structure. Thus it is best to always
1018	this situation even with a relatively standard program structure. Thus	1591	use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning C<EAGAIN> is far
1019	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
1020	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.	1592	preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
1021		1593
1022	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not	1594	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should
1023	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test	1595	not play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to separately
1024	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface	1596	re-test whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good
1025	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1597	interface such as poll (fortunately in the case of Xlib, it already does
1026	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1598	this on its own, so its quite safe to use). Some people additionally
		1599	use C<SIGALRM> and an interval timer, just to be sure you won't block
		1600	indefinitely.
		1601
		1602	But really, best use non-blocking mode.
1027		1603
1028	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors	1604	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
1029		1605
1030	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file	1606	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
1031	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,	1607	descriptor (either due to calling C<close> explicitly or any other means,
1032	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file	1608	such as C<dup2>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
1033	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop	1609	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
1034	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is	1610	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
1035	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in	1611	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
1036	fact, a different file descriptor.	1612	fact, a different file descriptor.
1037		1613
…		…
1055		1631
1056	There is no workaround possible except not registering events	1632	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
1057	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to	1633	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
1058	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.	1634	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1059		1635
		1636	=head3 The special problem of files
		1637
		1638	Many people try to use C<select> (or libev) on file descriptors
		1639	representing files, and expect it to become ready when their program
		1640	doesn't block on disk accesses (which can take a long time on their own).
		1641
		1642	However, this cannot ever work in the "expected" way - you get a readiness
		1643	notification as soon as the kernel knows whether and how much data is
		1644	there, and in the case of open files, that's always the case, so you
		1645	always get a readiness notification instantly, and your read (or possibly
		1646	write) will still block on the disk I/O.
		1647
		1648	Another way to view it is that in the case of sockets, pipes, character
		1649	devices and so on, there is another party (the sender) that delivers data
		1650	on its own, but in the case of files, there is no such thing: the disk
		1651	will not send data on its own, simply because it doesn't know what you
		1652	wish to read - you would first have to request some data.
		1653
		1654	Since files are typically not-so-well supported by advanced notification
		1655	mechanism, libev tries hard to emulate POSIX behaviour with respect
		1656	to files, even though you should not use it. The reason for this is
		1657	convenience: sometimes you want to watch STDIN or STDOUT, which is
		1658	usually a tty, often a pipe, but also sometimes files or special devices
		1659	(for example, C<epoll> on Linux works with F</dev/random> but not with
		1660	F</dev/urandom>), and even though the file might better be served with
		1661	asynchronous I/O instead of with non-blocking I/O, it is still useful when
		1662	it "just works" instead of freezing.
		1663
		1664	So avoid file descriptors pointing to files when you know it (e.g. use
		1665	libeio), but use them when it is convenient, e.g. for STDIN/STDOUT, or
		1666	when you rarely read from a file instead of from a socket, and want to
		1667	reuse the same code path.
		1668
1060	=head3 The special problem of fork	1669	=head3 The special problem of fork
1061		1670
1062	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit	1671	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
1063	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about	1672	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
1064	it in the child.	1673	it in the child if you want to continue to use it in the child.
1065		1674
1066	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call	1675	To support fork in your child processes, you have to call C<ev_loop_fork
1067	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,	1676	()> after a fork in the child, enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to
1068	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or	1677	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1069	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
1070		1678
		1679	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
		1680
		1681	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about C<SIGPIPE>:
		1682	when writing to a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program gets
		1683	sent a SIGPIPE, which, by default, aborts your program. For most programs
		1684	this is sensible behaviour, for daemons, this is usually undesirable.
		1685
		1686	So when you encounter spurious, unexplained daemon exits, make sure you
		1687	ignore SIGPIPE (and maybe make sure you log the exit status of your daemon
		1688	somewhere, as that would have given you a big clue).
		1689
		1690	=head3 The special problem of accept()ing when you can't
		1691
		1692	Many implementations of the POSIX C<accept> function (for example,
		1693	found in post-2004 Linux) have the peculiar behaviour of not removing a
		1694	connection from the pending queue in all error cases.
		1695
		1696	For example, larger servers often run out of file descriptors (because
		1697	of resource limits), causing C<accept> to fail with C<ENFILE> but not
		1698	rejecting the connection, leading to libev signalling readiness on
		1699	the next iteration again (the connection still exists after all), and
		1700	typically causing the program to loop at 100% CPU usage.
		1701
		1702	Unfortunately, the set of errors that cause this issue differs between
		1703	operating systems, there is usually little the app can do to remedy the
		1704	situation, and no known thread-safe method of removing the connection to
		1705	cope with overload is known (to me).
		1706
		1707	One of the easiest ways to handle this situation is to just ignore it
		1708	- when the program encounters an overload, it will just loop until the
		1709	situation is over. While this is a form of busy waiting, no OS offers an
		1710	event-based way to handle this situation, so it's the best one can do.
		1711
		1712	A better way to handle the situation is to log any errors other than
		1713	C<EAGAIN> and C<EWOULDBLOCK>, making sure not to flood the log with such
		1714	messages, and continue as usual, which at least gives the user an idea of
		1715	what could be wrong ("raise the ulimit!"). For extra points one could stop
		1716	the C<ev_io> watcher on the listening fd "for a while", which reduces CPU
		1717	usage.
		1718
		1719	If your program is single-threaded, then you could also keep a dummy file
		1720	descriptor for overload situations (e.g. by opening F</dev/null>), and
		1721	when you run into C<ENFILE> or C<EMFILE>, close it, run C<accept>,
		1722	close that fd, and create a new dummy fd. This will gracefully refuse
		1723	clients under typical overload conditions.
		1724
		1725	The last way to handle it is to simply log the error and C<exit>, as
		1726	is often done with C<malloc> failures, but this results in an easy
		1727	opportunity for a DoS attack.
1071		1728
1072	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions	1729	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
1073		1730
1074	=over 4	1731	=over 4
1075		1732
1076	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1733	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
1077		1734
1078	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	1735	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
1079		1736
1080	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to	1737	Configures an C<ev_io> watcher. The C<fd> is the file descriptor to
1081	rceeive events for and events is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or	1738	receive events for and C<events> is either C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or
1082	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE> to receive the given events.	1739	C<EV_READ | EV_WRITE>, to express the desire to receive the given events.
1083		1740
1084	=item int fd [read-only]	1741	=item int fd [read-only]
1085		1742
1086	The file descriptor being watched.	1743	The file descriptor being watched.
1087		1744
…		…
1095		1752
1096	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1753	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
1097	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1754	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
1098	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.	1755	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
1099		1756
1100	static void	1757	static void
1101	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1758	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1102	{	1759	{
1103	ev_io_stop (loop, w);	1760	ev_io_stop (loop, w);
1104	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and haqndle any I/O errors	1761	.. read from stdin here (or from w->fd) and handle any I/O errors
1105	}	1762	}
1106		1763
1107	...	1764	...
1108	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);	1765	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
1109	struct ev_io stdin_readable;	1766	ev_io stdin_readable;
1110	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);	1767	ev_io_init (&stdin_readable, stdin_readable_cb, STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ);
1111	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);	1768	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_readable);
1112	ev_loop (loop, 0);	1769	ev_run (loop, 0);
1113		1770
1114		1771
1115	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts	1772	=head2 C<ev_timer> - relative and optionally repeating timeouts
1116		1773
1117	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a	1774	Timer watchers are simple relative timers that generate an event after a
1118	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.	1775	given time, and optionally repeating in regular intervals after that.
1119		1776
1120	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that	1777	The timers are based on real time, that is, if you register an event that
1121	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to last years	1778	times out after an hour and you reset your system clock to January last
1122	time, it will still time out after (roughly) and hour. "Roughly" because	1779	year, it will still time out after (roughly) one hour. "Roughly" because
1123	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the	1780	detecting time jumps is hard, and some inaccuracies are unavoidable (the
1124	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).	1781	monotonic clock option helps a lot here).
		1782
		1783	The callback is guaranteed to be invoked only I<after> its timeout has
		1784	passed (not I<at>, so on systems with very low-resolution clocks this
		1785	might introduce a small delay, see "the special problem of being too
		1786	early", below). If multiple timers become ready during the same loop
		1787	iteration then the ones with earlier time-out values are invoked before
		1788	ones of the same priority with later time-out values (but this is no
		1789	longer true when a callback calls C<ev_run> recursively).
		1790
		1791	=head3 Be smart about timeouts
		1792
		1793	Many real-world problems involve some kind of timeout, usually for error
		1794	recovery. A typical example is an HTTP request - if the other side hangs,
		1795	you want to raise some error after a while.
		1796
		1797	What follows are some ways to handle this problem, from obvious and
		1798	inefficient to smart and efficient.
		1799
		1800	In the following, a 60 second activity timeout is assumed - a timeout that
		1801	gets reset to 60 seconds each time there is activity (e.g. each time some
		1802	data or other life sign was received).
		1803
		1804	=over 4
		1805
		1806	=item 1. Use a timer and stop, reinitialise and start it on activity.
		1807
		1808	This is the most obvious, but not the most simple way: In the beginning,
		1809	start the watcher:
		1810
		1811	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 60., 0.);
		1812	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1813
		1814	Then, each time there is some activity, C<ev_timer_stop> it, initialise it
		1815	and start it again:
		1816
		1817	ev_timer_stop (loop, timer);
		1818	ev_timer_set (timer, 60., 0.);
		1819	ev_timer_start (loop, timer);
		1820
		1821	This is relatively simple to implement, but means that each time there is
		1822	some activity, libev will first have to remove the timer from its internal
		1823	data structure and then add it again. Libev tries to be fast, but it's
		1824	still not a constant-time operation.
		1825
		1826	=item 2. Use a timer and re-start it with C<ev_timer_again> inactivity.
		1827
		1828	This is the easiest way, and involves using C<ev_timer_again> instead of
		1829	C<ev_timer_start>.
		1830
		1831	To implement this, configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value
		1832	of C<60> and then call C<ev_timer_again> at start and each time you
		1833	successfully read or write some data. If you go into an idle state where
		1834	you do not expect data to travel on the socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop>
		1835	the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will automatically restart it if need be.
		1836
		1837	That means you can ignore both the C<ev_timer_start> function and the
		1838	C<after> argument to C<ev_timer_set>, and only ever use the C<repeat>
		1839	member and C<ev_timer_again>.
		1840
		1841	At start:
		1842
		1843	ev_init (timer, callback);
		1844	timer->repeat = 60.;
		1845	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1846
		1847	Each time there is some activity:
		1848
		1849	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1850
		1851	It is even possible to change the time-out on the fly, regardless of
		1852	whether the watcher is active or not:
		1853
		1854	timer->repeat = 30.;
		1855	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
		1856
		1857	This is slightly more efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time
		1858	you want to modify its timeout value, as libev does not have to completely
		1859	remove and re-insert the timer from/into its internal data structure.
		1860
		1861	It is, however, even simpler than the "obvious" way to do it.
		1862
		1863	=item 3. Let the timer time out, but then re-arm it as required.
		1864
		1865	This method is more tricky, but usually most efficient: Most timeouts are
		1866	relatively long compared to the intervals between other activity - in
		1867	our example, within 60 seconds, there are usually many I/O events with
		1868	associated activity resets.
		1869
		1870	In this case, it would be more efficient to leave the C<ev_timer> alone,
		1871	but remember the time of last activity, and check for a real timeout only
		1872	within the callback:
		1873
		1874	ev_tstamp timeout = 60.;
		1875	ev_tstamp last_activity; // time of last activity
		1876	ev_timer timer;
		1877
		1878	static void
		1879	callback (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1880	{
		1881	// calculate when the timeout would happen
		1882	ev_tstamp after = last_activity - ev_now (EV_A) + timeout;
		1883
		1884	// if negative, it means we the timeout already occurred
		1885	if (after < 0.)
		1886	{
		1887	// timeout occurred, take action
		1888	}
		1889	else
		1890	{
		1891	// callback was invoked, but there was some recent
		1892	// activity. simply restart the timer to time out
		1893	// after "after" seconds, which is the earliest time
		1894	// the timeout can occur.
		1895	ev_timer_set (w, after, 0.);
		1896	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ w);
		1897	}
		1898	}
		1899
		1900	To summarise the callback: first calculate in how many seconds the
		1901	timeout will occur (by calculating the absolute time when it would occur,
		1902	C<last_activity + timeout>, and subtracting the current time, C<ev_now
		1903	(EV_A)> from that).
		1904
		1905	If this value is negative, then we are already past the timeout, i.e. we
		1906	timed out, and need to do whatever is needed in this case.
		1907
		1908	Otherwise, we now the earliest time at which the timeout would trigger,
		1909	and simply start the timer with this timeout value.
		1910
		1911	In other words, each time the callback is invoked it will check whether
		1912	the timeout occurred. If not, it will simply reschedule itself to check
		1913	again at the earliest time it could time out. Rinse. Repeat.
		1914
		1915	This scheme causes more callback invocations (about one every 60 seconds
		1916	minus half the average time between activity), but virtually no calls to
		1917	libev to change the timeout.
		1918
		1919	To start the machinery, simply initialise the watcher and set
		1920	C<last_activity> to the current time (meaning there was some activity just
		1921	now), then call the callback, which will "do the right thing" and start
		1922	the timer:
		1923
		1924	last_activity = ev_now (EV_A);
		1925	ev_init (&timer, callback);
		1926	callback (EV_A_ &timer, 0);
		1927
		1928	When there is some activity, simply store the current time in
		1929	C<last_activity>, no libev calls at all:
		1930
		1931	if (activity detected)
		1932	last_activity = ev_now (EV_A);
		1933
		1934	When your timeout value changes, then the timeout can be changed by simply
		1935	providing a new value, stopping the timer and calling the callback, which
		1936	will again do the right thing (for example, time out immediately :).
		1937
		1938	timeout = new_value;
		1939	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &timer);
		1940	callback (EV_A_ &timer, 0);
		1941
		1942	This technique is slightly more complex, but in most cases where the
		1943	time-out is unlikely to be triggered, much more efficient.
		1944
		1945	=item 4. Wee, just use a double-linked list for your timeouts.
		1946
		1947	If there is not one request, but many thousands (millions...), all
		1948	employing some kind of timeout with the same timeout value, then one can
		1949	do even better:
		1950
		1951	When starting the timeout, calculate the timeout value and put the timeout
		1952	at the I<end> of the list.
		1953
		1954	Then use an C<ev_timer> to fire when the timeout at the I<beginning> of
		1955	the list is expected to fire (for example, using the technique #3).
		1956
		1957	When there is some activity, remove the timer from the list, recalculate
		1958	the timeout, append it to the end of the list again, and make sure to
		1959	update the C<ev_timer> if it was taken from the beginning of the list.
		1960
		1961	This way, one can manage an unlimited number of timeouts in O(1) time for
		1962	starting, stopping and updating the timers, at the expense of a major
		1963	complication, and having to use a constant timeout. The constant timeout
		1964	ensures that the list stays sorted.
		1965
		1966	=back
		1967
		1968	So which method the best?
		1969
		1970	Method #2 is a simple no-brain-required solution that is adequate in most
		1971	situations. Method #3 requires a bit more thinking, but handles many cases
		1972	better, and isn't very complicated either. In most case, choosing either
		1973	one is fine, with #3 being better in typical situations.
		1974
		1975	Method #1 is almost always a bad idea, and buys you nothing. Method #4 is
		1976	rather complicated, but extremely efficient, something that really pays
		1977	off after the first million or so of active timers, i.e. it's usually
		1978	overkill :)
		1979
		1980	=head3 The special problem of being too early
		1981
		1982	If you ask a timer to call your callback after three seconds, then
		1983	you expect it to be invoked after three seconds - but of course, this
		1984	cannot be guaranteed to infinite precision. Less obviously, it cannot be
		1985	guaranteed to any precision by libev - imagine somebody suspending the
		1986	process with a STOP signal for a few hours for example.
		1987
		1988	So, libev tries to invoke your callback as soon as possible I<after> the
		1989	delay has occurred, but cannot guarantee this.
		1990
		1991	A less obvious failure mode is calling your callback too early: many event
		1992	loops compare timestamps with a "elapsed delay >= requested delay", but
		1993	this can cause your callback to be invoked much earlier than you would
		1994	expect.
		1995
		1996	To see why, imagine a system with a clock that only offers full second
		1997	resolution (think windows if you can't come up with a broken enough OS
		1998	yourself). If you schedule a one-second timer at the time 500.9, then the
		1999	event loop will schedule your timeout to elapse at a system time of 500
		2000	(500.9 truncated to the resolution) + 1, or 501.
		2001
		2002	If an event library looks at the timeout 0.1s later, it will see "501 >=
		2003	501" and invoke the callback 0.1s after it was started, even though a
		2004	one-second delay was requested - this is being "too early", despite best
		2005	intentions.
		2006
		2007	This is the reason why libev will never invoke the callback if the elapsed
		2008	delay equals the requested delay, but only when the elapsed delay is
		2009	larger than the requested delay. In the example above, libev would only invoke
		2010	the callback at system time 502, or 1.1s after the timer was started.
		2011
		2012	So, while libev cannot guarantee that your callback will be invoked
		2013	exactly when requested, it I<can> and I<does> guarantee that the requested
		2014	delay has actually elapsed, or in other words, it always errs on the "too
		2015	late" side of things.
		2016
		2017	=head3 The special problem of time updates
		2018
		2019	Establishing the current time is a costly operation (it usually takes
		2020	at least one system call): EV therefore updates its idea of the current
		2021	time only before and after C<ev_run> collects new events, which causes a
		2022	growing difference between C<ev_now ()> and C<ev_time ()> when handling
		2023	lots of events in one iteration.
1125		2024
1126	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>	2025	The relative timeouts are calculated relative to the C<ev_now ()>
1127	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time	2026	time. This is usually the right thing as this timestamp refers to the time
1128	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If	2027	of the event triggering whatever timeout you are modifying/starting. If
1129	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the timeout	2028	you suspect event processing to be delayed and you I<need> to base the
1130	on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:	2029	timeout on the current time, use something like this to adjust for this:
1131		2030
1132	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);	2031	ev_timer_set (&timer, after + ev_now () - ev_time (), 0.);
1133		2032
1134	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	2033	If the event loop is suspended for a long time, you can also force an
1135	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	2034	update of the time returned by C<ev_now ()> by calling C<ev_now_update
1136	order of execution is undefined.	2035	()>.
		2036
		2037	=head3 The special problem of unsynchronised clocks
		2038
		2039	Modern systems have a variety of clocks - libev itself uses the normal
		2040	"wall clock" clock and, if available, the monotonic clock (to avoid time
		2041	jumps).
		2042
		2043	Neither of these clocks is synchronised with each other or any other clock
		2044	on the system, so C<ev_time ()> might return a considerably different time
		2045	than C<gettimeofday ()> or C<time ()>. On a GNU/Linux system, for example,
		2046	a call to C<gettimeofday> might return a second count that is one higher
		2047	than a directly following call to C<time>.
		2048
		2049	The moral of this is to only compare libev-related timestamps with
		2050	C<ev_time ()> and C<ev_now ()>, at least if you want better precision than
		2051	a second or so.
		2052
		2053	One more problem arises due to this lack of synchronisation: if libev uses
		2054	the system monotonic clock and you compare timestamps from C<ev_time>
		2055	or C<ev_now> from when you started your timer and when your callback is
		2056	invoked, you will find that sometimes the callback is a bit "early".
		2057
		2058	This is because C<ev_timer>s work in real time, not wall clock time, so
		2059	libev makes sure your callback is not invoked before the delay happened,
		2060	I<measured according to the real time>, not the system clock.
		2061
		2062	If your timeouts are based on a physical timescale (e.g. "time out this
		2063	connection after 100 seconds") then this shouldn't bother you as it is
		2064	exactly the right behaviour.
		2065
		2066	If you want to compare wall clock/system timestamps to your timers, then
		2067	you need to use C<ev_periodic>s, as these are based on the wall clock
		2068	time, where your comparisons will always generate correct results.
		2069
		2070	=head3 The special problems of suspended animation
		2071
		2072	When you leave the server world it is quite customary to hit machines that
		2073	can suspend/hibernate - what happens to the clocks during such a suspend?
		2074
		2075	Some quick tests made with a Linux 2.6.28 indicate that a suspend freezes
		2076	all processes, while the clocks (C<times>, C<CLOCK_MONOTONIC>) continue
		2077	to run until the system is suspended, but they will not advance while the
		2078	system is suspended. That means, on resume, it will be as if the program
		2079	was frozen for a few seconds, but the suspend time will not be counted
		2080	towards C<ev_timer> when a monotonic clock source is used. The real time
		2081	clock advanced as expected, but if it is used as sole clocksource, then a
		2082	long suspend would be detected as a time jump by libev, and timers would
		2083	be adjusted accordingly.
		2084
		2085	I would not be surprised to see different behaviour in different between
		2086	operating systems, OS versions or even different hardware.
		2087
		2088	The other form of suspend (job control, or sending a SIGSTOP) will see a
		2089	time jump in the monotonic clocks and the realtime clock. If the program
		2090	is suspended for a very long time, and monotonic clock sources are in use,
		2091	then you can expect C<ev_timer>s to expire as the full suspension time
		2092	will be counted towards the timers. When no monotonic clock source is in
		2093	use, then libev will again assume a timejump and adjust accordingly.
		2094
		2095	It might be beneficial for this latter case to call C<ev_suspend>
		2096	and C<ev_resume> in code that handles C<SIGTSTP>, to at least get
		2097	deterministic behaviour in this case (you can do nothing against
		2098	C<SIGSTOP>).
1137		2099
1138	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2100	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1139		2101
1140	=over 4	2102	=over 4
1141		2103
1142	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	2104	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
1143		2105
1144	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	2106	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
1145		2107
1146	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat> is	2108	Configure the timer to trigger after C<after> seconds. If C<repeat>
1147	C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped. If it is positive, then the	2109	is C<0.>, then it will automatically be stopped once the timeout is
1148	timer will automatically be configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds	2110	reached. If it is positive, then the timer will automatically be
1149	later, again, and again, until stopped manually.	2111	configured to trigger again C<repeat> seconds later, again, and again,
		2112	until stopped manually.
1150		2113
1151	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if you	2114	The timer itself will do a best-effort at avoiding drift, that is, if
1152	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at	2115	you configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will normally
1153	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with	2116	trigger at exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot
1154	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the	2117	keep up with the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to
1155	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.	2118	do stuff) the timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.
1156		2119
1157	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	2120	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)
1158		2121
1159	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	2122	This will act as if the timer timed out, and restarts it again if it is
1160	repeating. The exact semantics are:	2123	repeating. It basically works like calling C<ev_timer_stop>, updating the
		2124	timeout to the C<repeat> value and calling C<ev_timer_start>.
1161		2125
		2126	The exact semantics are as in the following rules, all of which will be
		2127	applied to the watcher:
		2128
		2129	=over 4
		2130
1162	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.	2131	=item If the timer is pending, the pending status is always cleared.
1163		2132
1164	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it (as if it timed out).	2133	=item If the timer is started but non-repeating, stop it (as if it timed
		2134	out, without invoking it).
1165		2135
1166	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the	2136	=item If the timer is repeating, make the C<repeat> value the new timeout
1167	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.	2137	and start the timer, if necessary.
1168		2138
1169	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical	2139	=back
1170	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called idle
1171	timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been, say, 60
1172	seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do this is to
1173	configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value of C<60> and then call
1174	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If
1175	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the
1176	socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop> the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will
1177	automatically restart it if need be.
1178		2140
1179	That means you can ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start>	2141	This sounds a bit complicated, see L</Be smart about timeouts>, above, for a
1180	altogether and only ever use the C<repeat> value and C<ev_timer_again>:	2142	usage example.
1181		2143
1182	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);	2144	=item ev_tstamp ev_timer_remaining (loop, ev_timer *)
1183	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
1184	...
1185	timer->again = 17.;
1186	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
1187	...
1188	timer->again = 10.;
1189	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
1190		2145
1191	This is more slightly efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time	2146	Returns the remaining time until a timer fires. If the timer is active,
1192	you want to modify its timeout value.	2147	then this time is relative to the current event loop time, otherwise it's
		2148	the timeout value currently configured.
		2149
		2150	That is, after an C<ev_timer_set (w, 5, 7)>, C<ev_timer_remaining> returns
		2151	C<5>. When the timer is started and one second passes, C<ev_timer_remaining>
		2152	will return C<4>. When the timer expires and is restarted, it will return
		2153	roughly C<7> (likely slightly less as callback invocation takes some time,
		2154	too), and so on.
1193		2155
1194	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]	2156	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]
1195		2157
1196	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out	2158	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out
1197	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	2159	or C<ev_timer_again> is called, and determines the next timeout (if any),
1198	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	2160	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
1199		2161
1200	=back	2162	=back
1201		2163
1202	=head3 Examples	2164	=head3 Examples
1203		2165
1204	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	2166	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
1205		2167
1206	static void	2168	static void
1207	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	2169	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
1208	{	2170	{
1209	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here	2171	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here
1210	}	2172	}
1211		2173
1212	struct ev_timer mytimer;	2174	ev_timer mytimer;
1213	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);	2175	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);
1214	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);	2176	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);
1215		2177
1216	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of	2178	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of
1217	inactivity.	2179	inactivity.
1218		2180
1219	static void	2181	static void
1220	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	2182	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_timer *w, int revents)
1221	{	2183	{
1222	.. ten seconds without any activity	2184	.. ten seconds without any activity
1223	}	2185	}
1224		2186
1225	struct ev_timer mytimer;	2187	ev_timer mytimer;
1226	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */	2188	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, timeout_cb, 0., 10.); /* note, only repeat used */
1227	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */	2189	ev_timer_again (&mytimer); /* start timer */
1228	ev_loop (loop, 0);	2190	ev_run (loop, 0);
1229		2191
1230	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":	2192	// and in some piece of code that gets executed on any "activity":
1231	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds	2193	// reset the timeout to start ticking again at 10 seconds
1232	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);	2194	ev_timer_again (&mytimer);
1233		2195
1234		2196
1235	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?	2197	=head2 C<ev_periodic> - to cron or not to cron?
1236		2198
1237	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile	2199	Periodic watchers are also timers of a kind, but they are very versatile
1238	(and unfortunately a bit complex).	2200	(and unfortunately a bit complex).
1239		2201
1240	Unlike C<ev_timer>'s, they are not based on real time (or relative time)	2202	Unlike C<ev_timer>, periodic watchers are not based on real time (or
1241	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	2203	relative time, the physical time that passes) but on wall clock time
1242	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	2204	(absolute time, the thing you can read on your calender or clock). The
1243	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()	2205	difference is that wall clock time can run faster or slower than real
1244	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	2206	time, and time jumps are not uncommon (e.g. when you adjust your
1245	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	2207	wrist-watch).
1246	roughly 10 seconds later).
1247		2208
1248	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as	2209	You can tell a periodic watcher to trigger after some specific point
1249	triggering an event on each midnight, local time or other, complicated,	2210	in time: for example, if you tell a periodic watcher to trigger "in 10
1250	rules.	2211	seconds" (by specifying e.g. C<ev_now () + 10.>, that is, an absolute time
		2212	not a delay) and then reset your system clock to January of the previous
		2213	year, then it will take a year or more to trigger the event (unlike an
		2214	C<ev_timer>, which would still trigger roughly 10 seconds after starting
		2215	it, as it uses a relative timeout).
1251		2216
		2217	C<ev_periodic> watchers can also be used to implement vastly more complex
		2218	timers, such as triggering an event on each "midnight, local time", or
		2219	other complicated rules. This cannot be done with C<ev_timer> watchers, as
		2220	those cannot react to time jumps.
		2221
1252	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	2222	As with timers, the callback is guaranteed to be invoked only when the
1253	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	2223	point in time where it is supposed to trigger has passed. If multiple
1254	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	2224	timers become ready during the same loop iteration then the ones with
		2225	earlier time-out values are invoked before ones with later time-out values
		2226	(but this is no longer true when a callback calls C<ev_run> recursively).
1255		2227
1256	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2228	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1257		2229
1258	=over 4	2230	=over 4
1259		2231
1260	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	2232	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1261		2233
1262	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	2234	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp offset, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1263		2235
1264	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of	2236	Lots of arguments, let's sort it out... There are basically three modes of
1265	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:	2237	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to most complex:
1266		2238
1267	=over 4	2239	=over 4
1268		2240
1269	=item * absolute timer (at = time, interval = reschedule_cb = 0)	2241	=item * absolute timer (offset = absolute time, interval = 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1270		2242
1271	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	2243	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event after the wall clock
1272	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	2244	time C<offset> has passed. It will not repeat and will not adjust when a
1273	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	2245	time jump occurs, that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it
1274	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	2246	will be stopped and invoked when the system clock reaches or surpasses
		2247	this point in time.
1275		2248
1276	=item * non-repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	2249	=item * repeating interval timer (offset = offset within interval, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1277		2250
1278	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	2251	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
1279	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)	2252	C<offset + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be
1280	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.	2253	negative) and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps. The C<offset>
		2254	argument is merely an offset into the C<interval> periods.
1281		2255
1282	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system	2256	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to the
1283	time:	2257	system clock, for example, here is an C<ev_periodic> that triggers each
		2258	hour, on the hour (with respect to UTC):
1284		2259
1285	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);	2260	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);
1286		2261
1287	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,	2262	This doesn't mean there will always be 3600 seconds in between triggers,
1288	but only that the the callback will be called when the system time shows a	2263	but only that the callback will be called when the system time shows a
1289	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible	2264	full hour (UTC), or more correctly, when the system time is evenly divisible
1290	by 3600.	2265	by 3600.
1291		2266
1292	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that	2267	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
1293	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible	2268	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible
1294	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.	2269	time where C<time = offset (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.
1295		2270
1296	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<at> value is near	2271	The C<interval> I<MUST> be positive, and for numerical stability, the
1297	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for	2272	interval value should be higher than C<1/8192> (which is around 100
1298	this value.	2273	microseconds) and C<offset> should be higher than C<0> and should have
		2274	at most a similar magnitude as the current time (say, within a factor of
		2275	ten). Typical values for offset are, in fact, C<0> or something between
		2276	C<0> and C<interval>, which is also the recommended range.
1299		2277
		2278	Note also that there is an upper limit to how often a timer can fire (CPU
		2279	speed for example), so if C<interval> is very small then timing stability
		2280	will of course deteriorate. Libev itself tries to be exact to be about one
		2281	millisecond (if the OS supports it and the machine is fast enough).
		2282
1300	=item * manual reschedule mode (at and interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)	2283	=item * manual reschedule mode (offset ignored, interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)
1301		2284
1302	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being	2285	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<offset> are both being
1303	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the	2286	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the
1304	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the	2287	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the
1305	current time as second argument.	2288	current time as second argument.
1306		2289
1307	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,	2290	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher, ever,
1308	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,	2291	or make ANY other event loop modifications whatsoever, unless explicitly
1309	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by	2292	allowed by documentation here>.
1310	starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is legal).
1311		2293
		2294	If you need to stop it, return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop
		2295	it afterwards (e.g. by starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is the
		2296	only event loop modification you are allowed to do).
		2297
1312	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,	2298	The callback prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic
1313	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:	2299	*w, ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:
1314		2300
		2301	static ev_tstamp
1315	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2302	my_rescheduler (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1316	{	2303	{
1317	return now + 60.;	2304	return now + 60.;
1318	}	2305	}
1319		2306
1320	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value	2307	It must return the next time to trigger, based on the passed time value
1321	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It	2308	(that is, the lowest time value larger than to the second argument). It
1322	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but	2309	will usually be called just before the callback will be triggered, but
1323	might be called at other times, too.	2310	might be called at other times, too.
1324		2311
1325	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is later than the	2312	NOTE: I<< This callback must always return a time that is higher than or
1326	passed C<now> value >>. Not even C<now> itself will do, it I<must> be larger.	2313	equal to the passed C<now> value >>.
1327		2314
1328	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that	2315	This can be used to create very complex timers, such as a timer that
1329	triggers on each midnight, local time. To do this, you would calculate the	2316	triggers on "next midnight, local time". To do this, you would calculate the
1330	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How	2317	next midnight after C<now> and return the timestamp value for this. How
1331	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main	2318	you do this is, again, up to you (but it is not trivial, which is the main
1332	reason I omitted it as an example).	2319	reason I omitted it as an example).
1333		2320
1334	=back	2321	=back
…		…
1338	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful	2325	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful
1339	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return	2326	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return
1340	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	2327	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
1341	program when the crontabs have changed).	2328	program when the crontabs have changed).
1342		2329
		2330	=item ev_tstamp ev_periodic_at (ev_periodic *)
		2331
		2332	When active, returns the absolute time that the watcher is supposed
		2333	to trigger next. This is not the same as the C<offset> argument to
		2334	C<ev_periodic_set>, but indeed works even in interval and manual
		2335	rescheduling modes.
		2336
1343	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]	2337	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]
1344		2338
1345	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the	2339	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the
1346	absolute point in time (the C<at> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>).	2340	absolute point in time (the C<offset> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>,
		2341	although libev might modify this value for better numerical stability).
1347		2342
1348	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic	2343	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic
1349	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	2344	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1350		2345
1351	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]	2346	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
1352		2347
1353	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only	2348	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
1354	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being	2349	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
1355	called.	2350	called.
1356		2351
1357	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]	2352	=item ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now) [read-write]
1358		2353
1359	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	2354	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1360	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	2355	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1361	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	2356	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1362		2357
1363	=item ev_tstamp at [read-only]
1364
1365	When active, contains the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to
1366	trigger next.
1367
1368	=back	2358	=back
1369		2359
1370	=head3 Examples	2360	=head3 Examples
1371		2361
1372	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	2362	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1373	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	2363	system time is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1374	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	2364	potentially a lot of jitter, but good long-term stability.
1375		2365
1376	static void	2366	static void
1377	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	2367	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_periodic *w, int revents)
1378	{	2368	{
1379	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)	2369	... its now a full hour (UTC, or TAI or whatever your clock follows)
1380	}	2370	}
1381		2371
1382	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2372	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1383	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);	2373	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);
1384	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2374	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1385		2375
1386	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:	2376	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:
1387		2377
1388	#include <math.h>	2378	#include <math.h>
1389		2379
1390	static ev_tstamp	2380	static ev_tstamp
1391	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	2381	my_scheduler_cb (ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
1392	{	2382	{
1393	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;	2383	return now + (3600. - fmod (now, 3600.));
1394	}	2384	}
1395		2385
1396	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);	2386	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);
1397		2387
1398	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:	2388	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:
1399		2389
1400	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	2390	ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1401	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,	2391	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,
1402	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);	2392	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);
1403	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	2393	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1404		2394
1405		2395
1406	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!	2396	=head2 C<ev_signal> - signal me when a signal gets signalled!
1407		2397
1408	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific	2398	Signal watchers will trigger an event when the process receives a specific
1409	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev	2399	signal one or more times. Even though signals are very asynchronous, libev
1410	will try it's best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the	2400	will try its best to deliver signals synchronously, i.e. as part of the
1411	normal event processing, like any other event.	2401	normal event processing, like any other event.
1412		2402
		2403	If you want signals to be delivered truly asynchronously, just use
		2404	C<sigaction> as you would do without libev and forget about sharing
		2405	the signal. You can even use C<ev_async> from a signal handler to
		2406	synchronously wake up an event loop.
		2407
1413	You can configure as many watchers as you like per signal. Only when the	2408	You can configure as many watchers as you like for the same signal, but
		2409	only within the same loop, i.e. you can watch for C<SIGINT> in your
		2410	default loop and for C<SIGIO> in another loop, but you cannot watch for
		2411	C<SIGINT> in both the default loop and another loop at the same time. At
		2412	the moment, C<SIGCHLD> is permanently tied to the default loop.
		2413
1414	first watcher gets started will libev actually register a signal watcher	2414	When the first watcher gets started will libev actually register something
1415	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	2415	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long as
1416	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	2416	you don't register any with libev for the same signal).
1417	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	2417
1418	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	2418	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with
		2419	C<SA_RESTART> (or equivalent) behaviour enabled, so system calls should
		2420	not be unduly interrupted. If you have a problem with system calls getting
		2421	interrupted by signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher
		2422	and unblock them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.
		2423
		2424	=head3 The special problem of inheritance over fork/execve/pthread_create
		2425
		2426	Both the signal mask (C<sigprocmask>) and the signal disposition
		2427	(C<sigaction>) are unspecified after starting a signal watcher (and after
		2428	stopping it again), that is, libev might or might not block the signal,
		2429	and might or might not set or restore the installed signal handler (but
		2430	see C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK>).
		2431
		2432	While this does not matter for the signal disposition (libev never
		2433	sets signals to C<SIG_IGN>, so handlers will be reset to C<SIG_DFL> on
		2434	C<execve>), this matters for the signal mask: many programs do not expect
		2435	certain signals to be blocked.
		2436
		2437	This means that before calling C<exec> (from the child) you should reset
		2438	the signal mask to whatever "default" you expect (all clear is a good
		2439	choice usually).
		2440
		2441	The simplest way to ensure that the signal mask is reset in the child is
		2442	to install a fork handler with C<pthread_atfork> that resets it. That will
		2443	catch fork calls done by libraries (such as the libc) as well.
		2444
		2445	In current versions of libev, the signal will not be blocked indefinitely
		2446	unless you use the C<signalfd> API (C<EV_SIGNALFD>). While this reduces
		2447	the window of opportunity for problems, it will not go away, as libev
		2448	I<has> to modify the signal mask, at least temporarily.
		2449
		2450	So I can't stress this enough: I<If you do not reset your signal mask when
		2451	you expect it to be empty, you have a race condition in your code>. This
		2452	is not a libev-specific thing, this is true for most event libraries.
		2453
		2454	=head3 The special problem of threads signal handling
		2455
		2456	POSIX threads has problematic signal handling semantics, specifically,
		2457	a lot of functionality (sigfd, sigwait etc.) only really works if all
		2458	threads in a process block signals, which is hard to achieve.
		2459
		2460	When you want to use sigwait (or mix libev signal handling with your own
		2461	for the same signals), you can tackle this problem by globally blocking
		2462	all signals before creating any threads (or creating them with a fully set
		2463	sigprocmask) and also specifying the C<EVFLAG_NOSIGMASK> when creating
		2464	loops. Then designate one thread as "signal receiver thread" which handles
		2465	these signals. You can pass on any signals that libev might be interested
		2466	in by calling C<ev_feed_signal>.
1419		2467
1420	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2468	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1421		2469
1422	=over 4	2470	=over 4
1423		2471
…		…
1432		2480
1433	The signal the watcher watches out for.	2481	The signal the watcher watches out for.
1434		2482
1435	=back	2483	=back
1436		2484
		2485	=head3 Examples
		2486
		2487	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT.
		2488
		2489	static void
		2490	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_signal *w, int revents)
		2491	{
		2492	ev_break (loop, EVBREAK_ALL);
		2493	}
		2494
		2495	ev_signal signal_watcher;
		2496	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
		2497	ev_signal_start (loop, &signal_watcher);
		2498
1437		2499
1438	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	2500	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1439		2501
1440	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	2502	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1441	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	2503	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies or
		2504	exits). It is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child
		2505	has been forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long
		2506	as the event loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher), i.e.,
		2507	forking and then immediately registering a watcher for the child is fine,
		2508	but forking and registering a watcher a few event loop iterations later or
		2509	in the next callback invocation is not.
		2510
		2511	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore
		2512	you can only register child watchers in the default event loop.
		2513
		2514	Due to some design glitches inside libev, child watchers will always be
		2515	handled at maximum priority (their priority is set to C<EV_MAXPRI> by
		2516	libev)
		2517
		2518	=head3 Process Interaction
		2519
		2520	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is
		2521	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if the
		2522	first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurrence
		2523	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done
		2524	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all
		2525	children, even ones not watched.
		2526
		2527	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing
		2528
		2529	Libev offers no special support for overriding the built-in child
		2530	processing, but if your application collides with libev's default child
		2531	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for
		2532	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the
		2533	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an
		2534	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for
		2535	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.
		2536
		2537	=head3 Stopping the Child Watcher
		2538
		2539	Currently, the child watcher never gets stopped, even when the
		2540	child terminates, so normally one needs to stop the watcher in the
		2541	callback. Future versions of libev might stop the watcher automatically
		2542	when a child exit is detected (calling C<ev_child_stop> twice is not a
		2543	problem).
1442		2544
1443	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2545	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1444		2546
1445	=over 4	2547	=over 4
1446		2548
…		…
1472		2574
1473	=back	2575	=back
1474		2576
1475	=head3 Examples	2577	=head3 Examples
1476		2578
1477	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	2579	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for
		2580	its completion.
1478		2581
		2582	ev_child cw;
		2583
1479	static void	2584	static void
1480	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	2585	child_cb (EV_P_ ev_child *w, int revents)
1481	{	2586	{
1482	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	2587	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);
		2588	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);
1483	}	2589	}
1484		2590
1485	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	2591	pid_t pid = fork ();
1486	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	2592
1487	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	2593	if (pid < 0)
		2594	// error
		2595	else if (pid == 0)
		2596	{
		2597	// the forked child executes here
		2598	exit (1);
		2599	}
		2600	else
		2601	{
		2602	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);
		2603	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);
		2604	}
1488		2605
1489		2606
1490	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?	2607	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
1491		2608
1492	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls	2609	This watches a file system path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
1493	C<stat> regularly (or when the OS says it changed) and sees if it changed	2610	C<stat> on that path in regular intervals (or when the OS says it changed)
1494	compared to the last time, invoking the callback if it did.	2611	and sees if it changed compared to the last time, invoking the callback if
		2612	it did.
1495		2613
1496	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does	2614	The path does not need to exist: changing from "path exists" to "path does
1497	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does	2615	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does not
1498	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is	2616	exist" (or more correctly "path cannot be stat'ed") is signified by the
1499	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of	2617	C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is otherwise always forced to be at
1500	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.	2618	least one) and all the other fields of the stat buffer having unspecified
		2619	contents.
1501		2620
1502	The path I<should> be absolute and I<must not> end in a slash. If it is	2621	The path I<must not> end in a slash or contain special components such as
		2622	C<.> or C<..>. The path I<should> be absolute: If it is relative and
1503	relative and your working directory changes, the behaviour is undefined.	2623	your working directory changes, then the behaviour is undefined.
1504		2624
1505	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply	2625	Since there is no portable change notification interface available, the
1506	calls C<stat (2)> regularly on the path to see if it changed somehow. You	2626	portable implementation simply calls C<stat(2)> regularly on the path
1507	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify	2627	to see if it changed somehow. You can specify a recommended polling
1508	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,	2628	interval for this case. If you specify a polling interval of C<0> (highly
1509	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around	2629	recommended!) then a I<suitable, unspecified default> value will be used
1510	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also	2630	(which you can expect to be around five seconds, although this might
1511	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats	2631	change dynamically). Libev will also impose a minimum interval which is
1512	usually overkill.	2632	currently around C<0.1>, but that's usually overkill.
1513		2633
1514	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,	2634	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
1515	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be	2635	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
1516	resource-intensive.	2636	resource-intensive.
1517		2637
1518	At the time of this writing, only the Linux inotify interface is	2638	At the time of this writing, the only OS-specific interface implemented
1519	implemented (implementing kqueue support is left as an exercise for the	2639	is the Linux inotify interface (implementing kqueue support is left as an
1520	reader). Inotify will be used to give hints only and should not change the	2640	exercise for the reader. Note, however, that the author sees no way of
1521	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs	2641	implementing C<ev_stat> semantics with kqueue, except as a hint).
1522	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
1523	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
1524	polling.
1525		2642
1526	=head3 Inotify	2643	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)
1527		2644
		2645	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default
		2646	compilation environment, which means that on systems with large file
		2647	support disabled by default, you get the 32 bit version of the stat
		2648	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to
		2649	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to
		2650	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is
		2651	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is
		2652	most noticeably displayed with ev_stat and large file support.
		2653
		2654	The solution for this is to lobby your distribution maker to make large
		2655	file interfaces available by default (as e.g. FreeBSD does) and not
		2656	optional. Libev cannot simply switch on large file support because it has
		2657	to exchange stat structures with application programs compiled using the
		2658	default compilation environment.
		2659
		2660	=head3 Inotify and Kqueue
		2661
1528	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only	2662	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev and present at
1529	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up	2663	runtime, it will be used to speed up change detection where possible. The
1530	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily	2664	inotify descriptor will be created lazily when the first C<ev_stat>
1531	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.	2665	watcher is being started.
1532		2666
1533	Inotify presense does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers	2667	Inotify presence does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
1534	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid	2668	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
1535	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presense of inotify support	2669	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presence of inotify support
1536	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.	2670	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling,
		2671	but as long as kernel 2.6.25 or newer is used (2.6.24 and older have too
		2672	many bugs), the path exists (i.e. stat succeeds), and the path resides on
		2673	a local filesystem (libev currently assumes only ext2/3, jfs, reiserfs and
		2674	xfs are fully working) libev usually gets away without polling.
1537		2675
1538	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to	2676	There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
1539	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file	2677	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
1540	descriptor open on the object at all times).	2678	descriptor open on the object at all times, and detecting renames, unlinks
		2679	etc. is difficult.
		2680
		2681	=head3 C<stat ()> is a synchronous operation
		2682
		2683	Libev doesn't normally do any kind of I/O itself, and so is not blocking
		2684	the process. The exception are C<ev_stat> watchers - those call C<stat
		2685	()>, which is a synchronous operation.
		2686
		2687	For local paths, this usually doesn't matter: unless the system is very
		2688	busy or the intervals between stat's are large, a stat call will be fast,
		2689	as the path data is usually in memory already (except when starting the
		2690	watcher).
		2691
		2692	For networked file systems, calling C<stat ()> can block an indefinite
		2693	time due to network issues, and even under good conditions, a stat call
		2694	often takes multiple milliseconds.
		2695
		2696	Therefore, it is best to avoid using C<ev_stat> watchers on networked
		2697	paths, although this is fully supported by libev.
1541		2698
1542	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution	2699	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
1543		2700
1544	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and	2701	The C<stat ()> system call only supports full-second resolution portably,
1545	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still	2702	and even on systems where the resolution is higher, most file systems
1546	only support whole seconds.	2703	still only support whole seconds.
1547		2704
1548	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you might	2705	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you can
1549	miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and calls	2706	easily miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and
1550	your callback, which does something. When there is another update within	2707	calls your callback, which does something. When there is another update
1551	the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it.	2708	within the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect unless the
		2709	stat data does change in other ways (e.g. file size).
1552		2710
1553	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for a second (or till	2711	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for slightly more
1554	the next second boundary), using a roughly one-second delay C<ev_timer>	2712	than a second (or till slightly after the next full second boundary), using
1555	(C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.01); ev_timer_again (loop, w)>). The C<.01>	2713	a roughly one-second-delay C<ev_timer> (e.g. C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.02);
1556	is added to work around small timing inconsistencies of some operating	2714	ev_timer_again (loop, w)>).
1557	systems.	2715
		2716	The C<.02> offset is added to work around small timing inconsistencies
		2717	of some operating systems (where the second counter of the current time
		2718	might be be delayed. One such system is the Linux kernel, where a call to
		2719	C<gettimeofday> might return a timestamp with a full second later than
		2720	a subsequent C<time> call - if the equivalent of C<time ()> is used to
		2721	update file times then there will be a small window where the kernel uses
		2722	the previous second to update file times but libev might already execute
		2723	the timer callback).
1558		2724
1559	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2725	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1560		2726
1561	=over 4	2727	=over 4
1562		2728
…		…
1568	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to	2734	C<path>. The C<interval> is a hint on how quickly a change is expected to
1569	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose	2735	be detected and should normally be specified as C<0> to let libev choose
1570	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same	2736	a suitable value. The memory pointed to by C<path> must point to the same
1571	path for as long as the watcher is active.	2737	path for as long as the watcher is active.
1572		2738
1573	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,	2739	The callback will receive an C<EV_STAT> event when a change was detected,
1574	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the	2740	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
1575	last change was detected).	2741	last change was detected).
1576		2742
1577	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)	2743	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)
1578		2744
1579	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the	2745	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
1580	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid	2746	watched path in your callback, you could call this function to avoid
1581	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be	2747	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition if you are not
1582	useful simply to find out the new values.	2748	the only one changing the path). Can also be useful simply to find out the
		2749	new values.
1583		2750
1584	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]	2751	=item ev_statdata attr [read-only]
1585		2752
1586	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is of	2753	The most-recently detected attributes of the file. Although the type is
1587	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types	2754	C<ev_statdata>, this is usually the (or one of the) C<struct stat> types
1588	suitable for your system. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there	2755	suitable for your system, but you can only rely on the POSIX-standardised
		2756	members to be present. If the C<st_nlink> member is C<0>, then there was
1589	was some error while C<stat>ing the file.	2757	some error while C<stat>ing the file.
1590		2758
1591	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]	2759	=item ev_statdata prev [read-only]
1592		2760
1593	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever	2761	The previous attributes of the file. The callback gets invoked whenever
1594	C<prev> != C<attr>.	2762	C<prev> != C<attr>, or, more precisely, one or more of these members
		2763	differ: C<st_dev>, C<st_ino>, C<st_mode>, C<st_nlink>, C<st_uid>,
		2764	C<st_gid>, C<st_rdev>, C<st_size>, C<st_atime>, C<st_mtime>, C<st_ctime>.
1595		2765
1596	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]	2766	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-only]
1597		2767
1598	The specified interval.	2768	The specified interval.
1599		2769
1600	=item const char *path [read-only]	2770	=item const char *path [read-only]
1601		2771
1602	The filesystem path that is being watched.	2772	The file system path that is being watched.
1603		2773
1604	=back	2774	=back
1605		2775
1606	=head3 Examples	2776	=head3 Examples
1607		2777
1608	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	2778	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1609		2779
1610	static void	2780	static void
1611	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)	2781	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
1612	{	2782	{
1613	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */	2783	/* /etc/passwd changed in some way */
1614	if (w->attr.st_nlink)	2784	if (w->attr.st_nlink)
1615	{	2785	{
1616	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);	2786	printf ("passwd current size %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_size);
1617	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2787	printf ("passwd current atime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1618	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);	2788	printf ("passwd current mtime %ld\n", (long)w->attr.st_mtime);
1619	}	2789	}
1620	else	2790	else
1621	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */	2791	/* you shalt not abuse printf for puts */
1622	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "	2792	puts ("wow, /etc/passwd is not there, expect problems. "
1623	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");	2793	"if this is windows, they already arrived\n");
1624	}	2794	}
1625		2795
1626	...	2796	...
1627	ev_stat passwd;	2797	ev_stat passwd;
1628		2798
1629	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);	2799	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1630	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	2800	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
1631		2801
1632	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not	2802	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
1633	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so	2803	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
1634	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on	2804	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
1635	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).	2805	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
1636		2806
1637	static ev_stat passwd;	2807	static ev_stat passwd;
1638	static ev_timer timer;	2808	static ev_timer timer;
1639		2809
1640	static void	2810	static void
1641	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	2811	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1642	{	2812	{
1643	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);	2813	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
1644		2814
1645	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */	2815	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
1646	}	2816	}
1647		2817
1648	static void	2818	static void
1649	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)	2819	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
1650	{	2820	{
1651	/* reset the one-second timer */	2821	/* reset the one-second timer */
1652	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);	2822	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
1653	}	2823	}
1654		2824
1655	...	2825	...
1656	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);	2826	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1657	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	2827	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
1658	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.01);	2828	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.02);
1659		2829
1660		2830
1661	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	2831	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1662		2832
1663	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher	2833	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
1664	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not	2834	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count
1665	count).	2835	as receiving "events").
1666		2836
1667	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts	2837	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts
1668	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be	2838	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be
1669	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers	2839	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers
1670	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop	2840	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop
…		…
1677	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful	2847	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful
1678	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do	2848	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do
1679	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the	2849	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the
1680	event loop has handled all outstanding events.	2850	event loop has handled all outstanding events.
1681		2851
		2852	=head3 Abusing an C<ev_idle> watcher for its side-effect
		2853
		2854	As long as there is at least one active idle watcher, libev will never
		2855	sleep unnecessarily. Or in other words, it will loop as fast as possible.
		2856	For this to work, the idle watcher doesn't need to be invoked at all - the
		2857	lowest priority will do.
		2858
		2859	This mode of operation can be useful together with an C<ev_check> watcher,
		2860	to do something on each event loop iteration - for example to balance load
		2861	between different connections.
		2862
		2863	See L</Abusing an ev_check watcher for its side-effect> for a longer
		2864	example.
		2865
1682	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2866	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1683		2867
1684	=over 4	2868	=over 4
1685		2869
1686	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2870	=item ev_idle_init (ev_idle *, callback)
1687		2871
1688	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	2872	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1689	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2873	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1690	believe me.	2874	believe me.
1691		2875
…		…
1694	=head3 Examples	2878	=head3 Examples
1695		2879
1696	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the	2880	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1697	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.	2881	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1698		2882
1699	static void	2883	static void
1700	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	2884	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_idle *w, int revents)
1701	{	2885	{
		2886	// stop the watcher
		2887	ev_idle_stop (loop, w);
		2888
		2889	// now we can free it
1702	free (w);	2890	free (w);
		2891
1703	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	2892	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1704	// no longer anything immediate to do.	2893	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1705	}	2894	}
1706		2895
1707	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	2896	ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (ev_idle));
1708	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	2897	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1709	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	2898	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_watcher);
1710		2899
1711		2900
1712	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!	2901	=head2 C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> - customise your event loop!
1713		2902
1714	Prepare and check watchers are usually (but not always) used in tandem:	2903	Prepare and check watchers are often (but not always) used in pairs:
1715	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers	2904	prepare watchers get invoked before the process blocks and check watchers
1716	afterwards.	2905	afterwards.
1717		2906
1718	You I<must not> call C<ev_loop> or similar functions that enter	2907	You I<must not> call C<ev_run> or similar functions that enter
1719	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>	2908	the current event loop from either C<ev_prepare> or C<ev_check>
1720	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The	2909	watchers. Other loops than the current one are fine, however. The
1721	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in	2910	rationale behind this is that you do not need to check for recursion in
1722	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,	2911	those watchers, i.e. the sequence will always be C<ev_prepare>, blocking,
1723	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be	2912	C<ev_check> so if you have one watcher of each kind they will always be
1724	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.	2913	called in pairs bracketing the blocking call.
1725		2914
1726	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and	2915	Their main purpose is to integrate other event mechanisms into libev and
1727	their use is somewhat advanced. This could be used, for example, to track	2916	their use is somewhat advanced. They could be used, for example, to track
1728	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a	2917	variable changes, implement your own watchers, integrate net-snmp or a
1729	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if	2918	coroutine library and lots more. They are also occasionally useful if
1730	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,	2919	you cache some data and want to flush it before blocking (for example,
1731	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>	2920	in X programs you might want to do an C<XFlush ()> in an C<ev_prepare>
1732	watcher).	2921	watcher).
1733		2922
1734	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors need	2923	This is done by examining in each prepare call which file descriptors
1735	to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers for	2924	need to be watched by the other library, registering C<ev_io> watchers
1736	them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many libraries	2925	for them and starting an C<ev_timer> watcher for any timeouts (many
1737	provide just this functionality). Then, in the check watcher you check for	2926	libraries provide exactly this functionality). Then, in the check watcher,
1738	any events that occured (by checking the pending status of all watchers	2927	you check for any events that occurred (by checking the pending status
1739	and stopping them) and call back into the library. The I/O and timer	2928	of all watchers and stopping them) and call back into the library. The
1740	callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid nevertheless,	2929	I/O and timer callbacks will never actually be called (but must be valid
1741	because you never know, you know?).	2930	nevertheless, because you never know, you know?).
1742		2931
1743	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate	2932	As another example, the Perl Coro module uses these hooks to integrate
1744	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines	2933	coroutines into libev programs, by yielding to other active coroutines
1745	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines	2934	during each prepare and only letting the process block if no coroutines
1746	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines	2935	are ready to run (it's actually more complicated: it only runs coroutines
1747	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine	2936	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine
1748	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event	2937	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event
1749	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping	2938	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping
1750	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).	2939	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).
1751		2940
1752	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)	2941	When used for this purpose, it is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers
1753	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers	2942	highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>) priority, to ensure that they are being run before
		2943	any other watchers after the poll (this doesn't matter for C<ev_prepare>
		2944	watchers).
		2945
1754	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,	2946	Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers, too) should not
1755	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully	2947	activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully supports this, they
1756	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers	2948	might get executed before other C<ev_check> watchers did their job. As
1757	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other	2949	C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other (non-libev) event
1758	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable	2950	loops those other event loops might be in an unusable state until their
1759	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to	2951	C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to coexist peacefully with
1760	coexist peacefully with others).	2952	others).
		2953
		2954	=head3 Abusing an C<ev_check> watcher for its side-effect
		2955
		2956	C<ev_check> (and less often also C<ev_prepare>) watchers can also be
		2957	useful because they are called once per event loop iteration. For
		2958	example, if you want to handle a large number of connections fairly, you
		2959	normally only do a bit of work for each active connection, and if there
		2960	is more work to do, you wait for the next event loop iteration, so other
		2961	connections have a chance of making progress.
		2962
		2963	Using an C<ev_check> watcher is almost enough: it will be called on the
		2964	next event loop iteration. However, that isn't as soon as possible -
		2965	without external events, your C<ev_check> watcher will not be invoked.
		2966
		2967	This is where C<ev_idle> watchers come in handy - all you need is a
		2968	single global idle watcher that is active as long as you have one active
		2969	C<ev_check> watcher. The C<ev_idle> watcher makes sure the event loop
		2970	will not sleep, and the C<ev_check> watcher makes sure a callback gets
		2971	invoked. Neither watcher alone can do that.
1761		2972
1762	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	2973	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1763		2974
1764	=over 4	2975	=over 4
1765		2976
…		…
1767		2978
1768	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)	2979	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)
1769		2980
1770	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no	2981	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no
1771	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	2982	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1772	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	2983	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly, utterly and completely
		2984	pointless.
1773		2985
1774	=back	2986	=back
1775		2987
1776	=head3 Examples	2988	=head3 Examples
1777		2989
1778	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules	2990	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
1779	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev	2991	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
1780	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could	2992	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
1781	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>	2993	use as a working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib> embeds a
1782	embeds a Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV	2994	Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV into the
1783	into the Glib event loop).	2995	Glib event loop).
1784		2996
1785	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,	2997	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,
1786	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows	2998	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows
1787	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low	2999	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low
1788	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as	3000	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as
1789	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.	3001	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.
1790		3002
1791	static ev_io iow [nfd];	3003	static ev_io iow [nfd];
1792	static ev_timer tw;	3004	static ev_timer tw;
1793		3005
1794	static void	3006	static void
1795	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)	3007	io_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1796	{	3008	{
1797	}	3009	}
1798		3010
1799	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking	3011	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
1800	static void	3012	static void
1801	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)	3013	adns_prepare_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)
1802	{	3014	{
1803	int timeout = 3600000;	3015	int timeout = 3600000;
1804	struct pollfd fds [nfd];	3016	struct pollfd fds [nfd];
1805	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.	3017	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.
1806	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));	3018	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));
1807		3019
1808	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */	3020	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
1809	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);	3021	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3, 0.);
1810	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);	3022	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
1811		3023
1812	// create one ev_io per pollfd	3024	// create one ev_io per pollfd
1813	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	3025	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1814	{	3026	{
1815	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,	3027	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
1816	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)	3028	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
1817	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));	3029	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
1818		3030
1819	fds [i].revents = 0;	3031	fds [i].revents = 0;
1820	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);	3032	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
1821	}	3033	}
1822	}	3034	}
1823		3035
1824	// stop all watchers after blocking	3036	// stop all watchers after blocking
1825	static void	3037	static void
1826	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)	3038	adns_check_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)
1827	{	3039	{
1828	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);	3040	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
1829		3041
1830	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	3042	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1831	{	3043	{
1832	// set the relevant poll flags	3044	// set the relevant poll flags
1833	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here	3045	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
1834	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;	3046	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;
1835	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);	3047	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);
1836	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;	3048	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
1837	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;	3049	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
1838		3050
1839	// now stop the watcher	3051	// now stop the watcher
1840	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);	3052	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
1841	}	3053	}
1842		3054
1843	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));	3055	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
1844	}	3056	}
1845		3057
1846	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>	3058	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>
1847	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.	3059	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.
1848		3060
1849	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event	3061	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event
1850	notification (adns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher	3062	notification (libadns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher
1851	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.	3063	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.
1852		3064
1853	static void	3065	static void
1854	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	3066	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1855	{	3067	{
1856	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;	3068	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
1857	update_now (EV_A);	3069	update_now (EV_A);
1858		3070
1859	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);	3071	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);
1860	}	3072	}
1861		3073
1862	static void	3074	static void
1863	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)	3075	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
1864	{	3076	{
1865	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;	3077	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
1866	update_now (EV_A);	3078	update_now (EV_A);
1867		3079
1868	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);	3080	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
1869	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);	3081	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
1870	}	3082	}
1871		3083
1872	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll	3084	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll
1873		3085
1874	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you	3086	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you
1875	want to embed is too inflexible to support it. Instead, youc na override	3087	want to embed is not flexible enough to support it. Instead, you can
1876	their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the main	3088	override their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the
1877	loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module does	3089	main loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module uses
1878	this.	3090	this approach, effectively embedding EV as a client into the horrible
		3091	libglib event loop.
1879		3092
1880	static gint	3093	static gint
1881	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)	3094	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)
1882	{	3095	{
1883	int got_events = 0;	3096	int got_events = 0;
1884		3097
1885	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)	3098	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
1886	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events	3099	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events
1887		3100
1888	if (timeout >= 0)	3101	if (timeout >= 0)
1889	// create/start timer	3102	// create/start timer
1890		3103
1891	// poll	3104	// poll
1892	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);	3105	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
1893		3106
1894	// stop timer again	3107	// stop timer again
1895	if (timeout >= 0)	3108	if (timeout >= 0)
1896	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);	3109	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);
1897		3110
1898	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set	3111	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set
1899	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)	3112	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
1900	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);	3113	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);
1901		3114
1902	return got_events;	3115	return got_events;
1903	}	3116	}
1904		3117
1905		3118
1906	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...	3119	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
1907		3120
1908	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop	3121	This is a rather advanced watcher type that lets you embed one event loop
…		…
1914	prioritise I/O.	3127	prioritise I/O.
1915		3128
1916	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support	3129	As an example for a bug workaround, the kqueue backend might only support
1917	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you	3130	sockets on some platform, so it is unusable as generic backend, but you
1918	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales	3131	still want to make use of it because you have many sockets and it scales
1919	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed it	3132	so nicely. In this case, you would create a kqueue-based loop and embed
1920	into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation will	3133	it into your default loop (which might use e.g. poll). Overall operation
1921	be a bit slower because first libev has to poll and then call kevent, but	3134	will be a bit slower because first libev has to call C<poll> and then
1922	at least you can use both at what they are best.	3135	C<kevent>, but at least you can use both mechanisms for what they are
		3136	best: C<kqueue> for scalable sockets and C<poll> if you want it to work :)
1923		3137
1924	As for prioritising I/O: rarely you have the case where some fds have	3138	As for prioritising I/O: under rare circumstances you have the case where
1925	to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency), and even	3139	some fds have to be watched and handled very quickly (with low latency),
1926	priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In this case	3140	and even priorities and idle watchers might have too much overhead. In
1927	you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all the rest in	3141	this case you would put all the high priority stuff in one loop and all
1928	a second one, and embed the second one in the first.	3142	the rest in a second one, and embed the second one in the first.
1929		3143
1930	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every time	3144	As long as the watcher is active, the callback will be invoked every
1931	there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback must then	3145	time there might be events pending in the embedded loop. The callback
1932	call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single sweep and invoke	3146	must then call C<ev_embed_sweep (mainloop, watcher)> to make a single
1933	their callbacks (you could also start an idle watcher to give the embedded	3147	sweep and invoke their callbacks (the callback doesn't need to invoke the
1934	loop strictly lower priority for example). You can also set the callback	3148	C<ev_embed_sweep> function directly, it could also start an idle watcher
1935	to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher will automatically execute the	3149	to give the embedded loop strictly lower priority for example).
1936	embedded loop sweep.
1937		3150
1938	As long as the watcher is started it will automatically handle events. The	3151	You can also set the callback to C<0>, in which case the embed watcher
1939	callback will be invoked whenever some events have been handled. You can	3152	will automatically execute the embedded loop sweep whenever necessary.
1940	set the callback to C<0> to avoid having to specify one if you are not
1941	interested in that.
1942		3153
1943	Also, there have not currently been made special provisions for forking:	3154	Fork detection will be handled transparently while the C<ev_embed> watcher
1944	when you fork, you not only have to call C<ev_loop_fork> on both loops,	3155	is active, i.e., the embedded loop will automatically be forked when the
1945	but you will also have to stop and restart any C<ev_embed> watchers	3156	embedding loop forks. In other cases, the user is responsible for calling
1946	yourself.	3157	C<ev_loop_fork> on the embedded loop.
1947		3158
1948	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable, only the ones returned by	3159	Unfortunately, not all backends are embeddable: only the ones returned by
1949	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any	3160	C<ev_embeddable_backends> are, which, unfortunately, does not include any
1950	portable one.	3161	portable one.
1951		3162
1952	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	3163	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1953	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	3164	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1954	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	3165	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1955	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.	3166	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
1956		3167
		3168	=head3 C<ev_embed> and fork
		3169
		3170	While the C<ev_embed> watcher is running, forks in the embedding loop will
		3171	automatically be applied to the embedded loop as well, so no special
		3172	fork handling is required in that case. When the watcher is not running,
		3173	however, it is still the task of the libev user to call C<ev_loop_fork ()>
		3174	as applicable.
		3175
1957	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	3176	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1958		3177
1959	=over 4	3178	=over 4
1960		3179
1961	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	3180	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
…		…
1964		3183
1965	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	3184	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
1966	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be	3185	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
1967	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback	3186	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
1968	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,	3187	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
1969	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).	3188	if you do not want that, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
1970		3189
1971	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)	3190	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
1972		3191
1973	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works	3192	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
1974	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most	3193	similarly to C<ev_run (embedded_loop, EVRUN_NOWAIT)>, but in the most
1975	apropriate way for embedded loops.	3194	appropriate way for embedded loops.
1976		3195
1977	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]	3196	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
1978		3197
1979	The embedded event loop.	3198	The embedded event loop.
1980		3199
…		…
1982		3201
1983	=head3 Examples	3202	=head3 Examples
1984		3203
1985	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default	3204	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
1986	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default	3205	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
1987	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in	3206	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the embeddable loop is stored in
1988	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be	3207	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the case no embeddable loop can be
1989	used).	3208	used).
1990		3209
1991	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	3210	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
1992	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	3211	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1993	struct ev_embed embed;	3212	ev_embed embed;
1994		3213
1995	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works	3214	// see if there is a chance of getting one that works
1996	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)	3215	// (remember that a flags value of 0 means autodetection)
1997	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()	3216	loop_lo = ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ()
1998	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())	3217	? ev_loop_new (ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_recommended_backends ())
1999	: 0;	3218	: 0;
2000		3219
2001	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi	3220	// if we got one, then embed it, otherwise default to loop_hi
2002	if (loop_lo)	3221	if (loop_lo)
2003	{	3222	{
2004	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);	3223	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_lo);
2005	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	3224	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
2006	}	3225	}
2007	else	3226	else
2008	loop_lo = loop_hi;	3227	loop_lo = loop_hi;
2009		3228
2010	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create	3229	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
2011	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any	3230	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
2012	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in	3231	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
2013	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).	3232	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
2014		3233
2015	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);	3234	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
2016	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;	3235	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
2017	struct ev_embed embed;	3236	ev_embed embed;
2018		3237
2019	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)	3238	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
2020	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))	3239	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
2021	{	3240	{
2022	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);	3241	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
2023	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);	3242	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
2024	}	3243	}
2025		3244
2026	if (!loop_socket)	3245	if (!loop_socket)
2027	loop_socket = loop;	3246	loop_socket = loop;
2028		3247
2029	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else	3248	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
2030		3249
2031		3250
2032	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	3251	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
2033		3252
2034	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	3253	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
2035	whoever is a good citizen cared to tell libev about it by calling	3254	whoever is a good citizen cared to tell libev about it by calling
2036	C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork>). The invocation is done before the	3255	C<ev_loop_fork>). The invocation is done before the event loop blocks next
2037	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	3256	and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called, and only in the child
2038	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	3257	after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling C<ev_default_fork> cheats
2039	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	3258	and calls it in the wrong process, the fork handlers will be invoked, too,
2040	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	3259	of course.
		3260
		3261	=head3 The special problem of life after fork - how is it possible?
		3262
		3263	Most uses of C<fork()> consist of forking, then some simple calls to set
		3264	up/change the process environment, followed by a call to C<exec()>. This
		3265	sequence should be handled by libev without any problems.
		3266
		3267	This changes when the application actually wants to do event handling
		3268	in the child, or both parent in child, in effect "continuing" after the
		3269	fork.
		3270
		3271	The default mode of operation (for libev, with application help to detect
		3272	forks) is to duplicate all the state in the child, as would be expected
		3273	when I<either> the parent I<or> the child process continues.
		3274
		3275	When both processes want to continue using libev, then this is usually the
		3276	wrong result. In that case, usually one process (typically the parent) is
		3277	supposed to continue with all watchers in place as before, while the other
		3278	process typically wants to start fresh, i.e. without any active watchers.
		3279
		3280	The cleanest and most efficient way to achieve that with libev is to
		3281	simply create a new event loop, which of course will be "empty", and
		3282	use that for new watchers. This has the advantage of not touching more
		3283	memory than necessary, and thus avoiding the copy-on-write, and the
		3284	disadvantage of having to use multiple event loops (which do not support
		3285	signal watchers).
		3286
		3287	When this is not possible, or you want to use the default loop for
		3288	other reasons, then in the process that wants to start "fresh", call
		3289	C<ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT)> followed by C<ev_default_loop (...)>.
		3290	Destroying the default loop will "orphan" (not stop) all registered
		3291	watchers, so you have to be careful not to execute code that modifies
		3292	those watchers. Note also that in that case, you have to re-register any
		3293	signal watchers.
2041		3294
2042	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members	3295	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
2043		3296
2044	=over 4	3297	=over 4
2045		3298
2046	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	3299	=item ev_fork_init (ev_fork *, callback)
2047		3300
2048	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	3301	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
2049	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	3302	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
2050	believe me.	3303	really.
2051		3304
2052	=back	3305	=back
2053		3306
2054		3307
		3308	=head2 C<ev_cleanup> - even the best things end
		3309
		3310	Cleanup watchers are called just before the event loop is being destroyed
		3311	by a call to C<ev_loop_destroy>.
		3312
		3313	While there is no guarantee that the event loop gets destroyed, cleanup
		3314	watchers provide a convenient method to install cleanup hooks for your
		3315	program, worker threads and so on - you just to make sure to destroy the
		3316	loop when you want them to be invoked.
		3317
		3318	Cleanup watchers are invoked in the same way as any other watcher. Unlike
		3319	all other watchers, they do not keep a reference to the event loop (which
		3320	makes a lot of sense if you think about it). Like all other watchers, you
		3321	can call libev functions in the callback, except C<ev_cleanup_start>.
		3322
		3323	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		3324
		3325	=over 4
		3326
		3327	=item ev_cleanup_init (ev_cleanup *, callback)
		3328
		3329	Initialises and configures the cleanup watcher - it has no parameters of
		3330	any kind. There is a C<ev_cleanup_set> macro, but using it is utterly
		3331	pointless, I assure you.
		3332
		3333	=back
		3334
		3335	Example: Register an atexit handler to destroy the default loop, so any
		3336	cleanup functions are called.
		3337
		3338	static void
		3339	program_exits (void)
		3340	{
		3341	ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT_UC);
		3342	}
		3343
		3344	...
		3345	atexit (program_exits);
		3346
		3347
2055	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop	3348	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up an event loop
2056		3349
2057	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other	3350	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
2058	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event	3351	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
2059	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).	3352	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
2060		3353
2061	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not	3354	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up an event loop you do not control,
2062	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what	3355	for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what C<ev_async>
2063	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you	3356	watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you can signal
2064	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal	3357	it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal safe.
2065	safe.
2066		3358
2067	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,	3359	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
2068	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed	3360	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
2069	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of	3361	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
2070	C<ev_async_sent> calls).	3362	C<ev_async_send> calls). In fact, you could use signal watchers as a kind
2071		3363	of "global async watchers" by using a watcher on an otherwise unused
2072	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not	3364	signal, and C<ev_feed_signal> to signal this watcher from another thread,
2073	just the default loop.	3365	even without knowing which loop owns the signal.
2074		3366
2075	=head3 Queueing	3367	=head3 Queueing
2076		3368
2077	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason	3369	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
2078	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a	3370	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
2079	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't	3371	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
2080	need elaborate support such as pthreads.	3372	need elaborate support such as pthreads or unportable memory access
		3373	semantics.
2081		3374
2082	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own	3375	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
2083	queue. But at least I can tell you would implement locking around your	3376	queue. But at least I can tell you how to implement locking around your
2084	queue:	3377	queue:
2085		3378
2086	=over 4	3379	=over 4
2087		3380
2088	=item queueing from a signal handler context	3381	=item queueing from a signal handler context
2089		3382
2090	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal	3383	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
2091	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is an example that does that for	3384	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is
2092	some fictitiuous SIGUSR1 handler:	3385	an example that does that for some fictitious SIGUSR1 handler:
2093		3386
2094	static ev_async mysig;	3387	static ev_async mysig;
2095		3388
2096	static void	3389	static void
2097	sigusr1_handler (void)	3390	sigusr1_handler (void)
2098	{	3391	{
2099	sometype data;	3392	sometype data;
2100		3393
2101	// no locking etc.	3394	// no locking etc.
2102	queue_put (data);	3395	queue_put (data);
2103	ev_async_send (DEFAULT_ &mysig);	3396	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
2104	}	3397	}
2105		3398
2106	static void	3399	static void
2107	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)	3400	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
2108	{	3401	{
…		…
2139	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation	3432	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation
2140	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);	3433	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
2141	queue_put (data);	3434	queue_put (data);
2142	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);	3435	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
2143		3436
2144	ev_async_send (DEFAULT_ &mysig);	3437	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
2145	}	3438	}
2146		3439
2147	static void	3440	static void
2148	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)	3441	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
2149	{	3442	{
…		…
2163	=over 4	3456	=over 4
2164		3457
2165	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)	3458	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
2166		3459
2167	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any	3460	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
2168	kind. There is a C<ev_asynd_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	3461	kind. There is a C<ev_async_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
2169	believe me.	3462	trust me.
2170		3463
2171	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)	3464	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
2172		3465
2173	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds	3466	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
2174	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike	3467	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop, and instantly
		3468	returns.
		3469
2175	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do in other threads, signal or	3470	Unlike C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do from other threads,
2176	similar contexts (see the dicusssion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding	3471	signal or similar contexts (see the discussion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the
2177	section below on what exactly this means).	3472	embedding section below on what exactly this means).
2178		3473
2179	This call incurs the overhead of a syscall only once per loop iteration,	3474	Note that, as with other watchers in libev, multiple events might get
2180	so while the overhead might be noticable, it doesn't apply to repeated	3475	compressed into a single callback invocation (another way to look at
2181	calls to C<ev_async_send>.	3476	this is that C<ev_async> watchers are level-triggered: they are set on
		3477	C<ev_async_send>, reset when the event loop detects that).
		3478
		3479	This call incurs the overhead of at most one extra system call per event
		3480	loop iteration, if the event loop is blocked, and no syscall at all if
		3481	the event loop (or your program) is processing events. That means that
		3482	repeated calls are basically free (there is no need to avoid calls for
		3483	performance reasons) and that the overhead becomes smaller (typically
		3484	zero) under load.
		3485
		3486	=item bool = ev_async_pending (ev_async *)
		3487
		3488	Returns a non-zero value when C<ev_async_send> has been called on the
		3489	watcher but the event has not yet been processed (or even noted) by the
		3490	event loop.
		3491
		3492	C<ev_async_send> sets a flag in the watcher and wakes up the loop. When
		3493	the loop iterates next and checks for the watcher to have become active,
		3494	it will reset the flag again. C<ev_async_pending> can be used to very
		3495	quickly check whether invoking the loop might be a good idea.
		3496
		3497	Not that this does I<not> check whether the watcher itself is pending,
		3498	only whether it has been requested to make this watcher pending: there
		3499	is a time window between the event loop checking and resetting the async
		3500	notification, and the callback being invoked.
2182		3501
2183	=back	3502	=back
2184		3503
2185		3504
2186	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	3505	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
…		…
2190	=over 4	3509	=over 4
2191		3510
2192	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)	3511	=item ev_once (loop, int fd, int events, ev_tstamp timeout, callback)
2193		3512
2194	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your	3513	This function combines a simple timer and an I/O watcher, calls your
2195	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stop both	3514	callback on whichever event happens first and automatically stops both
2196	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd	3515	watchers. This is useful if you want to wait for a single event on an fd
2197	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or	3516	or timeout without having to allocate/configure/start/stop/free one or
2198	more watchers yourself.	3517	more watchers yourself.
2199		3518
2200	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and events	3519	If C<fd> is less than 0, then no I/O watcher will be started and the
2201	is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for the given C<fd> and	3520	C<events> argument is being ignored. Otherwise, an C<ev_io> watcher for
2202	C<events> set will be craeted and started.	3521	the given C<fd> and C<events> set will be created and started.
2203		3522
2204	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be	3523	If C<timeout> is less than 0, then no timeout watcher will be
2205	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and	3524	started. Otherwise an C<ev_timer> watcher with after = C<timeout> (and
2206	repeat = 0) will be started. While C<0> is a valid timeout, it is of	3525	repeat = 0) will be started. C<0> is a valid timeout.
2207	dubious value.
2208		3526
2209	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and gets	3527	The callback has the type C<void (*cb)(int revents, void *arg)> and is
2210	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of	3528	passed an C<revents> set like normal event callbacks (a combination of
2211	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMEOUT>) and the C<arg>	3529	C<EV_ERROR>, C<EV_READ>, C<EV_WRITE> or C<EV_TIMER>) and the C<arg>
2212	value passed to C<ev_once>:	3530	value passed to C<ev_once>. Note that it is possible to receive I<both>
		3531	a timeout and an io event at the same time - you probably should give io
		3532	events precedence.
2213		3533
		3534	Example: wait up to ten seconds for data to appear on STDIN_FILENO.
		3535
2214	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)	3536	static void stdin_ready (int revents, void *arg)
		3537	{
		3538	if (revents & EV_READ)
		3539	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
		3540	else if (revents & EV_TIMER)
		3541	/* doh, nothing entered */;
		3542	}
		3543
		3544	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);
		3545
		3546	=item ev_feed_fd_event (loop, int fd, int revents)
		3547
		3548	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected
		3549	the given events.
		3550
		3551	=item ev_feed_signal_event (loop, int signum)
		3552
		3553	Feed an event as if the given signal occurred. See also C<ev_feed_signal>,
		3554	which is async-safe.
		3555
		3556	=back
		3557
		3558
		3559	=head1 COMMON OR USEFUL IDIOMS (OR BOTH)
		3560
		3561	This section explains some common idioms that are not immediately
		3562	obvious. Note that examples are sprinkled over the whole manual, and this
		3563	section only contains stuff that wouldn't fit anywhere else.
		3564
		3565	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
		3566
		3567	Each watcher has, by default, a C<void *data> member that you can read
		3568	or modify at any time: libev will completely ignore it. This can be used
		3569	to associate arbitrary data with your watcher. If you need more data and
		3570	don't want to allocate memory separately and store a pointer to it in that
		3571	data member, you can also "subclass" the watcher type and provide your own
		3572	data:
		3573
		3574	struct my_io
		3575	{
		3576	ev_io io;
		3577	int otherfd;
		3578	void *somedata;
		3579	struct whatever *mostinteresting;
		3580	};
		3581
		3582	...
		3583	struct my_io w;
		3584	ev_io_init (&w.io, my_cb, fd, EV_READ);
		3585
		3586	And since your callback will be called with a pointer to the watcher, you
		3587	can cast it back to your own type:
		3588
		3589	static void my_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w_, int revents)
		3590	{
		3591	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;
		3592	...
		3593	}
		3594
		3595	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback
		3596	function type instead have been omitted.
		3597
		3598	=head2 BUILDING YOUR OWN COMPOSITE WATCHERS
		3599
		3600	Another common scenario is to use some data structure with multiple
		3601	embedded watchers, in effect creating your own watcher that combines
		3602	multiple libev event sources into one "super-watcher":
		3603
		3604	struct my_biggy
		3605	{
		3606	int some_data;
		3607	ev_timer t1;
		3608	ev_timer t2;
		3609	}
		3610
		3611	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more
		3612	complicated: Either you store the address of your C<my_biggy> struct in
		3613	the C<data> member of the watcher (for woozies or C++ coders), or you need
		3614	to use some pointer arithmetic using C<offsetof> inside your watchers (for
		3615	real programmers):
		3616
		3617	#include <stddef.h>
		3618
		3619	static void
		3620	t1_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		3621	{
		3622	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
		3623	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
		3624	}
		3625
		3626	static void
		3627	t2_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		3628	{
		3629	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *)
		3630	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
		3631	}
		3632
		3633	=head2 AVOIDING FINISHING BEFORE RETURNING
		3634
		3635	Often you have structures like this in event-based programs:
		3636
		3637	callback ()
2215	{	3638	{
2216	if (revents & EV_TIMEOUT)	3639	free (request);
2217	/* doh, nothing entered */;
2218	else if (revents & EV_READ)
2219	/* stdin might have data for us, joy! */;
2220	}	3640	}
2221		3641
2222	ev_once (STDIN_FILENO, EV_READ, 10., stdin_ready, 0);	3642	request = start_new_request (..., callback);
2223		3643
2224	=item ev_feed_event (ev_loop *, watcher *, int revents)	3644	The intent is to start some "lengthy" operation. The C<request> could be
		3645	used to cancel the operation, or do other things with it.
2225		3646
2226	Feeds the given event set into the event loop, as if the specified event	3647	It's not uncommon to have code paths in C<start_new_request> that
2227	had happened for the specified watcher (which must be a pointer to an	3648	immediately invoke the callback, for example, to report errors. Or you add
2228	initialised but not necessarily started event watcher).	3649	some caching layer that finds that it can skip the lengthy aspects of the
		3650	operation and simply invoke the callback with the result.
2229		3651
2230	=item ev_feed_fd_event (ev_loop *, int fd, int revents)	3652	The problem here is that this will happen I<before> C<start_new_request>
		3653	has returned, so C<request> is not set.
2231		3654
2232	Feed an event on the given fd, as if a file descriptor backend detected	3655	Even if you pass the request by some safer means to the callback, you
2233	the given events it.	3656	might want to do something to the request after starting it, such as
		3657	canceling it, which probably isn't working so well when the callback has
		3658	already been invoked.
2234		3659
2235	=item ev_feed_signal_event (ev_loop *loop, int signum)	3660	A common way around all these issues is to make sure that
		3661	C<start_new_request> I<always> returns before the callback is invoked. If
		3662	C<start_new_request> immediately knows the result, it can artificially
		3663	delay invoking the callback by e.g. using a C<prepare> or C<idle> watcher
		3664	for example, or more sneakily, by reusing an existing (stopped) watcher
		3665	and pushing it into the pending queue:
2236		3666
2237	Feed an event as if the given signal occured (C<loop> must be the default	3667	ev_set_cb (watcher, callback);
2238	loop!).	3668	ev_feed_event (EV_A_ watcher, 0);
2239		3669
2240	=back	3670	This way, C<start_new_request> can safely return before the callback is
		3671	invoked, while not delaying callback invocation too much.
		3672
		3673	=head2 MODEL/NESTED EVENT LOOP INVOCATIONS AND EXIT CONDITIONS
		3674
		3675	Often (especially in GUI toolkits) there are places where you have
		3676	I<modal> interaction, which is most easily implemented by recursively
		3677	invoking C<ev_run>.
		3678
		3679	This brings the problem of exiting - a callback might want to finish the
		3680	main C<ev_run> call, but not the nested one (e.g. user clicked "Quit", but
		3681	a modal "Are you sure?" dialog is still waiting), or just the nested one
		3682	and not the main one (e.g. user clocked "Ok" in a modal dialog), or some
		3683	other combination: In these cases, C<ev_break> will not work alone.
		3684
		3685	The solution is to maintain "break this loop" variable for each C<ev_run>
		3686	invocation, and use a loop around C<ev_run> until the condition is
		3687	triggered, using C<EVRUN_ONCE>:
		3688
		3689	// main loop
		3690	int exit_main_loop = 0;
		3691
		3692	while (!exit_main_loop)
		3693	ev_run (EV_DEFAULT_ EVRUN_ONCE);
		3694
		3695	// in a modal watcher
		3696	int exit_nested_loop = 0;
		3697
		3698	while (!exit_nested_loop)
		3699	ev_run (EV_A_ EVRUN_ONCE);
		3700
		3701	To exit from any of these loops, just set the corresponding exit variable:
		3702
		3703	// exit modal loop
		3704	exit_nested_loop = 1;
		3705
		3706	// exit main program, after modal loop is finished
		3707	exit_main_loop = 1;
		3708
		3709	// exit both
		3710	exit_main_loop = exit_nested_loop = 1;
		3711
		3712	=head2 THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE
		3713
		3714	Here is a fictitious example of how to run an event loop in a different
		3715	thread from where callbacks are being invoked and watchers are
		3716	created/added/removed.
		3717
		3718	For a real-world example, see the C<EV::Loop::Async> perl module,
		3719	which uses exactly this technique (which is suited for many high-level
		3720	languages).
		3721
		3722	The example uses a pthread mutex to protect the loop data, a condition
		3723	variable to wait for callback invocations, an async watcher to notify the
		3724	event loop thread and an unspecified mechanism to wake up the main thread.
		3725
		3726	First, you need to associate some data with the event loop:
		3727
		3728	typedef struct {
		3729	mutex_t lock; /* global loop lock */
		3730	ev_async async_w;
		3731	thread_t tid;
		3732	cond_t invoke_cv;
		3733	} userdata;
		3734
		3735	void prepare_loop (EV_P)
		3736	{
		3737	// for simplicity, we use a static userdata struct.
		3738	static userdata u;
		3739
		3740	ev_async_init (&u->async_w, async_cb);
		3741	ev_async_start (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		3742
		3743	pthread_mutex_init (&u->lock, 0);
		3744	pthread_cond_init (&u->invoke_cv, 0);
		3745
		3746	// now associate this with the loop
		3747	ev_set_userdata (EV_A_ u);
		3748	ev_set_invoke_pending_cb (EV_A_ l_invoke);
		3749	ev_set_loop_release_cb (EV_A_ l_release, l_acquire);
		3750
		3751	// then create the thread running ev_run
		3752	pthread_create (&u->tid, 0, l_run, EV_A);
		3753	}
		3754
		3755	The callback for the C<ev_async> watcher does nothing: the watcher is used
		3756	solely to wake up the event loop so it takes notice of any new watchers
		3757	that might have been added:
		3758
		3759	static void
		3760	async_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		3761	{
		3762	// just used for the side effects
		3763	}
		3764
		3765	The C<l_release> and C<l_acquire> callbacks simply unlock/lock the mutex
		3766	protecting the loop data, respectively.
		3767
		3768	static void
		3769	l_release (EV_P)
		3770	{
		3771	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3772	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3773	}
		3774
		3775	static void
		3776	l_acquire (EV_P)
		3777	{
		3778	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3779	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3780	}
		3781
		3782	The event loop thread first acquires the mutex, and then jumps straight
		3783	into C<ev_run>:
		3784
		3785	void *
		3786	l_run (void *thr_arg)
		3787	{
		3788	struct ev_loop *loop = (struct ev_loop *)thr_arg;
		3789
		3790	l_acquire (EV_A);
		3791	pthread_setcanceltype (PTHREAD_CANCEL_ASYNCHRONOUS, 0);
		3792	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
		3793	l_release (EV_A);
		3794
		3795	return 0;
		3796	}
		3797
		3798	Instead of invoking all pending watchers, the C<l_invoke> callback will
		3799	signal the main thread via some unspecified mechanism (signals? pipe
		3800	writes? C<Async::Interrupt>?) and then waits until all pending watchers
		3801	have been called (in a while loop because a) spurious wakeups are possible
		3802	and b) skipping inter-thread-communication when there are no pending
		3803	watchers is very beneficial):
		3804
		3805	static void
		3806	l_invoke (EV_P)
		3807	{
		3808	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3809
		3810	while (ev_pending_count (EV_A))
		3811	{
		3812	wake_up_other_thread_in_some_magic_or_not_so_magic_way ();
		3813	pthread_cond_wait (&u->invoke_cv, &u->lock);
		3814	}
		3815	}
		3816
		3817	Now, whenever the main thread gets told to invoke pending watchers, it
		3818	will grab the lock, call C<ev_invoke_pending> and then signal the loop
		3819	thread to continue:
		3820
		3821	static void
		3822	real_invoke_pending (EV_P)
		3823	{
		3824	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3825
		3826	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3827	ev_invoke_pending (EV_A);
		3828	pthread_cond_signal (&u->invoke_cv);
		3829	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3830	}
		3831
		3832	Whenever you want to start/stop a watcher or do other modifications to an
		3833	event loop, you will now have to lock:
		3834
		3835	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
		3836	userdata *u = ev_userdata (EV_A);
		3837
		3838	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
		3839
		3840	pthread_mutex_lock (&u->lock);
		3841	ev_timer_start (EV_A_ &timeout_watcher);
		3842	ev_async_send (EV_A_ &u->async_w);
		3843	pthread_mutex_unlock (&u->lock);
		3844
		3845	Note that sending the C<ev_async> watcher is required because otherwise
		3846	an event loop currently blocking in the kernel will have no knowledge
		3847	about the newly added timer. By waking up the loop it will pick up any new
		3848	watchers in the next event loop iteration.
		3849
		3850	=head2 THREADS, COROUTINES, CONTINUATIONS, QUEUES... INSTEAD OF CALLBACKS
		3851
		3852	While the overhead of a callback that e.g. schedules a thread is small, it
		3853	is still an overhead. If you embed libev, and your main usage is with some
		3854	kind of threads or coroutines, you might want to customise libev so that
		3855	doesn't need callbacks anymore.
		3856
		3857	Imagine you have coroutines that you can switch to using a function
		3858	C<switch_to (coro)>, that libev runs in a coroutine called C<libev_coro>
		3859	and that due to some magic, the currently active coroutine is stored in a
		3860	global called C<current_coro>. Then you can build your own "wait for libev
		3861	event" primitive by changing C<EV_CB_DECLARE> and C<EV_CB_INVOKE> (note
		3862	the differing C<;> conventions):
		3863
		3864	#define EV_CB_DECLARE(type) struct my_coro *cb;
		3865	#define EV_CB_INVOKE(watcher) switch_to ((watcher)->cb)
		3866
		3867	That means instead of having a C callback function, you store the
		3868	coroutine to switch to in each watcher, and instead of having libev call
		3869	your callback, you instead have it switch to that coroutine.
		3870
		3871	A coroutine might now wait for an event with a function called
		3872	C<wait_for_event>. (the watcher needs to be started, as always, but it doesn't
		3873	matter when, or whether the watcher is active or not when this function is
		3874	called):
		3875
		3876	void
		3877	wait_for_event (ev_watcher *w)
		3878	{
		3879	ev_set_cb (w, current_coro);
		3880	switch_to (libev_coro);
		3881	}
		3882
		3883	That basically suspends the coroutine inside C<wait_for_event> and
		3884	continues the libev coroutine, which, when appropriate, switches back to
		3885	this or any other coroutine.
		3886
		3887	You can do similar tricks if you have, say, threads with an event queue -
		3888	instead of storing a coroutine, you store the queue object and instead of
		3889	switching to a coroutine, you push the watcher onto the queue and notify
		3890	any waiters.
		3891
		3892	To embed libev, see L</EMBEDDING>, but in short, it's easiest to create two
		3893	files, F<my_ev.h> and F<my_ev.c> that include the respective libev files:
		3894
		3895	// my_ev.h
		3896	#define EV_CB_DECLARE(type) struct my_coro *cb;
		3897	#define EV_CB_INVOKE(watcher) switch_to ((watcher)->cb);
		3898	#include "../libev/ev.h"
		3899
		3900	// my_ev.c
		3901	#define EV_H "my_ev.h"
		3902	#include "../libev/ev.c"
		3903
		3904	And then use F<my_ev.h> when you would normally use F<ev.h>, and compile
		3905	F<my_ev.c> into your project. When properly specifying include paths, you
		3906	can even use F<ev.h> as header file name directly.
2241		3907
2242		3908
2243	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION	3909	=head1 LIBEVENT EMULATION
2244		3910
2245	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot	3911	Libev offers a compatibility emulation layer for libevent. It cannot
2246	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:	3912	emulate the internals of libevent, so here are some usage hints:
2247		3913
2248	=over 4	3914	=over 4
		3915
		3916	=item * Only the libevent-1.4.1-beta API is being emulated.
		3917
		3918	This was the newest libevent version available when libev was implemented,
		3919	and is still mostly unchanged in 2010.
2249		3920
2250	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.	3921	=item * Use it by including <event.h>, as usual.
2251		3922
2252	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,	3923	=item * The following members are fully supported: ev_base, ev_callback,
2253	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.	3924	ev_arg, ev_fd, ev_res, ev_events.
…		…
2258		3929
2259	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities	3930	=item * Priorities are not currently supported. Initialising priorities
2260	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there	3931	will fail and all watchers will have the same priority, even though there
2261	is an ev_pri field.	3932	is an ev_pri field.
2262		3933
		3934	=item * In libevent, the last base created gets the signals, in libev, the
		3935	base that registered the signal gets the signals.
		3936
2263	=item * Other members are not supported.	3937	=item * Other members are not supported.
2264		3938
2265	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need	3939	=item * The libev emulation is I<not> ABI compatible to libevent, you need
2266	to use the libev header file and library.	3940	to use the libev header file and library.
2267		3941
2268	=back	3942	=back
2269		3943
2270	=head1 C++ SUPPORT	3944	=head1 C++ SUPPORT
2271		3945
		3946	=head2 C API
		3947
		3948	The normal C API should work fine when used from C++: both ev.h and the
		3949	libev sources can be compiled as C++. Therefore, code that uses the C API
		3950	will work fine.
		3951
		3952	Proper exception specifications might have to be added to callbacks passed
		3953	to libev: exceptions may be thrown only from watcher callbacks, all
		3954	other callbacks (allocator, syserr, loop acquire/release and periodic
		3955	reschedule callbacks) must not throw exceptions, and might need a C<throw
		3956	()> specification. If you have code that needs to be compiled as both C
		3957	and C++ you can use the C<EV_THROW> macro for this:
		3958
		3959	static void
		3960	fatal_error (const char *msg) EV_THROW
		3961	{
		3962	perror (msg);
		3963	abort ();
		3964	}
		3965
		3966	...
		3967	ev_set_syserr_cb (fatal_error);
		3968
		3969	The only API functions that can currently throw exceptions are C<ev_run>,
		3970	C<ev_invoke>, C<ev_invoke_pending> and C<ev_loop_destroy> (the latter
		3971	because it runs cleanup watchers).
		3972
		3973	Throwing exceptions in watcher callbacks is only supported if libev itself
		3974	is compiled with a C++ compiler or your C and C++ environments allow
		3975	throwing exceptions through C libraries (most do).
		3976
		3977	=head2 C++ API
		3978
2272	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow	3979	Libev comes with some simplistic wrapper classes for C++ that mainly allow
2273	you to use some convinience methods to start/stop watchers and also change	3980	you to use some convenience methods to start/stop watchers and also change
2274	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.	3981	the callback model to a model using method callbacks on objects.
2275		3982
2276	To use it,	3983	To use it,
2277		3984
2278	#include <ev++.h>	3985	#include <ev++.h>
2279		3986
2280	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many	3987	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many
2281	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are	3988	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are
2282	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding	3989	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding
2283	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.	3990	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.
…		…
2285	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++	3992	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++
2286	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer	3993	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer
2287	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if	3994	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if
2288	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).	3995	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).
2289		3996
2290	Currently, functions, and static and non-static member functions can be	3997	Currently, functions, static and non-static member functions and classes
2291	used as callbacks. Other types should be easy to add as long as they only	3998	with C<operator ()> can be used as callbacks. Other types should be easy
2292	need one additional pointer for context. If you need support for other	3999	to add as long as they only need one additional pointer for context. If
2293	types of functors please contact the author (preferably after implementing	4000	you need support for other types of functors please contact the author
2294	it).	4001	(preferably after implementing it).
		4002
		4003	For all this to work, your C++ compiler either has to use the same calling
		4004	conventions as your C compiler (for static member functions), or you have
		4005	to embed libev and compile libev itself as C++.
2295		4006
2296	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:	4007	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:
2297		4008
2298	=over 4	4009	=over 4
2299		4010
…		…
2309	=item C<ev::io>, C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic>, C<ev::idle>, C<ev::sig> etc.	4020	=item C<ev::io>, C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic>, C<ev::idle>, C<ev::sig> etc.
2310		4021
2311	For each C<ev_TYPE> watcher in F<ev.h> there is a corresponding class of	4022	For each C<ev_TYPE> watcher in F<ev.h> there is a corresponding class of
2312	the same name in the C<ev> namespace, with the exception of C<ev_signal>	4023	the same name in the C<ev> namespace, with the exception of C<ev_signal>
2313	which is called C<ev::sig> to avoid clashes with the C<signal> macro	4024	which is called C<ev::sig> to avoid clashes with the C<signal> macro
2314	defines by many implementations.	4025	defined by many implementations.
2315		4026
2316	All of those classes have these methods:	4027	All of those classes have these methods:
2317		4028
2318	=over 4	4029	=over 4
2319		4030
2320	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()	4031	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()
2321		4032
2322	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (struct ev_loop *)	4033	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (loop)
2323		4034
2324	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE	4035	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE
2325		4036
2326	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher	4037	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher
2327	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.	4038	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.
…		…
2350	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the	4061	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the
2351	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.	4062	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.
2352		4063
2353	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation	4064	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation
2354		4065
2355	struct myclass	4066	struct myclass
2356	{	4067	{
2357	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }	4068	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
2358	}	4069	}
2359		4070
2360	myclass obj;	4071	myclass obj;
2361	ev::io iow;	4072	ev::io iow;
2362	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);	4073	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);
		4074
		4075	=item w->set (object *)
		4076
		4077	This is a variation of a method callback - leaving out the method to call
		4078	will default the method to C<operator ()>, which makes it possible to use
		4079	functor objects without having to manually specify the C<operator ()> all
		4080	the time. Incidentally, you can then also leave out the template argument
		4081	list.
		4082
		4083	The C<operator ()> method prototype must be C<void operator ()(watcher &w,
		4084	int revents)>.
		4085
		4086	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		4087
		4088	Example: use a functor object as callback.
		4089
		4090	struct myfunctor
		4091	{
		4092	void operator() (ev::io &w, int revents)
		4093	{
		4094	...
		4095	}
		4096	}
		4097
		4098	myfunctor f;
		4099
		4100	ev::io w;
		4101	w.set (&f);
2363		4102
2364	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)	4103	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)
2365		4104
2366	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as	4105	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as
2367	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's	4106	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's
…		…
2369		4108
2370	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.	4109	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.
2371		4110
2372	See the method-C<set> above for more details.	4111	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
2373		4112
2374	Example:	4113	Example: Use a plain function as callback.
2375		4114
2376	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }	4115	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
2377	iow.set <io_cb> ();	4116	iow.set <io_cb> ();
2378		4117
2379	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)	4118	=item w->set (loop)
2380		4119
2381	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only	4120	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
2382	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).	4121	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
2383		4122
2384	=item w->set ([args])	4123	=item w->set ([arguments])
2385		4124
2386	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be	4125	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set> (except for C<ev::embed> watchers>),
		4126	with the same arguments. Either this method or a suitable start method
2387	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets	4127	must be called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher
2388	automatically stopped and restarted when reconfiguring it with this	4128	gets automatically stopped and restarted when reconfiguring it with this
2389	method.	4129	method.
		4130
		4131	For C<ev::embed> watchers this method is called C<set_embed>, to avoid
		4132	clashing with the C<set (loop)> method.
2390		4133
2391	=item w->start ()	4134	=item w->start ()
2392		4135
2393	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the	4136	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the
2394	constructor already stores the event loop.	4137	constructor already stores the event loop.
2395		4138
		4139	=item w->start ([arguments])
		4140
		4141	Instead of calling C<set> and C<start> methods separately, it is often
		4142	convenient to wrap them in one call. Uses the same type of arguments as
		4143	the configure C<set> method of the watcher.
		4144
2396	=item w->stop ()	4145	=item w->stop ()
2397		4146
2398	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	4147	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
2399		4148
2400	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)	4149	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
…		…
2412		4161
2413	=back	4162	=back
2414		4163
2415	=back	4164	=back
2416		4165
2417	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	4166	Example: Define a class with two I/O and idle watchers, start the I/O
2418	the constructor.	4167	watchers in the constructor.
2419		4168
2420	class myclass	4169	class myclass
2421	{	4170	{
2422	ev::io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	4171	ev::io io ; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
		4172	ev::io io2 ; void io2_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
2423	ev:idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	4173	ev::idle idle; void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
2424		4174
2425	myclass (int fd)	4175	myclass (int fd)
2426	{	4176	{
2427	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);	4177	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
		4178	io2 .set <myclass, &myclass::io2_cb > (this);
2428	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);	4179	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
2429		4180
2430	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	4181	io.set (fd, ev::WRITE); // configure the watcher
		4182	io.start (); // start it whenever convenient
		4183
		4184	io2.start (fd, ev::READ); // set + start in one call
2431	}	4185	}
2432	};	4186	};
		4187
		4188
		4189	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS
		4190
		4191	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a
		4192	number of languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know
		4193	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop
		4194	me a note.
		4195
		4196	=over 4
		4197
		4198	=item Perl
		4199
		4200	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test
		4201	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,
		4202	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces
		4203	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>, but C<AnyEvent::DNS> is preferred nowadays),
		4204	C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV>
		4205	and C<EV::Glib>).
		4206
		4207	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is at
		4208	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.
		4209
		4210	=item Python
		4211
		4212	Python bindings can be found at L<http://code.google.com/p/pyev/>. It
		4213	seems to be quite complete and well-documented.
		4214
		4215	=item Ruby
		4216
		4217	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset
		4218	of the libev API and adds file handle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and
		4219	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at
		4220	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.
		4221
		4222	Roger Pack reports that using the link order C<-lws2_32 -lmsvcrt-ruby-190>
		4223	makes rev work even on mingw.
		4224
		4225	=item Haskell
		4226
		4227	A haskell binding to libev is available at
		4228	L<http://hackage.haskell.org/cgi-bin/hackage-scripts/package/hlibev>.
		4229
		4230	=item D
		4231
		4232	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to
		4233	be found at L<http://www.llucax.com.ar/proj/ev.d/index.html>.
		4234
		4235	=item Ocaml
		4236
		4237	Erkki Seppala has written Ocaml bindings for libev, to be found at
		4238	L<http://modeemi.cs.tut.fi/~flux/software/ocaml-ev/>.
		4239
		4240	=item Lua
		4241
		4242	Brian Maher has written a partial interface to libev for lua (at the
		4243	time of this writing, only C<ev_io> and C<ev_timer>), to be found at
		4244	L<http://github.com/brimworks/lua-ev>.
		4245
		4246	=item Javascript
		4247
		4248	Node.js (L<http://nodejs.org>) uses libev as the underlying event library.
		4249
		4250	=item Others
		4251
		4252	There are others, and I stopped counting.
		4253
		4254	=back
2433		4255
2434		4256
2435	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	4257	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
2436		4258
2437	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal	4259	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamental
2438	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)	4260	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
2439	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	4261	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
2440		4262
2441	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	4263	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
2442	following macros are defined:	4264	following macros are defined:
…		…
2447		4269
2448	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev	4270	This provides the loop I<argument> for functions, if one is required ("ev
2449	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,	4271	loop argument"). The C<EV_A> form is used when this is the sole argument,
2450	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:	4272	C<EV_A_> is used when other arguments are following. Example:
2451		4273
2452	ev_unref (EV_A);	4274	ev_unref (EV_A);
2453	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);	4275	ev_timer_add (EV_A_ watcher);
2454	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);	4276	ev_run (EV_A_ 0);
2455		4277
2456	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,	4278	It assumes the variable C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *> is in scope,
2457	which is often provided by the following macro.	4279	which is often provided by the following macro.
2458		4280
2459	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>	4281	=item C<EV_P>, C<EV_P_>
2460		4282
2461	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev	4283	This provides the loop I<parameter> for functions, if one is required ("ev
2462	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,	4284	loop parameter"). The C<EV_P> form is used when this is the sole parameter,
2463	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:	4285	C<EV_P_> is used when other parameters are following. Example:
2464		4286
2465	// this is how ev_unref is being declared	4287	// this is how ev_unref is being declared
2466	static void ev_unref (EV_P);	4288	static void ev_unref (EV_P);
2467		4289
2468	// this is how you can declare your typical callback	4290	// this is how you can declare your typical callback
2469	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	4291	static void cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
2470		4292
2471	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite	4293	It declares a parameter C<loop> of type C<struct ev_loop *>, quite
2472	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.	4294	suitable for use with C<EV_A>.
2473		4295
2474	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>	4296	=item C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_>
2475		4297
2476	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default	4298	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default
2477	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").	4299	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default"). The default loop
		4300	will be initialised if it isn't already initialised.
		4301
		4302	For non-multiplicity builds, these macros do nothing, so you always have
		4303	to initialise the loop somewhere.
		4304
		4305	=item C<EV_DEFAULT_UC>, C<EV_DEFAULT_UC_>
		4306
		4307	Usage identical to C<EV_DEFAULT> and C<EV_DEFAULT_>, but requires that the
		4308	default loop has been initialised (C<UC> == unchecked). Their behaviour
		4309	is undefined when the default loop has not been initialised by a previous
		4310	execution of C<EV_DEFAULT>, C<EV_DEFAULT_> or C<ev_default_init (...)>.
		4311
		4312	It is often prudent to use C<EV_DEFAULT> when initialising the first
		4313	watcher in a function but use C<EV_DEFAULT_UC> afterwards.
2478		4314
2479	=back	4315	=back
2480		4316
2481	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above	4317	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above
2482	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported	4318	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported
2483	or not.	4319	or not.
2484		4320
2485	static void	4321	static void
2486	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	4322	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
2487	{	4323	{
2488	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);	4324	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);
2489	}	4325	}
2490		4326
2491	ev_check check;	4327	ev_check check;
2492	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);	4328	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);
2493	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);	4329	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);
2494	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);	4330	ev_run (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);
2495		4331
2496	=head1 EMBEDDING	4332	=head1 EMBEDDING
2497		4333
2498	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	4334	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
2499	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	4335	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
…		…
2506	libev somewhere in your source tree).	4342	libev somewhere in your source tree).
2507		4343
2508	=head2 FILESETS	4344	=head2 FILESETS
2509		4345
2510	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files	4346	Depending on what features you need you need to include one or more sets of files
2511	in your app.	4347	in your application.
2512		4348
2513	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP	4349	=head3 CORE EVENT LOOP
2514		4350
2515	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual	4351	To include only the libev core (all the C<ev_*> functions), with manual
2516	configuration (no autoconf):	4352	configuration (no autoconf):
2517		4353
2518	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	4354	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
2519	#include "ev.c"	4355	#include "ev.c"
2520		4356
2521	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a	4357	This will automatically include F<ev.h>, too, and should be done in a
2522	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use	4358	single C source file only to provide the function implementations. To use
2523	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best	4359	it, do the same for F<ev.h> in all files wishing to use this API (best
2524	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and	4360	done by writing a wrapper around F<ev.h> that you can include instead and
2525	where you can put other configuration options):	4361	where you can put other configuration options):
2526		4362
2527	#define EV_STANDALONE 1	4363	#define EV_STANDALONE 1
2528	#include "ev.h"	4364	#include "ev.h"
2529		4365
2530	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++	4366	Both header files and implementation files can be compiled with a C++
2531	compiler (at least, thats a stated goal, and breakage will be treated	4367	compiler (at least, that's a stated goal, and breakage will be treated
2532	as a bug).	4368	as a bug).
2533		4369
2534	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory	4370	You need the following files in your source tree, or in a directory
2535	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):	4371	in your include path (e.g. in libev/ when using -Ilibev):
2536		4372
2537	ev.h	4373	ev.h
2538	ev.c	4374	ev.c
2539	ev_vars.h	4375	ev_vars.h
2540	ev_wrap.h	4376	ev_wrap.h
2541		4377
2542	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only	4378	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only
2543		4379
2544	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)	4380	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)
2545	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4381	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2546	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4382	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2547	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4383	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2548	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)	4384	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)
2549		4385
2550	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need	4386	F<ev.c> includes the backend files directly when enabled, so you only need
2551	to compile this single file.	4387	to compile this single file.
2552		4388
2553	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API	4389	=head3 LIBEVENT COMPATIBILITY API
2554		4390
2555	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:	4391	To include the libevent compatibility API, also include:
2556		4392
2557	#include "event.c"	4393	#include "event.c"
2558		4394
2559	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:	4395	in the file including F<ev.c>, and:
2560		4396
2561	#include "event.h"	4397	#include "event.h"
2562		4398
2563	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.	4399	in the files that want to use the libevent API. This also includes F<ev.h>.
2564		4400
2565	You need the following additional files for this:	4401	You need the following additional files for this:
2566		4402
2567	event.h	4403	event.h
2568	event.c	4404	event.c
2569		4405
2570	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT	4406	=head3 AUTOCONF SUPPORT
2571		4407
2572	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your config in	4408	Instead of using C<EV_STANDALONE=1> and providing your configuration in
2573	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your	4409	whatever way you want, you can also C<m4_include([libev.m4])> in your
2574	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then	4410	F<configure.ac> and leave C<EV_STANDALONE> undefined. F<ev.c> will then
2575	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.	4411	include F<config.h> and configure itself accordingly.
2576		4412
2577	For this of course you need the m4 file:	4413	For this of course you need the m4 file:
2578		4414
2579	libev.m4	4415	libev.m4
2580		4416
2581	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS	4417	=head2 PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS
2582		4418
2583	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to define	4419	Libev can be configured via a variety of preprocessor symbols you have to
2584	before including any of its files. The default is not to build for multiplicity	4420	define before including (or compiling) any of its files. The default in
2585	and only include the select backend.	4421	the absence of autoconf is documented for every option.
		4422
		4423	Symbols marked with "(h)" do not change the ABI, and can have different
		4424	values when compiling libev vs. including F<ev.h>, so it is permissible
		4425	to redefine them before including F<ev.h> without breaking compatibility
		4426	to a compiled library. All other symbols change the ABI, which means all
		4427	users of libev and the libev code itself must be compiled with compatible
		4428	settings.
2586		4429
2587	=over 4	4430	=over 4
2588		4431
		4432	=item EV_COMPAT3 (h)
		4433
		4434	Backwards compatibility is a major concern for libev. This is why this
		4435	release of libev comes with wrappers for the functions and symbols that
		4436	have been renamed between libev version 3 and 4.
		4437
		4438	You can disable these wrappers (to test compatibility with future
		4439	versions) by defining C<EV_COMPAT3> to C<0> when compiling your
		4440	sources. This has the additional advantage that you can drop the C<struct>
		4441	from C<struct ev_loop> declarations, as libev will provide an C<ev_loop>
		4442	typedef in that case.
		4443
		4444	In some future version, the default for C<EV_COMPAT3> will become C<0>,
		4445	and in some even more future version the compatibility code will be
		4446	removed completely.
		4447
2589	=item EV_STANDALONE	4448	=item EV_STANDALONE (h)
2590		4449
2591	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which	4450	Must always be C<1> if you do not use autoconf configuration, which
2592	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy	4451	keeps libev from including F<config.h>, and it also defines dummy
2593	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not	4452	implementations for some libevent functions (such as logging, which is not
2594	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in	4453	supported). It will also not define any of the structs usually found in
2595	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.	4454	F<event.h> that are not directly supported by the libev core alone.
2596		4455
		4456	In standalone mode, libev will still try to automatically deduce the
		4457	configuration, but has to be more conservative.
		4458
		4459	=item EV_USE_FLOOR
		4460
		4461	If defined to be C<1>, libev will use the C<floor ()> function for its
		4462	periodic reschedule calculations, otherwise libev will fall back on a
		4463	portable (slower) implementation. If you enable this, you usually have to
		4464	link against libm or something equivalent. Enabling this when the C<floor>
		4465	function is not available will fail, so the safe default is to not enable
		4466	this.
		4467
2597	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC	4468	=item EV_USE_MONOTONIC
2598		4469
2599	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	4470	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2600	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	4471	monotonic clock option at both compile time and runtime. Otherwise no
2601	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	4472	use of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this,
2602	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	4473	you usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it
2603	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have	4474	when the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
2604	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	4475	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
2605	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	4476	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>). See also C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
2606		4477
2607	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	4478	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
2608		4479
2609	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	4480	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2610	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	4481	real-time clock option at compile time (and assume its availability
2611	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	4482	at runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the real-time clock
2612	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	4483	option will be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday>
2613	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the	4484	by C<clock_get (CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect
2614	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	4485	correctness. See the note about libraries in the description of
		4486	C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though. Defaults to the opposite value of
		4487	C<EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL>.
		4488
		4489	=item EV_USE_CLOCK_SYSCALL
		4490
		4491	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to use a direct syscall instead
		4492	of calling the system-provided C<clock_gettime> function. This option
		4493	exists because on GNU/Linux, C<clock_gettime> is in C<librt>, but C<librt>
		4494	unconditionally pulls in C<libpthread>, slowing down single-threaded
		4495	programs needlessly. Using a direct syscall is slightly slower (in
		4496	theory), because no optimised vdso implementation can be used, but avoids
		4497	the pthread dependency. Defaults to C<1> on GNU/Linux with glibc 2.x or
		4498	higher, as it simplifies linking (no need for C<-lrt>).
2615		4499
2616	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP	4500	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
2617		4501
2618	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available	4502	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
2619	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.	4503	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
2620		4504
		4505	=item EV_USE_EVENTFD
		4506
		4507	If defined to be C<1>, then libev will assume that C<eventfd ()> is
		4508	available and will probe for kernel support at runtime. This will improve
		4509	C<ev_signal> and C<ev_async> performance and reduce resource consumption.
		4510	If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc
		4511	2.7 or newer, otherwise disabled.
		4512
2621	=item EV_USE_SELECT	4513	=item EV_USE_SELECT
2622		4514
2623	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	4515	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
2624	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	4516	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at auto-detection will be done: if no
2625	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend	4517	other method takes over, select will be it. Otherwise the select backend
2626	will not be compiled in.	4518	will not be compiled in.
2627		4519
2628	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET	4520	=item EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET
2629		4521
2630	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>	4522	If defined to C<1>, then the select backend will use the system C<fd_set>
2631	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing	4523	structure. This is useful if libev doesn't compile due to a missing
2632	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it misguesses the bitset layout on	4524	C<NFDBITS> or C<fd_mask> definition or it mis-guesses the bitset layout
2633	exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to some	4525	on exotic systems. This usually limits the range of file descriptors to
2634	low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket only	4526	some low limit such as 1024 or might have other limitations (winsocket
2635	allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation, might	4527	only allows 64 sockets). The C<FD_SETSIZE> macro, set before compilation,
2636	influence the size of the C<fd_set> used.	4528	configures the maximum size of the C<fd_set>.
2637		4529
2638	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET	4530	=item EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET
2639		4531
2640	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that	4532	When defined to C<1>, the select backend will assume that
2641	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but	4533	select/socket/connect etc. don't understand file descriptors but
…		…
2643	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	4535	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
2644	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	4536	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
2645	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	4537	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
2646	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	4538	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
2647		4539
2648	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE	4540	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE(fd)
2649		4541
2650	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map	4542	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
2651	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the	4543	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
2652	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually	4544	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
2653	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,	4545	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
2654	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.	4546	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
2655		4547
		4548	=item EV_WIN32_HANDLE_TO_FD(handle)
		4549
		4550	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> then libev maps handles to file descriptors
		4551	using the standard C<_open_osfhandle> function. For programs implementing
		4552	their own fd to handle mapping, overwriting this function makes it easier
		4553	to do so. This can be done by defining this macro to an appropriate value.
		4554
		4555	=item EV_WIN32_CLOSE_FD(fd)
		4556
		4557	If programs implement their own fd to handle mapping on win32, then this
		4558	macro can be used to override the C<close> function, useful to unregister
		4559	file descriptors again. Note that the replacement function has to close
		4560	the underlying OS handle.
		4561
		4562	=item EV_USE_WSASOCKET
		4563
		4564	If defined to be C<1>, libev will use C<WSASocket> to create its internal
		4565	communication socket, which works better in some environments. Otherwise,
		4566	the normal C<socket> function will be used, which works better in other
		4567	environments.
		4568
2656	=item EV_USE_POLL	4569	=item EV_USE_POLL
2657		4570
2658	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	4571	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
2659	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	4572	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
2660	takes precedence over select.	4573	takes precedence over select.
2661		4574
2662	=item EV_USE_EPOLL	4575	=item EV_USE_EPOLL
2663		4576
2664	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux	4577	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux
2665	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,	4578	C<epoll>(7) backend. Its availability will be detected at runtime,
2666	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the	4579	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
2667	preferred backend for GNU/Linux systems.	4580	backend for GNU/Linux systems. If undefined, it will be enabled if the
		4581	headers indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
2668		4582
2669	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE	4583	=item EV_USE_KQUEUE
2670		4584
2671	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style	4585	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the BSD style
2672	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,	4586	C<kqueue>(2) backend. Its actual availability will be detected at runtime,
…		…
2685	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred	4599	otherwise another method will be used as fallback. This is the preferred
2686	backend for Solaris 10 systems.	4600	backend for Solaris 10 systems.
2687		4601
2688	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL	4602	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL
2689		4603
2690	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.	4604	Reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.
2691		4605
2692	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY	4606	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
2693		4607
2694	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify	4608	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
2695	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will	4609	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
2696	be detected at runtime.	4610	be detected at runtime. If undefined, it will be enabled if the headers
		4611	indicate GNU/Linux + Glibc 2.4 or newer, otherwise disabled.
		4612
		4613	=item EV_NO_SMP
		4614
		4615	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that memory is always coherent
		4616	between threads, that is, threads can be used, but threads never run on
		4617	different cpus (or different cpu cores). This reduces dependencies
		4618	and makes libev faster.
		4619
		4620	=item EV_NO_THREADS
		4621
		4622	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that it will never be called
		4623	from different threads, which is a stronger assumption than C<EV_NO_SMP>,
		4624	above. This reduces dependencies and makes libev faster.
2697		4625
2698	=item EV_ATOMIC_T	4626	=item EV_ATOMIC_T
2699		4627
2700	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose	4628	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose
2701	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such	4629	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No
2702	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type	4630	such type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own
2703	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"	4631	type that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal
2704	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.	4632	handler "locking" as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async>
		4633	watchers.
2705		4634
2706	In the absense of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>	4635	In the absence of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
2707	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.	4636	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.
2708		4637
2709	=item EV_H	4638	=item EV_H (h)
2710		4639
2711	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	4640	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
2712	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be	4641	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
2713	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	4642	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
2714		4643
2715	=item EV_CONFIG_H	4644	=item EV_CONFIG_H (h)
2716		4645
2717	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	4646	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
2718	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	4647	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
2719	C<EV_H>, above.	4648	C<EV_H>, above.
2720		4649
2721	=item EV_EVENT_H	4650	=item EV_EVENT_H (h)
2722		4651
2723	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	4652	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
2724	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.	4653	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
2725		4654
2726	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	4655	=item EV_PROTOTYPES (h)
2727		4656
2728	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	4657	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2729	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	4658	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
2730	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions	4659	occasionally useful if you want to provide your own wrapper functions
2731	around libev functions.	4660	around libev functions.
…		…
2736	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create	4665	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create
2737	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support	4666	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support
2738	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer	4667	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer
2739	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.	4668	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.
2740		4669
		4670	Note that C<EV_DEFAULT> and C<EV_DEFAULT_> will no longer provide a
		4671	default loop when multiplicity is switched off - you always have to
		4672	initialise the loop manually in this case.
		4673
2741	=item EV_MINPRI	4674	=item EV_MINPRI
2742		4675
2743	=item EV_MAXPRI	4676	=item EV_MAXPRI
2744		4677
2745	The range of allowed priorities. C<EV_MINPRI> must be smaller or equal to	4678	The range of allowed priorities. C<EV_MINPRI> must be smaller or equal to
…		…
2750	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search	4683	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search
2751	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space	4684	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space
2752	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually	4685	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually
2753	fine.	4686	fine.
2754		4687
2755	If your embedding app does not need any priorities, defining these both to	4688	If your embedding application does not need any priorities, defining these
2756	C<0> will save some memory and cpu.	4689	both to C<0> will save some memory and CPU.
2757		4690
2758	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE	4691	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE, EV_IDLE_ENABLE, EV_EMBED_ENABLE, EV_STAT_ENABLE,
		4692	EV_PREPARE_ENABLE, EV_CHECK_ENABLE, EV_FORK_ENABLE, EV_SIGNAL_ENABLE,
		4693	EV_ASYNC_ENABLE, EV_CHILD_ENABLE.
2759		4694
2760	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If	4695	If undefined or defined to be C<1> (and the platform supports it), then
2761	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of	4696	the respective watcher type is supported. If defined to be C<0>, then it
2762	code.	4697	is not. Disabling watcher types mainly saves code size.
2763		4698
2764	=item EV_IDLE_ENABLE	4699	=item EV_FEATURES
2765
2766	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then idle watchers are supported. If
2767	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
2768	code.
2769
2770	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE
2771
2772	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If
2773	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2774
2775	=item EV_STAT_ENABLE
2776
2777	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then stat watchers are supported. If
2778	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2779
2780	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2781
2782	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
2783	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2784
2785	=item EV_ASYNC_ENABLE
2786
2787	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then async watchers are supported. If
2788	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2789
2790	=item EV_MINIMAL
2791		4700
2792	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	4701	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
2793	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override	4702	speed (but with the full API), you can define this symbol to request
2794	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.	4703	certain subsets of functionality. The default is to enable all features
		4704	that can be enabled on the platform.
		4705
		4706	A typical way to use this symbol is to define it to C<0> (or to a bitset
		4707	with some broad features you want) and then selectively re-enable
		4708	additional parts you want, for example if you want everything minimal,
		4709	but multiple event loop support, async and child watchers and the poll
		4710	backend, use this:
		4711
		4712	#define EV_FEATURES 0
		4713	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 1
		4714	#define EV_USE_POLL 1
		4715	#define EV_CHILD_ENABLE 1
		4716	#define EV_ASYNC_ENABLE 1
		4717
		4718	The actual value is a bitset, it can be a combination of the following
		4719	values (by default, all of these are enabled):
		4720
		4721	=over 4
		4722
		4723	=item C<1> - faster/larger code
		4724
		4725	Use larger code to speed up some operations.
		4726
		4727	Currently this is used to override some inlining decisions (enlarging the
		4728	code size by roughly 30% on amd64).
		4729
		4730	When optimising for size, use of compiler flags such as C<-Os> with
		4731	gcc is recommended, as well as C<-DNDEBUG>, as libev contains a number of
		4732	assertions.
		4733
		4734	The default is off when C<__OPTIMIZE_SIZE__> is defined by your compiler
		4735	(e.g. gcc with C<-Os>).
		4736
		4737	=item C<2> - faster/larger data structures
		4738
		4739	Replaces the small 2-heap for timer management by a faster 4-heap, larger
		4740	hash table sizes and so on. This will usually further increase code size
		4741	and can additionally have an effect on the size of data structures at
		4742	runtime.
		4743
		4744	The default is off when C<__OPTIMIZE_SIZE__> is defined by your compiler
		4745	(e.g. gcc with C<-Os>).
		4746
		4747	=item C<4> - full API configuration
		4748
		4749	This enables priorities (sets C<EV_MAXPRI>=2 and C<EV_MINPRI>=-2), and
		4750	enables multiplicity (C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>=1).
		4751
		4752	=item C<8> - full API
		4753
		4754	This enables a lot of the "lesser used" API functions. See C<ev.h> for
		4755	details on which parts of the API are still available without this
		4756	feature, and do not complain if this subset changes over time.
		4757
		4758	=item C<16> - enable all optional watcher types
		4759
		4760	Enables all optional watcher types. If you want to selectively enable
		4761	only some watcher types other than I/O and timers (e.g. prepare,
		4762	embed, async, child...) you can enable them manually by defining
		4763	C<EV_watchertype_ENABLE> to C<1> instead.
		4764
		4765	=item C<32> - enable all backends
		4766
		4767	This enables all backends - without this feature, you need to enable at
		4768	least one backend manually (C<EV_USE_SELECT> is a good choice).
		4769
		4770	=item C<64> - enable OS-specific "helper" APIs
		4771
		4772	Enable inotify, eventfd, signalfd and similar OS-specific helper APIs by
		4773	default.
		4774
		4775	=back
		4776
		4777	Compiling with C<gcc -Os -DEV_STANDALONE -DEV_USE_EPOLL=1 -DEV_FEATURES=0>
		4778	reduces the compiled size of libev from 24.7Kb code/2.8Kb data to 6.5Kb
		4779	code/0.3Kb data on my GNU/Linux amd64 system, while still giving you I/O
		4780	watchers, timers and monotonic clock support.
		4781
		4782	With an intelligent-enough linker (gcc+binutils are intelligent enough
		4783	when you use C<-Wl,--gc-sections -ffunction-sections>) functions unused by
		4784	your program might be left out as well - a binary starting a timer and an
		4785	I/O watcher then might come out at only 5Kb.
		4786
		4787	=item EV_API_STATIC
		4788
		4789	If this symbol is defined (by default it is not), then all identifiers
		4790	will have static linkage. This means that libev will not export any
		4791	identifiers, and you cannot link against libev anymore. This can be useful
		4792	when you embed libev, only want to use libev functions in a single file,
		4793	and do not want its identifiers to be visible.
		4794
		4795	To use this, define C<EV_API_STATIC> and include F<ev.c> in the file that
		4796	wants to use libev.
		4797
		4798	This option only works when libev is compiled with a C compiler, as C++
		4799	doesn't support the required declaration syntax.
		4800
		4801	=item EV_AVOID_STDIO
		4802
		4803	If this is set to C<1> at compiletime, then libev will avoid using stdio
		4804	functions (printf, scanf, perror etc.). This will increase the code size
		4805	somewhat, but if your program doesn't otherwise depend on stdio and your
		4806	libc allows it, this avoids linking in the stdio library which is quite
		4807	big.
		4808
		4809	Note that error messages might become less precise when this option is
		4810	enabled.
		4811
		4812	=item EV_NSIG
		4813
		4814	The highest supported signal number, +1 (or, the number of
		4815	signals): Normally, libev tries to deduce the maximum number of signals
		4816	automatically, but sometimes this fails, in which case it can be
		4817	specified. Also, using a lower number than detected (C<32> should be
		4818	good for about any system in existence) can save some memory, as libev
		4819	statically allocates some 12-24 bytes per signal number.
2795		4820
2796	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE	4821	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE
2797		4822
2798	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	4823	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2799	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more	4824	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_FEATURES> disabled),
2800	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	4825	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you
2801	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).	4826	might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
2802		4827
2803	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE	4828	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
2804		4829
2805	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	4830	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2806	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),	4831	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_FEATURES>
2807	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>	4832	disabled), usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of
2808	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of	4833	C<ev_stat> watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a
2809	two).	4834	power of two).
		4835
		4836	=item EV_USE_4HEAP
		4837
		4838	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
		4839	timer and periodics heaps, libev uses a 4-heap when this symbol is defined
		4840	to C<1>. The 4-heap uses more complicated (longer) code but has noticeably
		4841	faster performance with many (thousands) of watchers.
		4842
		4843	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
		4844	will be C<0>.
		4845
		4846	=item EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT
		4847
		4848	Heaps are not very cache-efficient. To improve the cache-efficiency of the
		4849	timer and periodics heaps, libev can cache the timestamp (I<at>) within
		4850	the heap structure (selected by defining C<EV_HEAP_CACHE_AT> to C<1>),
		4851	which uses 8-12 bytes more per watcher and a few hundred bytes more code,
		4852	but avoids random read accesses on heap changes. This improves performance
		4853	noticeably with many (hundreds) of watchers.
		4854
		4855	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
		4856	will be C<0>.
		4857
		4858	=item EV_VERIFY
		4859
		4860	Controls how much internal verification (see C<ev_verify ()>) will
		4861	be done: If set to C<0>, no internal verification code will be compiled
		4862	in. If set to C<1>, then verification code will be compiled in, but not
		4863	called. If set to C<2>, then the internal verification code will be
		4864	called once per loop, which can slow down libev. If set to C<3>, then the
		4865	verification code will be called very frequently, which will slow down
		4866	libev considerably.
		4867
		4868	The default is C<1>, unless C<EV_FEATURES> overrides it, in which case it
		4869	will be C<0>.
2810		4870
2811	=item EV_COMMON	4871	=item EV_COMMON
2812		4872
2813	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining	4873	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining
2814	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of	4874	this macro to something else you can include more and other types of
2815	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,	4875	members. You have to define it each time you include one of the files,
2816	though, and it must be identical each time.	4876	though, and it must be identical each time.
2817		4877
2818	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:	4878	For example, the perl EV module uses something like this:
2819		4879
2820	#define EV_COMMON \	4880	#define EV_COMMON \
2821	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \	4881	SV *self; /* contains this struct */ \
2822	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */	4882	SV *cb_sv, *fh /* note no trailing ";" */
2823		4883
2824	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)	4884	=item EV_CB_DECLARE (type)
2825		4885
2826	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)	4886	=item EV_CB_INVOKE (watcher, revents)
2827		4887
…		…
2832	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for	4892	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
2833	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	4893	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
2834	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	4894	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
2835	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	4895	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
2836		4896
		4897	=back
		4898
2837	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS	4899	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
2838		4900
2839	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of	4901	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a DLL) and you need a list of
2840	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list	4902	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
2841	all public symbols, one per line:	4903	all public symbols, one per line:
2842		4904
2843	Symbols.ev for libev proper	4905	Symbols.ev for libev proper
2844	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation	4906	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
2845		4907
2846	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with	4908	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
2847	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in	4909	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
2848	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).	4910	itself, but sometimes it is inconvenient to avoid this).
2849		4911
2850	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to	4912	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
2851	include before including F<ev.h>:	4913	include before including F<ev.h>:
2852		4914
2853	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h	4915	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
…		…
2870	file.	4932	file.
2871		4933
2872	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file	4934	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file
2873	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:	4935	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:
2874		4936
2875	#define EV_MINIMAL 1	4937	#define EV_FEATURES 8
2876	#define EV_USE_POLL 0	4938	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
2877	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0
2878	#define EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE 0	4939	#define EV_PREPARE_ENABLE 1
		4940	#define EV_IDLE_ENABLE 1
2879	#define EV_STAT_ENABLE 0	4941	#define EV_SIGNAL_ENABLE 1
2880	#define EV_FORK_ENABLE 0	4942	#define EV_CHILD_ENABLE 1
		4943	#define EV_USE_STDEXCEPT 0
2881	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>	4944	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>
2882	#define EV_MINPRI 0
2883	#define EV_MAXPRI 0
2884		4945
2885	#include "ev++.h"	4946	#include "ev++.h"
2886		4947
2887	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:	4948	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
2888		4949
2889	#include "ev_cpp.h"	4950	#include "ev_cpp.h"
2890	#include "ev.c"	4951	#include "ev.c"
2891		4952
		4953	=head1 INTERACTION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS, LIBRARIES OR THE ENVIRONMENT
2892		4954
2893	=head1 COMPLEXITIES	4955	=head2 THREADS AND COROUTINES
2894		4956
2895	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside	4957	=head3 THREADS
2896	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the
2897	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
2898		4958
2899	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be	4959	All libev functions are reentrant and thread-safe unless explicitly
2900	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this	4960	documented otherwise, but libev implements no locking itself. This means
2901	happens asymptotically never with higher number of elements, so O(1) might	4961	that you can use as many loops as you want in parallel, as long as there
2902	mean it might do a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on average	4962	are no concurrent calls into any libev function with the same loop
2903	it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.	4963	parameter (C<ev_default_*> calls have an implicit default loop parameter,
		4964	of course): libev guarantees that different event loops share no data
		4965	structures that need any locking.
		4966
		4967	Or to put it differently: calls with different loop parameters can be done
		4968	concurrently from multiple threads, calls with the same loop parameter
		4969	must be done serially (but can be done from different threads, as long as
		4970	only one thread ever is inside a call at any point in time, e.g. by using
		4971	a mutex per loop).
		4972
		4973	Specifically to support threads (and signal handlers), libev implements
		4974	so-called C<ev_async> watchers, which allow some limited form of
		4975	concurrency on the same event loop, namely waking it up "from the
		4976	outside".
		4977
		4978	If you want to know which design (one loop, locking, or multiple loops
		4979	without or something else still) is best for your problem, then I cannot
		4980	help you, but here is some generic advice:
2904		4981
2905	=over 4	4982	=over 4
2906		4983
2907	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	4984	=item * most applications have a main thread: use the default libev loop
		4985	in that thread, or create a separate thread running only the default loop.
2908		4986
2909	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and	4987	This helps integrating other libraries or software modules that use libev
2910	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will	4988	themselves and don't care/know about threading.
2911	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
2912		4989
2913	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	4990	=item * one loop per thread is usually a good model.
2914		4991
2915	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them	4992	Doing this is almost never wrong, sometimes a better-performance model
2916	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.	4993	exists, but it is always a good start.
2917		4994
2918	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)	4995	=item * other models exist, such as the leader/follower pattern, where one
		4996	loop is handed through multiple threads in a kind of round-robin fashion.
2919		4997
2920	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.	4998	Choosing a model is hard - look around, learn, know that usually you can do
		4999	better than you currently do :-)
2921		5000
2922	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)	5001	=item * often you need to talk to some other thread which blocks in the
		5002	event loop.
2923		5003
2924	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))	5004	C<ev_async> watchers can be used to wake them up from other threads safely
		5005	(or from signal contexts...).
2925		5006
2926	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the	5007	An example use would be to communicate signals or other events that only
2927	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually	5008	work in the default loop by registering the signal watcher with the
2928	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).	5009	default loop and triggering an C<ev_async> watcher from the default loop
2929		5010	watcher callback into the event loop interested in the signal.
2930	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
2931
2932	By virtue of using a binary heap, the next timer is always found at the
2933	beginning of the storage array.
2934
2935	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
2936
2937	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
2938	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
2939	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
2940
2941	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
2942
2943	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
2944
2945	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
2946	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
2947	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
2948	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. priority handling.
2949
2950	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
2951
2952	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
2953
2954	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
2955
2956	Sending involves a syscall I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
2957	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events
2958	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.
2959		5011
2960	=back	5012	=back
2961		5013
		5014	See also L</THREAD LOCKING EXAMPLE>.
2962		5015
2963	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds	5016	=head3 COROUTINES
		5017
		5018	Libev is very accommodating to coroutines ("cooperative threads"):
		5019	libev fully supports nesting calls to its functions from different
		5020	coroutines (e.g. you can call C<ev_run> on the same loop from two
		5021	different coroutines, and switch freely between both coroutines running
		5022	the loop, as long as you don't confuse yourself). The only exception is
		5023	that you must not do this from C<ev_periodic> reschedule callbacks.
		5024
		5025	Care has been taken to ensure that libev does not keep local state inside
		5026	C<ev_run>, and other calls do not usually allow for coroutine switches as
		5027	they do not call any callbacks.
		5028
		5029	=head2 COMPILER WARNINGS
		5030
		5031	Depending on your compiler and compiler settings, you might get no or a
		5032	lot of warnings when compiling libev code. Some people are apparently
		5033	scared by this.
		5034
		5035	However, these are unavoidable for many reasons. For one, each compiler
		5036	has different warnings, and each user has different tastes regarding
		5037	warning options. "Warn-free" code therefore cannot be a goal except when
		5038	targeting a specific compiler and compiler-version.
		5039
		5040	Another reason is that some compiler warnings require elaborate
		5041	workarounds, or other changes to the code that make it less clear and less
		5042	maintainable.
		5043
		5044	And of course, some compiler warnings are just plain stupid, or simply
		5045	wrong (because they don't actually warn about the condition their message
		5046	seems to warn about). For example, certain older gcc versions had some
		5047	warnings that resulted in an extreme number of false positives. These have
		5048	been fixed, but some people still insist on making code warn-free with
		5049	such buggy versions.
		5050
		5051	While libev is written to generate as few warnings as possible,
		5052	"warn-free" code is not a goal, and it is recommended not to build libev
		5053	with any compiler warnings enabled unless you are prepared to cope with
		5054	them (e.g. by ignoring them). Remember that warnings are just that:
		5055	warnings, not errors, or proof of bugs.
		5056
		5057
		5058	=head2 VALGRIND
		5059
		5060	Valgrind has a special section here because it is a popular tool that is
		5061	highly useful. Unfortunately, valgrind reports are very hard to interpret.
		5062
		5063	If you think you found a bug (memory leak, uninitialised data access etc.)
		5064	in libev, then check twice: If valgrind reports something like:
		5065
		5066	==2274== definitely lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		5067	==2274== possibly lost: 0 bytes in 0 blocks.
		5068	==2274== still reachable: 256 bytes in 1 blocks.
		5069
		5070	Then there is no memory leak, just as memory accounted to global variables
		5071	is not a memleak - the memory is still being referenced, and didn't leak.
		5072
		5073	Similarly, under some circumstances, valgrind might report kernel bugs
		5074	as if it were a bug in libev (e.g. in realloc or in the poll backend,
		5075	although an acceptable workaround has been found here), or it might be
		5076	confused.
		5077
		5078	Keep in mind that valgrind is a very good tool, but only a tool. Don't
		5079	make it into some kind of religion.
		5080
		5081	If you are unsure about something, feel free to contact the mailing list
		5082	with the full valgrind report and an explanation on why you think this
		5083	is a bug in libev (best check the archives, too :). However, don't be
		5084	annoyed when you get a brisk "this is no bug" answer and take the chance
		5085	of learning how to interpret valgrind properly.
		5086
		5087	If you need, for some reason, empty reports from valgrind for your project
		5088	I suggest using suppression lists.
		5089
		5090
		5091	=head1 PORTABILITY NOTES
		5092
		5093	=head2 GNU/LINUX 32 BIT LIMITATIONS
		5094
		5095	GNU/Linux is the only common platform that supports 64 bit file/large file
		5096	interfaces but I<disables> them by default.
		5097
		5098	That means that libev compiled in the default environment doesn't support
		5099	files larger than 2GiB or so, which mainly affects C<ev_stat> watchers.
		5100
		5101	Unfortunately, many programs try to work around this GNU/Linux issue
		5102	by enabling the large file API, which makes them incompatible with the
		5103	standard libev compiled for their system.
		5104
		5105	Likewise, libev cannot enable the large file API itself as this would
		5106	suddenly make it incompatible to the default compile time environment,
		5107	i.e. all programs not using special compile switches.
		5108
		5109	=head2 OS/X AND DARWIN BUGS
		5110
		5111	The whole thing is a bug if you ask me - basically any system interface
		5112	you touch is broken, whether it is locales, poll, kqueue or even the
		5113	OpenGL drivers.
		5114
		5115	=head3 C<kqueue> is buggy
		5116
		5117	The kqueue syscall is broken in all known versions - most versions support
		5118	only sockets, many support pipes.
		5119
		5120	Libev tries to work around this by not using C<kqueue> by default on this
		5121	rotten platform, but of course you can still ask for it when creating a
		5122	loop - embedding a socket-only kqueue loop into a select-based one is
		5123	probably going to work well.
		5124
		5125	=head3 C<poll> is buggy
		5126
		5127	Instead of fixing C<kqueue>, Apple replaced their (working) C<poll>
		5128	implementation by something calling C<kqueue> internally around the 10.5.6
		5129	release, so now C<kqueue> I<and> C<poll> are broken.
		5130
		5131	Libev tries to work around this by not using C<poll> by default on
		5132	this rotten platform, but of course you can still ask for it when creating
		5133	a loop.
		5134
		5135	=head3 C<select> is buggy
		5136
		5137	All that's left is C<select>, and of course Apple found a way to fuck this
		5138	one up as well: On OS/X, C<select> actively limits the number of file
		5139	descriptors you can pass in to 1024 - your program suddenly crashes when
		5140	you use more.
		5141
		5142	There is an undocumented "workaround" for this - defining
		5143	C<_DARWIN_UNLIMITED_SELECT>, which libev tries to use, so select I<should>
		5144	work on OS/X.
		5145
		5146	=head2 SOLARIS PROBLEMS AND WORKAROUNDS
		5147
		5148	=head3 C<errno> reentrancy
		5149
		5150	The default compile environment on Solaris is unfortunately so
		5151	thread-unsafe that you can't even use components/libraries compiled
		5152	without C<-D_REENTRANT> in a threaded program, which, of course, isn't
		5153	defined by default. A valid, if stupid, implementation choice.
		5154
		5155	If you want to use libev in threaded environments you have to make sure
		5156	it's compiled with C<_REENTRANT> defined.
		5157
		5158	=head3 Event port backend
		5159
		5160	The scalable event interface for Solaris is called "event
		5161	ports". Unfortunately, this mechanism is very buggy in all major
		5162	releases. If you run into high CPU usage, your program freezes or you get
		5163	a large number of spurious wakeups, make sure you have all the relevant
		5164	and latest kernel patches applied. No, I don't know which ones, but there
		5165	are multiple ones to apply, and afterwards, event ports actually work
		5166	great.
		5167
		5168	If you can't get it to work, you can try running the program by setting
		5169	the environment variable C<LIBEV_FLAGS=3> to only allow C<poll> and
		5170	C<select> backends.
		5171
		5172	=head2 AIX POLL BUG
		5173
		5174	AIX unfortunately has a broken C<poll.h> header. Libev works around
		5175	this by trying to avoid the poll backend altogether (i.e. it's not even
		5176	compiled in), which normally isn't a big problem as C<select> works fine
		5177	with large bitsets on AIX, and AIX is dead anyway.
		5178
		5179	=head2 WIN32 PLATFORM LIMITATIONS AND WORKAROUNDS
		5180
		5181	=head3 General issues
2964		5182
2965	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev	5183	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
2966	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX	5184	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
2967	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in	5185	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
2968	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket	5186	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
2969	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using	5187	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
2970	e.g. cygwin.	5188	e.g. cygwin. Actually, it only applies to the microsofts own compilers,
		5189	as every compiler comes with a slightly differently broken/incompatible
		5190	environment.
		5191
		5192	Lifting these limitations would basically require the full
		5193	re-implementation of the I/O system. If you are into this kind of thing,
		5194	then note that glib does exactly that for you in a very portable way (note
		5195	also that glib is the slowest event library known to man).
2971		5196
2972	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except	5197	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
2973	embedding it into other applications.	5198	embedding it into other applications.
2974		5199
		5200	Sensible signal handling is officially unsupported by Microsoft - libev
		5201	tries its best, but under most conditions, signals will simply not work.
		5202
		5203	Not a libev limitation but worth mentioning: windows apparently doesn't
		5204	accept large writes: instead of resulting in a partial write, windows will
		5205	either accept everything or return C<ENOBUFS> if the buffer is too large,
		5206	so make sure you only write small amounts into your sockets (less than a
		5207	megabyte seems safe, but this apparently depends on the amount of memory
		5208	available).
		5209
2975	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and the	5210	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and
2976	abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets is not	5211	the abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets
2977	recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use more than	5212	is not recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use
2978	a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally different	5213	more than a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally
2979	implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX model, which cannot	5214	different implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX readiness
2980	be implemented efficiently on windows (microsoft monopoly games).	5215	notification model, which cannot be implemented efficiently on windows
		5216	(due to Microsoft monopoly games).
2981		5217
2982	=over 4	5218	A typical way to use libev under windows is to embed it (see the embedding
		5219	section for details) and use the following F<evwrap.h> header file instead
		5220	of F<ev.h>:
2983		5221
		5222	#define EV_STANDALONE /* keeps ev from requiring config.h */
		5223	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* configure libev for windows select */
		5224
		5225	#include "ev.h"
		5226
		5227	And compile the following F<evwrap.c> file into your project (make sure
		5228	you do I<not> compile the F<ev.c> or any other embedded source files!):
		5229
		5230	#include "evwrap.h"
		5231	#include "ev.c"
		5232
2984	=item The winsocket select function	5233	=head3 The winsocket C<select> function
2985		5234
2986	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires	5235	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it
2987	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select	5236	requires socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors> (it is
2988	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors	5237	also extremely buggy). This makes select very inefficient, and also
2989	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,	5238	requires a mapping from file descriptors to socket handles (the Microsoft
2990	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor	5239	C runtime provides the function C<_open_osfhandle> for this). See the
2991	symbols for more info.	5240	discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>, C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and
		5241	C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor symbols for more info.
2992		5242
2993	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime	5243	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the Microsoft runtime
2994	libraries and raw winsocket select is:	5244	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
2995		5245
2996	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1	5246	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
2997	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */	5247	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
2998		5248
2999	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a	5249	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
3000	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.	5250	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
3001		5251
3002	=item Limited number of file descriptors	5252	=head3 Limited number of file descriptors
3003		5253
3004	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things. Early versions	5254	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things.
3005	of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a max. of C<64> handles	5255
		5256	Early versions of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a maximum
3006	(probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels can only wait for	5257	of C<64> handles (probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels
3007	C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft recommends spawning a	5258	can only wait for C<64> things at the same time internally; Microsoft
3008	chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the previous thread in each).	5259	recommends spawning a chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the
		5260	previous thread in each. Sounds great!).
3009		5261
3010	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>	5262	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
3011	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select	5263	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
3012	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own	5264	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl and many
3013	select emulation on windows).	5265	other interpreters do their own select emulation on windows).
3014		5266
3015	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime	5267	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the Microsoft runtime
3016	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish	5268	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64>
3017	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling	5269	fetish or something like this inside Microsoft). You can increase this
3018	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another	5270	by calling C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048>
3019	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime	5271	(another arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the Microsoft
3020	libraries.
3021
3022	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on	5272	runtime libraries. This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets
3023	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to	5273	(depending on windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more,
3024	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of	5274	you need to wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but
3025	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.	5275	the cost of calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		5276
		5277	=head2 PORTABILITY REQUIREMENTS
		5278
		5279	In addition to a working ISO-C implementation and of course the
		5280	backend-specific APIs, libev relies on a few additional extensions:
		5281
		5282	=over 4
		5283
		5284	=item C<void (*)(ev_watcher_type *, int revents)> must have compatible
		5285	calling conventions regardless of C<ev_watcher_type *>.
		5286
		5287	Libev assumes not only that all watcher pointers have the same internal
		5288	structure (guaranteed by POSIX but not by ISO C for example), but it also
		5289	assumes that the same (machine) code can be used to call any watcher
		5290	callback: The watcher callbacks have different type signatures, but libev
		5291	calls them using an C<ev_watcher *> internally.
		5292
		5293	=item pointer accesses must be thread-atomic
		5294
		5295	Accessing a pointer value must be atomic, it must both be readable and
		5296	writable in one piece - this is the case on all current architectures.
		5297
		5298	=item C<sig_atomic_t volatile> must be thread-atomic as well
		5299
		5300	The type C<sig_atomic_t volatile> (or whatever is defined as
		5301	C<EV_ATOMIC_T>) must be atomic with respect to accesses from different
		5302	threads. This is not part of the specification for C<sig_atomic_t>, but is
		5303	believed to be sufficiently portable.
		5304
		5305	=item C<sigprocmask> must work in a threaded environment
		5306
		5307	Libev uses C<sigprocmask> to temporarily block signals. This is not
		5308	allowed in a threaded program (C<pthread_sigmask> has to be used). Typical
		5309	pthread implementations will either allow C<sigprocmask> in the "main
		5310	thread" or will block signals process-wide, both behaviours would
		5311	be compatible with libev. Interaction between C<sigprocmask> and
		5312	C<pthread_sigmask> could complicate things, however.
		5313
		5314	The most portable way to handle signals is to block signals in all threads
		5315	except the initial one, and run the signal handling loop in the initial
		5316	thread as well.
		5317
		5318	=item C<long> must be large enough for common memory allocation sizes
		5319
		5320	To improve portability and simplify its API, libev uses C<long> internally
		5321	instead of C<size_t> when allocating its data structures. On non-POSIX
		5322	systems (Microsoft...) this might be unexpectedly low, but is still at
		5323	least 31 bits everywhere, which is enough for hundreds of millions of
		5324	watchers.
		5325
		5326	=item C<double> must hold a time value in seconds with enough accuracy
		5327
		5328	The type C<double> is used to represent timestamps. It is required to
		5329	have at least 51 bits of mantissa (and 9 bits of exponent), which is
		5330	good enough for at least into the year 4000 with millisecond accuracy
		5331	(the design goal for libev). This requirement is overfulfilled by
		5332	implementations using IEEE 754, which is basically all existing ones.
		5333
		5334	With IEEE 754 doubles, you get microsecond accuracy until at least the
		5335	year 2255 (and millisecond accuracy till the year 287396 - by then, libev
		5336	is either obsolete or somebody patched it to use C<long double> or
		5337	something like that, just kidding).
3026		5338
3027	=back	5339	=back
3028		5340
		5341	If you know of other additional requirements drop me a note.
		5342
		5343
		5344	=head1 ALGORITHMIC COMPLEXITIES
		5345
		5346	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
		5347	libev will be documented. For complexity discussions about backends see
		5348	the documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
		5349
		5350	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be
		5351	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this
		5352	happens asymptotically rarer with higher number of elements, so O(1) might
		5353	mean that libev does a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on
		5354	average it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.
		5355
		5356	=over 4
		5357
		5358	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
		5359
		5360	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
		5361	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that, then inserting will
		5362	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
		5363
		5364	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
		5365
		5366	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them,
		5367	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
		5368
		5369	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
		5370
		5371	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		5372
		5373	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
		5374
		5375	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
		5376
		5377	These watchers are stored in lists, so they need to be walked to find the
		5378	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
		5379	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal: one is typical, two
		5380	is rare).
		5381
		5382	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		5383
		5384	By virtue of using a binary or 4-heap, the next timer is always found at a
		5385	fixed position in the storage array.
		5386
		5387	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
		5388
		5389	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
		5390	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		5391	on backend and whether C<ev_io_set> was used).
		5392
		5393	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
		5394
		5395	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
		5396
		5397	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
		5398	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
		5399	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		5400	watchers becomes O(1) with respect to priority handling.
		5401
		5402	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		5403
		5404	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		5405
		5406	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		5407
		5408	Sending involves a system call I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		5409	calls in the current loop iteration and the loop is currently
		5410	blocked. Checking for async and signal events involves iterating over all
		5411	running async watchers or all signal numbers.
		5412
		5413	=back
		5414
		5415
		5416	=head1 PORTING FROM LIBEV 3.X TO 4.X
		5417
		5418	The major version 4 introduced some incompatible changes to the API.
		5419
		5420	At the moment, the C<ev.h> header file provides compatibility definitions
		5421	for all changes, so most programs should still compile. The compatibility
		5422	layer might be removed in later versions of libev, so better update to the
		5423	new API early than late.
		5424
		5425	=over 4
		5426
		5427	=item C<EV_COMPAT3> backwards compatibility mechanism
		5428
		5429	The backward compatibility mechanism can be controlled by
		5430	C<EV_COMPAT3>. See L</PREPROCESSOR SYMBOLS/MACROS> in the L</EMBEDDING>
		5431	section.
		5432
		5433	=item C<ev_default_destroy> and C<ev_default_fork> have been removed
		5434
		5435	These calls can be replaced easily by their C<ev_loop_xxx> counterparts:
		5436
		5437	ev_loop_destroy (EV_DEFAULT_UC);
		5438	ev_loop_fork (EV_DEFAULT);
		5439
		5440	=item function/symbol renames
		5441
		5442	A number of functions and symbols have been renamed:
		5443
		5444	ev_loop => ev_run
		5445	EVLOOP_NONBLOCK => EVRUN_NOWAIT
		5446	EVLOOP_ONESHOT => EVRUN_ONCE
		5447
		5448	ev_unloop => ev_break
		5449	EVUNLOOP_CANCEL => EVBREAK_CANCEL
		5450	EVUNLOOP_ONE => EVBREAK_ONE
		5451	EVUNLOOP_ALL => EVBREAK_ALL
		5452
		5453	EV_TIMEOUT => EV_TIMER
		5454
		5455	ev_loop_count => ev_iteration
		5456	ev_loop_depth => ev_depth
		5457	ev_loop_verify => ev_verify
		5458
		5459	Most functions working on C<struct ev_loop> objects don't have an
		5460	C<ev_loop_> prefix, so it was removed; C<ev_loop>, C<ev_unloop> and
		5461	associated constants have been renamed to not collide with the C<struct
		5462	ev_loop> anymore and C<EV_TIMER> now follows the same naming scheme
		5463	as all other watcher types. Note that C<ev_loop_fork> is still called
		5464	C<ev_loop_fork> because it would otherwise clash with the C<ev_fork>
		5465	typedef.
		5466
		5467	=item C<EV_MINIMAL> mechanism replaced by C<EV_FEATURES>
		5468
		5469	The preprocessor symbol C<EV_MINIMAL> has been replaced by a different
		5470	mechanism, C<EV_FEATURES>. Programs using C<EV_MINIMAL> usually compile
		5471	and work, but the library code will of course be larger.
		5472
		5473	=back
		5474
		5475
		5476	=head1 GLOSSARY
		5477
		5478	=over 4
		5479
		5480	=item active
		5481
		5482	A watcher is active as long as it has been started and not yet stopped.
		5483	See L</WATCHER STATES> for details.
		5484
		5485	=item application
		5486
		5487	In this document, an application is whatever is using libev.
		5488
		5489	=item backend
		5490
		5491	The part of the code dealing with the operating system interfaces.
		5492
		5493	=item callback
		5494
		5495	The address of a function that is called when some event has been
		5496	detected. Callbacks are being passed the event loop, the watcher that
		5497	received the event, and the actual event bitset.
		5498
		5499	=item callback/watcher invocation
		5500
		5501	The act of calling the callback associated with a watcher.
		5502
		5503	=item event
		5504
		5505	A change of state of some external event, such as data now being available
		5506	for reading on a file descriptor, time having passed or simply not having
		5507	any other events happening anymore.
		5508
		5509	In libev, events are represented as single bits (such as C<EV_READ> or
		5510	C<EV_TIMER>).
		5511
		5512	=item event library
		5513
		5514	A software package implementing an event model and loop.
		5515
		5516	=item event loop
		5517
		5518	An entity that handles and processes external events and converts them
		5519	into callback invocations.
		5520
		5521	=item event model
		5522
		5523	The model used to describe how an event loop handles and processes
		5524	watchers and events.
		5525
		5526	=item pending
		5527
		5528	A watcher is pending as soon as the corresponding event has been
		5529	detected. See L</WATCHER STATES> for details.
		5530
		5531	=item real time
		5532
		5533	The physical time that is observed. It is apparently strictly monotonic :)
		5534
		5535	=item wall-clock time
		5536
		5537	The time and date as shown on clocks. Unlike real time, it can actually
		5538	be wrong and jump forwards and backwards, e.g. when you adjust your
		5539	clock.
		5540
		5541	=item watcher
		5542
		5543	A data structure that describes interest in certain events. Watchers need
		5544	to be started (attached to an event loop) before they can receive events.
		5545
		5546	=back
3029		5547
3030	=head1 AUTHOR	5548	=head1 AUTHOR
3031		5549
3032	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	5550	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>, with repeated corrections by Mikael
		5551	Magnusson and Emanuele Giaquinta, and minor corrections by many others.
3033		5552

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