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Revision 1.53 by root, Tue Nov 27 20:15:02 2007 UTC vs.
Revision 1.131 by root, Tue Feb 19 17:09:28 2008 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	/* this is the only header you need */
8	#include <ev.h>	7	#include <ev.h>
9		8
10	/* what follows is a fully working example program */	9	=head2 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
		10
		11	#include <ev.h>
		12
11	ev_io stdin_watcher;	13	ev_io stdin_watcher;
12	ev_timer timeout_watcher;	14	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
13		15
14	/* called when data readable on stdin */	16	/* called when data readable on stdin */
15	static void	17	static void
…		…
46	return 0;	48	return 0;
47	}	49	}
48		50
49	=head1 DESCRIPTION	51	=head1 DESCRIPTION
50		52
		53	The newest version of this document is also available as a html-formatted
		54	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first
		55	time: L<http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.html>.
		56
51	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	57	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
52	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occuring), and it will manage	58	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage
53	these event sources and provide your program with events.	59	these event sources and provide your program with events.
54		60
55	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process	61	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process
56	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then	62	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then
57	communicate events via a callback mechanism.	63	communicate events via a callback mechanism.
…		…
59	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event	65	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event
60	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the	66	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the
61	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the	67	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the
62	watcher.	68	watcher.
63		69
64	=head1 FEATURES	70	=head2 FEATURES
65		71
66	Libev supports select, poll, the linux-specific epoll and the bsd-specific	72	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
67	kqueue mechanisms for file descriptor events, relative timers, absolute	73	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
68	timers with customised rescheduling, signal events, process status change	74	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
69	events (related to SIGCHLD), and event watchers dealing with the event	75	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers
70	loop mechanism itself (idle, prepare and check watchers). It also is quite	76	with customised rescheduling (C<ev_periodic>), synchronous signals
		77	(C<ev_signal>), process status change events (C<ev_child>), and event
		78	watchers dealing with the event loop mechanism itself (C<ev_idle>,
		79	C<ev_embed>, C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> watchers) as well as
		80	file watchers (C<ev_stat>) and even limited support for fork events
		81	(C<ev_fork>).
		82
		83	It also is quite fast (see this
71	fast (see this L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing	84	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
72	it to libevent for example).	85	for example).
73		86
74	=head1 CONVENTIONS	87	=head2 CONVENTIONS
75		88
76	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration	89	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration will
77	will be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info	90	be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info about
78	about various configuration options please have a look at the file	91	various configuration options please have a look at B<EMBED> section in
79	F<README.embed> in the libev distribution. If libev was configured without	92	this manual. If libev was configured without support for multiple event
80	support for multiple event loops, then all functions taking an initial	93	loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of name C<loop>
81	argument of name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>)	94	(which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have this argument.
82	will not have this argument.
83		95
84	=head1 TIME REPRESENTATION	96	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION
85		97
86	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	98	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the
87	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	99	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near
88	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	100	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is
89	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	101	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases
90	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on	102	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on
91	it, you should treat it as such.	103	it, you should treat it as some floatingpoint value. Unlike the name
		104	component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for time differences
		105	throughout libev.
92		106
93	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	107	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
94		108
95	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	109	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
96	library in any way.	110	library in any way.
…		…
101		115
102	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the	116	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the
103	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp	117	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp
104	you actually want to know.	118	you actually want to know.
105		119
		120	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)
		121
		122	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until
		123	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically
		124	this is a subsecond-resolution C<sleep ()>.
		125
106	=item int ev_version_major ()	126	=item int ev_version_major ()
107		127
108	=item int ev_version_minor ()	128	=item int ev_version_minor ()
109		129
110	You can find out the major and minor version numbers of the library	130	You can find out the major and minor ABI version numbers of the library
111	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and	131	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and
112	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global	132	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global
113	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the	133	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the
114	version of the library your program was compiled against.	134	version of the library your program was compiled against.
115		135
		136	These version numbers refer to the ABI version of the library, not the
		137	release version.
		138
116	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,	139	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,
117	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	140	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
118	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	141	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
119	not a problem.	142	not a problem.
120		143
121	Example: make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong	144	Example: Make sure we haven't accidentally been linked against the wrong
122	version:	145	version.
123		146
124	assert (("libev version mismatch",	147	assert (("libev version mismatch",
125	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR	148	ev_version_major () == EV_VERSION_MAJOR
126	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));	149	&& ev_version_minor () >= EV_VERSION_MINOR));
127		150
…		…
155	C<ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for	178	C<ev_embeddable_backends () & ev_supported_backends ()>, likewise for
156	recommended ones.	179	recommended ones.
157		180
158	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.	181	See the description of C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
159		182
160	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, size_t size))	183	=item ev_set_allocator (void *(*cb)(void *ptr, long size))
161		184
162	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype and semantics are	185	Sets the allocation function to use (the prototype is similar - the
163	identical to the realloc C function). It is used to allocate and free	186	semantics is identical - to the realloc C function). It is used to
164	memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when memory needs to be	187	allocate and free memory (no surprises here). If it returns zero when
165	allocated, the library might abort or take some potentially destructive	188	memory needs to be allocated, the library might abort or take some
166	action. The default is your system realloc function.	189	potentially destructive action. The default is your system realloc
		190	function.
167		191
168	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,	192	You could override this function in high-availability programs to, say,
169	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,	193	free some memory if it cannot allocate memory, to use a special allocator,
170	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.	194	or even to sleep a while and retry until some memory is available.
171		195
172	Example: replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then	196	Example: Replace the libev allocator with one that waits a bit and then
173	retries: better than mine).	197	retries).
174		198
175	static void *	199	static void *
176	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)	200	persistent_realloc (void *ptr, size_t size)
177	{	201	{
178	for (;;)	202	for (;;)
…		…
197	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no	221	callback is set, then libev will expect it to remedy the sitution, no
198	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the	222	matter what, when it returns. That is, libev will generally retry the
199	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff	223	requested operation, or, if the condition doesn't go away, do bad stuff
200	(such as abort).	224	(such as abort).
201		225
202	Example: do the same thing as libev does internally:	226	Example: This is basically the same thing that libev does internally, too.
203		227
204	static void	228	static void
205	fatal_error (const char *msg)	229	fatal_error (const char *msg)
206	{	230	{
207	perror (msg);	231	perror (msg);
…		…
236	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	260	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).
237		261
238	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	262	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
239	function.	263	function.
240		264
		265	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and
		266	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler
		267	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your app you can either
		268	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you
		269	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling
		270	C<ev_default_init>.
		271
241	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	272	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
242	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).	273	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
243		274
244	The following flags are supported:	275	The following flags are supported:
245		276
…		…
257	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will	288	C<LIBEV_FLAGS>. Otherwise (the default), this environment variable will
258	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is	289	override the flags completely if it is found in the environment. This is
259	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work	290	useful to try out specific backends to test their performance, or to work
260	around bugs.	291	around bugs.
261		292
		293	=item C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>
		294
		295	Instead of calling C<ev_default_fork> or C<ev_loop_fork> manually after
		296	a fork, you can also make libev check for a fork in each iteration by
		297	enabling this flag.
		298
		299	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
		301	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
		303	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my Linux system also has
		304	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
		305
		306	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
		308	flag.
		309
		310	This flag setting cannot be overriden or specified in the C<LIBEV_FLAGS>
		311	environment variable.
		312
262	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	313	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
263		314
264	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	315	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
265	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	316	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
266	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	317	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
267	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its usually	318	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
268	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.	319	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
		320
		321	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
		323	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
		325	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
		326	readyness notifications you get per iteration.
269		327
270	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	328	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
271		329
272	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than	330	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated
273	select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial limit on the	331	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
274	number of fds you can use (except it will slow down considerably with a	332	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down
275	lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select, i.e. O(total_fds).	333	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
		335	performance tips.
276		336
277	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	337	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
278		338
279	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	339	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,
280	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like	340	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale
281	O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd), epoll scales	341	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),
282	either O(1) or O(active_fds).	342	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds). The epoll design has a number
		343	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect
		344	cases and rewiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad
		345	support for dup.
283		346
284	While stopping and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration will	347	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
285	result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	348	will result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident
286	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	349	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its
287	best to avoid that. Also, dup()ed file descriptors might not work very	350	best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors might not work
288	well if you register events for both fds.	351	very well if you register events for both fds.
289		352
290	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you	353	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
291	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data	354	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
292	(or space) is available.	355	(or space) is available.
293		356
		357	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.
		359	keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times.
		360
		361	While nominally embeddeble in other event loops, this feature is broken in
		362	all kernel versions tested so far.
		363
294	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	364	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
295		365
296	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	366	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
297	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work with	367	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably
298	anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course its	368	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
299	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected"	369	it's completely useless). For this reason it's not being "autodetected"
300	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using	370	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using
301	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>).	371	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
		372	system like NetBSD.
		373
		374	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
		376	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
302		377
303	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	378	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
304	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	379	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
305	course). While starting and stopping an I/O watcher does not cause an	380	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never
306	extra syscall as with epoll, it still adds up to four event changes per	381	cause an extra syscall as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
307	incident, so its best to avoid that.	382	two event changes per incident, support for C<fork ()> is very bad and it
		383	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.
		384
		385	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
		386
		387	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
		389	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
		391	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>) and using it only for
		392	sockets.
308		393
309	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	394	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
310		395
311	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).	396	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
		398	and is not embeddable, which would limit the usefulness of this backend
		399	immensely.
312		400
313	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	401	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
314		402
315	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	403	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
316	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	404	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
317		405
318	Please note that solaris ports can result in a lot of spurious	406	Please note that solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
319	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid	407	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
320	blocking when no data (or space) is available.	408	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
		409
		410	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
		412	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
		413	might perform better.
		414
		415	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readyness notifications, this
		416	backend actually performed to specification in all tests and is fully
		417	embeddable, which is a rare feat among the OS-specific backends.
321		418
322	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	419	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
323		420
324	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	421	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
325	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	422	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
326	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	423	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
327		424
		425	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.
		426
328	=back	427	=back
329		428
330	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	429	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these
331	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as given here). If none are	430	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed here). If none are
332	specified, most compiled-in backend will be tried, usually in reverse	431	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.
333	order of their flag values :)
334		432
335	The most typical usage is like this:	433	The most typical usage is like this:
336		434
337	if (!ev_default_loop (0))	435	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
338	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");	436	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
…		…
353	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is	451	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
354	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot	452	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
355	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by	453	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
356	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).	454	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
357		455
358	Example: try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.	456	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
359		457
360	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	458	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
361	if (!epoller)	459	if (!epoller)
362	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");	460	fatal ("no epoll found here, maybe it hides under your chair");
363		461
…		…
366	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	464	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state
367	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal	465	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
368	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your	466	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
369	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>	467	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>
370	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually	468	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
371	the easiest thing, youc na just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them	469	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
372	for example).	470	for example).
		471
		472	Note that certain global state, such as signal state, will not be freed by
		473	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)
		474	would need to be stopped manually.
		475
		476	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the
		477	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling
		478	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use
		479	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).
373		480
374	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	481	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
375		482
376	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	483	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
377	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.	484	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
378		485
379	=item ev_default_fork ()	486	=item ev_default_fork ()
380		487
		488	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations
381	This function reinitialises the kernel state for backends that have	489	to reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
382	one. Despite the name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense	490	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
383	after forking, in either the parent or child process (or both, but that	491	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little
384	again makes little sense).	492	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev
		493	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.
385		494
386	You I<must> call this function in the child process after forking if and	495	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
387	only if you want to use the event library in both processes. If you just	496	process if and only if you want to use the event library in the child. If
388	fork+exec, you don't have to call it.	497	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.
389		498
390	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	499	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call
391	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	500	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in
392	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:	501	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
393		502
394	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	503	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);
395		504
396	At the moment, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL> are safe to use
397	without calling this function, so if you force one of those backends you
398	do not need to care.
399
400	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	505	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
401		506
402	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	507	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
403	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop	508	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
404	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.	509	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
		510
		511	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
		512
		513	Returns true when the given loop actually is the default loop, false otherwise.
		514
		515	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)
		516
		517	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to
		518	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and
		519	happily wraps around with enough iterations.
		520
		521	This value can sometimes be useful as a generation counter of sorts (it
		522	"ticks" the number of loop iterations), as it roughly corresponds with
		523	C<ev_prepare> and C<ev_check> calls.
405		524
406	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)	525	=item unsigned int ev_backend (loop)
407		526
408	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in	527	Returns one of the C<EVBACKEND_*> flags indicating the event backend in
409	use.	528	use.
…		…
412		531
413	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop	532	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop
414	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	533	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
415	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base	534	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
416	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the	535	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
417	event occuring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	536	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
418		537
419	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	538	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)
420		539
421	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	540	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
422	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	541	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling
…		…
443	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is	562	libev watchers. However, a pair of C<ev_prepare>/C<ev_check> watchers is
444	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	563	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
445		564
446	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	565	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:
447		566
448	* If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.	567	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
449	- Queue prepare watchers and then call all outstanding watchers.	568	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
		569	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.
		570	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
450	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	571	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.
451	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	572	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
452	- Update the "event loop time".	573	- Update the "event loop time".
453	- Calculate for how long to block.	574	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
		575	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having
		576	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
		577	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
454	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	578	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
455	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	579	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
456	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	580	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.
457	- Queue all outstanding timers.	581	- Queue all outstanding timers.
458	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	582	- Queue all outstanding periodics.
459	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	583	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.
460	- Queue all check watchers.	584	- Queue all check watchers.
461	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	585	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
462	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	586	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
463	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	587	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
464	- If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	588	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK
465	were used, return, otherwise continue with step *.	589	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise
		590	continue with step *.
466		591
467	Example: queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outsanding	592	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
468	anymore.	593	anymore.
469		594
470	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	595	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
471	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	596	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
472	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	597	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);
…		…
476		601
477	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	602	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it
478	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	603	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
479	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	604	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or
480	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	605	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.
		606
		607	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.
481		608
482	=item ev_ref (loop)	609	=item ev_ref (loop)
483		610
484	=item ev_unref (loop)	611	=item ev_unref (loop)
485		612
…		…
490	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	617	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For
491	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	618	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not
492	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	619	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if
493	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	620	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent
494	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	621	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party
495	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>.	622	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>
		623	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,
		624	respectively).
496		625
497	Example: create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	626	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>
498	running when nothing else is active.	627	running when nothing else is active.
499		628
500	struct dv_signal exitsig;	629	struct ev_signal exitsig;
501	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);	630	ev_signal_init (&exitsig, sig_cb, SIGINT);
502	ev_signal_start (myloop, &exitsig);	631	ev_signal_start (loop, &exitsig);
503	evf_unref (myloop);	632	evf_unref (loop);
504		633
505	Example: for some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	634	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
506		635
507	ev_ref (myloop);	636	ev_ref (loop);
508	ev_signal_stop (myloop, &exitsig);	637	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
		638
		639	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		640
		641	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		642
		643	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
		644	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to
		645	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.
		646
		647	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
		648	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to
		649	increase efficiency of loop iterations.
		650
		651	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to
		652	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes
		653	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
		654	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
		655	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
		656
		657	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
		658	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
		659	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
		660	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
		661	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.
		662
		663	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
		664	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
		665	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers
		666	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce
		667	any overhead in libev.
		668
		669	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect
		670	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
		671	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
		672	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
		673	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.
509		674
510	=back	675	=back
511		676
512		677
513	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	678	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
…		…
613	=item C<EV_FORK>	778	=item C<EV_FORK>
614		779
615	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	780	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
616	C<ev_fork>).	781	C<ev_fork>).
617		782
		783	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
		784
		785	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
		786
618	=item C<EV_ERROR>	787	=item C<EV_ERROR>
619		788
620	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	789	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might
621	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	790	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
622	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other	791	ran out of memory, a file descriptor was found to be closed or any other
…		…
693	=item bool ev_is_pending (ev_TYPE *watcher)	862	=item bool ev_is_pending (ev_TYPE *watcher)
694		863
695	Returns a true value iff the watcher is pending, (i.e. it has outstanding	864	Returns a true value iff the watcher is pending, (i.e. it has outstanding
696	events but its callback has not yet been invoked). As long as a watcher	865	events but its callback has not yet been invoked). As long as a watcher
697	is pending (but not active) you must not call an init function on it (but	866	is pending (but not active) you must not call an init function on it (but
698	C<ev_TYPE_set> is safe) and you must make sure the watcher is available to	867	C<ev_TYPE_set> is safe), you must not change its priority, and you must
699	libev (e.g. you cnanot C<free ()> it).	868	make sure the watcher is available to libev (e.g. you cannot C<free ()>
		869	it).
700		870
701	=item callback = ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)	871	=item callback ev_cb (ev_TYPE *watcher)
702		872
703	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.	873	Returns the callback currently set on the watcher.
704		874
705	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)	875	=item ev_cb_set (ev_TYPE *watcher, callback)
706		876
707	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time	877	Change the callback. You can change the callback at virtually any time
708	(modulo threads).	878	(modulo threads).
		879
		880	=item ev_set_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher, priority)
		881
		882	=item int ev_priority (ev_TYPE *watcher)
		883
		884	Set and query the priority of the watcher. The priority is a small
		885	integer between C<EV_MAXPRI> (default: C<2>) and C<EV_MINPRI>
		886	(default: C<-2>). Pending watchers with higher priority will be invoked
		887	before watchers with lower priority, but priority will not keep watchers
		888	from being executed (except for C<ev_idle> watchers).
		889
		890	This means that priorities are I<only> used for ordering callback
		891	invocation after new events have been received. This is useful, for
		892	example, to reduce latency after idling, or more often, to bind two
		893	watchers on the same event and make sure one is called first.
		894
		895	If you need to suppress invocation when higher priority events are pending
		896	you need to look at C<ev_idle> watchers, which provide this functionality.
		897
		898	You I<must not> change the priority of a watcher as long as it is active or
		899	pending.
		900
		901	The default priority used by watchers when no priority has been set is
		902	always C<0>, which is supposed to not be too high and not be too low :).
		903
		904	Setting a priority outside the range of C<EV_MINPRI> to C<EV_MAXPRI> is
		905	fine, as long as you do not mind that the priority value you query might
		906	or might not have been adjusted to be within valid range.
		907
		908	=item ev_invoke (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher, int revents)
		909
		910	Invoke the C<watcher> with the given C<loop> and C<revents>. Neither
		911	C<loop> nor C<revents> need to be valid as long as the watcher callback
		912	can deal with that fact.
		913
		914	=item int ev_clear_pending (loop, ev_TYPE *watcher)
		915
		916	If the watcher is pending, this function returns clears its pending status
		917	and returns its C<revents> bitset (as if its callback was invoked). If the
		918	watcher isn't pending it does nothing and returns C<0>.
709		919
710	=back	920	=back
711		921
712		922
713	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER	923	=head2 ASSOCIATING CUSTOM DATA WITH A WATCHER
…		…
734	{	944	{
735	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;	945	struct my_io *w = (struct my_io *)w_;
736	...	946	...
737	}	947	}
738		948
739	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of catsing your callback type	949	More interesting and less C-conformant ways of casting your callback type
740	have been omitted....	950	instead have been omitted.
		951
		952	Another common scenario is having some data structure with multiple
		953	watchers:
		954
		955	struct my_biggy
		956	{
		957	int some_data;
		958	ev_timer t1;
		959	ev_timer t2;
		960	}
		961
		962	In this case getting the pointer to C<my_biggy> is a bit more complicated,
		963	you need to use C<offsetof>:
		964
		965	#include <stddef.h>
		966
		967	static void
		968	t1_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		969	{
		970	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *
		971	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t1));
		972	}
		973
		974	static void
		975	t2_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
		976	{
		977	struct my_biggy big = (struct my_biggy *
		978	(((char *)w) - offsetof (struct my_biggy, t2));
		979	}
741		980
742		981
743	=head1 WATCHER TYPES	982	=head1 WATCHER TYPES
744		983
745	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat	984	This section describes each watcher in detail, but will not repeat
…		…
769	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1008	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
770	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1009	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
771	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1010	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
772	required if you know what you are doing).	1011	required if you know what you are doing).
773		1012
774	You have to be careful with dup'ed file descriptors, though. Some backends
775	(the linux epoll backend is a notable example) cannot handle dup'ed file
776	descriptors correctly if you register interest in two or more fds pointing
777	to the same underlying file/socket/etc. description (that is, they share
778	the same underlying "file open").
779
780	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend	1013	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
781	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and	1014	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
782	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).	1015	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
783		1016
784	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1017	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
…		…
790	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning	1023	it is best to always use non-blocking I/O: An extra C<read>(2) returning
791	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.	1024	C<EAGAIN> is far preferable to a program hanging until some data arrives.
792		1025
793	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not	1026	If you cannot run the fd in non-blocking mode (for example you should not
794	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test	1027	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test
795	wether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface	1028	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface
796	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1029	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on
797	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1030	its own, so its quite safe to use).
		1031
		1032	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
		1033
		1034	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
		1035	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,
		1036	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
		1037	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
		1038	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
		1039	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
		1040	fact, a different file descriptor.
		1041
		1042	To avoid having to explicitly tell libev about such cases, libev follows
		1043	the following policy: Each time C<ev_io_set> is being called, libev
		1044	will assume that this is potentially a new file descriptor, otherwise
		1045	it is assumed that the file descriptor stays the same. That means that
		1046	you I<have> to call C<ev_io_set> (or C<ev_io_init>) when you change the
		1047	descriptor even if the file descriptor number itself did not change.
		1048
		1049	This is how one would do it normally anyway, the important point is that
		1050	the libev application should not optimise around libev but should leave
		1051	optimisations to libev.
		1052
		1053	=head3 The special problem of dup'ed file descriptors
		1054
		1055	Some backends (e.g. epoll), cannot register events for file descriptors,
		1056	but only events for the underlying file descriptions. That means when you
		1057	have C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors or weirder constellations, and register
		1058	events for them, only one file descriptor might actually receive events.
		1059
		1060	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
		1061	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
		1062	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1063
		1064	=head3 The special problem of fork
		1065
		1066	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
		1067	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
		1068	it in the child.
		1069
		1070	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call
		1071	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,
		1072	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or
		1073	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1074
		1075
		1076	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
798		1077
799	=over 4	1078	=over 4
800		1079
801	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1080	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
802		1081
…		…
814		1093
815	The events being watched.	1094	The events being watched.
816		1095
817	=back	1096	=back
818		1097
		1098	=head3 Examples
		1099
819	Example: call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1100	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
820	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1101	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
821	attempt to read a whole line in the callback:	1102	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
822		1103
823	static void	1104	static void
824	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1105	stdin_readable_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)
825	{	1106	{
826	ev_io_stop (loop, w);	1107	ev_io_stop (loop, w);
…		…
856		1137
857	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	1138	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,
858	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	1139	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then
859	order of execution is undefined.	1140	order of execution is undefined.
860		1141
		1142	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1143
861	=over 4	1144	=over 4
862		1145
863	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1146	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
864		1147
865	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1148	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
…		…
878	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	1161	=item ev_timer_again (loop)
879		1162
880	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	1163	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is
881	repeating. The exact semantics are:	1164	repeating. The exact semantics are:
882		1165
		1166	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
		1167
883	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it.	1168	If the timer is started but nonrepeating, stop it (as if it timed out).
884		1169
885	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the repeat	1170	If the timer is repeating, either start it if necessary (with the
886	value), or reset the running timer to the repeat value.	1171	C<repeat> value), or reset the running timer to the C<repeat> value.
887		1172
888	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical	1173	This sounds a bit complicated, but here is a useful and typical
889	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called	1174	example: Imagine you have a tcp connection and you want a so-called idle
890	idle timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been,	1175	timeout, that is, you want to be called when there have been, say, 60
891	say, 60 seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do	1176	seconds of inactivity on the socket. The easiest way to do this is to
892	this is to configure an C<ev_timer> with C<after>=C<repeat>=C<60> and calling	1177	configure an C<ev_timer> with a C<repeat> value of C<60> and then call
893	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If	1178	C<ev_timer_again> each time you successfully read or write some data. If
894	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the	1179	you go into an idle state where you do not expect data to travel on the
895	socket, you can stop the timer, and again will automatically restart it if	1180	socket, you can C<ev_timer_stop> the timer, and C<ev_timer_again> will
896	need be.	1181	automatically restart it if need be.
897		1182
898	You can also ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start> altogether	1183	That means you can ignore the C<after> value and C<ev_timer_start>
899	and only ever use the C<repeat> value:	1184	altogether and only ever use the C<repeat> value and C<ev_timer_again>:
900		1185
901	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);	1186	ev_timer_init (timer, callback, 0., 5.);
902	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);	1187	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
903	...	1188	...
904	timer->again = 17.;	1189	timer->again = 17.;
905	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);	1190	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
906	...	1191	...
907	timer->again = 10.;	1192	timer->again = 10.;
908	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);	1193	ev_timer_again (loop, timer);
909		1194
910	This is more efficient then stopping/starting the timer eahc time you want	1195	This is more slightly efficient then stopping/starting the timer each time
911	to modify its timeout value.	1196	you want to modify its timeout value.
912		1197
913	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]	1198	=item ev_tstamp repeat [read-write]
914		1199
915	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out	1200	The current C<repeat> value. Will be used each time the watcher times out
916	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	1201	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),
917	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	1202	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
918		1203
919	=back	1204	=back
920		1205
		1206	=head3 Examples
		1207
921	Example: create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	1208	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
922		1209
923	static void	1210	static void
924	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1211	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
925	{	1212	{
926	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here	1213	.. one minute over, w is actually stopped right here
…		…
928		1215
929	struct ev_timer mytimer;	1216	struct ev_timer mytimer;
930	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);	1217	ev_timer_init (&mytimer, one_minute_cb, 60., 0.);
931	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);	1218	ev_timer_start (loop, &mytimer);
932		1219
933	Example: create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of	1220	Example: Create a timeout timer that times out after 10 seconds of
934	inactivity.	1221	inactivity.
935		1222
936	static void	1223	static void
937	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1224	timeout_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
938	{	1225	{
…		…
958	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher	1245	but on wallclock time (absolute time). You can tell a periodic watcher
959	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a	1246	to trigger "at" some specific point in time. For example, if you tell a
960	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()	1247	periodic watcher to trigger in 10 seconds (by specifiying e.g. C<ev_now ()
961	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will	1248	+ 10.>) and then reset your system clock to the last year, then it will
962	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger	1249	take a year to trigger the event (unlike an C<ev_timer>, which would trigger
963	roughly 10 seconds later and of course not if you reset your system time	1250	roughly 10 seconds later).
964	again).
965		1251
966	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as	1252	They can also be used to implement vastly more complex timers, such as
967	triggering an event on eahc midnight, local time.	1253	triggering an event on each midnight, local time or other, complicated,
		1254	rules.
968		1255
969	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	1256	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the
970	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	1257	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready
971	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	1258	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.
972		1259
		1260	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1261
973	=over 4	1262	=over 4
974		1263
975	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	1264	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
976		1265
977	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	1266	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)
…		…
979	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of	1268	Lots of arguments, lets sort it out... There are basically three modes of
980	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:	1269	operation, and we will explain them from simplest to complex:
981		1270
982	=over 4	1271	=over 4
983		1272
984	=item * absolute timer (interval = reschedule_cb = 0)	1273	=item * absolute timer (at = time, interval = reschedule_cb = 0)
985		1274
986	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	1275	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time
987	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	1276	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,
988	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	1277	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the
989	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	1278	system time reaches or surpasses this time.
990		1279
991	=item * non-repeating interval timer (interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	1280	=item * non-repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
992		1281
993	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	1282	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
994	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N) and then repeat, regardless	1283	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)
995	of any time jumps.	1284	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.
996		1285
997	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system	1286	This can be used to create timers that do not drift with respect to system
998	time:	1287	time:
999		1288
1000	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);	1289	ev_periodic_set (&periodic, 0., 3600., 0);
…		…
1006		1295
1007	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that	1296	Another way to think about it (for the mathematically inclined) is that
1008	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible	1297	C<ev_periodic> will try to run the callback in this mode at the next possible
1009	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.	1298	time where C<time = at (mod interval)>, regardless of any time jumps.
1010		1299
		1300	For numerical stability it is preferable that the C<at> value is near
		1301	C<ev_now ()> (the current time), but there is no range requirement for
		1302	this value.
		1303
1011	=item * manual reschedule mode (reschedule_cb = callback)	1304	=item * manual reschedule mode (at and interval ignored, reschedule_cb = callback)
1012		1305
1013	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being	1306	In this mode the values for C<interval> and C<at> are both being
1014	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the	1307	ignored. Instead, each time the periodic watcher gets scheduled, the
1015	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the	1308	reschedule callback will be called with the watcher as first, and the
1016	current time as second argument.	1309	current time as second argument.
1017		1310
1018	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,	1311	NOTE: I<This callback MUST NOT stop or destroy any periodic watcher,
1019	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,	1312	ever, or make any event loop modifications>. If you need to stop it,
1020	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by	1313	return C<now + 1e30> (or so, fudge fudge) and stop it afterwards (e.g. by
1021	starting a prepare watcher).	1314	starting an C<ev_prepare> watcher, which is legal).
1022		1315
1023	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,	1316	Its prototype is C<ev_tstamp (*reschedule_cb)(struct ev_periodic *w,
1024	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:	1317	ev_tstamp now)>, e.g.:
1025		1318
1026	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	1319	static ev_tstamp my_rescheduler (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
…		…
1049	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful	1342	Simply stops and restarts the periodic watcher again. This is only useful
1050	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return	1343	when you changed some parameters or the reschedule callback would return
1051	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like	1344	a different time than the last time it was called (e.g. in a crond like
1052	program when the crontabs have changed).	1345	program when the crontabs have changed).
1053		1346
		1347	=item ev_tstamp offset [read-write]
		1348
		1349	When repeating, this contains the offset value, otherwise this is the
		1350	absolute point in time (the C<at> value passed to C<ev_periodic_set>).
		1351
		1352	Can be modified any time, but changes only take effect when the periodic
		1353	timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
		1354
1054	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]	1355	=item ev_tstamp interval [read-write]
1055		1356
1056	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only	1357	The current interval value. Can be modified any time, but changes only
1057	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being	1358	take effect when the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being
1058	called.	1359	called.
…		…
1061		1362
1062	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	1363	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1063	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	1364	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1064	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	1365	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1065		1366
		1367	=item ev_tstamp at [read-only]
		1368
		1369	When active, contains the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to
		1370	trigger next.
		1371
1066	=back	1372	=back
1067		1373
		1374	=head3 Examples
		1375
1068	Example: call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	1376	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1069	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	1377	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1070	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	1378	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.
1071		1379
1072	static void	1380	static void
1073	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)	1381	clock_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_io *w, int revents)
…		…
1077		1385
1078	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	1386	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1079	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);	1387	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 3600., 0);
1080	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	1388	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
1081		1389
1082	Example: the same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:	1390	Example: The same as above, but use a reschedule callback to do it:
1083		1391
1084	#include <math.h>	1392	#include <math.h>
1085		1393
1086	static ev_tstamp	1394	static ev_tstamp
1087	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)	1395	my_scheduler_cb (struct ev_periodic *w, ev_tstamp now)
…		…
1089	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;	1397	return fmod (now, 3600.) + 3600.;
1090	}	1398	}
1091		1399
1092	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);	1400	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb, 0., 0., my_scheduler_cb);
1093		1401
1094	Example: call a callback every hour, starting now:	1402	Example: Call a callback every hour, starting now:
1095		1403
1096	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;	1404	struct ev_periodic hourly_tick;
1097	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,	1405	ev_periodic_init (&hourly_tick, clock_cb,
1098	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);	1406	fmod (ev_now (loop), 3600.), 3600., 0);
1099	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);	1407	ev_periodic_start (loop, &hourly_tick);
…		…
1111	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	1419	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long
1112	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	1420	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal
1113	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	1421	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to
1114	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	1422	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).
1115		1423
		1424	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1425
1116	=over 4	1426	=over 4
1117		1427
1118	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)	1428	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)
1119		1429
1120	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)	1430	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)
…		…
1132	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	1442	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1133		1443
1134	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	1444	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1135	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	1445	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).
1136		1446
		1447	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1448
1137	=over 4	1449	=over 4
1138		1450
1139	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid)	1451	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid, int trace)
1140		1452
1141	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid)	1453	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid, int trace)
1142		1454
1143	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or	1455	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or
1144	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look	1456	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look
1145	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	1457	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
1146	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	1458	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
1147	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	1459	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
1148	process causing the status change.	1460	process causing the status change. C<trace> must be either C<0> (only
		1461	activate the watcher when the process terminates) or C<1> (additionally
		1462	activate the watcher when the process is stopped or continued).
1149		1463
1150	=item int pid [read-only]	1464	=item int pid [read-only]
1151		1465
1152	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.	1466	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
1153		1467
…		…
1160	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems	1474	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems
1161	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).	1475	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).
1162		1476
1163	=back	1477	=back
1164		1478
		1479	=head3 Examples
		1480
1165	Example: try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	1481	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.
1166		1482
1167	static void	1483	static void
1168	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	1484	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)
1169	{	1485	{
1170	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1486	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
…		…
1185	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does	1501	not exist" is a status change like any other. The condition "path does
1186	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is	1502	not exist" is signified by the C<st_nlink> field being zero (which is
1187	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of	1503	otherwise always forced to be at least one) and all the other fields of
1188	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.	1504	the stat buffer having unspecified contents.
1189		1505
		1506	The path I<should> be absolute and I<must not> end in a slash. If it is
		1507	relative and your working directory changes, the behaviour is undefined.
		1508
1190	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply	1509	Since there is no standard to do this, the portable implementation simply
1191	calls C<stat (2)> regulalry on the path to see if it changed somehow. You	1510	calls C<stat (2)> regularly on the path to see if it changed somehow. You
1192	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify	1511	can specify a recommended polling interval for this case. If you specify
1193	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,	1512	a polling interval of C<0> (highly recommended!) then a I<suitable,
1194	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around	1513	unspecified default> value will be used (which you can expect to be around
1195	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also	1514	five seconds, although this might change dynamically). Libev will also
1196	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats	1515	impose a minimum interval which is currently around C<0.1>, but thats
…		…
1198		1517
1199	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,	1518	This watcher type is not meant for massive numbers of stat watchers,
1200	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be	1519	as even with OS-supported change notifications, this can be
1201	resource-intensive.	1520	resource-intensive.
1202		1521
1203	At the time of this writing, no specific OS backends are implemented, but	1522	At the time of this writing, only the Linux inotify interface is
1204	if demand increases, at least a kqueue and inotify backend will be added.	1523	implemented (implementing kqueue support is left as an exercise for the
		1524	reader). Inotify will be used to give hints only and should not change the
		1525	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs
		1526	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
		1527	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
		1528	polling.
		1529
		1530	=head3 Inotify
		1531
		1532	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only
		1533	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up
		1534	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily
		1535	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.
		1536
		1537	Inotify presense does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
		1538	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
		1539	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presense of inotify support
		1540	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.
		1541
		1542	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
		1543	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
		1544	descriptor open on the object at all times).
		1545
		1546	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
		1547
		1548	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and
		1549	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still
		1550	only support whole seconds.
		1551
		1552	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you might
		1553	miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and calls
		1554	your callback, which does something. When there is another update within
		1555	the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it.
		1556
		1557	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for a second (or till
		1558	the next second boundary), using a roughly one-second delay C<ev_timer>
		1559	(C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.01); ev_timer_again (loop, w)>). The C<.01>
		1560	is added to work around small timing inconsistencies of some operating
		1561	systems.
		1562
		1563	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1205		1564
1206	=over 4	1565	=over 4
1207		1566
1208	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)	1567	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
1209		1568
…		…
1245	=item const char *path [read-only]	1604	=item const char *path [read-only]
1246		1605
1247	The filesystem path that is being watched.	1606	The filesystem path that is being watched.
1248		1607
1249	=back	1608	=back
		1609
		1610	=head3 Examples
1250		1611
1251	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	1612	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1252		1613
1253	static void	1614	static void
1254	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)	1615	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
…		…
1267	}	1628	}
1268		1629
1269	...	1630	...
1270	ev_stat passwd;	1631	ev_stat passwd;
1271		1632
1272	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd");	1633	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1273	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	1634	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
1274		1635
		1636	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
		1637	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
		1638	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
		1639	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
		1640
		1641	static ev_stat passwd;
		1642	static ev_timer timer;
		1643
		1644	static void
		1645	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1646	{
		1647	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1648
		1649	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
		1650	}
		1651
		1652	static void
		1653	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
		1654	{
		1655	/* reset the one-second timer */
		1656	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
		1657	}
		1658
		1659	...
		1660	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
		1661	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1662	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.01);
		1663
1275		1664
1276	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	1665	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1277		1666
1278	Idle watchers trigger events when there are no other events are pending	1667	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
1279	(prepare, check and other idle watchers do not count). That is, as long	1668	priority are pending (prepare, check and other idle watchers do not
1280	as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts (or even signals,	1669	count).
1281	imagine) it will not be triggered. But when your process is idle all idle	1670
1282	watchers are being called again and again, once per event loop iteration -	1671	That is, as long as your process is busy handling sockets or timeouts
		1672	(or even signals, imagine) of the same or higher priority it will not be
		1673	triggered. But when your process is idle (or only lower-priority watchers
		1674	are pending), the idle watchers are being called once per event loop
1283	until stopped, that is, or your process receives more events and becomes	1675	iteration - until stopped, that is, or your process receives more events
1284	busy.	1676	and becomes busy again with higher priority stuff.
1285		1677
1286	The most noteworthy effect is that as long as any idle watchers are	1678	The most noteworthy effect is that as long as any idle watchers are
1287	active, the process will not block when waiting for new events.	1679	active, the process will not block when waiting for new events.
1288		1680
1289	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful	1681	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful
1290	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do	1682	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do
1291	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the	1683	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the
1292	event loop has handled all outstanding events.	1684	event loop has handled all outstanding events.
1293		1685
		1686	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1687
1294	=over 4	1688	=over 4
1295		1689
1296	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	1690	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1297		1691
1298	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	1692	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1299	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	1693	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1300	believe me.	1694	believe me.
1301		1695
1302	=back	1696	=back
1303		1697
		1698	=head3 Examples
		1699
1304	Example: dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle>, start it, and in the	1700	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1305	callback, free it. Alos, use no error checking, as usual.	1701	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1306		1702
1307	static void	1703	static void
1308	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	1704	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)
1309	{	1705	{
1310	free (w);	1706	free (w);
1311	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	1707	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1312	// no longer asnything immediate to do.	1708	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1313	}	1709	}
1314		1710
1315	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	1711	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));
1316	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	1712	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1317	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	1713	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);
…		…
1355	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine	1751	with priority higher than or equal to the event loop and one coroutine
1356	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event	1752	of lower priority, but only once, using idle watchers to keep the event
1357	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping	1753	loop from blocking if lower-priority coroutines are active, thus mapping
1358	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).	1754	low-priority coroutines to idle/background tasks).
1359		1755
		1756	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
		1757	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
		1758	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,
		1759	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully
		1760	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers
		1761	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other
		1762	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable
		1763	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to
		1764	coexist peacefully with others).
		1765
		1766	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1767
1360	=over 4	1768	=over 4
1361		1769
1362	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)	1770	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)
1363		1771
1364	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)	1772	=item ev_check_init (ev_check *, callback)
…		…
1367	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	1775	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1368	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	1776	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.
1369		1777
1370	=back	1778	=back
1371		1779
1372	Example: To include a library such as adns, you would add IO watchers	1780	=head3 Examples
1373	and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler, as required by libadns, and	1781
		1782	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
		1783	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
		1784	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
		1785	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>
		1786	embeds a Glib main context into libev, and finally, C<Glib::EV> embeds EV
		1787	into the Glib event loop).
		1788
		1789	Method 1: Add IO watchers and a timeout watcher in a prepare handler,
1374	in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows is	1790	and in a check watcher, destroy them and call into libadns. What follows
1375	pseudo-code only of course:	1791	is pseudo-code only of course. This requires you to either use a low
		1792	priority for the check watcher or use C<ev_clear_pending> explicitly, as
		1793	the callbacks for the IO/timeout watchers might not have been called yet.
1376		1794
1377	static ev_io iow [nfd];	1795	static ev_io iow [nfd];
1378	static ev_timer tw;	1796	static ev_timer tw;
1379		1797
1380	static void	1798	static void
1381	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)	1799	io_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_io *w, int revents)
1382	{	1800	{
1383	// set the relevant poll flags
1384	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
1385	struct pollfd *fd = (struct pollfd *)w->data;
1386	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
1387	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
1388	}	1801	}
1389		1802
1390	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking	1803	// create io watchers for each fd and a timer before blocking
1391	static void	1804	static void
1392	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)	1805	adns_prepare_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_prepare *w, int revents)
1393	{	1806	{
1394	int timeout = 3600000;truct pollfd fds [nfd];	1807	int timeout = 3600000;
		1808	struct pollfd fds [nfd];
1395	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.	1809	// actual code will need to loop here and realloc etc.
1396	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));	1810	adns_beforepoll (ads, fds, &nfd, &timeout, timeval_from (ev_time ()));
1397		1811
1398	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */	1812	/* the callback is illegal, but won't be called as we stop during check */
1399	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);	1813	ev_timer_init (&tw, 0, timeout * 1e-3);
1400	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);	1814	ev_timer_start (loop, &tw);
1401		1815
1402	// create on ev_io per pollfd	1816	// create one ev_io per pollfd
1403	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	1817	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
1404	{	1818	{
1405	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,	1819	ev_io_init (iow + i, io_cb, fds [i].fd,
1406	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)	1820	((fds [i].events & POLLIN ? EV_READ : 0)
1407	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));	1821	| (fds [i].events & POLLOUT ? EV_WRITE : 0)));
1408		1822
1409	fds [i].revents = 0;	1823	fds [i].revents = 0;
1410	iow [i].data = fds + i;
1411	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);	1824	ev_io_start (loop, iow + i);
1412	}	1825	}
1413	}	1826	}
1414		1827
1415	// stop all watchers after blocking	1828	// stop all watchers after blocking
…		…
1417	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)	1830	adns_check_cb (ev_loop *loop, ev_check *w, int revents)
1418	{	1831	{
1419	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);	1832	ev_timer_stop (loop, &tw);
1420		1833
1421	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)	1834	for (int i = 0; i < nfd; ++i)
		1835	{
		1836	// set the relevant poll flags
		1837	// could also call adns_processreadable etc. here
		1838	struct pollfd *fd = fds + i;
		1839	int revents = ev_clear_pending (iow + i);
		1840	if (revents & EV_READ ) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLIN;
		1841	if (revents & EV_WRITE) fd->revents |= fd->events & POLLOUT;
		1842
		1843	// now stop the watcher
1422	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);	1844	ev_io_stop (loop, iow + i);
		1845	}
1423		1846
1424	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));	1847	adns_afterpoll (adns, fds, nfd, timeval_from (ev_now (loop));
		1848	}
		1849
		1850	Method 2: This would be just like method 1, but you run C<adns_afterpoll>
		1851	in the prepare watcher and would dispose of the check watcher.
		1852
		1853	Method 3: If the module to be embedded supports explicit event
		1854	notification (adns does), you can also make use of the actual watcher
		1855	callbacks, and only destroy/create the watchers in the prepare watcher.
		1856
		1857	static void
		1858	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1859	{
		1860	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		1861	update_now (EV_A);
		1862
		1863	adns_processtimeouts (ads, &tv_now);
		1864	}
		1865
		1866	static void
		1867	io_cb (EV_P_ ev_io *w, int revents)
		1868	{
		1869	adns_state ads = (adns_state)w->data;
		1870	update_now (EV_A);
		1871
		1872	if (revents & EV_READ ) adns_processreadable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		1873	if (revents & EV_WRITE) adns_processwriteable (ads, w->fd, &tv_now);
		1874	}
		1875
		1876	// do not ever call adns_afterpoll
		1877
		1878	Method 4: Do not use a prepare or check watcher because the module you
		1879	want to embed is too inflexible to support it. Instead, youc na override
		1880	their poll function. The drawback with this solution is that the main
		1881	loop is now no longer controllable by EV. The C<Glib::EV> module does
		1882	this.
		1883
		1884	static gint
		1885	event_poll_func (GPollFD *fds, guint nfds, gint timeout)
		1886	{
		1887	int got_events = 0;
		1888
		1889	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		1890	// create/start io watcher that sets the relevant bits in fds[n] and increment got_events
		1891
		1892	if (timeout >= 0)
		1893	// create/start timer
		1894
		1895	// poll
		1896	ev_loop (EV_A_ 0);
		1897
		1898	// stop timer again
		1899	if (timeout >= 0)
		1900	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ &to);
		1901
		1902	// stop io watchers again - their callbacks should have set
		1903	for (n = 0; n < nfds; ++n)
		1904	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ iow [n]);
		1905
		1906	return got_events;
1425	}	1907	}
1426		1908
1427		1909
1428	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...	1910	=head2 C<ev_embed> - when one backend isn't enough...
1429		1911
…		…
1472	portable one.	1954	portable one.
1473		1955
1474	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	1956	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1475	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	1957	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1476	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	1958	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1477	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything:	1959	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
		1960
		1961	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1962
		1963	=over 4
		1964
		1965	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		1966
		1967	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		1968
		1969	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
		1970	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
		1971	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
		1972	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
		1973	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
		1974
		1975	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
		1976
		1977	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
		1978	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
		1979	apropriate way for embedded loops.
		1980
		1981	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
		1982
		1983	The embedded event loop.
		1984
		1985	=back
		1986
		1987	=head3 Examples
		1988
		1989	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
		1990	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
		1991	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in
		1992	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be
		1993	used).
1478		1994
1479	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	1995	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
1480	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	1996	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1481	struct ev_embed embed;	1997	struct ev_embed embed;
1482		1998
…		…
1493	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	2009	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
1494	}	2010	}
1495	else	2011	else
1496	loop_lo = loop_hi;	2012	loop_lo = loop_hi;
1497		2013
1498	=over 4	2014	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
		2015	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
		2016	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
		2017	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
1499		2018
1500	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	2019	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
		2020	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
		2021	struct ev_embed embed;
		2022
		2023	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
		2024	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
		2025	{
		2026	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
		2027	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
		2028	}
1501		2029
1502	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	2030	if (!loop_socket)
		2031	loop_socket = loop;
1503		2032
1504	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	2033	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
1505	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
1506	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
1507	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
1508	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
1509
1510	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
1511
1512	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
1513	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
1514	apropriate way for embedded loops.
1515
1516	=item struct ev_loop *loop [read-only]
1517
1518	The embedded event loop.
1519
1520	=back
1521		2034
1522		2035
1523	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	2036	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
1524		2037
1525	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	2038	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
…		…
1528	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	2041	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
1529	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	2042	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
1530	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	2043	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
1531	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	2044	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
1532		2045
		2046	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2047
1533	=over 4	2048	=over 4
1534		2049
1535	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2050	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1536		2051
1537	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	2052	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
1538	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2053	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1539	believe me.	2054	believe me.
		2055
		2056	=back
		2057
		2058
		2059	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop
		2060
		2061	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
		2062	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
		2063	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
		2064
		2065	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not
		2066	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what
		2067	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you
		2068	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal
		2069	safe.
		2070
		2071	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
		2072	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
		2073	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
		2074	C<ev_async_sent> calls).
		2075
		2076	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
		2077	just the default loop.
		2078
		2079	=head3 Queueing
		2080
		2081	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
		2082	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
		2083	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
		2084	need elaborate support such as pthreads.
		2085
		2086	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
		2087	queue. But at least I can tell you would implement locking around your
		2088	queue:
		2089
		2090	=over 4
		2091
		2092	=item queueing from a signal handler context
		2093
		2094	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
		2095	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is an example that does that for
		2096	some fictitiuous SIGUSR1 handler:
		2097
		2098	static ev_async mysig;
		2099
		2100	static void
		2101	sigusr1_handler (void)
		2102	{
		2103	sometype data;
		2104
		2105	// no locking etc.
		2106	queue_put (data);
		2107	ev_async_send (DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2108	}
		2109
		2110	static void
		2111	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2112	{
		2113	sometype data;
		2114	sigset_t block, prev;
		2115
		2116	sigemptyset (&block);
		2117	sigaddset (&block, SIGUSR1);
		2118	sigprocmask (SIG_BLOCK, &block, &prev);
		2119
		2120	while (queue_get (&data))
		2121	process (data);
		2122
		2123	if (sigismember (&prev, SIGUSR1)
		2124	sigprocmask (SIG_UNBLOCK, &block, 0);
		2125	}
		2126
		2127	(Note: pthreads in theory requires you to use C<pthread_setmask>
		2128	instead of C<sigprocmask> when you use threads, but libev doesn't do it
		2129	either...).
		2130
		2131	=item queueing from a thread context
		2132
		2133	The strategy for threads is different, as you cannot (easily) block
		2134	threads but you can easily preempt them, so to queue safely you need to
		2135	employ a traditional mutex lock, such as in this pthread example:
		2136
		2137	static ev_async mysig;
		2138	static pthread_mutex_t mymutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
		2139
		2140	static void
		2141	otherthread (void)
		2142	{
		2143	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation
		2144	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2145	queue_put (data);
		2146	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2147
		2148	ev_async_send (DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2149	}
		2150
		2151	static void
		2152	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2153	{
		2154	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2155
		2156	while (queue_get (&data))
		2157	process (data);
		2158
		2159	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2160	}
		2161
		2162	=back
		2163
		2164
		2165	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2166
		2167	=over 4
		2168
		2169	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
		2170
		2171	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
		2172	kind. There is a C<ev_asynd_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		2173	believe me.
		2174
		2175	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
		2176
		2177	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
		2178	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike
		2179	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do in other threads, signal or
		2180	similar contexts (see the dicusssion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding
		2181	section below on what exactly this means).
		2182
		2183	This call incurs the overhead of a syscall only once per loop iteration,
		2184	so while the overhead might be noticable, it doesn't apply to repeated
		2185	calls to C<ev_async_send>.
1540		2186
1541	=back	2187	=back
1542		2188
1543		2189
1544	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	2190	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
…		…
1633		2279
1634	To use it,	2280	To use it,
1635		2281
1636	#include <ev++.h>	2282	#include <ev++.h>
1637		2283
1638	(it is not installed by default). This automatically includes F<ev.h>	2284	This automatically includes F<ev.h> and puts all of its definitions (many
1639	and puts all of its definitions (many of them macros) into the global	2285	of them macros) into the global namespace. All C++ specific things are
1640	namespace. All C++ specific things are put into the C<ev> namespace.	2286	put into the C<ev> namespace. It should support all the same embedding
		2287	options as F<ev.h>, most notably C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.
1641		2288
1642	It should support all the same embedding options as F<ev.h>, most notably	2289	Care has been taken to keep the overhead low. The only data member the C++
1643	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>.	2290	classes add (compared to plain C-style watchers) is the event loop pointer
		2291	that the watcher is associated with (or no additional members at all if
		2292	you disable C<EV_MULTIPLICITY> when embedding libev).
		2293
		2294	Currently, functions, and static and non-static member functions can be
		2295	used as callbacks. Other types should be easy to add as long as they only
		2296	need one additional pointer for context. If you need support for other
		2297	types of functors please contact the author (preferably after implementing
		2298	it).
1644		2299
1645	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:	2300	Here is a list of things available in the C<ev> namespace:
1646		2301
1647	=over 4	2302	=over 4
1648		2303
…		…
1664		2319
1665	All of those classes have these methods:	2320	All of those classes have these methods:
1666		2321
1667	=over 4	2322	=over 4
1668		2323
1669	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (object *, object::method *)	2324	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE ()
1670		2325
1671	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (object *, object::method *, struct ev_loop *)	2326	=item ev::TYPE::TYPE (struct ev_loop *)
1672		2327
1673	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE	2328	=item ev::TYPE::~TYPE
1674		2329
1675	The constructor takes a pointer to an object and a method pointer to	2330	The constructor (optionally) takes an event loop to associate the watcher
1676	the event handler callback to call in this class. The constructor calls	2331	with. If it is omitted, it will use C<EV_DEFAULT>.
1677	C<ev_init> for you, which means you have to call the C<set> method	2332
1678	before starting it. If you do not specify a loop then the constructor	2333	The constructor calls C<ev_init> for you, which means you have to call the
1679	automatically associates the default loop with this watcher.	2334	C<set> method before starting it.
		2335
		2336	It will not set a callback, however: You have to call the templated C<set>
		2337	method to set a callback before you can start the watcher.
		2338
		2339	(The reason why you have to use a method is a limitation in C++ which does
		2340	not allow explicit template arguments for constructors).
1680		2341
1681	The destructor automatically stops the watcher if it is active.	2342	The destructor automatically stops the watcher if it is active.
		2343
		2344	=item w->set<class, &class::method> (object *)
		2345
		2346	This method sets the callback method to call. The method has to have a
		2347	signature of C<void (*)(ev_TYPE &, int)>, it receives the watcher as
		2348	first argument and the C<revents> as second. The object must be given as
		2349	parameter and is stored in the C<data> member of the watcher.
		2350
		2351	This method synthesizes efficient thunking code to call your method from
		2352	the C callback that libev requires. If your compiler can inline your
		2353	callback (i.e. it is visible to it at the place of the C<set> call and
		2354	your compiler is good :), then the method will be fully inlined into the
		2355	thunking function, making it as fast as a direct C callback.
		2356
		2357	Example: simple class declaration and watcher initialisation
		2358
		2359	struct myclass
		2360	{
		2361	void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
		2362	}
		2363
		2364	myclass obj;
		2365	ev::io iow;
		2366	iow.set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb> (&obj);
		2367
		2368	=item w->set<function> (void *data = 0)
		2369
		2370	Also sets a callback, but uses a static method or plain function as
		2371	callback. The optional C<data> argument will be stored in the watcher's
		2372	C<data> member and is free for you to use.
		2373
		2374	The prototype of the C<function> must be C<void (*)(ev::TYPE &w, int)>.
		2375
		2376	See the method-C<set> above for more details.
		2377
		2378	Example:
		2379
		2380	static void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents) { }
		2381	iow.set <io_cb> ();
1682		2382
1683	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)	2383	=item w->set (struct ev_loop *)
1684		2384
1685	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only	2385	Associates a different C<struct ev_loop> with this watcher. You can only
1686	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).	2386	do this when the watcher is inactive (and not pending either).
1687		2387
1688	=item w->set ([args])	2388	=item w->set ([args])
1689		2389
1690	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be	2390	Basically the same as C<ev_TYPE_set>, with the same args. Must be
1691	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets	2391	called at least once. Unlike the C counterpart, an active watcher gets
1692	automatically stopped and restarted.	2392	automatically stopped and restarted when reconfiguring it with this
		2393	method.
1693		2394
1694	=item w->start ()	2395	=item w->start ()
1695		2396
1696	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument as the	2397	Starts the watcher. Note that there is no C<loop> argument, as the
1697	constructor already takes the loop.	2398	constructor already stores the event loop.
1698		2399
1699	=item w->stop ()	2400	=item w->stop ()
1700		2401
1701	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	2402	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
1702		2403
1703	=item w->again () C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only	2404	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
1704		2405
1705	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding	2406	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding
1706	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.	2407	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.
1707		2408
1708	=item w->sweep () C<ev::embed> only	2409	=item w->sweep () (C<ev::embed> only)
1709		2410
1710	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.	2411	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.
1711		2412
1712	=item w->update () C<ev::stat> only	2413	=item w->update () (C<ev::stat> only)
1713		2414
1714	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.	2415	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.
1715		2416
1716	=back	2417	=back
1717		2418
…		…
1720	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	2421	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in
1721	the constructor.	2422	the constructor.
1722		2423
1723	class myclass	2424	class myclass
1724	{	2425	{
1725	ev_io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	2426	ev::io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
1726	ev_idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	2427	ev:idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
1727		2428
1728	myclass ();	2429	myclass (int fd)
1729	}
1730
1731	myclass::myclass (int fd)
1732	: io (this, &myclass::io_cb),
1733	idle (this, &myclass::idle_cb)
1734	{	2430	{
		2431	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
		2432	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
		2433
1735	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	2434	io.start (fd, ev::READ);
		2435	}
1736	}	2436	};
1737		2437
1738		2438
1739	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	2439	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
1740		2440
1741	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundemantal is	2441	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal
1742	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines wether (most) functions and	2442	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
1743	callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	2443	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
1744		2444
1745	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	2445	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
1746	following macros are defined:	2446	following macros are defined:
1747		2447
1748	=over 4	2448	=over 4
…		…
1780	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default	2480	Similar to the other two macros, this gives you the value of the default
1781	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").	2481	loop, if multiple loops are supported ("ev loop default").
1782		2482
1783	=back	2483	=back
1784		2484
1785	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, working regardless of	2485	Example: Declare and initialise a check watcher, utilising the above
1786	wether multiple loops are supported or not.	2486	macros so it will work regardless of whether multiple loops are supported
		2487	or not.
1787		2488
1788	static void	2489	static void
1789	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)	2490	check_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
1790	{	2491	{
1791	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);	2492	ev_check_stop (EV_A_ w);
…		…
1794	ev_check check;	2495	ev_check check;
1795	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);	2496	ev_check_init (&check, check_cb);
1796	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);	2497	ev_check_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &check);
1797	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);	2498	ev_loop (EV_DEFAULT_ 0);
1798		2499
1799
1800	=head1 EMBEDDING	2500	=head1 EMBEDDING
1801		2501
1802	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	2502	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
1803	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	2503	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
1804	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)	2504	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)
1805	and rxvt-unicode.	2505	and rxvt-unicode.
1806		2506
1807	The goal is to enable you to just copy the neecssary files into your	2507	The goal is to enable you to just copy the necessary files into your
1808	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so	2508	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so
1809	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of	2509	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of
1810	libev somewhere in your source tree).	2510	libev somewhere in your source tree).
1811		2511
1812	=head2 FILESETS	2512	=head2 FILESETS
…		…
1843	ev_vars.h	2543	ev_vars.h
1844	ev_wrap.h	2544	ev_wrap.h
1845		2545
1846	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only	2546	ev_win32.c required on win32 platforms only
1847		2547
1848	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is by default)	2548	ev_select.c only when select backend is enabled (which is enabled by default)
1849	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	2549	ev_poll.c only when poll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1850	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)	2550	ev_epoll.c only when the epoll backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1851	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)	2551	ev_kqueue.c only when the kqueue backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1852	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)	2552	ev_port.c only when the solaris port backend is enabled (disabled by default)
1853		2553
…		…
1902		2602
1903	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2603	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
1904	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	2604	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use
1905	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	2605	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you
1906	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	2606	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when
1907	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, althoguh you have	2607	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
1908	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	2608	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
1909	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	2609	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).
1910		2610
1911	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	2611	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
1912		2612
1913	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2613	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
1914	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	2614	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at
1915	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	2615	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will
1916	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	2616	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get
1917	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See tzhe note about libraries	2617	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the
1918	in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	2618	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.
		2619
		2620	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
		2621
		2622	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
		2623	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
1919		2624
1920	=item EV_USE_SELECT	2625	=item EV_USE_SELECT
1921		2626
1922	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	2627	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
1923	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	2628	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no
…		…
1941	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to	2646	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to
1942	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	2647	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
1943	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	2648	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
1944	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	2649	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
1945	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	2650	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
		2651
		2652	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE
		2653
		2654	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
		2655	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
		2656	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
		2657	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
		2658	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
1946		2659
1947	=item EV_USE_POLL	2660	=item EV_USE_POLL
1948		2661
1949	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	2662	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
1950	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	2663	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
…		…
1978		2691
1979	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL	2692	=item EV_USE_DEVPOLL
1980		2693
1981	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.	2694	reserved for future expansion, works like the USE symbols above.
1982		2695
		2696	=item EV_USE_INOTIFY
		2697
		2698	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
		2699	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
		2700	be detected at runtime.
		2701
		2702	=item EV_ATOMIC_T
		2703
		2704	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose
		2705	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such
		2706	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type
		2707	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"
		2708	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.
		2709
		2710	In the absense of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
		2711	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.
		2712
1983	=item EV_H	2713	=item EV_H
1984		2714
1985	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	2715	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
1986	undefined is C<< <ev.h> >> in F<event.h> and C<"ev.h"> in F<ev.c>. This	2716	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
1987	can be used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	2717	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
1988		2718
1989	=item EV_CONFIG_H	2719	=item EV_CONFIG_H
1990		2720
1991	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	2721	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
1992	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	2722	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
1993	C<EV_H>, above.	2723	C<EV_H>, above.
1994		2724
1995	=item EV_EVENT_H	2725	=item EV_EVENT_H
1996		2726
1997	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	2727	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
1998	of how the F<event.h> header can be found.	2728	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
1999		2729
2000	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	2730	=item EV_PROTOTYPES
2001		2731
2002	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	2732	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2003	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	2733	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
…		…
2010	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create	2740	will have the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument, and you can create
2011	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support	2741	additional independent event loops. Otherwise there will be no support
2012	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer	2742	for multiple event loops and there is no first event loop pointer
2013	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.	2743	argument. Instead, all functions act on the single default loop.
2014		2744
		2745	=item EV_MINPRI
		2746
		2747	=item EV_MAXPRI
		2748
		2749	The range of allowed priorities. C<EV_MINPRI> must be smaller or equal to
		2750	C<EV_MAXPRI>, but otherwise there are no non-obvious limitations. You can
		2751	provide for more priorities by overriding those symbols (usually defined
		2752	to be C<-2> and C<2>, respectively).
		2753
		2754	When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to linearly search
		2755	all the priorities, so having many of them (hundreds) uses a lot of space
		2756	and time, so using the defaults of five priorities (-2 .. +2) is usually
		2757	fine.
		2758
		2759	If your embedding app does not need any priorities, defining these both to
		2760	C<0> will save some memory and cpu.
		2761
2015	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE	2762	=item EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE
2016		2763
2017	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If	2764	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then periodic timers are supported. If
2018	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of	2765	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
2019	code.	2766	code.
2020		2767
		2768	=item EV_IDLE_ENABLE
		2769
		2770	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then idle watchers are supported. If
		2771	defined to be C<0>, then they are not. Disabling them saves a few kB of
		2772	code.
		2773
2021	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE	2774	=item EV_EMBED_ENABLE
2022		2775
2023	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If	2776	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then embed watchers are supported. If
2024	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	2777	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2025		2778
…		…
2029	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	2782	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2030		2783
2031	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE	2784	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2032		2785
2033	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If	2786	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
		2787	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2788
		2789	=item EV_ASYNC_ENABLE
		2790
		2791	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then async watchers are supported. If
2034	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	2792	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2035		2793
2036	=item EV_MINIMAL	2794	=item EV_MINIMAL
2037		2795
2038	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	2796	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
…		…
2042	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE	2800	=item EV_PID_HASHSIZE
2043		2801
2044	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	2802	C<ev_child> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2045	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more	2803	pid. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>), usually more
2046	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	2804	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to
2047	increase this value.	2805	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
		2806
		2807	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
		2808
		2809	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
		2810	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),
		2811	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>
		2812	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of
		2813	two).
2048		2814
2049	=item EV_COMMON	2815	=item EV_COMMON
2050		2816
2051	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining	2817	By default, all watchers have a C<void *data> member. By redefining
2052	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of	2818	this macro to a something else you can include more and other types of
…		…
2065		2831
2066	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)	2832	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)
2067		2833
2068	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,	2834	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,
2069	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member	2835	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member
2070	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.v> header file for	2836	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
2071	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	2837	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
2072	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	2838	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
2073	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	2839	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
		2840
		2841	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
		2842
		2843	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of
		2844	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
		2845	all public symbols, one per line:
		2846
		2847	Symbols.ev for libev proper
		2848	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
		2849
		2850	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
		2851	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
		2852	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).
		2853
		2854	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
		2855	include before including F<ev.h>:
		2856
		2857	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
		2858
		2859	This would create a file F<wrap.h> which essentially looks like this:
		2860
		2861	#define ev_backend myprefix_ev_backend
		2862	#define ev_check_start myprefix_ev_check_start
		2863	#define ev_check_stop myprefix_ev_check_stop
		2864	...
2074		2865
2075	=head2 EXAMPLES	2866	=head2 EXAMPLES
2076		2867
2077	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev	2868	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev
2078	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module	2869	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module
…		…
2081	interface) and F<EV.xs> (implementation) files. Only the F<EV.xs> file	2872	interface) and F<EV.xs> (implementation) files. Only the F<EV.xs> file
2082	will be compiled. It is pretty complex because it provides its own header	2873	will be compiled. It is pretty complex because it provides its own header
2083	file.	2874	file.
2084		2875
2085	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file	2876	The usage in rxvt-unicode is simpler. It has a F<ev_cpp.h> header file
2086	that everybody includes and which overrides some autoconf choices:	2877	that everybody includes and which overrides some configure choices:
2087		2878
		2879	#define EV_MINIMAL 1
2088	#define EV_USE_POLL 0	2880	#define EV_USE_POLL 0
2089	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0	2881	#define EV_MULTIPLICITY 0
2090	#define EV_PERIODICS 0	2882	#define EV_PERIODIC_ENABLE 0
		2883	#define EV_STAT_ENABLE 0
		2884	#define EV_FORK_ENABLE 0
2091	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>	2885	#define EV_CONFIG_H <config.h>
		2886	#define EV_MINPRI 0
		2887	#define EV_MAXPRI 0
2092		2888
2093	#include "ev++.h"	2889	#include "ev++.h"
2094		2890
2095	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:	2891	And a F<ev_cpp.C> implementation file that contains libev proper and is compiled:
2096		2892
…		…
2102		2898
2103	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside	2899	In this section the complexities of (many of) the algorithms used inside
2104	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the	2900	libev will be explained. For complexity discussions about backends see the
2105	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.	2901	documentation for C<ev_default_init>.
2106		2902
		2903	All of the following are about amortised time: If an array needs to be
		2904	extended, libev needs to realloc and move the whole array, but this
		2905	happens asymptotically never with higher number of elements, so O(1) might
		2906	mean it might do a lengthy realloc operation in rare cases, but on average
		2907	it is much faster and asymptotically approaches constant time.
		2908
2107	=over 4	2909	=over 4
2108		2910
2109	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	2911	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
2110		2912
		2913	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
		2914	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will
		2915	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
		2916
2111	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat, again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	2917	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
2112		2918
		2919	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them
		2920	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
		2921
2113	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)	2922	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2114		2923
		2924	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		2925
2115	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)	2926	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2116		2927
2117	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % 16))	2928	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
2118		2929
		2930	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the
		2931	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
		2932	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).
		2933
2119	=item Finding the next timer per loop iteration: O(1)	2934	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		2935
		2936	By virtue of using a binary heap, the next timer is always found at the
		2937	beginning of the storage array.
2120		2938
2121	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)	2939	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
2122		2940
2123	=item Activating one watcher: O(1)	2941	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
		2942	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		2943	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
		2944
		2945	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
		2946
		2947	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
		2948
		2949	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
		2950	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
		2951	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		2952	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. priority handling.
		2953
		2954	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		2955
		2956	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		2957
		2958	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		2959
		2960	Sending involves a syscall I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		2961	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events
		2962	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.
2124		2963
2125	=back	2964	=back
2126		2965
2127		2966
		2967	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds
		2968
		2969	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
		2970	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
		2971	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
		2972	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
		2973	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
		2974	e.g. cygwin.
		2975
		2976	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
		2977	embedding it into other applications.
		2978
		2979	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and the
		2980	abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets is not
		2981	recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use more than
		2982	a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally different
		2983	implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX model, which cannot
		2984	be implemented efficiently on windows (microsoft monopoly games).
		2985
		2986	=over 4
		2987
		2988	=item The winsocket select function
		2989
		2990	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires
		2991	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select
		2992	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors
		2993	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,
		2994	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor
		2995	symbols for more info.
		2996
		2997	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime
		2998	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
		2999
		3000	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
		3001	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
		3002
		3003	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
		3004	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
		3005
		3006	=item Limited number of file descriptors
		3007
		3008	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things. Early versions
		3009	of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a max. of C<64> handles
		3010	(probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels can only wait for
		3011	C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft recommends spawning a
		3012	chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the previous thread in each).
		3013
		3014	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
		3015	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
		3016	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own
		3017	select emulation on windows).
		3018
		3019	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime
		3020	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish
		3021	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling
		3022	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another
		3023	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime
		3024	libraries.
		3025
		3026	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on
		3027	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to
		3028	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of
		3029	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		3030
		3031	=back
		3032
		3033
2128	=head1 AUTHOR	3034	=head1 AUTHOR
2129		3035
2130	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	3036	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.
2131		3037

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