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…		…
4		4
5	=head1 SYNOPSIS	5	=head1 SYNOPSIS
6		6
7	#include <ev.h>	7	#include <ev.h>
8		8
9	=head1 EXAMPLE PROGRAM	9	=head2 EXAMPLE PROGRAM
10		10
		11	// a single header file is required
11	#include <ev.h>	12	#include <ev.h>
12		13
		14	// every watcher type has its own typedef'd struct
		15	// with the name ev_<type>
13	ev_io stdin_watcher;	16	ev_io stdin_watcher;
14	ev_timer timeout_watcher;	17	ev_timer timeout_watcher;
15		18
		19	// all watcher callbacks have a similar signature
16	/* called when data readable on stdin */	20	// this callback is called when data is readable on stdin
17	static void	21	static void
18	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)	22	stdin_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_io *w, int revents)
19	{	23	{
20	/* puts ("stdin ready"); */	24	puts ("stdin ready");
21	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w); /* just a syntax example */	25	// for one-shot events, one must manually stop the watcher
22	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL); /* leave all loop calls */	26	// with its corresponding stop function.
		27	ev_io_stop (EV_A_ w);
		28
		29	// this causes all nested ev_loop's to stop iterating
		30	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ALL);
23	}	31	}
24		32
		33	// another callback, this time for a time-out
25	static void	34	static void
26	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	35	timeout_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
27	{	36	{
28	/* puts ("timeout"); */	37	puts ("timeout");
29	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE); /* leave one loop call */	38	// this causes the innermost ev_loop to stop iterating
		39	ev_unloop (EV_A_ EVUNLOOP_ONE);
30	}	40	}
31		41
32	int	42	int
33	main (void)	43	main (void)
34	{	44	{
		45	// use the default event loop unless you have special needs
35	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);	46	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_loop (0);
36		47
37	/* initialise an io watcher, then start it */	48	// initialise an io watcher, then start it
		49	// this one will watch for stdin to become readable
38	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /*STDIN_FILENO*/ 0, EV_READ);	50	ev_io_init (&stdin_watcher, stdin_cb, /*STDIN_FILENO*/ 0, EV_READ);
39	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);	51	ev_io_start (loop, &stdin_watcher);
40		52
		53	// initialise a timer watcher, then start it
41	/* simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout */	54	// simple non-repeating 5.5 second timeout
42	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);	55	ev_timer_init (&timeout_watcher, timeout_cb, 5.5, 0.);
43	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);	56	ev_timer_start (loop, &timeout_watcher);
44		57
45	/* loop till timeout or data ready */	58	// now wait for events to arrive
46	ev_loop (loop, 0);	59	ev_loop (loop, 0);
47		60
		61	// unloop was called, so exit
48	return 0;	62	return 0;
49	}	63	}
50		64
51	=head1 DESCRIPTION	65	=head1 DESCRIPTION
52		66
53	The newest version of this document is also available as a html-formatted	67	The newest version of this document is also available as an html-formatted
54	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first	68	web page you might find easier to navigate when reading it for the first
55	time: L<http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.html>.	69	time: L<http://cvs.schmorp.de/libev/ev.html>.
56		70
57	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a	71	Libev is an event loop: you register interest in certain events (such as a
58	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occuring), and it will manage	72	file descriptor being readable or a timeout occurring), and it will manage
59	these event sources and provide your program with events.	73	these event sources and provide your program with events.
60		74
61	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process	75	To do this, it must take more or less complete control over your process
62	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then	76	(or thread) by executing the I<event loop> handler, and will then
63	communicate events via a callback mechanism.	77	communicate events via a callback mechanism.
…		…
65	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event	79	You register interest in certain events by registering so-called I<event
66	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the	80	watchers>, which are relatively small C structures you initialise with the
67	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the	81	details of the event, and then hand it over to libev by I<starting> the
68	watcher.	82	watcher.
69		83
70	=head1 FEATURES	84	=head2 FEATURES
71		85
72	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the	86	Libev supports C<select>, C<poll>, the Linux-specific C<epoll>, the
73	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms	87	BSD-specific C<kqueue> and the Solaris-specific event port mechanisms
74	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface	88	for file descriptor events (C<ev_io>), the Linux C<inotify> interface
75	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers	89	(for C<ev_stat>), relative timers (C<ev_timer>), absolute timers
…		…
82		96
83	It also is quite fast (see this	97	It also is quite fast (see this
84	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent	98	L<benchmark|http://libev.schmorp.de/bench.html> comparing it to libevent
85	for example).	99	for example).
86		100
87	=head1 CONVENTIONS	101	=head2 CONVENTIONS
88		102
89	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default configuration will	103	Libev is very configurable. In this manual the default (and most common)
90	be described, which supports multiple event loops. For more info about	104	configuration will be described, which supports multiple event loops. For
91	various configuration options please have a look at B<EMBED> section in	105	more info about various configuration options please have a look at
92	this manual. If libev was configured without support for multiple event	106	B<EMBED> section in this manual. If libev was configured without support
93	loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of name C<loop>	107	for multiple event loops, then all functions taking an initial argument of
94	(which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have this argument.	108	name C<loop> (which is always of type C<struct ev_loop *>) will not have
		109	this argument.
95		110
96	=head1 TIME REPRESENTATION	111	=head2 TIME REPRESENTATION
97		112
98	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the	113	Libev represents time as a single floating point number, representing the
99	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near	114	(fractional) number of seconds since the (POSIX) epoch (somewhere near
100	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is	115	the beginning of 1970, details are complicated, don't ask). This type is
101	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases	116	called C<ev_tstamp>, which is what you should use too. It usually aliases
102	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on	117	to the C<double> type in C, and when you need to do any calculations on
103	it, you should treat it as such.	118	it, you should treat it as some floatingpoint value. Unlike the name
		119	component C<stamp> might indicate, it is also used for time differences
		120	throughout libev.
104		121
105	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS	122	=head1 GLOBAL FUNCTIONS
106		123
107	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the	124	These functions can be called anytime, even before initialising the
108	library in any way.	125	library in any way.
…		…
113		130
114	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the	131	Returns the current time as libev would use it. Please note that the
115	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp	132	C<ev_now> function is usually faster and also often returns the timestamp
116	you actually want to know.	133	you actually want to know.
117		134
		135	=item ev_sleep (ev_tstamp interval)
		136
		137	Sleep for the given interval: The current thread will be blocked until
		138	either it is interrupted or the given time interval has passed. Basically
		139	this is a subsecond-resolution C<sleep ()>.
		140
118	=item int ev_version_major ()	141	=item int ev_version_major ()
119		142
120	=item int ev_version_minor ()	143	=item int ev_version_minor ()
121		144
122	You can find out the major and minor API/ABI version numbers of the library	145	You can find out the major and minor ABI version numbers of the library
123	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and	146	you linked against by calling the functions C<ev_version_major> and
124	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global	147	C<ev_version_minor>. If you want, you can compare against the global
125	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the	148	symbols C<EV_VERSION_MAJOR> and C<EV_VERSION_MINOR>, which specify the
126	version of the library your program was compiled against.	149	version of the library your program was compiled against.
127		150
128	These version numbers refer to the API and ABI version of the library, not	151	These version numbers refer to the ABI version of the library, not the
129	the release version.	152	release version.
130		153
131	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,	154	Usually, it's a good idea to terminate if the major versions mismatch,
132	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually	155	as this indicates an incompatible change. Minor versions are usually
133	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually	156	compatible to older versions, so a larger minor version alone is usually
134	not a problem.	157	not a problem.
…		…
252	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).	275	flags. If that is troubling you, check C<ev_backend ()> afterwards).
253		276
254	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this	277	If you don't know what event loop to use, use the one returned from this
255	function.	278	function.
256		279
		280	Note that this function is I<not> thread-safe, so if you want to use it
		281	from multiple threads, you have to lock (note also that this is unlikely,
		282	as loops cannot bes hared easily between threads anyway).
		283
		284	The default loop is the only loop that can handle C<ev_signal> and
		285	C<ev_child> watchers, and to do this, it always registers a handler
		286	for C<SIGCHLD>. If this is a problem for your app you can either
		287	create a dynamic loop with C<ev_loop_new> that doesn't do that, or you
		288	can simply overwrite the C<SIGCHLD> signal handler I<after> calling
		289	C<ev_default_init>.
		290
257	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific	291	The flags argument can be used to specify special behaviour or specific
258	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).	292	backends to use, and is usually specified as C<0> (or C<EVFLAG_AUTO>).
259		293
260	The following flags are supported:	294	The following flags are supported:
261		295
…		…
282	enabling this flag.	316	enabling this flag.
283		317
284	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,	318	This works by calling C<getpid ()> on every iteration of the loop,
285	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop	319	and thus this might slow down your event loop if you do a lot of loop
286	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my	320	iterations and little real work, but is usually not noticeable (on my
287	Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence	321	GNU/Linux system for example, C<getpid> is actually a simple 5-insn sequence
288	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my Linux system also has	322	without a syscall and thus I<very> fast, but my GNU/Linux system also has
289	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).	323	C<pthread_atfork> which is even faster).
290		324
291	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and	325	The big advantage of this flag is that you can forget about fork (and
292	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this	326	forget about forgetting to tell libev about forking) when you use this
293	flag.	327	flag.
…		…
298	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)	332	=item C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> (value 1, portable select backend)
299		333
300	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as	334	This is your standard select(2) backend. Not I<completely> standard, as
301	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,	335	libev tries to roll its own fd_set with no limits on the number of fds,
302	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when	336	but if that fails, expect a fairly low limit on the number of fds when
303	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its usually	337	using this backend. It doesn't scale too well (O(highest_fd)), but its
304	the fastest backend for a low number of fds.	338	usually the fastest backend for a low number of (low-numbered :) fds.
		339
		340	To get good performance out of this backend you need a high amount of
		341	parallelity (most of the file descriptors should be busy). If you are
		342	writing a server, you should C<accept ()> in a loop to accept as many
		343	connections as possible during one iteration. You might also want to have
		344	a look at C<ev_set_io_collect_interval ()> to increase the amount of
		345	readyness notifications you get per iteration.
305		346
306	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)	347	=item C<EVBACKEND_POLL> (value 2, poll backend, available everywhere except on windows)
307		348
308	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated than	349	And this is your standard poll(2) backend. It's more complicated
309	select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial limit on the	350	than select, but handles sparse fds better and has no artificial
310	number of fds you can use (except it will slow down considerably with a	351	limit on the number of fds you can use (except it will slow down
311	lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select, i.e. O(total_fds).	352	considerably with a lot of inactive fds). It scales similarly to select,
		353	i.e. O(total_fds). See the entry for C<EVBACKEND_SELECT>, above, for
		354	performance tips.
312		355
313	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)	356	=item C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL> (value 4, Linux)
314		357
315	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,	358	For few fds, this backend is a bit little slower than poll and select,
316	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale like	359	but it scales phenomenally better. While poll and select usually scale
317	O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd), epoll scales	360	like O(total_fds) where n is the total number of fds (or the highest fd),
318	either O(1) or O(active_fds).	361	epoll scales either O(1) or O(active_fds). The epoll design has a number
		362	of shortcomings, such as silently dropping events in some hard-to-detect
		363	cases and rewiring a syscall per fd change, no fork support and bad
		364	support for dup.
319		365
320	While stopping and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration will	366	While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher in the same iteration
321	result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident	367	will result in some caching, there is still a syscall per such incident
322	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its	368	(because the fd could point to a different file description now), so its
323	best to avoid that. Also, dup()ed file descriptors might not work very	369	best to avoid that. Also, C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors might not work
324	well if you register events for both fds.	370	very well if you register events for both fds.
325		371
326	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you	372	Please note that epoll sometimes generates spurious notifications, so you
327	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data	373	need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid blocking when no data
328	(or space) is available.	374	(or space) is available.
329		375
		376	Best performance from this backend is achieved by not unregistering all
		377	watchers for a file descriptor until it has been closed, if possible, i.e.
		378	keep at least one watcher active per fd at all times.
		379
		380	While nominally embeddeble in other event loops, this feature is broken in
		381	all kernel versions tested so far.
		382
330	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)	383	=item C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE> (value 8, most BSD clones)
331		384
332	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it	385	Kqueue deserves special mention, as at the time of this writing, it
333	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work with	386	was broken on all BSDs except NetBSD (usually it doesn't work reliably
334	anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course its	387	with anything but sockets and pipes, except on Darwin, where of course
335	completely useless). For this reason its not being "autodetected"	388	it's completely useless). For this reason it's not being "autodetected"
336	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using	389	unless you explicitly specify it explicitly in the flags (i.e. using
337	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>).	390	C<EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>) or libev was compiled on a known-to-be-good (-enough)
		391	system like NetBSD.
		392
		393	You still can embed kqueue into a normal poll or select backend and use it
		394	only for sockets (after having made sure that sockets work with kqueue on
		395	the target platform). See C<ev_embed> watchers for more info.
338		396
339	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the	397	It scales in the same way as the epoll backend, but the interface to the
340	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of	398	kernel is more efficient (which says nothing about its actual speed, of
341	course). While starting and stopping an I/O watcher does not cause an	399	course). While stopping, setting and starting an I/O watcher does never
342	extra syscall as with epoll, it still adds up to four event changes per	400	cause an extra syscall as with C<EVBACKEND_EPOLL>, it still adds up to
343	incident, so its best to avoid that.	401	two event changes per incident, support for C<fork ()> is very bad and it
		402	drops fds silently in similarly hard-to-detect cases.
		403
		404	This backend usually performs well under most conditions.
		405
		406	While nominally embeddable in other event loops, this doesn't work
		407	everywhere, so you might need to test for this. And since it is broken
		408	almost everywhere, you should only use it when you have a lot of sockets
		409	(for which it usually works), by embedding it into another event loop
		410	(e.g. C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>) and using it only for
		411	sockets.
344		412
345	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)	413	=item C<EVBACKEND_DEVPOLL> (value 16, Solaris 8)
346		414
347	This is not implemented yet (and might never be).	415	This is not implemented yet (and might never be, unless you send me an
		416	implementation). According to reports, C</dev/poll> only supports sockets
		417	and is not embeddable, which would limit the usefulness of this backend
		418	immensely.
348		419
349	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)	420	=item C<EVBACKEND_PORT> (value 32, Solaris 10)
350		421
351	This uses the Solaris 10 port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,	422	This uses the Solaris 10 event port mechanism. As with everything on Solaris,
352	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).	423	it's really slow, but it still scales very well (O(active_fds)).
353		424
354	Please note that solaris ports can result in a lot of spurious	425	Please note that solaris event ports can deliver a lot of spurious
355	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid	426	notifications, so you need to use non-blocking I/O or other means to avoid
356	blocking when no data (or space) is available.	427	blocking when no data (or space) is available.
		428
		429	While this backend scales well, it requires one system call per active
		430	file descriptor per loop iteration. For small and medium numbers of file
		431	descriptors a "slow" C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL> backend
		432	might perform better.
		433
		434	On the positive side, ignoring the spurious readyness notifications, this
		435	backend actually performed to specification in all tests and is fully
		436	embeddable, which is a rare feat among the OS-specific backends.
357		437
358	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>	438	=item C<EVBACKEND_ALL>
359		439
360	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried	440	Try all backends (even potentially broken ones that wouldn't be tried
361	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as	441	with C<EVFLAG_AUTO>). Since this is a mask, you can do stuff such as
362	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.	442	C<EVBACKEND_ALL & ~EVBACKEND_KQUEUE>.
363		443
		444	It is definitely not recommended to use this flag.
		445
364	=back	446	=back
365		447
366	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these	448	If one or more of these are ored into the flags value, then only these
367	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as given here). If none are	449	backends will be tried (in the reverse order as listed here). If none are
368	specified, most compiled-in backend will be tried, usually in reverse	450	specified, all backends in C<ev_recommended_backends ()> will be tried.
369	order of their flag values :)
370		451
371	The most typical usage is like this:	452	The most typical usage is like this:
372		453
373	if (!ev_default_loop (0))	454	if (!ev_default_loop (0))
374	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");	455	fatal ("could not initialise libev, bad $LIBEV_FLAGS in environment?");
…		…
388		469
389	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is	470	Similar to C<ev_default_loop>, but always creates a new event loop that is
390	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot	471	always distinct from the default loop. Unlike the default loop, it cannot
391	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by	472	handle signal and child watchers, and attempts to do so will be greeted by
392	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).	473	undefined behaviour (or a failed assertion if assertions are enabled).
		474
		475	Note that this function I<is> thread-safe, and the recommended way to use
		476	libev with threads is indeed to create one loop per thread, and using the
		477	default loop in the "main" or "initial" thread.
393		478
394	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.	479	Example: Try to create a event loop that uses epoll and nothing else.
395		480
396	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);	481	struct ev_loop *epoller = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_EPOLL | EVFLAG_NOENV);
397	if (!epoller)	482	if (!epoller)
…		…
402	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state	487	Destroys the default loop again (frees all memory and kernel state
403	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal	488	etc.). None of the active event watchers will be stopped in the normal
404	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your	489	sense, so e.g. C<ev_is_active> might still return true. It is your
405	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>	490	responsibility to either stop all watchers cleanly yoursef I<before>
406	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually	491	calling this function, or cope with the fact afterwards (which is usually
407	the easiest thing, youc na just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them	492	the easiest thing, you can just ignore the watchers and/or C<free ()> them
408	for example).	493	for example).
		494
		495	Note that certain global state, such as signal state, will not be freed by
		496	this function, and related watchers (such as signal and child watchers)
		497	would need to be stopped manually.
		498
		499	In general it is not advisable to call this function except in the
		500	rare occasion where you really need to free e.g. the signal handling
		501	pipe fds. If you need dynamically allocated loops it is better to use
		502	C<ev_loop_new> and C<ev_loop_destroy>).
409		503
410	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)	504	=item ev_loop_destroy (loop)
411		505
412	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an	506	Like C<ev_default_destroy>, but destroys an event loop created by an
413	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.	507	earlier call to C<ev_loop_new>.
414		508
415	=item ev_default_fork ()	509	=item ev_default_fork ()
416		510
		511	This function sets a flag that causes subsequent C<ev_loop> iterations
417	This function reinitialises the kernel state for backends that have	512	to reinitialise the kernel state for backends that have one. Despite the
418	one. Despite the name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense	513	name, you can call it anytime, but it makes most sense after forking, in
419	after forking, in either the parent or child process (or both, but that	514	the child process (or both child and parent, but that again makes little
420	again makes little sense).	515	sense). You I<must> call it in the child before using any of the libev
		516	functions, and it will only take effect at the next C<ev_loop> iteration.
421		517
422	You I<must> call this function in the child process after forking if and	518	On the other hand, you only need to call this function in the child
423	only if you want to use the event library in both processes. If you just	519	process if and only if you want to use the event library in the child. If
424	fork+exec, you don't have to call it.	520	you just fork+exec, you don't have to call it at all.
425		521
426	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call	522	The function itself is quite fast and it's usually not a problem to call
427	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in	523	it just in case after a fork. To make this easy, the function will fit in
428	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:	524	quite nicely into a call to C<pthread_atfork>:
429		525
430	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);	526	pthread_atfork (0, 0, ev_default_fork);
431		527
432	At the moment, C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and C<EVBACKEND_POLL> are safe to use
433	without calling this function, so if you force one of those backends you
434	do not need to care.
435
436	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)	528	=item ev_loop_fork (loop)
437		529
438	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by	530	Like C<ev_default_fork>, but acts on an event loop created by
439	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop	531	C<ev_loop_new>. Yes, you have to call this on every allocated event loop
440	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.	532	after fork, and how you do this is entirely your own problem.
		533
		534	=item int ev_is_default_loop (loop)
		535
		536	Returns true when the given loop actually is the default loop, false otherwise.
441		537
442	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)	538	=item unsigned int ev_loop_count (loop)
443		539
444	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to	540	Returns the count of loop iterations for the loop, which is identical to
445	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and	541	the number of times libev did poll for new events. It starts at C<0> and
…		…
458		554
459	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop	555	Returns the current "event loop time", which is the time the event loop
460	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not	556	received events and started processing them. This timestamp does not
461	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base	557	change as long as callbacks are being processed, and this is also the base
462	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the	558	time used for relative timers. You can treat it as the timestamp of the
463	event occuring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).	559	event occurring (or more correctly, libev finding out about it).
464		560
465	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)	561	=item ev_loop (loop, int flags)
466		562
467	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called	563	Finally, this is it, the event handler. This function usually is called
468	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling	564	after you initialised all your watchers and you want to start handling
…		…
490	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.	586	usually a better approach for this kind of thing.
491		587
492	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:	588	Here are the gory details of what C<ev_loop> does:
493		589
494	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.	590	- Before the first iteration, call any pending watchers.
495	* If there are no active watchers (reference count is zero), return.	591	* If EVFLAG_FORKCHECK was used, check for a fork.
496	- Queue all prepare watchers and then call all outstanding watchers.	592	- If a fork was detected, queue and call all fork watchers.
		593	- Queue and call all prepare watchers.
497	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.	594	- If we have been forked, recreate the kernel state.
498	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.	595	- Update the kernel state with all outstanding changes.
499	- Update the "event loop time".	596	- Update the "event loop time".
500	- Calculate for how long to block.	597	- Calculate for how long to sleep or block, if at all
		598	(active idle watchers, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK or not having
		599	any active watchers at all will result in not sleeping).
		600	- Sleep if the I/O and timer collect interval say so.
501	- Block the process, waiting for any events.	601	- Block the process, waiting for any events.
502	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.	602	- Queue all outstanding I/O (fd) events.
503	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.	603	- Update the "event loop time" and do time jump handling.
504	- Queue all outstanding timers.	604	- Queue all outstanding timers.
505	- Queue all outstanding periodics.	605	- Queue all outstanding periodics.
506	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.	606	- If no events are pending now, queue all idle watchers.
507	- Queue all check watchers.	607	- Queue all check watchers.
508	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).	608	- Call all queued watchers in reverse order (i.e. check watchers first).
509	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will	609	Signals and child watchers are implemented as I/O watchers, and will
510	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.	610	be handled here by queueing them when their watcher gets executed.
511	- If ev_unloop has been called or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK	611	- If ev_unloop has been called, or EVLOOP_ONESHOT or EVLOOP_NONBLOCK
512	were used, return, otherwise continue with step *.	612	were used, or there are no active watchers, return, otherwise
		613	continue with step *.
513		614
514	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outsanding	615	Example: Queue some jobs and then loop until no events are outstanding
515	anymore.	616	anymore.
516		617
517	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long	618	... queue jobs here, make sure they register event watchers as long
518	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)	619	... as they still have work to do (even an idle watcher will do..)
519	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);	620	ev_loop (my_loop, 0);
…		…
523		624
524	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it	625	Can be used to make a call to C<ev_loop> return early (but only after it
525	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either	626	has processed all outstanding events). The C<how> argument must be either
526	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or	627	C<EVUNLOOP_ONE>, which will make the innermost C<ev_loop> call return, or
527	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.	628	C<EVUNLOOP_ALL>, which will make all nested C<ev_loop> calls return.
		629
		630	This "unloop state" will be cleared when entering C<ev_loop> again.
528		631
529	=item ev_ref (loop)	632	=item ev_ref (loop)
530		633
531	=item ev_unref (loop)	634	=item ev_unref (loop)
532		635
…		…
537	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For	640	returning, ev_unref() after starting, and ev_ref() before stopping it. For
538	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not	641	example, libev itself uses this for its internal signal pipe: It is not
539	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if	642	visible to the libev user and should not keep C<ev_loop> from exiting if
540	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent	643	no event watchers registered by it are active. It is also an excellent
541	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party	644	way to do this for generic recurring timers or from within third-party
542	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>.	645	libraries. Just remember to I<unref after start> and I<ref before stop>
		646	(but only if the watcher wasn't active before, or was active before,
		647	respectively).
543		648
544	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>	649	Example: Create a signal watcher, but keep it from keeping C<ev_loop>
545	running when nothing else is active.	650	running when nothing else is active.
546		651
547	struct ev_signal exitsig;	652	struct ev_signal exitsig;
…		…
551		656
552	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.	657	Example: For some weird reason, unregister the above signal handler again.
553		658
554	ev_ref (loop);	659	ev_ref (loop);
555	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);	660	ev_signal_stop (loop, &exitsig);
		661
		662	=item ev_set_io_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		663
		664	=item ev_set_timeout_collect_interval (loop, ev_tstamp interval)
		665
		666	These advanced functions influence the time that libev will spend waiting
		667	for events. Both are by default C<0>, meaning that libev will try to
		668	invoke timer/periodic callbacks and I/O callbacks with minimum latency.
		669
		670	Setting these to a higher value (the C<interval> I<must> be >= C<0>)
		671	allows libev to delay invocation of I/O and timer/periodic callbacks to
		672	increase efficiency of loop iterations.
		673
		674	The background is that sometimes your program runs just fast enough to
		675	handle one (or very few) event(s) per loop iteration. While this makes
		676	the program responsive, it also wastes a lot of CPU time to poll for new
		677	events, especially with backends like C<select ()> which have a high
		678	overhead for the actual polling but can deliver many events at once.
		679
		680	By setting a higher I<io collect interval> you allow libev to spend more
		681	time collecting I/O events, so you can handle more events per iteration,
		682	at the cost of increasing latency. Timeouts (both C<ev_periodic> and
		683	C<ev_timer>) will be not affected. Setting this to a non-null value will
		684	introduce an additional C<ev_sleep ()> call into most loop iterations.
		685
		686	Likewise, by setting a higher I<timeout collect interval> you allow libev
		687	to spend more time collecting timeouts, at the expense of increased
		688	latency (the watcher callback will be called later). C<ev_io> watchers
		689	will not be affected. Setting this to a non-null value will not introduce
		690	any overhead in libev.
		691
		692	Many (busy) programs can usually benefit by setting the io collect
		693	interval to a value near C<0.1> or so, which is often enough for
		694	interactive servers (of course not for games), likewise for timeouts. It
		695	usually doesn't make much sense to set it to a lower value than C<0.01>,
		696	as this approsaches the timing granularity of most systems.
556		697
557	=back	698	=back
558		699
559		700
560	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER	701	=head1 ANATOMY OF A WATCHER
…		…
659		800
660	=item C<EV_FORK>	801	=item C<EV_FORK>
661		802
662	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see	803	The event loop has been resumed in the child process after fork (see
663	C<ev_fork>).	804	C<ev_fork>).
		805
		806	=item C<EV_ASYNC>
		807
		808	The given async watcher has been asynchronously notified (see C<ev_async>).
664		809
665	=item C<EV_ERROR>	810	=item C<EV_ERROR>
666		811
667	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might	812	An unspecified error has occured, the watcher has been stopped. This might
668	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev	813	happen because the watcher could not be properly started because libev
…		…
886	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per	1031	In general you can register as many read and/or write event watchers per
887	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file	1032	fd as you want (as long as you don't confuse yourself). Setting all file
888	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not	1033	descriptors to non-blocking mode is also usually a good idea (but not
889	required if you know what you are doing).	1034	required if you know what you are doing).
890		1035
891	You have to be careful with dup'ed file descriptors, though. Some backends
892	(the linux epoll backend is a notable example) cannot handle dup'ed file
893	descriptors correctly if you register interest in two or more fds pointing
894	to the same underlying file/socket/etc. description (that is, they share
895	the same underlying "file open").
896
897	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend	1036	If you must do this, then force the use of a known-to-be-good backend
898	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and	1037	(at the time of this writing, this includes only C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> and
899	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).	1038	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>).
900		1039
901	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to	1040	Another thing you have to watch out for is that it is quite easy to
…		…
911	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test	1050	play around with an Xlib connection), then you have to seperately re-test
912	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface	1051	whether a file descriptor is really ready with a known-to-be good interface
913	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on	1052	such as poll (fortunately in our Xlib example, Xlib already does this on
914	its own, so its quite safe to use).	1053	its own, so its quite safe to use).
915		1054
		1055	=head3 The special problem of disappearing file descriptors
		1056
		1057	Some backends (e.g. kqueue, epoll) need to be told about closing a file
		1058	descriptor (either by calling C<close> explicitly or by any other means,
		1059	such as C<dup>). The reason is that you register interest in some file
		1060	descriptor, but when it goes away, the operating system will silently drop
		1061	this interest. If another file descriptor with the same number then is
		1062	registered with libev, there is no efficient way to see that this is, in
		1063	fact, a different file descriptor.
		1064
		1065	To avoid having to explicitly tell libev about such cases, libev follows
		1066	the following policy: Each time C<ev_io_set> is being called, libev
		1067	will assume that this is potentially a new file descriptor, otherwise
		1068	it is assumed that the file descriptor stays the same. That means that
		1069	you I<have> to call C<ev_io_set> (or C<ev_io_init>) when you change the
		1070	descriptor even if the file descriptor number itself did not change.
		1071
		1072	This is how one would do it normally anyway, the important point is that
		1073	the libev application should not optimise around libev but should leave
		1074	optimisations to libev.
		1075
		1076	=head3 The special problem of dup'ed file descriptors
		1077
		1078	Some backends (e.g. epoll), cannot register events for file descriptors,
		1079	but only events for the underlying file descriptions. That means when you
		1080	have C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors or weirder constellations, and register
		1081	events for them, only one file descriptor might actually receive events.
		1082
		1083	There is no workaround possible except not registering events
		1084	for potentially C<dup ()>'ed file descriptors, or to resort to
		1085	C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1086
		1087	=head3 The special problem of fork
		1088
		1089	Some backends (epoll, kqueue) do not support C<fork ()> at all or exhibit
		1090	useless behaviour. Libev fully supports fork, but needs to be told about
		1091	it in the child.
		1092
		1093	To support fork in your programs, you either have to call
		1094	C<ev_default_fork ()> or C<ev_loop_fork ()> after a fork in the child,
		1095	enable C<EVFLAG_FORKCHECK>, or resort to C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> or
		1096	C<EVBACKEND_POLL>.
		1097
		1098	=head3 The special problem of SIGPIPE
		1099
		1100	While not really specific to libev, it is easy to forget about SIGPIPE:
		1101	when reading from a pipe whose other end has been closed, your program
		1102	gets send a SIGPIPE, which, by default, aborts your program. For most
		1103	programs this is sensible behaviour, for daemons, this is usually
		1104	undesirable.
		1105
		1106	So when you encounter spurious, unexplained daemon exits, make sure you
		1107	ignore SIGPIPE (and maybe make sure you log the exit status of your daemon
		1108	somewhere, as that would have given you a big clue).
		1109
		1110
		1111	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions
		1112
916	=over 4	1113	=over 4
917		1114
918	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)	1115	=item ev_io_init (ev_io *, callback, int fd, int events)
919		1116
920	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)	1117	=item ev_io_set (ev_io *, int fd, int events)
…		…
930	=item int events [read-only]	1127	=item int events [read-only]
931		1128
932	The events being watched.	1129	The events being watched.
933		1130
934	=back	1131	=back
		1132
		1133	=head3 Examples
935		1134
936	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well	1135	Example: Call C<stdin_readable_cb> when STDIN_FILENO has become, well
937	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could	1136	readable, but only once. Since it is likely line-buffered, you could
938	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.	1137	attempt to read a whole line in the callback.
939		1138
…		…
973		1172
974	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,	1173	The callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when its timeout has passed,
975	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then	1174	but if multiple timers become ready during the same loop iteration then
976	order of execution is undefined.	1175	order of execution is undefined.
977		1176
		1177	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1178
978	=over 4	1179	=over 4
979		1180
980	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1181	=item ev_timer_init (ev_timer *, callback, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
981		1182
982	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)	1183	=item ev_timer_set (ev_timer *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat)
…		…
990	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at	1191	configure a timer to trigger every 10 seconds, then it will trigger at
991	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with	1192	exactly 10 second intervals. If, however, your program cannot keep up with
992	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the	1193	the timer (because it takes longer than those 10 seconds to do stuff) the
993	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.	1194	timer will not fire more than once per event loop iteration.
994		1195
995	=item ev_timer_again (loop)	1196	=item ev_timer_again (loop, ev_timer *)
996		1197
997	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is	1198	This will act as if the timer timed out and restart it again if it is
998	repeating. The exact semantics are:	1199	repeating. The exact semantics are:
999		1200
1000	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.	1201	If the timer is pending, its pending status is cleared.
…		…
1035	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),	1236	or C<ev_timer_again> is called and determines the next timeout (if any),
1036	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.	1237	which is also when any modifications are taken into account.
1037		1238
1038	=back	1239	=back
1039		1240
		1241	=head3 Examples
		1242
1040	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.	1243	Example: Create a timer that fires after 60 seconds.
1041		1244
1042	static void	1245	static void
1043	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)	1246	one_minute_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_timer *w, int revents)
1044	{	1247	{
…		…
1087		1290
1088	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the	1291	As with timers, the callback is guarenteed to be invoked only when the
1089	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready	1292	time (C<at>) has been passed, but if multiple periodic timers become ready
1090	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.	1293	during the same loop iteration then order of execution is undefined.
1091		1294
		1295	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1296
1092	=over 4	1297	=over 4
1093		1298
1094	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)	1299	=item ev_periodic_init (ev_periodic *, callback, ev_tstamp at, ev_tstamp interval, reschedule_cb)
1095		1300
1096	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)	1301	=item ev_periodic_set (ev_periodic *, ev_tstamp after, ev_tstamp repeat, reschedule_cb)
…		…
1105	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time	1310	In this configuration the watcher triggers an event at the wallclock time
1106	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,	1311	C<at> and doesn't repeat. It will not adjust when a time jump occurs,
1107	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the	1312	that is, if it is to be run at January 1st 2011 then it will run when the
1108	system time reaches or surpasses this time.	1313	system time reaches or surpasses this time.
1109		1314
1110	=item * non-repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)	1315	=item * repeating interval timer (at = offset, interval > 0, reschedule_cb = 0)
1111		1316
1112	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next	1317	In this mode the watcher will always be scheduled to time out at the next
1113	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)	1318	C<at + N * interval> time (for some integer N, which can also be negative)
1114	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.	1319	and then repeat, regardless of any time jumps.
1115		1320
…		…
1192		1397
1193	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is	1398	The current reschedule callback, or C<0>, if this functionality is
1194	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when	1399	switched off. Can be changed any time, but changes only take effect when
1195	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.	1400	the periodic timer fires or C<ev_periodic_again> is being called.
1196		1401
		1402	=item ev_tstamp at [read-only]
		1403
		1404	When active, contains the absolute time that the watcher is supposed to
		1405	trigger next.
		1406
1197	=back	1407	=back
		1408
		1409	=head3 Examples
1198		1410
1199	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the	1411	Example: Call a callback every hour, or, more precisely, whenever the
1200	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have	1412	system clock is divisible by 3600. The callback invocation times have
1201	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.	1413	potentially a lot of jittering, but good long-term stability.
1202		1414
…		…
1242	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long	1454	with the kernel (thus it coexists with your own signal handlers as long
1243	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal	1455	as you don't register any with libev). Similarly, when the last signal
1244	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to	1456	watcher for a signal is stopped libev will reset the signal handler to
1245	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).	1457	SIG_DFL (regardless of what it was set to before).
1246		1458
		1459	If possible and supported, libev will install its handlers with
		1460	C<SA_RESTART> behaviour enabled, so syscalls should not be unduly
		1461	interrupted. If you have a problem with syscalls getting interrupted by
		1462	signals you can block all signals in an C<ev_check> watcher and unblock
		1463	them in an C<ev_prepare> watcher.
		1464
		1465	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1466
1247	=over 4	1467	=over 4
1248		1468
1249	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)	1469	=item ev_signal_init (ev_signal *, callback, int signum)
1250		1470
1251	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)	1471	=item ev_signal_set (ev_signal *, int signum)
…		…
1257		1477
1258	The signal the watcher watches out for.	1478	The signal the watcher watches out for.
1259		1479
1260	=back	1480	=back
1261		1481
		1482	=head3 Examples
		1483
		1484	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.
		1485
		1486	static void
		1487	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)
		1488	{
		1489	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);
		1490	}
		1491
		1492	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;
		1493	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);
		1494	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);
		1495
1262		1496
1263	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes	1497	=head2 C<ev_child> - watch out for process status changes
1264		1498
1265	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to	1499	Child watchers trigger when your process receives a SIGCHLD in response to
1266	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies).	1500	some child status changes (most typically when a child of yours dies). It
		1501	is permissible to install a child watcher I<after> the child has been
		1502	forked (which implies it might have already exited), as long as the event
		1503	loop isn't entered (or is continued from a watcher).
		1504
		1505	Only the default event loop is capable of handling signals, and therefore
		1506	you can only rgeister child watchers in the default event loop.
		1507
		1508	=head3 Process Interaction
		1509
		1510	Libev grabs C<SIGCHLD> as soon as the default event loop is
		1511	initialised. This is necessary to guarantee proper behaviour even if
		1512	the first child watcher is started after the child exits. The occurance
		1513	of C<SIGCHLD> is recorded asynchronously, but child reaping is done
		1514	synchronously as part of the event loop processing. Libev always reaps all
		1515	children, even ones not watched.
		1516
		1517	=head3 Overriding the Built-In Processing
		1518
		1519	Libev offers no special support for overriding the built-in child
		1520	processing, but if your application collides with libev's default child
		1521	handler, you can override it easily by installing your own handler for
		1522	C<SIGCHLD> after initialising the default loop, and making sure the
		1523	default loop never gets destroyed. You are encouraged, however, to use an
		1524	event-based approach to child reaping and thus use libev's support for
		1525	that, so other libev users can use C<ev_child> watchers freely.
		1526
		1527	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1267		1528
1268	=over 4	1529	=over 4
1269		1530
1270	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid)	1531	=item ev_child_init (ev_child *, callback, int pid, int trace)
1271		1532
1272	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid)	1533	=item ev_child_set (ev_child *, int pid, int trace)
1273		1534
1274	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or	1535	Configures the watcher to wait for status changes of process C<pid> (or
1275	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look	1536	I<any> process if C<pid> is specified as C<0>). The callback can look
1276	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see	1537	at the C<rstatus> member of the C<ev_child> watcher structure to see
1277	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems	1538	the status word (use the macros from C<sys/wait.h> and see your systems
1278	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the	1539	C<waitpid> documentation). The C<rpid> member contains the pid of the
1279	process causing the status change.	1540	process causing the status change. C<trace> must be either C<0> (only
		1541	activate the watcher when the process terminates) or C<1> (additionally
		1542	activate the watcher when the process is stopped or continued).
1280		1543
1281	=item int pid [read-only]	1544	=item int pid [read-only]
1282		1545
1283	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.	1546	The process id this watcher watches out for, or C<0>, meaning any process id.
1284		1547
…		…
1291	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems	1554	The process exit/trace status caused by C<rpid> (see your systems
1292	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).	1555	C<waitpid> and C<sys/wait.h> documentation for details).
1293		1556
1294	=back	1557	=back
1295		1558
1296	Example: Try to exit cleanly on SIGINT and SIGTERM.	1559	=head3 Examples
		1560
		1561	Example: C<fork()> a new process and install a child handler to wait for
		1562	its completion.
		1563
		1564	ev_child cw;
1297		1565
1298	static void	1566	static void
1299	sigint_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_signal *w, int revents)	1567	child_cb (EV_P_ struct ev_child *w, int revents)
1300	{	1568	{
1301	ev_unloop (loop, EVUNLOOP_ALL);	1569	ev_child_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1570	printf ("process %d exited with status %x\n", w->rpid, w->rstatus);
1302	}	1571	}
1303		1572
1304	struct ev_signal signal_watcher;	1573	pid_t pid = fork ();
1305	ev_signal_init (&signal_watcher, sigint_cb, SIGINT);	1574
1306	ev_signal_start (loop, &sigint_cb);	1575	if (pid < 0)
		1576	// error
		1577	else if (pid == 0)
		1578	{
		1579	// the forked child executes here
		1580	exit (1);
		1581	}
		1582	else
		1583	{
		1584	ev_child_init (&cw, child_cb, pid, 0);
		1585	ev_child_start (EV_DEFAULT_ &cw);
		1586	}
1307		1587
1308		1588
1309	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?	1589	=head2 C<ev_stat> - did the file attributes just change?
1310		1590
1311	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls	1591	This watches a filesystem path for attribute changes. That is, it calls
…		…
1340	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs	1620	semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers, which means that libev sometimes needs
1341	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are	1621	to fall back to regular polling again even with inotify, but changes are
1342	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no	1622	usually detected immediately, and if the file exists there will be no
1343	polling.	1623	polling.
1344		1624
		1625	=head3 ABI Issues (Largefile Support)
		1626
		1627	Libev by default (unless the user overrides this) uses the default
		1628	compilation environment, which means that on systems with optionally
		1629	disabled large file support, you get the 32 bit version of the stat
		1630	structure. When using the library from programs that change the ABI to
		1631	use 64 bit file offsets the programs will fail. In that case you have to
		1632	compile libev with the same flags to get binary compatibility. This is
		1633	obviously the case with any flags that change the ABI, but the problem is
		1634	most noticably with ev_stat and largefile support.
		1635
		1636	=head3 Inotify
		1637
		1638	When C<inotify (7)> support has been compiled into libev (generally only
		1639	available on Linux) and present at runtime, it will be used to speed up
		1640	change detection where possible. The inotify descriptor will be created lazily
		1641	when the first C<ev_stat> watcher is being started.
		1642
		1643	Inotify presense does not change the semantics of C<ev_stat> watchers
		1644	except that changes might be detected earlier, and in some cases, to avoid
		1645	making regular C<stat> calls. Even in the presense of inotify support
		1646	there are many cases where libev has to resort to regular C<stat> polling.
		1647
		1648	(There is no support for kqueue, as apparently it cannot be used to
		1649	implement this functionality, due to the requirement of having a file
		1650	descriptor open on the object at all times).
		1651
		1652	=head3 The special problem of stat time resolution
		1653
		1654	The C<stat ()> syscall only supports full-second resolution portably, and
		1655	even on systems where the resolution is higher, many filesystems still
		1656	only support whole seconds.
		1657
		1658	That means that, if the time is the only thing that changes, you might
		1659	miss updates: on the first update, C<ev_stat> detects a change and calls
		1660	your callback, which does something. When there is another update within
		1661	the same second, C<ev_stat> will be unable to detect it.
		1662
		1663	The solution to this is to delay acting on a change for a second (or till
		1664	the next second boundary), using a roughly one-second delay C<ev_timer>
		1665	(C<ev_timer_set (w, 0., 1.01); ev_timer_again (loop, w)>). The C<.01>
		1666	is added to work around small timing inconsistencies of some operating
		1667	systems.
		1668
		1669	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1670
1345	=over 4	1671	=over 4
1346		1672
1347	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)	1673	=item ev_stat_init (ev_stat *, callback, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
1348		1674
1349	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat *, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)	1675	=item ev_stat_set (ev_stat *, const char *path, ev_tstamp interval)
…		…
1356		1682
1357	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,	1683	The callback will be receive C<EV_STAT> when a change was detected,
1358	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the	1684	relative to the attributes at the time the watcher was started (or the
1359	last change was detected).	1685	last change was detected).
1360		1686
1361	=item ev_stat_stat (ev_stat *)	1687	=item ev_stat_stat (loop, ev_stat *)
1362		1688
1363	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the	1689	Updates the stat buffer immediately with new values. If you change the
1364	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid	1690	watched path in your callback, you could call this fucntion to avoid
1365	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be	1691	detecting this change (while introducing a race condition). Can also be
1366	useful simply to find out the new values.	1692	useful simply to find out the new values.
…		…
1384	=item const char *path [read-only]	1710	=item const char *path [read-only]
1385		1711
1386	The filesystem path that is being watched.	1712	The filesystem path that is being watched.
1387		1713
1388	=back	1714	=back
		1715
		1716	=head3 Examples
1389		1717
1390	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.	1718	Example: Watch C</etc/passwd> for attribute changes.
1391		1719
1392	static void	1720	static void
1393	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)	1721	passwd_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, ev_stat *w, int revents)
…		…
1406	}	1734	}
1407		1735
1408	...	1736	...
1409	ev_stat passwd;	1737	ev_stat passwd;
1410		1738
1411	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd");	1739	ev_stat_init (&passwd, passwd_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
1412	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);	1740	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1741
		1742	Example: Like above, but additionally use a one-second delay so we do not
		1743	miss updates (however, frequent updates will delay processing, too, so
		1744	one might do the work both on C<ev_stat> callback invocation I<and> on
		1745	C<ev_timer> callback invocation).
		1746
		1747	static ev_stat passwd;
		1748	static ev_timer timer;
		1749
		1750	static void
		1751	timer_cb (EV_P_ ev_timer *w, int revents)
		1752	{
		1753	ev_timer_stop (EV_A_ w);
		1754
		1755	/* now it's one second after the most recent passwd change */
		1756	}
		1757
		1758	static void
		1759	stat_cb (EV_P_ ev_stat *w, int revents)
		1760	{
		1761	/* reset the one-second timer */
		1762	ev_timer_again (EV_A_ &timer);
		1763	}
		1764
		1765	...
		1766	ev_stat_init (&passwd, stat_cb, "/etc/passwd", 0.);
		1767	ev_stat_start (loop, &passwd);
		1768	ev_timer_init (&timer, timer_cb, 0., 1.01);
1413		1769
1414		1770
1415	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...	1771	=head2 C<ev_idle> - when you've got nothing better to do...
1416		1772
1417	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher	1773	Idle watchers trigger events when no other events of the same or higher
…		…
1431	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful	1787	Apart from keeping your process non-blocking (which is a useful
1432	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do	1788	effect on its own sometimes), idle watchers are a good place to do
1433	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the	1789	"pseudo-background processing", or delay processing stuff to after the
1434	event loop has handled all outstanding events.	1790	event loop has handled all outstanding events.
1435		1791
		1792	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		1793
1436	=over 4	1794	=over 4
1437		1795
1438	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)	1796	=item ev_idle_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1439		1797
1440	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any	1798	Initialises and configures the idle watcher - it has no parameters of any
1441	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	1799	kind. There is a C<ev_idle_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1442	believe me.	1800	believe me.
1443		1801
1444	=back	1802	=back
		1803
		1804	=head3 Examples
1445		1805
1446	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the	1806	Example: Dynamically allocate an C<ev_idle> watcher, start it, and in the
1447	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.	1807	callback, free it. Also, use no error checking, as usual.
1448		1808
1449	static void	1809	static void
1450	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)	1810	idle_cb (struct ev_loop *loop, struct ev_idle *w, int revents)
1451	{	1811	{
1452	free (w);	1812	free (w);
1453	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has	1813	// now do something you wanted to do when the program has
1454	// no longer asnything immediate to do.	1814	// no longer anything immediate to do.
1455	}	1815	}
1456		1816
1457	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));	1817	struct ev_idle *idle_watcher = malloc (sizeof (struct ev_idle));
1458	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);	1818	ev_idle_init (idle_watcher, idle_cb);
1459	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);	1819	ev_idle_start (loop, idle_cb);
…		…
1501		1861
1502	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)	1862	It is recommended to give C<ev_check> watchers highest (C<EV_MAXPRI>)
1503	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers	1863	priority, to ensure that they are being run before any other watchers
1504	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,	1864	after the poll. Also, C<ev_check> watchers (and C<ev_prepare> watchers,
1505	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully	1865	too) should not activate ("feed") events into libev. While libev fully
1506	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers did	1866	supports this, they will be called before other C<ev_check> watchers
1507	their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other event	1867	did their job. As C<ev_check> watchers are often used to embed other
1508	loops those other event loops might be in an unusable state until their	1868	(non-libev) event loops those other event loops might be in an unusable
1509	C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to coexist peacefully with	1869	state until their C<ev_check> watcher ran (always remind yourself to
1510	others).	1870	coexist peacefully with others).
		1871
		1872	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
1511		1873
1512	=over 4	1874	=over 4
1513		1875
1514	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)	1876	=item ev_prepare_init (ev_prepare *, callback)
1515		1877
…		…
1518	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no	1880	Initialises and configures the prepare or check watcher - they have no
1519	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>	1881	parameters of any kind. There are C<ev_prepare_set> and C<ev_check_set>
1520	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.	1882	macros, but using them is utterly, utterly and completely pointless.
1521		1883
1522	=back	1884	=back
		1885
		1886	=head3 Examples
1523		1887
1524	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules	1888	There are a number of principal ways to embed other event loops or modules
1525	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev	1889	into libev. Here are some ideas on how to include libadns into libev
1526	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could	1890	(there is a Perl module named C<EV::ADNS> that does this, which you could
1527	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>	1891	use for an actually working example. Another Perl module named C<EV::Glib>
…		…
1696	portable one.	2060	portable one.
1697		2061
1698	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared	2062	So when you want to use this feature you will always have to be prepared
1699	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around	2063	that you cannot get an embeddable loop. The recommended way to get around
1700	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to	2064	this is to have a separate variables for your embeddable loop, try to
1701	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything:	2065	create it, and if that fails, use the normal loop for everything.
		2066
		2067	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2068
		2069	=over 4
		2070
		2071	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		2072
		2073	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)
		2074
		2075	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be
		2076	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
		2077	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
		2078	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
		2079	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
		2080
		2081	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
		2082
		2083	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
		2084	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
		2085	apropriate way for embedded loops.
		2086
		2087	=item struct ev_loop *other [read-only]
		2088
		2089	The embedded event loop.
		2090
		2091	=back
		2092
		2093	=head3 Examples
		2094
		2095	Example: Try to get an embeddable event loop and embed it into the default
		2096	event loop. If that is not possible, use the default loop. The default
		2097	loop is stored in C<loop_hi>, while the mebeddable loop is stored in
		2098	C<loop_lo> (which is C<loop_hi> in the acse no embeddable loop can be
		2099	used).
1702		2100
1703	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);	2101	struct ev_loop *loop_hi = ev_default_init (0);
1704	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;	2102	struct ev_loop *loop_lo = 0;
1705	struct ev_embed embed;	2103	struct ev_embed embed;
1706		2104
…		…
1717	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);	2115	ev_embed_start (loop_hi, &embed);
1718	}	2116	}
1719	else	2117	else
1720	loop_lo = loop_hi;	2118	loop_lo = loop_hi;
1721		2119
1722	=over 4	2120	Example: Check if kqueue is available but not recommended and create
		2121	a kqueue backend for use with sockets (which usually work with any
		2122	kqueue implementation). Store the kqueue/socket-only event loop in
		2123	C<loop_socket>. (One might optionally use C<EVFLAG_NOENV>, too).
1723		2124
1724	=item ev_embed_init (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	2125	struct ev_loop *loop = ev_default_init (0);
		2126	struct ev_loop *loop_socket = 0;
		2127	struct ev_embed embed;
		2128
		2129	if (ev_supported_backends () & ~ev_recommended_backends () & EVBACKEND_KQUEUE)
		2130	if ((loop_socket = ev_loop_new (EVBACKEND_KQUEUE))
		2131	{
		2132	ev_embed_init (&embed, 0, loop_socket);
		2133	ev_embed_start (loop, &embed);
		2134	}
1725		2135
1726	=item ev_embed_set (ev_embed *, callback, struct ev_loop *embedded_loop)	2136	if (!loop_socket)
		2137	loop_socket = loop;
1727		2138
1728	Configures the watcher to embed the given loop, which must be	2139	// now use loop_socket for all sockets, and loop for everything else
1729	embeddable. If the callback is C<0>, then C<ev_embed_sweep> will be
1730	invoked automatically, otherwise it is the responsibility of the callback
1731	to invoke it (it will continue to be called until the sweep has been done,
1732	if you do not want thta, you need to temporarily stop the embed watcher).
1733
1734	=item ev_embed_sweep (loop, ev_embed *)
1735
1736	Make a single, non-blocking sweep over the embedded loop. This works
1737	similarly to C<ev_loop (embedded_loop, EVLOOP_NONBLOCK)>, but in the most
1738	apropriate way for embedded loops.
1739
1740	=item struct ev_loop *loop [read-only]
1741
1742	The embedded event loop.
1743
1744	=back
1745		2140
1746		2141
1747	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork	2142	=head2 C<ev_fork> - the audacity to resume the event loop after a fork
1748		2143
1749	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because	2144	Fork watchers are called when a C<fork ()> was detected (usually because
…		…
1752	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,	2147	event loop blocks next and before C<ev_check> watchers are being called,
1753	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling	2148	and only in the child after the fork. If whoever good citizen calling
1754	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork	2149	C<ev_default_fork> cheats and calls it in the wrong process, the fork
1755	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.	2150	handlers will be invoked, too, of course.
1756		2151
		2152	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2153
1757	=over 4	2154	=over 4
1758		2155
1759	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)	2156	=item ev_fork_init (ev_signal *, callback)
1760		2157
1761	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any	2158	Initialises and configures the fork watcher - it has no parameters of any
1762	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,	2159	kind. There is a C<ev_fork_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
1763	believe me.	2160	believe me.
		2161
		2162	=back
		2163
		2164
		2165	=head2 C<ev_async> - how to wake up another event loop
		2166
		2167	In general, you cannot use an C<ev_loop> from multiple threads or other
		2168	asynchronous sources such as signal handlers (as opposed to multiple event
		2169	loops - those are of course safe to use in different threads).
		2170
		2171	Sometimes, however, you need to wake up another event loop you do not
		2172	control, for example because it belongs to another thread. This is what
		2173	C<ev_async> watchers do: as long as the C<ev_async> watcher is active, you
		2174	can signal it by calling C<ev_async_send>, which is thread- and signal
		2175	safe.
		2176
		2177	This functionality is very similar to C<ev_signal> watchers, as signals,
		2178	too, are asynchronous in nature, and signals, too, will be compressed
		2179	(i.e. the number of callback invocations may be less than the number of
		2180	C<ev_async_sent> calls).
		2181
		2182	Unlike C<ev_signal> watchers, C<ev_async> works with any event loop, not
		2183	just the default loop.
		2184
		2185	=head3 Queueing
		2186
		2187	C<ev_async> does not support queueing of data in any way. The reason
		2188	is that the author does not know of a simple (or any) algorithm for a
		2189	multiple-writer-single-reader queue that works in all cases and doesn't
		2190	need elaborate support such as pthreads.
		2191
		2192	That means that if you want to queue data, you have to provide your own
		2193	queue. But at least I can tell you would implement locking around your
		2194	queue:
		2195
		2196	=over 4
		2197
		2198	=item queueing from a signal handler context
		2199
		2200	To implement race-free queueing, you simply add to the queue in the signal
		2201	handler but you block the signal handler in the watcher callback. Here is an example that does that for
		2202	some fictitiuous SIGUSR1 handler:
		2203
		2204	static ev_async mysig;
		2205
		2206	static void
		2207	sigusr1_handler (void)
		2208	{
		2209	sometype data;
		2210
		2211	// no locking etc.
		2212	queue_put (data);
		2213	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2214	}
		2215
		2216	static void
		2217	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2218	{
		2219	sometype data;
		2220	sigset_t block, prev;
		2221
		2222	sigemptyset (&block);
		2223	sigaddset (&block, SIGUSR1);
		2224	sigprocmask (SIG_BLOCK, &block, &prev);
		2225
		2226	while (queue_get (&data))
		2227	process (data);
		2228
		2229	if (sigismember (&prev, SIGUSR1)
		2230	sigprocmask (SIG_UNBLOCK, &block, 0);
		2231	}
		2232
		2233	(Note: pthreads in theory requires you to use C<pthread_setmask>
		2234	instead of C<sigprocmask> when you use threads, but libev doesn't do it
		2235	either...).
		2236
		2237	=item queueing from a thread context
		2238
		2239	The strategy for threads is different, as you cannot (easily) block
		2240	threads but you can easily preempt them, so to queue safely you need to
		2241	employ a traditional mutex lock, such as in this pthread example:
		2242
		2243	static ev_async mysig;
		2244	static pthread_mutex_t mymutex = PTHREAD_MUTEX_INITIALIZER;
		2245
		2246	static void
		2247	otherthread (void)
		2248	{
		2249	// only need to lock the actual queueing operation
		2250	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2251	queue_put (data);
		2252	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2253
		2254	ev_async_send (EV_DEFAULT_ &mysig);
		2255	}
		2256
		2257	static void
		2258	mysig_cb (EV_P_ ev_async *w, int revents)
		2259	{
		2260	pthread_mutex_lock (&mymutex);
		2261
		2262	while (queue_get (&data))
		2263	process (data);
		2264
		2265	pthread_mutex_unlock (&mymutex);
		2266	}
		2267
		2268	=back
		2269
		2270
		2271	=head3 Watcher-Specific Functions and Data Members
		2272
		2273	=over 4
		2274
		2275	=item ev_async_init (ev_async *, callback)
		2276
		2277	Initialises and configures the async watcher - it has no parameters of any
		2278	kind. There is a C<ev_asynd_set> macro, but using it is utterly pointless,
		2279	believe me.
		2280
		2281	=item ev_async_send (loop, ev_async *)
		2282
		2283	Sends/signals/activates the given C<ev_async> watcher, that is, feeds
		2284	an C<EV_ASYNC> event on the watcher into the event loop. Unlike
		2285	C<ev_feed_event>, this call is safe to do in other threads, signal or
		2286	similar contexts (see the dicusssion of C<EV_ATOMIC_T> in the embedding
		2287	section below on what exactly this means).
		2288
		2289	This call incurs the overhead of a syscall only once per loop iteration,
		2290	so while the overhead might be noticable, it doesn't apply to repeated
		2291	calls to C<ev_async_send>.
1764		2292
1765	=back	2293	=back
1766		2294
1767		2295
1768	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS	2296	=head1 OTHER FUNCTIONS
…		…
1977		2505
1978	=item w->stop ()	2506	=item w->stop ()
1979		2507
1980	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.	2508	Stops the watcher if it is active. Again, no C<loop> argument.
1981		2509
1982	=item w->again () C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only	2510	=item w->again () (C<ev::timer>, C<ev::periodic> only)
1983		2511
1984	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding	2512	For C<ev::timer> and C<ev::periodic>, this invokes the corresponding
1985	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.	2513	C<ev_TYPE_again> function.
1986		2514
1987	=item w->sweep () C<ev::embed> only	2515	=item w->sweep () (C<ev::embed> only)
1988		2516
1989	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.	2517	Invokes C<ev_embed_sweep>.
1990		2518
1991	=item w->update () C<ev::stat> only	2519	=item w->update () (C<ev::stat> only)
1992		2520
1993	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.	2521	Invokes C<ev_stat_stat>.
1994		2522
1995	=back	2523	=back
1996		2524
…		…
1999	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in	2527	Example: Define a class with an IO and idle watcher, start one of them in
2000	the constructor.	2528	the constructor.
2001		2529
2002	class myclass	2530	class myclass
2003	{	2531	{
2004	ev_io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);	2532	ev::io io; void io_cb (ev::io &w, int revents);
2005	ev_idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);	2533	ev:idle idle void idle_cb (ev::idle &w, int revents);
2006		2534
2007	myclass ();	2535	myclass (int fd)
2008	}
2009
2010	myclass::myclass (int fd)
2011	{	2536	{
2012	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);	2537	io .set <myclass, &myclass::io_cb > (this);
2013	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);	2538	idle.set <myclass, &myclass::idle_cb> (this);
2014		2539
2015	io.start (fd, ev::READ);	2540	io.start (fd, ev::READ);
		2541	}
2016	}	2542	};
		2543
		2544
		2545	=head1 OTHER LANGUAGE BINDINGS
		2546
		2547	Libev does not offer other language bindings itself, but bindings for a
		2548	numbe rof languages exist in the form of third-party packages. If you know
		2549	any interesting language binding in addition to the ones listed here, drop
		2550	me a note.
		2551
		2552	=over 4
		2553
		2554	=item Perl
		2555
		2556	The EV module implements the full libev API and is actually used to test
		2557	libev. EV is developed together with libev. Apart from the EV core module,
		2558	there are additional modules that implement libev-compatible interfaces
		2559	to C<libadns> (C<EV::ADNS>), C<Net::SNMP> (C<Net::SNMP::EV>) and the
		2560	C<libglib> event core (C<Glib::EV> and C<EV::Glib>).
		2561
		2562	It can be found and installed via CPAN, its homepage is found at
		2563	L<http://software.schmorp.de/pkg/EV>.
		2564
		2565	=item Ruby
		2566
		2567	Tony Arcieri has written a ruby extension that offers access to a subset
		2568	of the libev API and adds filehandle abstractions, asynchronous DNS and
		2569	more on top of it. It can be found via gem servers. Its homepage is at
		2570	L<http://rev.rubyforge.org/>.
		2571
		2572	=item D
		2573
		2574	Leandro Lucarella has written a D language binding (F<ev.d>) for libev, to
		2575	be found at L<http://git.llucax.com.ar/?p=software/ev.d.git;a=summary>.
		2576
		2577	=back
2017		2578
2018		2579
2019	=head1 MACRO MAGIC	2580	=head1 MACRO MAGIC
2020		2581
2021	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundemantal is	2582	Libev can be compiled with a variety of options, the most fundamantal
2022	C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most) functions and	2583	of which is C<EV_MULTIPLICITY>. This option determines whether (most)
2023	callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.	2584	functions and callbacks have an initial C<struct ev_loop *> argument.
2024		2585
2025	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the	2586	To make it easier to write programs that cope with either variant, the
2026	following macros are defined:	2587	following macros are defined:
2027		2588
2028	=over 4	2589	=over 4
…		…
2082	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host	2643	Libev can (and often is) directly embedded into host
2083	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra	2644	applications. Examples of applications that embed it include the Deliantra
2084	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)	2645	Game Server, the EV perl module, the GNU Virtual Private Ethernet (gvpe)
2085	and rxvt-unicode.	2646	and rxvt-unicode.
2086		2647
2087	The goal is to enable you to just copy the neecssary files into your	2648	The goal is to enable you to just copy the necessary files into your
2088	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so	2649	source directory without having to change even a single line in them, so
2089	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of	2650	you can easily upgrade by simply copying (or having a checked-out copy of
2090	libev somewhere in your source tree).	2651	libev somewhere in your source tree).
2091		2652
2092	=head2 FILESETS	2653	=head2 FILESETS
…		…
2182		2743
2183	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2744	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2184	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use	2745	monotonic clock option at both compiletime and runtime. Otherwise no use
2185	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you	2746	of the monotonic clock option will be attempted. If you enable this, you
2186	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when	2747	usually have to link against librt or something similar. Enabling it when
2187	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, althoguh you have	2748	the functionality isn't available is safe, though, although you have
2188	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>	2749	to make sure you link against any libraries where the C<clock_gettime>
2189	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).	2750	function is hiding in (often F<-lrt>).
2190		2751
2191	=item EV_USE_REALTIME	2752	=item EV_USE_REALTIME
2192		2753
2193	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the	2754	If defined to be C<1>, libev will try to detect the availability of the
2194	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at	2755	realtime clock option at compiletime (and assume its availability at
2195	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will	2756	runtime if successful). Otherwise no use of the realtime clock option will
2196	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get	2757	be attempted. This effectively replaces C<gettimeofday> by C<clock_get
2197	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See tzhe note about libraries	2758	(CLOCK_REALTIME, ...)> and will not normally affect correctness. See the
2198	in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.	2759	note about libraries in the description of C<EV_USE_MONOTONIC>, though.
		2760
		2761	=item EV_USE_NANOSLEEP
		2762
		2763	If defined to be C<1>, libev will assume that C<nanosleep ()> is available
		2764	and will use it for delays. Otherwise it will use C<select ()>.
2199		2765
2200	=item EV_USE_SELECT	2766	=item EV_USE_SELECT
2201		2767
2202	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the	2768	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the
2203	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no	2769	C<select>(2) backend. No attempt at autodetection will be done: if no
…		…
2221	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to	2787	wants osf handles on win32 (this is the case when the select to
2222	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call	2788	be used is the winsock select). This means that it will call
2223	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,	2789	C<_get_osfhandle> on the fd to convert it to an OS handle. Otherwise,
2224	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even	2790	it is assumed that all these functions actually work on fds, even
2225	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.	2791	on win32. Should not be defined on non-win32 platforms.
		2792
		2793	=item EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE
		2794
		2795	If C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> is enabled, then libev needs a way to map
		2796	file descriptors to socket handles. When not defining this symbol (the
		2797	default), then libev will call C<_get_osfhandle>, which is usually
		2798	correct. In some cases, programs use their own file descriptor management,
		2799	in which case they can provide this function to map fds to socket handles.
2226		2800
2227	=item EV_USE_POLL	2801	=item EV_USE_POLL
2228		2802
2229	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)	2803	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the C<poll>(2)
2230	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It	2804	backend. Otherwise it will be enabled on non-win32 platforms. It
…		…
2264		2838
2265	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify	2839	If defined to be C<1>, libev will compile in support for the Linux inotify
2266	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will	2840	interface to speed up C<ev_stat> watchers. Its actual availability will
2267	be detected at runtime.	2841	be detected at runtime.
2268		2842
		2843	=item EV_ATOMIC_T
		2844
		2845	Libev requires an integer type (suitable for storing C<0> or C<1>) whose
		2846	access is atomic with respect to other threads or signal contexts. No such
		2847	type is easily found in the C language, so you can provide your own type
		2848	that you know is safe for your purposes. It is used both for signal handler "locking"
		2849	as well as for signal and thread safety in C<ev_async> watchers.
		2850
		2851	In the absense of this define, libev will use C<sig_atomic_t volatile>
		2852	(from F<signal.h>), which is usually good enough on most platforms.
		2853
2269	=item EV_H	2854	=item EV_H
2270		2855
2271	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if	2856	The name of the F<ev.h> header file used to include it. The default if
2272	undefined is C<< <ev.h> >> in F<event.h> and C<"ev.h"> in F<ev.c>. This	2857	undefined is C<"ev.h"> in F<event.h>, F<ev.c> and F<ev++.h>. This can be
2273	can be used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.	2858	used to virtually rename the F<ev.h> header file in case of conflicts.
2274		2859
2275	=item EV_CONFIG_H	2860	=item EV_CONFIG_H
2276		2861
2277	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override	2862	If C<EV_STANDALONE> isn't C<1>, this variable can be used to override
2278	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to	2863	F<ev.c>'s idea of where to find the F<config.h> file, similarly to
2279	C<EV_H>, above.	2864	C<EV_H>, above.
2280		2865
2281	=item EV_EVENT_H	2866	=item EV_EVENT_H
2282		2867
2283	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea	2868	Similarly to C<EV_H>, this macro can be used to override F<event.c>'s idea
2284	of how the F<event.h> header can be found.	2869	of how the F<event.h> header can be found, the default is C<"event.h">.
2285		2870
2286	=item EV_PROTOTYPES	2871	=item EV_PROTOTYPES
2287		2872
2288	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function	2873	If defined to be C<0>, then F<ev.h> will not define any function
2289	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is	2874	prototypes, but still define all the structs and other symbols. This is
…		…
2340	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE	2925	=item EV_FORK_ENABLE
2341		2926
2342	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If	2927	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then fork watchers are supported. If
2343	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.	2928	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
2344		2929
		2930	=item EV_ASYNC_ENABLE
		2931
		2932	If undefined or defined to be C<1>, then async watchers are supported. If
		2933	defined to be C<0>, then they are not.
		2934
2345	=item EV_MINIMAL	2935	=item EV_MINIMAL
2346		2936
2347	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some	2937	If you need to shave off some kilobytes of code at the expense of some
2348	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override	2938	speed, define this symbol to C<1>. Currently only used for gcc to override
2349	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.	2939	some inlining decisions, saves roughly 30% codesize of amd64.
…		…
2355	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to	2945	than enough. If you need to manage thousands of children you might want to
2356	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).	2946	increase this value (I<must> be a power of two).
2357		2947
2358	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE	2948	=item EV_INOTIFY_HASHSIZE
2359		2949
2360	C<ev_staz> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by	2950	C<ev_stat> watchers use a small hash table to distribute workload by
2361	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),	2951	inotify watch id. The default size is C<16> (or C<1> with C<EV_MINIMAL>),
2362	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>	2952	usually more than enough. If you need to manage thousands of C<ev_stat>
2363	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of	2953	watchers you might want to increase this value (I<must> be a power of
2364	two).	2954	two).
2365		2955
…		…
2382		2972
2383	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)	2973	=item ev_set_cb (ev, cb)
2384		2974
2385	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,	2975	Can be used to change the callback member declaration in each watcher,
2386	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member	2976	and the way callbacks are invoked and set. Must expand to a struct member
2387	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.v> header file for	2977	definition and a statement, respectively. See the F<ev.h> header file for
2388	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to	2978	their default definitions. One possible use for overriding these is to
2389	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use	2979	avoid the C<struct ev_loop *> as first argument in all cases, or to use
2390	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.	2980	method calls instead of plain function calls in C++.
		2981
		2982	=head2 EXPORTED API SYMBOLS
		2983
		2984	If you need to re-export the API (e.g. via a dll) and you need a list of
		2985	exported symbols, you can use the provided F<Symbol.*> files which list
		2986	all public symbols, one per line:
		2987
		2988	Symbols.ev for libev proper
		2989	Symbols.event for the libevent emulation
		2990
		2991	This can also be used to rename all public symbols to avoid clashes with
		2992	multiple versions of libev linked together (which is obviously bad in
		2993	itself, but sometimes it is inconvinient to avoid this).
		2994
		2995	A sed command like this will create wrapper C<#define>'s that you need to
		2996	include before including F<ev.h>:
		2997
		2998	<Symbols.ev sed -e "s/.*/#define & myprefix_&/" >wrap.h
		2999
		3000	This would create a file F<wrap.h> which essentially looks like this:
		3001
		3002	#define ev_backend myprefix_ev_backend
		3003	#define ev_check_start myprefix_ev_check_start
		3004	#define ev_check_stop myprefix_ev_check_stop
		3005	...
2391		3006
2392	=head2 EXAMPLES	3007	=head2 EXAMPLES
2393		3008
2394	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev	3009	For a real-world example of a program the includes libev
2395	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module	3010	verbatim, you can have a look at the EV perl module
…		…
2436		3051
2437	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)	3052	=item Starting and stopping timer/periodic watchers: O(log skipped_other_timers)
2438		3053
2439	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and	3054	This means that, when you have a watcher that triggers in one hour and
2440	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will	3055	there are 100 watchers that would trigger before that then inserting will
2441	have to skip those 100 watchers.	3056	have to skip roughly seven (C<ld 100>) of these watchers.
2442		3057
2443	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat, again): O(log skipped_other_timers)	3058	=item Changing timer/periodic watchers (by autorepeat or calling again): O(log skipped_other_timers)
2444		3059
2445	That means that for changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them	3060	That means that changing a timer costs less than removing/adding them
2446	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.	3061	as only the relative motion in the event queue has to be paid for.
2447		3062
2448	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child watchers: O(1)	3063	=item Starting io/check/prepare/idle/signal/child/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2449		3064
2450	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.	3065	These just add the watcher into an array or at the head of a list.
		3066
2451	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle watchers: O(1)	3067	=item Stopping check/prepare/idle/fork/async watchers: O(1)
2452		3068
2453	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))	3069	=item Stopping an io/signal/child watcher: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_(fd/signal/pid % EV_PID_HASHSIZE))
2454		3070
2455	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the	3071	These watchers are stored in lists then need to be walked to find the
2456	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually	3072	correct watcher to remove. The lists are usually short (you don't usually
2457	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).	3073	have many watchers waiting for the same fd or signal).
2458		3074
2459	=item Finding the next timer per loop iteration: O(1)	3075	=item Finding the next timer in each loop iteration: O(1)
		3076
		3077	By virtue of using a binary heap, the next timer is always found at the
		3078	beginning of the storage array.
2460		3079
2461	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)	3080	=item Each change on a file descriptor per loop iteration: O(number_of_watchers_for_this_fd)
2462		3081
2463	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires	3082	A change means an I/O watcher gets started or stopped, which requires
2464	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel).	3083	libev to recalculate its status (and possibly tell the kernel, depending
		3084	on backend and wether C<ev_io_set> was used).
2465		3085
2466	=item Activating one watcher: O(1)	3086	=item Activating one watcher (putting it into the pending state): O(1)
2467		3087
2468	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)	3088	=item Priority handling: O(number_of_priorities)
2469		3089
2470	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each	3090	Priorities are implemented by allocating some space for each
2471	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to	3091	priority. When doing priority-based operations, libev usually has to
2472	linearly search all the priorities.	3092	linearly search all the priorities, but starting/stopping and activating
		3093	watchers becomes O(1) w.r.t. priority handling.
		3094
		3095	=item Sending an ev_async: O(1)
		3096
		3097	=item Processing ev_async_send: O(number_of_async_watchers)
		3098
		3099	=item Processing signals: O(max_signal_number)
		3100
		3101	Sending involves a syscall I<iff> there were no other C<ev_async_send>
		3102	calls in the current loop iteration. Checking for async and signal events
		3103	involves iterating over all running async watchers or all signal numbers.
2473		3104
2474	=back	3105	=back
2475		3106
2476		3107
		3108	=head1 Win32 platform limitations and workarounds
		3109
		3110	Win32 doesn't support any of the standards (e.g. POSIX) that libev
		3111	requires, and its I/O model is fundamentally incompatible with the POSIX
		3112	model. Libev still offers limited functionality on this platform in
		3113	the form of the C<EVBACKEND_SELECT> backend, and only supports socket
		3114	descriptors. This only applies when using Win32 natively, not when using
		3115	e.g. cygwin.
		3116
		3117	There is no supported compilation method available on windows except
		3118	embedding it into other applications.
		3119
		3120	Due to the many, low, and arbitrary limits on the win32 platform and the
		3121	abysmal performance of winsockets, using a large number of sockets is not
		3122	recommended (and not reasonable). If your program needs to use more than
		3123	a hundred or so sockets, then likely it needs to use a totally different
		3124	implementation for windows, as libev offers the POSIX model, which cannot
		3125	be implemented efficiently on windows (microsoft monopoly games).
		3126
		3127	=over 4
		3128
		3129	=item The winsocket select function
		3130
		3131	The winsocket C<select> function doesn't follow POSIX in that it requires
		3132	socket I<handles> and not socket I<file descriptors>. This makes select
		3133	very inefficient, and also requires a mapping from file descriptors
		3134	to socket handles. See the discussion of the C<EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET>,
		3135	C<EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET> and C<EV_FD_TO_WIN32_HANDLE> preprocessor
		3136	symbols for more info.
		3137
		3138	The configuration for a "naked" win32 using the microsoft runtime
		3139	libraries and raw winsocket select is:
		3140
		3141	#define EV_USE_SELECT 1
		3142	#define EV_SELECT_IS_WINSOCKET 1 /* forces EV_SELECT_USE_FD_SET, too */
		3143
		3144	Note that winsockets handling of fd sets is O(n), so you can easily get a
		3145	complexity in the O(n²) range when using win32.
		3146
		3147	=item Limited number of file descriptors
		3148
		3149	Windows has numerous arbitrary (and low) limits on things. Early versions
		3150	of winsocket's select only supported waiting for a max. of C<64> handles
		3151	(probably owning to the fact that all windows kernels can only wait for
		3152	C<64> things at the same time internally; microsoft recommends spawning a
		3153	chain of threads and wait for 63 handles and the previous thread in each).
		3154
		3155	Newer versions support more handles, but you need to define C<FD_SETSIZE>
		3156	to some high number (e.g. C<2048>) before compiling the winsocket select
		3157	call (which might be in libev or elsewhere, for example, perl does its own
		3158	select emulation on windows).
		3159
		3160	Another limit is the number of file descriptors in the microsoft runtime
		3161	libraries, which by default is C<64> (there must be a hidden I<64> fetish
		3162	or something like this inside microsoft). You can increase this by calling
		3163	C<_setmaxstdio>, which can increase this limit to C<2048> (another
		3164	arbitrary limit), but is broken in many versions of the microsoft runtime
		3165	libraries.
		3166
		3167	This might get you to about C<512> or C<2048> sockets (depending on
		3168	windows version and/or the phase of the moon). To get more, you need to
		3169	wrap all I/O functions and provide your own fd management, but the cost of
		3170	calling select (O(n²)) will likely make this unworkable.
		3171
		3172	=back
		3173
		3174
2477	=head1 AUTHOR	3175	=head1 AUTHOR
2478		3176
2479	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.	3177	Marc Lehmann <libev@schmorp.de>.
2480		3178

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